Curry Zawa Kaoru’s Creative Counseling - “People don’t enjoy my original stuff as much as my fan art.” To get more views, you need to think of how to make your work more appealing.

Let me begin by saying this: you’re far—and I mean far—from being the only person to experience this problem, so cheer up, buttercup.

Of course, exceptions exist, so there are those who are blessed with the good fortune of having their first series blow up like Eiichiro Oda; the chosen few who end up on the receiving end of fan art instead. It’s much more likely now thanks to the power of social media promotion, which gives creators a better shot at having their work go viral than in the past.

Unfortunately, many people who go on to create original works after starting out as fan artists make the same mistake of expecting to sell the same number of their original works as they would of their doujinshi based on a top-grossing franchise. Just because your doujinshi sold like hotcakes at Comiket doesn't mean the discerning eyes of the COMITIA crowd are willing to shell out for you!

As a result, it’s not uncommon for authors to find themselves in a begrudging cohabitation agreement with boxes of their unsold non-derivative works. If that sounds like you, don't worry... You're not alone. Some of my Swordken Ranbu fan art on pixiv has racked up four digits, whereas my original works usually get no more than a few hundred bookmarks, some even less than a hundred.

Despite these catastrophic numbers, I haven’t made the decision to throw in the towel yet—not that I can, anyway—and neither should you, dear reader.

Sure, derivative works may have a leg up on original works due to the source material, and the more popular the source, the more likely you are to get views and saves. However, it’s incorrect to assume that your fan art only gets likes due to the popularity of the series it was derived from. People enjoy your work because of your artistic skills; the source material’s popularity merely enhances that enjoyment. No two fan works of the same series or even the same character have the same number of likes, so it’s obvious that the artist’s skills play a part in determining how much love their art receives. Remember, it’s important to give yourself credit where it’s due.

That being said, there are occasions where the influence of the source material is just too great. Although your fan art may receive the kind of attention that makes you think you could be the next Bob Ross, the minute you turn to non-derivative work, you might discover that it was the hype surrounding the source material bolstering your art, and you were merely walking on stilts this whole time.

While it might be true that you still have room to grow, you shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that you have zero talent for writing or drawing. Let’s say you have been tearing it up thanks to the series your work is based on. What, then, does the source material have that your original works don’t?

Aside from intriguing characters to die for and a plot that hits you in the feels, what really sets it apart from your work is its established reputation; that’s the pillar most fan works rest on. By making use of this power-up item, fan artists can overcome the biggest hurdle that all creative works face: gaining the acknowledgment and interest of viewers.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that illustrations of your OCs hardly get any love. In the case of fan art, people can take one look at the thumbnail and go, “OMG it’s my bae, the one and only pride of the Gojo clan, Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen!” and immediately click on it. In the case of OCs, however, viewers have to actively work to understand who your character is. If you aren’t able to make a convincing case for why they should care about your baby, then naturally, your view count will remain low.

Essentially, trying to go viral despite not laying the groundwork is like asking a stranger to marry you—which might be possible if you’re a one-in-a-million master artist, but for most people, that’s simply not realistic.

Setting aside the question of whether your original art is “good” or not, you might be lamenting the fact that no one sees or likes your work when, in fact, you haven’t even taken the necessary steps for it to get clicks. If you have yet to exhaust all possibilities, you should probably do that first before falling into the “I must have no talent” trap of despair.

As for how your original works can gain more popularity, I suggest drawing a mini-comic to start with. It can be quite tricky for people to understand what your character is like based on drawings alone, and writing long expositions about their backstory to accompany their illustrations may even have the opposite effect on some viewers. Of course, going viral by being purposefully cringe is always an option, but I take it that’s not what you’re going for.

Posting your comic on pixiv alone might not get the attention it deserves, so I suggest uploading the whole chapter to your other social media accounts as well, making sure what the story is about is clear. By making your comic a story about “(character name) doing X,” readers can instantly understand what is happening and are more likely to become interested in this new character. In this way, your original work becomes less of a mysterious, unidentifiable object and more of a tasty-looking treat.

Who knows—your work might go viral on the first try or be an absolute flop, but don’t give up. Even if your posts don’t get thousands of likes or views, having an extensive portfolio and a frequent posting schedule can be a huge advantage. “That’s way too much effort!” you might say, or, “I can’t possibly come up with an original story!” Then, unfortunately, you might be better off just sticking to derivative works. Regardless of whether you decide to continue publishing original illustrations, honing your drawing skills to a point where you’re able to make people fall in love with your art at first sight can be a viable path too.

The OC route is a long and arduous one, and it can also be cruel in the sense that it’s not uncommon for artists who started later than you to go viral overnight and have their works spawn fan art or fanfic. Still, the greater the effort, the sweeter the reward, and the joy you feel when someone loves your original work is like no other. If you want to fully experience all the joys of being an artist, then by all means, please continue putting your original stuff out into the world.

While making both fan art and original art can sometimes result in you being frustrated about the discrepancies in popularity between the two, it can also be a good thing for your artistic career. I know I gave an analogy about walking on stilts earlier, but it’s also entirely possible that had you not been a fan artist, you wouldn’t even be where you are right now. Like you, I also started out as a fan creator, and many people have learned about my original works through them and stuck around. If I hadn’t been a part of a fandom, I might never have had the chance to soar.

You may be tempted to argue that people only came for the pretty fan art or spicy fanfics and that your original works are a mere afterthought.

Think about it, though: how many brilliant works are being slept on simply because of the sheer amount of other works burying them? Without a compelling reason or opportunity to check them out, many of these will go unnoticed. If you want people to notice your work, you need to be willing to use every tool in the toolbox, and making fan art is one way to do it. If that’s something you enjoy doing, then all the more reason to take advantage of it.

Although it’s easy to dismiss a best-selling celebrity author’s achievements and attribute all of their success to their high-profile status, fame isn’t just a name; it’s also the result of hard work.

Compared to that, derivative works get a leg up from the source material’s popularity, which, of course, is entirely unrelated to your efforts. Some people may think gaining a fanbase for your OCs through your fan works is cheating, but frankly, it’s tough being an artist in this day and age. Ultimately, whether you agree with the haters and let your self-esteem take a hit or turn spite into motivation is up to you.

The popular column Curry Zawa Kaoru’s Creative Counseling has been made into a book titled Otaku no Tanoshii Seisaku Ron (The Delightful Art of Otaku Creation, Bungeishunju).

In addition to fan-favorite episodes such as “Coping with fanwork taking a little too many liberties”, “When you can’t get feedback in an underdeveloped genre”, “Is 40 too old for doujin events?” and “Understanding the troubles and contradictions of killing off your favorite characters”, the book also includes brand new topics and advice!