What keeps you motivated to keep drawing?
Oof, this is a bit of a tough question to answer directly, lol. This might turn into a pretty long post, and it honestly contains a bit of a vent and some heavy topics?
Back in early 2025, I went through a really rough patch. I had just quit my first job and was ready to start a new one, but I ended up facing some very serious health complications... A nodule appeared in my breast, and it was growing incredibly fast. I went from hospital to hospital, losing blood daily, losing my appetite, my energy, my joy... And it was so strange because every single biopsy gave a different result. Even when it came back benign, the doctors suspected it could be breast cancer every time. Because of that, I started feeling ugly, useless, and I slowly began to lose my will to live.
When I reached that point, I started remembering my past. I remembered how much I loved drawing during my teenage years. And since I felt like I had nothing left to lose, I decided to try drawing again. I actually enjoyed it, and that's when the questions started coming:
“Why did I stop?” or “What made me stop creating art?”
I remembered that right before I started working, I had stopped because my drawings weren't getting any likes. Everyone seemed so much better than me, and most people were saying that AI was the future of art.
But when I came back to it, I felt good—like, “I can still create something.” I started having fun with every single step of the process, knowing that I was still capable of making something, even if it was small. It was the exact same feeling I had when I first became an artist. I mean, of course, I still find my art a bit cringe sometimes, lol, but I've evolved so much! My younger self would be absolutely fascinated and proud of me, so I should be proud too.
Today, I'm doing much better. It turned out to be a 10cm benign nodule, and I had surgery to remove it—I'm still recovering, haha! But the point is... art saved me, once again. Even in this ""AI era"" creating something with my own hands made ME feel good.
And honestly, if you're ever feeling unmotivated because you think you don't have the skills to "be an artist" anymore, remember that you never stop being one. Maybe you just took a loooong break. I know that everytime you hear "do it for yourself, not for others" it's SOOO annoying, but it is incredibly liberating when you finally realize it. Because sooner or later, people who appreciate your art just the way you do, will show up.
That's why I love every single one of you who send me sweet messages about my art and stories. Thank you. I will never forget that. 💖
