The funny thing about vulnerabilities is that everyone has them, yet we all pretend that we don’t. It’s uncomfortable to confront this without waging an internal war. Critiquing our very human nature is silly but very difficult to avoid.

I am at my weakest when I share my art with others. It’s terrifying. As I write this I am wincing at my sentence structure and word choices. Before publishing this blog post I can guarantee I’ve reread this entire thing 10 times and thought of every reason why I shouldn’t publish it.

I guess it’s probably human nature to shy away from pain. Through our evolution as humans, we’ve adapted strategies and created technologies to help us avoid painful things. But my vulnerability was the exact reason why I created HangryGurlComics. I sat on this idea for years, allowing it to slowly form. My ideas eventually began to take shape and ate away at my soul. As I sat inside my protective cave, I realized my unfulfilled passions were far more painful than any ridicule I could ever receive from someone else.

It has taken me a long time to arrive at this point in my journey and I still consider this the beginning. I know there are many more painful lessons for me to learn, but I will accept them. I will endeavor to be more vulnerable, and I hope you do too.