Defiance

I've only been on DA for a short while, and I gotta say, I've had a hell of a time so far.
It's been nice to find a forum where people are actually quite discerning of my work. Before I came on here, people would always give me the same damn line about how they can only draw stickmen, or that I have a real "gift" for drawing. I am SO sick of that word, personally, because as I'm sure many of you can attest, art is an ability, NOT a gift. It's not something that's given, but something earned throughout many years of sketching, erasing, frustration, staying up at all hours of the night, glancing at every single detail of your work, overcoming personal angst , feelings of inferiority and paranoia, ravaging both mind and body in the process. So, yeah, it's refreshing to hear all the different opinions and thoughts from all of you. I think I've made greater strides in my style in the last year & a half than any other time in my life.
Thus came the inspiration for this piece. It's easy to romanticize the pursuit of your dreams, and tell everyone "Just do it". But there's another side to it that's easily overlooked. Sometimes the pressure we inflict on ourselves to do better and the sheer scope of what we want to accomplish in life can be overwhelming at times, and the thought occurs that maybe it would be easier to just quit right here and now. That thought has crossed my mind more times than I care to mention. And if you ever felt the same way, just know a couple of things. First, as easy as it would seem to quit and save yourself the agony of your dreams, giving up on them would be far more painful.Too much so to even stand.
And second, no matter how much you struggle, know that you are not alone in that there are those out there who endure just as much as you do.
Finally, never worry about the odds. Even if we spend our whole lives striving for a dream we can never achieve, we can still accomplish great things if we give it our all! I've recieved a lot of messages from people here on DA, telling me of how my work has inspired them to pursue their own goals in life. I find it assuring. Even if I never become "Manga-ka Supreme", I know that my dreams will NEVER die! So let's do our best!