Be yourself. There are a lot of bullshit people in this world who are insecure with themselves and project their insecurity onto others. Folks that sweat destructive criticisms and spit toxicity. 

Now I don’t mean people who simply disagree with your views, but folks who actively try to ruin your good time unwarranted. Fuck those people, to be frank. Don't let other people steal your sunshine. But remember to stay respectful and tactful with your encounters, because you don’t just represent yourself but others who engage in the activity or community that you partake in. 

Please do not feel ashamed of your work. We all start somewhere. Whether you be an artist, animator, game designer, filmmaker, voice actor, editor, etc. SFW or NSFW, be proud of the work you put out because that is an extension of you. Art is art.

Be open to constructive critique some people genuinely want to help you thrive in your chosen path. As for destructive critique, a lot of people are simply jealous that they are not where you are yet or that you have success. Despite ignoring the destructive, one should still pay attention to the critique because it grounds one in reality.

Those of you who have been at this for however long whether you have 10 or 10k fans. People want to see your work, that is why they followed in the first place. That’s obvious, but sometimes we need to be reminded of things like that. We are all creators, and a lot of us are in the same fields. So you will always feel like an imposter. But that’s okay, you’ll feel like that but that does not take away from the work that YOU put out, that YOU made because it's YOURS. We all have our ways of doing things and that is what makes our stuff ours. 

So get out there and follow your dreams, do what makes you happy and get good at it, treat others the way you’d like to be treated, be humble, be kind, be helpful, be respectful, be honest with yourself and others, live your life, and don’t let the negativity of others douse your burning fire. I have been on this site for almost 10 years and I am so proud of the folks I’ve watched grow and the folks who I have recently discovered. All of you are so incredibly talented and it brings me genuine happiness to be a part of such an immensely talented community. 

I have been struggling with so much in the past years, and feel like I have lost all traces of optimism and hope after these last few months. But I don’t want to be defeated. We all grow up eventually, but inside we stay that kid with a passion. No matter what people say or what life throws at you, you’re still that kid. So stay with you.