I have a young cousin named Sara. She is 12 years old and she is quite the gifted artist, but it’s more than a gift. She plugs away at it. She is demonstrating over and over again that she is willing to do the work. In my opinion that’s the number one indicator of success in the arts. She takes a sketch book everywhere she goes and she is storing up her ideas and developing them. She’s really starting to come up with some impressive stuff. The last time we were together she showed me a comic character she is developing and I have to say he really shows potential. The truth is, this character looks like he would fit in really well with my CREACHER comic, and so I had a thought. I decided to do a little bit of fan art based on her character. Here he is.
Why did I make this? Mainly because I love this kid and I love what she is doing. I wanted to show her how much I think of her work and her effort, by creating a version of it. I want to encourage her to keep at it and keep growing. That’s part of what we need to do as creatives. We need to seek out those younger folks who are working and developing what they have and we need to encourage them. I think it’s our duty to build into the ones who will pick up where we left off and surpass us. Let’s face it, every creative has faced the struggles and the rejection that sometimes happen in this creative life. How much better would it have been if we had people who were willing to keep cheering us on through it? Sarah has great parents and a great support structure, but as I’m sure you’ll agree, we need all the support we can get.
If you read this Sara, keep at it. You’re doing well and I am proud of you. If you’re any one of my other readers, look for someone you can bless and encourage and do it. Invest in the next generation, you never know where it will lead.
AMOKArts 