I was thinking about how today’s creative world, especially online, seems to reward people who can churn out content for the algorithms. If you know how to grab people’s attention, create catchy reels, or fit within what’s trendy, you get more success (especially on the mainstream platforms).

But what about artists and creatives who can’t fit this kind of “content creation” style so easily? There are many artists who create in much different ways than what the algorithm may dictate. Some artists are very spontaneous, and they don’t create unless they feel an urge or hit of inspiration. Other artists need time in between projects, and they don’t feel comfortable posting content just for the sake of it.

I feel my own art is hard to fit into what could “go viral”. I create when I have the feeling I need to express something, and oftentimes it won’t fit a trendy theme or aesthetic, because it comes out the way it does in that moment. It could be very dark or depressing if I’m going through something difficult, or very hopeful and inspiring if I’m feeling positive. Sometimes my art will be a kind of commentary or analysis of the world I see around me, too.

I’ve been working on a piece called “A Path Forward for Gen Z”, and it’s finally ready for release. This mini book collects a lot of what I’ve been thinking about on how my generation can move forward, despite all the challenges we face. After reading so many negative, depressing articles on Gen Z’s flaws and problems, I hoped to put out something a little different, something that gives you a more hopeful view.

If you’d like to read this document, you can see it at this PDF here! The book is free to read, but you can pay what you want to help support my work.

You can also see it here at Dr. Cindy Nikita’s Digital Club, where people can publish their books and other creative work: A Path Forward for Gen Z.

Even if you aren’t part of Gen Z, I hope you find something useful in the book. It puts together a lot of connections I made between Gen Z’s unique traits and similar qualities in past generations that changed society. Once I started seeing those parallels, I began to realize we shouldn’t write off Gen Z so quickly.

I was reviewing some of my older drawings and writings, and to be honest, I expected my older art to be a lot better than my newer stuff. I sometimes had this nagging doubt in the back of my mind that maybe my newer work isn’t as complex or advanced as what I did back then. I went through different challenges and struggles through my life, from mental ones to social media struggles, and so I thought maybe my art suffered from that.

I was pleasantly surprised when I returned to my work, though. I saw that my drawing style and art hadn’t really changed as much as I thought! In my drawings, I still used the same approach I do today: they were really straightforward and simply drawn, and the overall style didn’t change. In my past writing, there were sometimes more details and longer character descriptions, but again, many of the themes and my writing style are similar to what I do today. I still go deep into the emotions of my characters, and I still have the habit of giving them unusual names and multi-cultural backgrounds. I also use inspiration from my dreams and visions for my art, just as I did back then.

I honestly feel a lot of gratitude that things didn’t change as much as I thought. I’m beginning to realize that the story I told myself about my older work being superior was just my own perception. It isn’t necessarily reality. It’s true that I had less challenges going on in my life back then, but that doesn’t mean my creative side disappeared because of them. In fact, it was really a relief to see my art didn’t change that much.

It leads me to wonder how many artists put themselves under unnecessary stress by comparing their past work with what they do today. It doesn’t help that critics sometimes say the later work of an artist, writer, or musician doesn’t capture what came before it. But I think sometimes when we take that viewpoint, we miss out on how someone’s work can mature with time. Instead of weakening, it can actually grow stronger.