To all you wonderful artists and writers out there, I have a simple question: Why do you write/draw?
What drives you to keep working hard and not give up?
Anyways I'll go first and list my reason in increasing importance:
1. Fame/Recognition - I've never been a popular kid in any sense, and I don't seek fame/recognition so that I will become popular; I'm not that shallow...at least I hope not XD. However, I do think it would be cool to be known for something you're really good at. If I become a great mangaka and I hear someone on the side of the road whisper to his friend, "Hey, isn't that the guy who makes awesome manga," that would make my day. Anyways, this is more of a childish desire than an actual dream.
2. Passion - I love writing. I started writing as a hobby when I was in elementary school. I used to write 'The Adventures of Bob Gaga', a bunch of crazy, silly stories that served as a medium for my vast imagination. But as I got busier with school and life, my time for writing decreased until I was no longer doing it. But now I've picked it up again and have joined this amazing community. And I've gotta say writing has helped me in so many ways, just in terms of unwinding from a hard day, or freeing my ideas, etc. It's just great.
3. Inspiring others - This is the most important reason for not only why I write, but why I want to write manga specifically. I could write a novel or a poem or a short story, but I chose manga because manga (and comics) have a greater capacity to inspire youth than any other literary medium, in my opinion. I say this from personal experience. When I first picked up Naruto in sixth grade, I cannot even describe the feeling. I thought it was the best thing ever known to mankind. Wasting away my days just binge watching Naruto gave me so much happiness and pleasure. But that's not all. Naruto, being nothing more than a simple entertaining action comic, actually conveyed
deep themes, messages, and values. To name a few, they are the will to never give up; the ability to understand and empathize with others; the importance of breaking the cycle of hatred and revenge. It's the same thing with Avatar and Legend of Korra. When Korra steps in to save the evil Kuvira from the laser in the season finale, that was just so powerful. I want to do the same. I want to recreate the feeling I felt when reading/watching Naruto for the first time in the next generation of children and manga readers. I want to create something that when the reader picks it up he/she will think "THIS...IS...AMAZING."
*Sorry this turned into a bit of a rant. Also I apologize for all the naruto references XD. I really wanna hear your guys' inspirations and motivations too, so please rant as well