everyone deserved better

hey y'all. sorry for being away for so long with no explanation. i'm sure i don't need to give an excuse since y'all are lovely and understanding people, but my mom's been... pretty sick.

i'm not sure when i'll be able to post regularly again. like many others, my life's been pretty upside-down lately. hopefully it won't be too long this time. huge thanks to everyone that sent such kind messages.

remember to keep your chin up, spring is here, summer is on its way and the earth is lovely. things will get better, and everything will be okay.

two years ago today, i posted my very first piece on here, so i thought i'd recreate the concept. it was the first time i'd posted my art anywhere, and i was absolutely petrified. it didn't receive much attention, but i didn't expect it to. i wasn't really posting for that reason anyway. but after seeing it wasn't a complete catastrophe, i kept going.

i was using a 4 year old samsung tablet, a dollar store stylus and a free trial of a sketchbook app, and i was really just drawing to escape stuff going on in my personal life. but the more i posted, the more i improved, and the more people i met. i made so many friends, and i would spend hours just scrolling through the tags of my own art, astounded at how many people genuinely enjoyed it. i was, and still am, absolutely flabbergasted.

i've always dealt with imposter syndrome, so the idea that there are actual, real people out there who will follow and enjoy a 22-year-old man's fanart for a disney game is just... unbelievable. i still struggle to grasp the reality of it.

i know that 500 isn't a massive number in the grand scheme of things, but in the end, it isn't about the numbers. every single one of you who has liked, or reblogged, sent an ask, or put a reaction in the tags-- you've built up a sort of confidence in me that i didn't know was possible.

after dropping out of high school, i thought my life was over. i was just sort of... extant. but the random idea to post my hyper-fixation fanart online, and the positive reception (however small or large), has pushed me to get serious about things. i'm currently studying at my local community college to get a visual arts degree, and the plan is to move from there to attend an art institute to major in illustration.

it might seem so simple to passersby, but if it hadn't been for this blog and the people who have supported it, i don't think that i would've made that decision. i've got a long way to go and a lot to learn, but for the first time, i feel like i can actually get there. i feel like i have a future. i feel like things are looking up for me. and every single one of you, all 536 of you (and the many more who've just seen me passing by), played a part in that.

i owe my life and my future to all of you, and i couldn't possibly be more grateful. i don't even know how to put it into words.

i truly hope that every single one of you live the fullest and happiest life. i hope that it makes you smile that you've made such a huge difference in my life. and i hope that you carry with you the knowledge that you're all my heroes.

i love all of you so much. thank you, thank you, thank you, from the very bottom of my heart.