Good morning breakfast buddies! It’s Motivation Monday so here’s a little something to jump start your week! My main source of motivation as a traditional artist is the work of horror manga artist, Junji Ito. Since his very first release of the award winning “Tomie” in 1987, followed by other hit series like “Uzumaki” (1998) and “Gyo” (2001) as well a multitude of short stories, Ito has continuously inspired me to push the boundaries of what is considered to be acceptable for my own art by delving into the more abstract and conceptual side of horror in his works. Ito has a masterful grasp of instilling a sense of uneasiness in his readers by the way he focuses on distorting reality and designing his characters in a way that is not aesthetically appealing. Furthermore, Ito does not adhere to the pre-established horror tropes that have come before him, by not emphasizing characters nor plot in his works. In his own unique Lovecraftia influenced horror narrative, Ito explains as little as possible in order to force the reader to perceive the incomprehensible threat he has created. Common themes he touches upon are the breakdown of society as well as the inevitability of death. Ito has successfully used the comic book medium to showcase strange, perspective changing ideas to instill emotions we thought we could never feel. When reading Ito’s works, and seeing how he has popularized the more emotional and psychological aspects of the horror genre, I will always be motivated to never be afraid of thinking outside of the box. On top of this, he has also shown me that there can be beauty as well as horror in anything if we allow ourselves the freedom to think in a creative, abstract manner. I would definitely recommend checking out Junji Ito’s work if you are looking for an impactful, unsettling, horror experience! “Tomie”, “Gyo”, and “Uzumaki” can be found at Barnes & Noble as well as on Amazon. Furthermore, the few short stories that have been translated and licensed can be found here and are able to be purchased on Amazon: http://junji-ito-index.tumblr.com/purchase If you do enjoy Ito’s stories I would highly suggest purchasing physical copies in order to support this wonderful artist! With this being said, let’s all follow Junji Ito’s words and “take something normal and look at it backwards.” - Creamer 🥄