Gutter Thoughts 025
Gratitude is the Process: Stoic tools to help comic creators stay focused, consistent, and inspired (Part 6)
This is Part 6 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
Keep reminding yourself of the way things are connected, of their relatedness. All things are implicated in one another and in sympathy with each other. This event is the consequence of some other one. Things push and pull on each other, and breath together, and are one.
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.38
Hey there,
After six weeks exploring Stoic gratitude for comic creators, we’ve talked about finding appreciation in creative valleys and staying present during the grind. One final piece ties it all together.
The final piece is this: real progress isn’t about numbers, milestones, or recognition. It’s about the quiet victories you earn in how you approach your work, handle challenges, and keep creating when no one’s watching.
Most creators overlook this and keep chasing external markers anyway. That’s why even talented artists burn out, doubt themselves, or quit right before a breakthrough. When you shift your measure of success to the victories you can control, you remove that constant source of frustration and build a creative practice that lasts.
The truth is, if you’ve followed this series and applied even a few Stoic principles, you’ve already won victories most creators never notice.
Here are five Stoic victories worth recognizing and celebrating.
1. You find gratitude in the grind when drawing feels like a fight.
It may feel the least like winning, but it’s the most important change you can make.
Think about those sessions when your hand cramped, the page looked wrong, and every line felt off. Most see these as failures. But if you keep going and find even one small thing to be grateful for, you’re developing something rare.
The Stoics called it “love of fate,” embracing even the hard parts. When you sit down knowing it might be frustrating or disappointing, and you’re still thankful for the chance to create, you’ve stepped beyond the amateur mindset.
It shows up when you:
Breathe through frustration instead of abandoning the page
Say, “I get to draw today,” even when your skills feel shaky
Appreciate one small detail in an otherwise disappointing piece
Show up again tomorrow despite yesterday’s struggles
Marcus Aurelius wrote about finding gratitude for obstacles because they strengthen character. These grit-filled days are the kind of quiet victory that rarely shows up in a portfolio but shapes who you become as an artist.
2. You move through creative valleys without losing perspective.
Every creator hits stretches when nothing feels right. The art looks amateur, the story falls flat, and progress feels invisible.
If you keep going without quitting, you build one of the most valuable creative skills. You prove to yourself your practice doesn’t depend on inspiration or perfect conditions.
Seneca wrote about preparing for setbacks while enjoying good times. You learn that valleys are temporary, necessary, and not a verdict on your talent. The victory isn’t avoiding dips. It’s carrying gratitude through them.
Seeing a slump as part of the journey, not the end of it, is another quiet victory. It shows you’ve built the perspective to keep going when many would walk away.
3. You develop your own creative philosophy instead of chasing trends.
This victory is subtle but powerful. You stop letting trends dictate your work.
Many creators get stuck in comparison loops, copying what’s popular, doubting their instincts, chasing attention. But when you anchor your work in your own values and vision, you gain what the Stoics called “internal control.”
It looks like confidence in your creative choices, even without immediate validation. It’s appreciating others’ work without feeling the need to mimic it. It’s having your own standards for progress that don’t hinge on algorithms or public approval.
Epictetus taught that freedom comes from focusing on what’s within our control. Staying true to your creative compass is a quiet victory that builds long-term stability and self-respect in your work.
4. You overcome perfectionism and start before you’re ready.
Publishing work that isn’t perfect is a victory that stops many creators in their tracks.
Perfectionism is fear in disguise. It’s the voice that says, “It’s not ready yet” about everything. Learning to begin messy and improve through repetition is what separates working artists from eternal hobbyists.
You know you’ve won this battle when you:
Post work-in-progress without apologizing for roughness
Start new comics before every problem is solved
Share panels that capture the right feeling even if the technique isn’t flawless
Treat mistakes as information, not failures
This kind of action-first approach is a quiet victory because it shifts your identity from “someone who wants to make comics” to “someone who does.”
5. You stay present in your creative practice instead of living in “someday.”
This is the most advanced victory and the one that transforms comic-making into a sustainable practice.
It’s easy to think, When I get published… When I hit 10K followers… When my art improves… But that kind of mental time travel pulls you out of the moment where real progress happens.
If you can find satisfaction in today’s drawing session, today’s story puzzle, today’s creative decision—regardless of the outcome—you’ve reached something profound.
The Stoics called it memento mori—remember you must die. Time is limited, so value what’s in front of you. When you’re fully engaged in the work at hand, you’re stacking the kind of quiet victories that add up to a lifetime of creative fulfillment.
In Closing
If you see yourself in any of these five victories, you’ve achieved something remarkable. You’re not just learning to draw comics. You’re building the resilience, perspective, and discipline that sustain creative careers for decades.
That transformation is worth celebrating, even if the outside world doesn’t see it yet.
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:
Show Spark: Foundation
I started watching this show when it first came out. I loved season 1, but I fell off during season 2—it had a slow start, and it took me a while to connect with the characters again. But now season 3 is here, and from the trailer alone, it looked incredible.
Foundation is a stunning show. Watching season 2 has completely pulled me back in—so much that I picked up the books again. I’m new to the world of Foundation and Isaac Asimov, but this series has been a real spark in my own sci-fi creations. Every time I watch, I can’t help but grab my sketchbook and start drawing.
Book Spark: Red Rising
I. Can’t. Stop. Reading. This. Book.
Every time I get a break, I grab it and dive back in. It’s that good. And from what I hear, it’s not even the best in the series—which is wild. It’s entertaining, explores some great themes, and even teaches me a lot about writing style. Another spark that’s hitting my sci-fi itch.
Movie Spark: Dune Part 1 and 2
We rewatched two of my favorite films.
If you haven’t seen these two films, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Do I need to say more?
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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