It’s particularly interesting, reading artists’ thoughts on JJBA. And I mean all artists, from beginners to veterans. There’s something there that I recognize in every artist, when they speak about how the series has influenced them. Something from your hobbyist doing this in the free time to published mangaka who draw for a living and grew up reading the series.
It encourages people to have fun. Just to enjoy creating. There’s always been this assumption that art MUST be hard, art MUST be a struggle, if you enjoy it too much you’re not really making art. But then you see Araki, this guy with no special background, just pick up a pen and start drawing–at first amateurishly, then gradually growing in skill, and now he’s one of the most lauded mangaka in the world who had an exhibit at the Louvre and collaborated with Gucci (twice)–and he did it all out of joy and sincere, happy passion.
It sparks something in a lot of artists who have been told or otherwise taught that True Art is never a joyous experience. There’s this realization; what’s holding me back, artistically? Why am I afraid to draw something different, something new, something that makes me happy to draw it? That happiness and dedication can eventually pay off.
The artists I see who have been influenced by Araki seem to reopen that door back to childhood spontaneity, become a little more colorful, see their lines open up a little more, speak more cheerfully about their passions. For a moment, all that matters is having fun.
There are so many artists that inspire, in turn, new artists and old artists alike, but very few have I seen have the sheer impact of Araki’s work. This mass realization that art doesn’t have to be serious all the time to be good or important. Experiment, and don’t be afraid of “not doing the right thing”–because art is art, and the only person you have to please with it is yourself.
