Time spent for other people?

Technically this blog post is catching up from some thoughts a couple of weeks ago. It all stemmed from when I spent a lot of time a few weeks back working on some submitted designs from other artists, and I couldn’t help but think, am I spending too much time on other people’s ideas? Isn’t it more efficient to just focus on my own drawings and ideas? But the more I thought about it, I kept coming back to some of my thoughts when I first started this project.  

         I want to create a story. Not just any story. But an epic story that can inspire any who reads it. I want people to connect with this story, I want people to feel like this is the story for them, it’s THE ADVENTURE for their generation. Star Wars and Harry Potter have had their time, they have entertained audiences for years, and I am so grateful for such creative stories.  But isn’t it time for something new? Isn’t it time to have a new adventure that can entertain us with wonder and awe as well as inspire us?

         I know that is boisterous to say since I’m a simple indie author who so far has only self-published an art book with only a few hundred sales.  But I believe in this story. I believe in this world, and the adventure that lay ahead. I get excited every opportunity I get to work on this. And it’s not just for me, I want as many people as possible to connect to this story. And the more time I spend understanding fellow artists who think differently than me, the better I can expand my own thinking and perceptions to hopefully create an inclusive world where people can feel like themselves, feel like it’s a world they belong to.

         That’s why I don’t mind putting in time for other artists ideas. I worry I will eventually offend someone because my time is limited, but I will do my best.

         This sort of thinking takes a lot of energy, but it’s like my favorite movie quote, “I didn’t save anything for the swim back.”