Gutter Thoughts 024
Gratitude is the Process: Stoic tools to help comic creators stay focused, consistent, and inspired (Part 5)
This is Part 5 of Gratitude is the Process—a 6-part series on how Stoic gratitude helps comic creators push through rejection, burnout, and creative blocks.
You can start from part 1 right here (it’s the mindset reset I wish I had when I started).
The Stoic Quote of the Week
Do now what nature demands of you. Get right to it that’s in your power. Don’t look around to see if people will know about it. Don’t await the perfection of Plato’s Republic, but be satisfied with even the smallest step forward and regard the outcome as a small thing.
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Have you ever notice when the moment you finish a few solid pages, your brain immediately fast-forwards to signing your first comic book contract.
You nail a character design, get some likes on your latest comic strip, or finally figure out that tricky panel layout, and suddenly you're mentally rehearsing your Eisner Award acceptance speech instead of inking your current pages. Your ego hijacks the present moment and sends you on a fantasy trip to a future where you're the next big thing in comics. Meanwhile, your actual comic sits unfinished because you're too busy daydreaming about animated adaptations and merchandising deals.
I've been guilty of this plenty of times. Get stuck in the idea of making a comic and all the benefits it will bring. And find myself not in the present actually working on my comic. It happens to the best of us.
So today, I'm going to share 5 proven ways to reel your artist brain back to reality and stay grounded in the present moment—where all the real comic creation happens.
Let's dive in.
You need to recognize when you're mentally time traveling.
Most cartoonists don't even realize they've left their drawing desk until they've wasted hours fantasizing about their graphic novel hitting the bestseller list.
The signs are subtle but consistent: you stop focusing on the panel you're drawing and start imagining how impressed editors will be with your finished series. You catch yourself researching publishing deals before you've completed your first chapter. You're mentally spending royalty checks you haven't earned yet. You're planning your acceptance speech for the Eisner Awards before you've even submitted to your first anthology.
Here's what I do: I write "Are you drawing or dreaming?" on a sticky note and place it on my computer and inside my sketchbook. When I drift off into fantasy land—dreaming of building complex worlds like Jonathan Hickman—I see that note and know I must focus on the task in front of me. This simple visual reminder has saved me countless hours of unproductive daydreaming.
The moment you notice you're time traveling, you can course-correct. But you can't fix what you don't acknowledge.
You must anchor yourself with micro-deadlines.
Future fantasies thrive when your comic goals feel abstract and distant—so make them concrete and immediate.
Instead of thinking "I'm creating a webcomic series," think "I'm finishing these 3 panels in the next 90 minutes." Instead of "I'm building a fanbase," think "I'm posting 2 comic strips and responding to every comment today." Instead of "I'm becoming a professional cartoonist," think "I'm completing this character sheet and background sketch before lunch."
Micro-deadlines force your brain to focus on what's directly in front of you because there's urgency attached. When you have 90 minutes to finish 3 panels, your mind doesn't have time to wander into "what if Netflix adapts this" territory. It's too busy figuring out speech bubble placement and making sure your character's expressions are consistent.
I break every aspect of a comic project into daily micro-deadlines. When I do this, I notice my brain literally can't time travel when it's under gentle but real pressure to deliver specific pages today.
You need to practice radical gratitude for where you are right now.
Gratitude is the antidote to ego-driven future fantasies because it forces you to appreciate your current artistic reality instead of escaping from it.
As we've been exploring in this "Gratitude is the Process" series, this is about Stoic gratitude—acknowledging what you've actually built right now, not what you hope to build someday. Instead of "I'm grateful I can draw," practice: "I'm grateful I have the discipline to ink 2 pages today." Or: "I'm grateful 23 people actually read my webcomic this week." Or: "I'm grateful I finally figured out how to draw hands that don't look like mutant spiders."
This type of present-moment gratitude kills the ego's need to time travel because you're actively appreciating the comic skills you've already developed. Your brain stops trying to escape to an imaginary future where you're signing autographs because the present becomes genuinely satisfying when you acknowledge your actual progress.
Every morning, I write down 3 specific things I'm grateful for related to my current comic work. Appreciate the gains you've made from where you started and stop focusing on the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
This is gratitude as process, not outcome.
