The Choice of That Day / Running the Pen, Grasping Destiny

Hello everyone✨ I am Marumori Happa, an illustrator and picture book author🍀

A few months ago, I started my own membership, and while managing those activities, accepting illustration commissions, and planning to turn newly conceived illustrations into merchandise, my head and hands are just so busy💦

Being someone who goes my own way, as summer arrived, I would peek👀✨ from the shadows at articles where various people were launching all sorts of projects, and...

“What a wonderful project... Honestly... I really want to participate‼️”

I thought in my heart, but then shook my head, saying, “No, but I have my own activities to focus on❗️” and just kept drawing my own illustrations...

However, I finally ended up reading a project article that stirred my passion, albeit a bit late...

✨🔥VOID's project🔥✨
The “Chibi Creative Grand Prize” that everyone is posting about—was it a festival project featuring not just one person, but a stellar lineup of members😳!! It’s so incredibly luxurious...!!

Written in this article by VOID,

“The Choice of That Day”

These are the words that remind me of the origin point of why I am exactly here right now‼️ Burning with passion🔥

I got fired up on my own, decided to participate, thinking I could just make it in time‼️ (🔥_🔥)

I have loved drawing since I was about four years old, and I was a child who could kill a lot of time as long as I had paper and a pen.

Even after growing up, I still loved imagining and drawing various pictures, and during my school days, I won awards in certain art competitions and had my drawings displayed at school as well🖼️

When I heard that a teacher liked an illustration I drew in elementary school so much that it remained displayed in the classroom even after I graduated, I was so, so happy☺️✨

And yet, I did not go on to art college.

Rather than believing in myself, anxiety about whether I could make a living in the art world or find a job in the future won out, and with my parents also opposing it, I gave up on the path of art quite easily.

This choice still torments me even now.

The cowardly version of myself who couldn't study art and couldn't summon the courage.

I feel pathetic for not having been able to study art; it is so frustrating, so frustrating...

Time has passed and I've become a working adult, still spending my days on boring work.

This is about one day when I, who hadn't drawn anything in a long time, suddenly ran my pen across a piece of paper I found nearby.

I'm like this right now, aren't I? 😗

"I'm being called from here and there, but are there multiple Marumori-sans? 😗" I thought, nonchalantly making a mental quip and even drawing in the dialogue...

As I kept drawing, I felt the urge to fill in the blank space.

Maybe my old instincts were stirring,

I want to finish one piece...!!

From there, I couldn't stop.

I thought, 'Let's color it,' and without thinking about the consequences, I impulsively bought 320 markers...!!

And so, I drew, I colored, and here is the finished result!

The balance is a mess, it's not good, and the composition is all over the place💦

But, I drew it!! I drew a 'picture' for the first time in a long while!!

With this, I lit a fire within myself🔥!!

I had lived my life building walls against the world, thinking it was impossible for someone with my HSP temperament, but I couldn't stop anymore, so I dove into the world of social media while feeling terrified💦
First, I was on TikTok for a short while (I still have the account).

I was surprised that my first post got 2,800 views😳

I posted a few times, but then I learned about the existence of note, and since interacting with everyone was so fun, I moved my base of operations here☺️

Even now, I am taking on various challenges at breakneck speed...

As if to paint over the 'me who didn't choose' that day, so I won't make mistakes again, I am going to become an illustrator!!

With a big dream and determination, I wandered into this world called note.

A wonderful world, wonderful encounters, and the me who can draw pictures now...

A "choice" changes destiny‼️
I will continue to choose my own path correctly from here on out.

Kakerun-san, I am joining your project🙏

Amano Shizuku-san, what a wonderful theme☺️ Regardless of the project, I want to draw an illustration with the theme of wind✨

Yamaoku-san, thank you for everything as always🙏✨ This one is amazing too!!

Akane-chan, I'm confessing now that I've been thinking "that project of yours and this project of yours are so nice✨" but I've been reluctantly giving them up because I might not have time to draw illustrations...🥲🙏 But please keep being friends with me💦

Kawamura-sama, what an amazing project, I have managed to squeeze in my participation at the last minute🙏