I'M A 17-YEAR-OLD ARTIST, AND I’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING A MANGA ARTIST. I’VE BEEN MAKING ART SINCE I WAS SIX YEARS OLD. I GREW UP SKETCHING WITH NO TOOLS, NO RESOURCES, NOT EVEN A PROPER TABLET. I DREW EVERYTHING ON MY PHONE, USING JUST MY THUMB. MY HANDS WOULD ACHE FROM THE EFFORT, BUT I KEPT GOING.

I POURED MY SOUL INTO EVERY DRAWING, EVERY STORY, JUST HOPING ONE DAY SOMEONE WOULD SEE THE PAIN AND LONGING HIDDEN IN MY ART. IT WASN’T JUST ABOUT THE CHARACTERS; IT WAS ABOUT ME, TRYING TO ESCAPE A WORLD THAT NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHO I WAS OR WHAT I WAS MEANT TO BE.

WITH EVERY SHAKY LINE, EVERY UNFINISHED SKETCH, I GAVE EVERYTHING I HAD, HOPING FOR SOMETHING MORE, SOMETHING BETTER. I WANTED TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT, EVEN IF I DIDN’T HAVE THE BEST TOOLS OR RESOURCES, MY PASSION WAS MY DRIVE. I BELIEVED THAT ONE DAY MY ART WOULD SPEAK LOUDER THAN ANY OF THE LIMITATIONS I FACED.