Create something meaningful.

Why else would you undergo voluntary manual labor?

When I was a kid, I had a really hard time coming up with story ideas. Compared to my sister who seemed to come up with idea after idea effortlessly, I struggled to write up even a basic premise for a comic. I thought that was my shortcoming and that I just wasn’t creative or inspired enough.

It wasn’t until Polterguys came around and I asked myself why I was writing it that I finally started feeling like there was a fire lit under me. I was motivated not just because I thought the idea of a ‘ghost harem’ was cool but because I finally realized what I wanted to say with my work. I was constantly inspired by all these TV shows and books about strong women and I wanted to send back that same message out there. “Look at all these cool women being awesome!”

See creating something WELL takes a lot of time and effort. If you pursue it half-heartedly, it’s very easy to give up halfway. You’ll  hit that point in the process where you feel lost, discouraged and overwhelmed, and you’ll definitely need something substantial to carry you through. If you’re not even sure why you make art, it might take you longer to find your way out of the dark. I think having a purpose to your work, like a guiding star, helps re-orient your thoughts and energies back into the project.

If you’re passionate about your work, it also ends up showing in the end result. People want to support artists who bring something good to the table. They also want to feel like they’re getting something that could have only been made by you and your unique vision.

Do you agree? Have you thought about how your creative projects are meaningful to you? If not, what would you like your work to say?

This post is part 3 of my blog post series, How to Run a Successful Kickstarter for your Manga.