If you’re an artist, some people may wonder how you are surviving. Art is not considered to be a profitable profession, despite providing joy to those who practice and appreciate it. Episode 8 of the dark comedy series, Hozuki no Reitetsu, highlights a character who is a talented artist, but works as a servant in Hell. Some interesting commentary was had, which may give hope to future artists.

The character in question is a boy named Nasubi. He is one of the many minions in Hell working under the main character, Hozuki. When he is not working, Nasubi likes to draw and create sculptures. His inspirations come from anything that he sees. Hozuki discovers Nasubi’s talents and is amazed by his art. He then asks why Nasubi decided to join the workforce. Nasubi’s friend and co-worker, Karauri, said that the economy has no place for an artist and he wanted him to find a stable job. Nasubi would later take on a commission project by Hozuki to fix up an important mural in Hell. 

It’s interesting how Karauri decided to tell Nasubi to treat his hobby as just that. What do you see when you look into the mind of an artist? You may see a crazy world of imagination and ideas stored, but not focused on other aspects of life. It is also possible that they aren’t trained in other areas of importance that can benefit them, like business skills. 

Nasubi is described as someone who has the mind of a 5th grader. He will express whatever he thinks, sometimes without reading the mood. That spontaneity has helped him grow. The artistic mind works when there’s some chaos brewing. Nasubi also illustrates a somewhat common fault that some artists have: the lack of self-confidence in promoting their work and gaining money from it. He admits that he is shy when around a large audience.

Time to get into the “starving artist” myth/perception for a bit. Some people argue that this myth persists because artists believe that they need to suffer in order to become big. A 19th-century writer named Henri Murger has often been called the inspiration for the idea that poor equals special. No one can be unique if bound by the chains of the upper class, right? Yet what if artists are also lacking self-esteem and respect for themselves due to constant pressure by others who question their path. If you can’t take yourself seriously, why should anyone? 

Hozuki does the best thing in getting Nasubi to understand that he has a gift that can be applied in the economy. While reading an article about how certain people should be hired as bloggers, it made me think “Why don’t more businesses do that for other creative folks that aren’t finding anything?” However, there are those that stubbornly cling to their beliefs about working for “the man” isn’t cool. To those who believe that, think of it this way – even though the game may be rigged, it doesn’t hurt to use that to your advantage somehow by educating yourself on how the system works.

Even though the world is hell, maybe the real hell is a better place to live in. Hey, demons understand humans better than humans do, right?

To all the artists out there, how do you stay mentally focused to create and live? 

(c) Manga Therapy – Where Psychology & Manga Meet – Read entire story here.