No one will probably read this, and I don't much care.

I just want to use this as a bit of a shout box for anyone who does happen to see it.

People... if you have a kid or someone you know who draws, or writes, or whatever, encourage them, but please for the love of all that is holy don't try to shape their creativity to fit your view.

I used to love to draw, look at my gallery. I didn't care that I wasn't as good as other artists, but I was learning and I loved it.

Up until I got sick of showing my drawings to people only to have them respond with something like "you should draw REAL things".

I didn't want to draw real things, I wanted to draw my dumb anime people and cartoons, and I wanted to draw them my way. I was told by the world that my way of expressing myself was flawed so I gave it up.

I haven't drawn in years.

That hurts to think about. I'm a stressed, creatively stifled adult now because I couldn't keep drawing because I kept being told that it wasn't good enough.

I've been wanting to get this out for years but never had the drive to say it.

Today is just a really bad day and I'm venting so much I'm posting journals on websites I haven't done anything but search on for years.

If even one person sees this and encourages their child or friend to keep drawing whatever it is they draw, or write, or do, and not care what everyone else thinks, then it will have been worth the time it took to write it.