Here I am.
In our quest for a fulfilling and meaningful existence, entertainment serves a vital component that enhances the quality of our lives. From the joyous laughter induced by a comedy show to the thought-provoking contemplation inspired by a gripping film, entertainment has the power to shape our emotions, expand our perspectives, and foster connections with others.
And entertainment comes in all different shapes and format (and also smells - depending on whether you sniff a novel or a comic book!)
Animated films/ series and comics have been captivating audiences for decades, weaving together art, storytelling and imagination to create immersive and unforgettable experiences. I remember the kid who was mesmerized watching the first Toy Story and the adventure she had playing the characters on her Play Station! I also remember the teen who was reunited with her inner child watching Toy Story 4 on the big screen. For someone who used to name all her countless soft toys and pretended they lived and breathed the same way she did, to see her imaginative friends living their chance on screen was a big deal. And the feeling; the magic of seeing that stayed on. From Hakuna Matata in Lion King to the Whale Wash in Shark Tale - all these moving pictures have ignited joy, happiness and a wave of creativity in me right from childhood till now - a 29 year old self-trained storyboard artist.
And not just Animation, but also comics allowed imagination to gush into my brain. Getting Marvel and DC comics as a child to enjoying Tintin and Snowy solve mysterious cases - I lived vicariously through these characters on pages full of vibrant art! And that’s when it all started for me - the spark to want to draw and tell stories.
Through all these years, that spark remained. It remained ignited through all the challenges and missed opportunities. And well, when it was finally time for opportunity that did show itself, the spark was ready to sparkle!
Let’s go back to my love for being a part of these stories as and when I read or watched them before we move to what they inspired, yeah? Flipping those comic books pages and watching animated characters come to life with wide eyes hooked to the screen - I grew up to realise the remarkable ability to inspire personal growth and transformation. You see, the kind of challenges life had in store for me - I didn’t have a lot of space to socialize. I had to keep my health forward and the fact that I was just too fatigued to do anything about anything at the time. It definitely helped that the introverted force was strong with this one. So when I couldn’t be surrounded by my friends in flesh, I had my friends in fiction to join me. And oh man did I live and grow through them! I don’t think I was aware of how by encountering all these diverse characters I loved who faced challenges in their own worlds; overcame obstacles all while subtly revealing their self-discoveries - these narratives pretty much served as some times mirrors and other times as an aid to reflect, grow and illuminate new perspectives. When I didn’t have the health to continue traveling and be exposed to different realities, I was able to travel to a galaxy far far away with them…
And that’s what stories are and what stories do! They moved me to think beyond the boundaries of my daily - and mostly painful - routines. I got to witness and sometimes be the character. I could be a part of all these alternative realities!
Books, Comics, Films (specially animated films) have an unparalleled ability to evoke genuine emotional responses and forge connections between not the just the reader/viewer and the stories they tell but also within the person itself. I grew into my own friend, I grew into a calmer self, I grew into so much love - something the worldly institutions set up for us could never be able to do and they never did.
You must be thinking all this romanticism of stories and storytelling to be mundane and frivolous but it’s something that emits from almost everyone who have been touched by it. Much like being loved by a dog. There’s nothing more intense and moving.
So here I am.. attempting to be even half the magicians who brought these wonderful experiences on pages and screens through characters and make believe worlds. Here I am, grown from the love that stories brought me to now wanting to be a storyteller. And here I am to share that romance with you.
“But the one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can. The moment that you feel that, just possibly, you’re walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself, that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.”
― Neil Gaiman, The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Non-Fiction