Hey, Secret Valentine here!
With only a few more days left, I wanted to ask a question that I had been thinking about for a little bit: do you know you’re worth it? Because you are.
You’re so incredibly talented with both your art and your writing. It’s amazing.
Thank you so much for being an amazing Valentine.
This question hit me kind of hard this morning tbh. I wanted to answer with a generic: “You’re so sweet! Thank you! I appreciate it!”
But I changed my mind. I’m going to answer you honestly. And I say this not only to answer you, but as a statement towards this fandom as a whole.
Most days, no. I don’t feel that I’m worth it. I don’t feel talented. Most days are very hard, and I have to do a lot to push through them. I don’t say this to look for sympathy or pity but because I know a lot of people feel the same way. Life is hard, and the state of the world doesn’t make it any easier.
That being said, this fandom is so absolutely incredible! I cannot scream that loudly enough. I can’t. I have never felt as confident in my work and in my capabilities as I have here. I have never been within a group of people who care as much as you guys do—not just caring about the things that are being created, but about the people that sit behind the screen, as well.
I love seeing not just the interactions with myself, but the interactions between everyone else as well. I love seeing the support, the inspiration, the sharing, etc. I’ve been told on multiple occasions in the last few months that I’m smiling more, that my spark is coming back, that I’m acting like myself again. I don’t know that I can really express how much it means to me that this community is most of the reason for that.
With that rant over, VALENTINE. You are so very wonderful. Your dedication to this was an inspiration in itself. You’ve given me some form of small writing/art prompt every day, and it was very helpful in keeping me from giving up on the things I was working on. Your questions, even the silly ones, were thought provoking and aided in a lot of my character development—especially Julian’s.
Valentine, to you specifically, thank you so very much. 💜
