Make Art your entertainment.

Just came back from Anime Expo in Vancouver, and I must say that the sheer amount of teens at the show did nothing but remind me of my age! Over the years working at UDON i haven't had the time to really watch or keep up on any of the latest and greatest animes or even manga for that matter for reasons such as marriage, having a child, and just plain hard work.

Seeing less than 20's reminds me of the massive amount of free time they have and how its squandered in some cases on useless things. I'm talking about 10 hour+ video game binges and other types of entertainment that gets abused at the cost of education and real face to face socialization. I wish i could buy your free time off of you.

I used to play Mario Cart for N64 (the best one IMO) for literally hours and hours with friends after coming back from work. Gran Turismo was another game, and Vice City was another time consumer on a large scale. Yet, i don't play games anymore that routinely and no where near as much. It's not even that games aren't that great anymore, but it just is not a priority.

A great deal of people ask me for advice  on drawing and what to do and how to become better etc etc. I would say maybe the only difference between artists that get ahead in their art or career is that they manage their time effectively and are focused. You can have your fun, don't get me wrong, but when entertainment becomes an all encompassing addiction, then it becomes a problem.

I don't watch TV or movies because it just doesn't appeal to me. Nature shows are good, but I am not going to bother buying cable for it or schedule around it. SO I say to those of you who really want to get better at your art, take all your TV/entertainment time and put it towards your art instead. Just try turning off the TV/shows for a week, or even cutting your  time in front of entertainment down to half. I am sure you will see that you start imagining more things and enjoy drawing more. Drawing will become the entertainment.

I myself do this because I'd rather be the one making the stories and games than playing them. All of you can do the same if you try hard. Don't waste your time and your minds, each one of you has a story and a skill so use it while you have it.

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