To loosely quote Hideaki Sorachi, 4 years of writing and I’ve learned nothiiiiiiing…or not. Today marks the 4th year anniversary of this blog. There aren’t too many anibloggers who have gone on that long. Much has been on my mind this past year and there’s an idea that I want to implement that would be an interesting experiment for the coming year and beyond.
Last year, I was with GoBoiano and thought my future was going to be bright with them. They have some interesting ideas on how to create a better anime community. Alas, they let me go around the summer. I do have some regrets as that was perhaps the closest I may ever get to working around something I love. One of my dreams was to give back to the anime/manga communities that made me who I am. I felt like I blew an opportunity to potentially leave some mark on anime history. Though as I once stated in an earlier article, do I really like anime that much to begin with? There’s also the fact that anime journalism doesn’t get you by and if you really want to be part of the industry and make good money, you should be studying computer science/engineering. That’s where the future is headed anyway. Hasn’t anyone noticed that a majority of male anime fans tend to work in/study IT? I’m just a guy with a marketing degree that likes to write.
There were two people that I followed as of late that have changed my views about the internet: BJ Mendelson and Michael Martinez. Mendelson is a cynical yet funny marketing expert who wrote a book about how social media is bullshit. Reading that opened up my eyes to many things. It made me question myself a bit as I started this blog after reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush It!” years ago. Mendelson talks about how everyone that’s not a big company is rigged to lose on the internet because it’s becoming more favored towards corporations and media outlets. He lashed at Gary for being an a-hole, but I did realize that Gary has said or done some things that contradict his words. You can’t listen to everything your role model says.
Michael Martinez is a search engine optimization expert who writes a few blogs about SEO and it made me think about how to market on the internet when there is a lot of horrible advice out there. He believes that content has always been the name of the game on the web since the beginning. If it’s useful and interesting and people like it, you are winning. I take his advice to heart when writing. Martinez is another person willing to voice his opinion and not backing down from it. One of my favorite articles from him was about a ten-year plan for a website and that everyone with a website should have one.
Which goes back to my blog – it’s been 4 years. How much have I grown? When I first started, I used to promote myself by following advice in “Crush It!” I commented on blogs and tweeted random people like crazy to build community. Sure, I have a great deal of social media followers, but it’s nothing worth bragging about. Social media is a bit overrated and you can only go so far with using free tools. It’s like a friend once told me, “If you want to get really good at something and/or grow, you’re going to have to pay to get ahead.” However, I’ve enjoyed countless conversations on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, so to those I’ve spoken to on those platforms, thank you.
A social media/content goof I messed up was an idea I wanted to do regarding an infographic on Attack on Titan. Saying it is easy, but making it was difficult. I messed around with GIMP, a free PhotoShop alternative, and thought that this was a simple task. My head hurt after several hours trying to cut out pictures. I resorted to using an online infographic creator, but the themes looked terrible. What the hell was I thinking? I was wondering about why I was doing the infographic. Was it really to please the community or myself? The process wasn’t working for me as I had to learn photo-manipulating software on the go. Trying new things is fine and all, but if it distracts you from your core strengths and what you really should be doing, then that effort starts to become a problem. The time I spend doing an infographic without a good grasp of design fundamentals, I could be writing meaningful articles instead. To those who are expecting an infographic, I apologize for promising and not delivering.
However, one idea I want to do involves merchandise. I do want to create some fun stuff that I know will make someone smile. I was inspired from looking at Free! Iwatobi Club Texts and the admin’s store. After looking at that store, I said to myself, “You know what? I want to do what she did. I already got some written copy ready for the merchandise!” The problem goes back to design, as I don’t have the skill set or time and work two jobs at the moment.
What I’m asking is if you’re a designer or knows someone who is, I would like to ask for their assistance. I don’t have the money to pay someone consistently, so I would like to share any kind of profit if this takes off. We will be co-partners in promoting anime/manga culture in a psychological way. I know the payoff may not be worth it, but I want to try as I would like to expand beyond writing. You can contact me at tonyyao82(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject title, “Designer for Manga Therapy Products”, and I can tell you what I have in mind.
I’ll still be writing of course. Manga Therapy is my child and a part of me that I refuse to let go. It played a role in getting a new job late last year that has been a surprise joy. There may be some growing pains and new changes, but I hope you all stick with me through these times. Just like reality, graduation after 4 years of school/training doesn’t mean life is automatically better. Thank you, my readers, for reading what I have to say, even though I’m only an “amateur psychologist.”
Here’s to going from graduate to a master!
(c) Manga Therapy – Where Psychology & Manga Meet – Read entire story here.