You have to celebrate small wins immediately.
Most cartoonists wait until they get picked up by a major publisher to celebrate—which trains their brain to always be looking ahead instead of acknowledging present-moment progress.
The solution is to celebrate every small win the moment it happens with both acknowledgment and a small reward. Nailed a difficult perspective shot? Take 30 seconds to acknowledge that you just solved a visual problem most people can't even see, then reward yourself with a 10-minute walk or your favorite tea. Posted a comic that got 12 genuine laughs? Pause and appreciate that you made 12 real humans smile with your art today, then watch an episode of that anime you've been enjoying.
These micro-celebrations and rewards train your brain to find satisfaction in the present moment instead of constantly seeking it in some imaginary future where you're keynoting conventions. When you regularly acknowledge and reward your daily comic progress, the ego stops needing to fantasize about massive publishing success because it's getting fed with real, present-moment wins.
I have a simple rule: every time I complete a page or nail a character expression, I take 10 seconds to say "That's solid work" out loud. Then give myself a small reward—maybe a making matcha latte or a short walk outside. It sounds ridiculous, but this combination keeps my brain anchored in what I'm actually creating instead of what I might create someday.
You must remember that the present moment is where every line actually gets drawn.
Here's the reality check your ego doesn't want to hear: all future comic success is built from present-moment pen strokes, and present-moment pen strokes can only happen when you're mentally present at your drawing table.
Every panel you complete, every character you develop, every joke you nail, every visual storytelling technique you master—it all happens right now, in this moment. Not in some fantasy future where you're signing your 20th movie deal, but in the mundane, unglamorous present where actual pages get created.
When your brain tries to time travel to your imaginary comic empire, remind yourself: "The only moment I can actually draw something is this one." Your future self will be grateful that your present self stayed focused on the work instead of getting lost in dreams about the outcomes.
The most successful cartoonists I know aren't the ones with the biggest dreams about Tv or movie adaptations, but the ones who can stay present with their process long enough to make those dreams inevitable.
If you’ve been enjoying these reflections, take a break and check out something I’ve been pouring my creative energy into. Boom Kid is a raw, heartfelt story about power, identity, and loyalty.
This Week’s Creative Sparks
Here are the shows, books, movies, comics, and more that have sparked my creativity this week:
Exhibition Spark: Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho
Bong Joon Ho has been one of my favorite filmmakers—long before I even knew his name. I was obsessed with The Host when I was younger, but it wasn’t until years later, after seeing Snowpiercer and Parasite, that I realized they were all directed by the same person.
So getting to experience his work up close at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was a real joy. Seeing his inspirations, storyboards, and creative process left me buzzing with ideas. I went straight home and started drawing, and I haven’t stopped all week.
If you’re in Los Angeles (or planning a visit), I highly recommend checking it out. The exhibition runs through January 10, 2027.
Animation Spark: Fortnite x Power Rangers Trailer
I don’t play Fortnite, but I’ve always loved classic Power Rangers. So when this live-action trailer popped up, it immediately grabbed my attention.
What I love most is the marketing brilliance behind it. They could’ve played it safe with animation, but instead, they leaned into what makes Power Rangers iconic—the live-action choreography. The Sentai genre takes pride in those action sequences, and here, something that could’ve felt cheesy comes across as epic. Fortnite made the right call.
Book Spark: Spectators
I got my hands on an ARC of the upcoming graphic novel from one of my favorite comic book writers, Brian K. Vaughan, with artist Niko Henrichon. This is a project I began backing about a year ago on Substack, and even though I jumped in halfway through its release, I was instantly hooked.
Spectators is a metaphysical visual novel that dives deep into themes of life, death, sex, desire, romance, voyeurism, the afterlife, and more. It’s an honor to be selected for an advance copy of what might be Vaughan’s most literary graphic novel to date.
I’m halfway through and loving it, so expect a spoiler-free review soon.
That’s a wrap for this week’s Gutter Thoughts. Thanks for joining me on this creative journey—hopefully, something here sparked an idea or inspired your own work. Until next time, stay grounded, stay creative, and keep pushing forward.
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