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Publishing over 100 pages of comics in my creator-owned series, The Realm Ethereal has taught me lessons about storytelling, consistency, artistic growth, and what it truly means to commit to a long-term creative project. I’ve learned quite a bit—not only about making comics, but about creativity, art, discipline, and myself.
When I first began, I had no idea how long the journey would be or how much my approach would evolve over time. Looking back now, there are a number of lessons that stand out. Whether you’re creating comics, writing a novel, or pursuing any long-term creative project, perhaps some of these observations will resonate with you as well.
This may not be everyone’s preferred method of working, but because I’ve always created The Realm Ethereal in my spare time, ideas were constantly changing.
As the years went by, I found myself developing plot twists, characters, and story ideas almost on the spot as I was creating pages. Rather than having every detail meticulously planned in advance, the story often revealed itself to me while I was drawing.
For my self-published, creator-owned work, this approach actually worked to my advantage. I wasn’t getting bored with my own story because I was discovering aspects of it as I went along.
Ideas are important, but completed pages are what ultimately move a project forward. A comic sitting in your head doesn’t exist for readers. A finished page does.
Like many artists, I enjoy those moments when inspiration strikes and everything seems effortless. Unfortunately, creative motivation isn’t always available on demand.
Because I only work on my comics part-time, I learned early on that consistent effort was far more important than waiting to “feel inspired.”
Eventually, I developed a workflow that helped me maintain momentum. I would often begin by inking backgrounds first whenever possible. Background work typically carried less pressure and allowed me to make steady progress, even on days when motivation was low.
Then, when it came time to draw and ink the characters, I was rewarded with the excitement that originally drew me to comics in the first place.
Small, consistent progress adds up surprisingly fast over time.
Early in my comic-making journey, I gravitated toward relatively straightforward character designs. With a few exceptions, most of my characters are intentionally designed to be drawn repeatedly without excessive complexity.
This has proven to be a tremendous advantage.
When you’re creating dozens—or hundreds—of pages, simplicity becomes a strength rather than a limitation. Every extra buckle, panel line, or intricate costume detail eventually compounds into additional hours of work.
Creating characters that are enjoyable to draw over and over again can save enormous amounts of time in the long run.
When I created the first issue of The Dream Awakens, I was heavily influenced by a particular style of comic art. It was a creative muscle I wanted to flex, and I spent considerable effort on rendering and detail.
Over time, however, my approach changed.
I’ve simplified my artwork considerably, and in doing so I’ve found myself thinking much more about layout, composition, staging, and visual clarity.
Ironically, simplifying the artwork made me a better storyteller.
Beautiful drawings certainly have their place, but comics live and die by their storytelling. Readers need to understand what’s happening, where to look, and how to emotionally experience each scene.
A well-composed page with clear storytelling will almost always outperform a beautifully rendered page that confuses the reader.
This lesson continues to challenge me.
I consider myself an artist first and a writer second. Character development is something I continually strive to improve.
Still, I’ve come to believe that if readers don’t connect with a character emotionally, that character had better at least be highly entertaining.
One of the joys of building The Realm Ethereal is populating my universe with characters of my own creation. I never truly know which characters readers will respond to most strongly.
Fortunately, the universe continues to grow, giving readers a diverse cast to connect with in different ways.
Sometimes the characters you least expect become audience favorites.
As a self-published creator, deadlines can be complicated.
Comics are not my full-time profession. I create them because I genuinely love doing so.
I don’t have an editor waiting for pages. I don’t have a publisher demanding a release schedule. In many ways, I answer only to myself.
That freedom is wonderful, but it also means that progress depends entirely on self-discipline.
The closest thing I have to a deadline is my own excitement to begin drawing the next page. Fortunately, passion has proven to be a powerful motivator.
Earlier in my artistic journey, there were many comic artists whose work I wanted to emulate.
Truthfully, there still are.
The difference today is that I have a much deeper understanding of the fundamentals that support effective storytelling: composition, light and shadow, clarity, and design.
These principles serve function before style.
This is something I didn’t fully appreciate when I was younger. I believed style was the goal. Now I see style as something that emerges naturally through years of practice and experience.
You don’t have to chase your style. If you continue creating, it eventually finds you.
This is a reality every independent creator eventually encounters.
As the creator of The Realm Ethereal, I am responsible for every aspect of the business: maintaining my website, managing my online store, producing videos, running social media accounts, designing promotional materials, and staying current with constantly changing technologies.
If I’m not drawing, I’m often filming myself drawing, editing videos, creating previews for social media, or exploring new tools and platforms.
It’s non-stop.
Being an indie creator means wearing many hats. While it can sometimes feel overwhelming, it also means having complete creative control over how your work is presented to the world.
And that’s something I value tremendously.
Of all the platforms where I share my work, YouTube has been the most supportive and responsive.
The interactions I have there continue to motivate me.
Knowing that people are paying attention, following the journey, and taking the time to comment on my work provides encouragement during the inevitable slower periods of the creative process.
Creating can often feel like a solitary pursuit. Community reminds us that we’re not creating in a vacuum.
There are people on the other side of the screen who genuinely care.
This may be the most important lesson of all.
In my current series, The Sky Dreamers, I’ve begun incorporating and repurposing artwork created years ago for comic projects that were never published.
Revisiting and reimagining that older material has been incredibly rewarding.
As both an artist and writer, I’m uniquely positioned to reinterpret my earlier work and integrate it into The Realm Ethereal universe.
What once seemed unfinished or abandoned suddenly has new life and new purpose.
I’ve come to believe that no creative effort is ever truly wasted.
Every drawing, every page, every abandoned concept teaches us something. Even if the original project never sees publication, the experience gained and the ideas developed often find their way into future work.
Most importantly, the work retains value for the creator.
And because of that, none of the time spent creating is ever truly lost.
Creating and publishing more than 100 pages of comics has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
I’m still learning. I haven’t mentioned this yet, but I’m even the letterer of my comic book series– and comic book lettering is truly an artform unto itself. In many ways, I feel like I’m just getting started.
But if there’s one lesson that rises above all the others, it’s this:
Keep creating.
Page by page, project by project, the work accumulates. Your skills improve. Your voice becomes clearer. And eventually, you look back and realize you’ve built something meaningful—something that only you could have created.
I loved reading this and found it very motovational thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Carla!