yeah, the problem is definitely the fact that this ask was sent multiple times, rather than the content of the ask.
and I dunno man, what made me think I could author and illustrate a children’s book published by Quarto Press?
what made me think I could create an exhibit for the Chicago Field Museum?
what made me think I could publish my poetry in literary magazines? (NO YOU’RE NOT GETTING EXAMPLES OF THIS BECAUSE I WAS A TEENAGER AND IT’S SO EMBARRASSING)
what made me think I could speak at a palaeontology conference and win an award for my presentation, beating out a phd student whose talk was about how he discovered a whole ass dinosaur?
what made me think I could do anything at all?
I think the problem isn’t that I believe in my ability to create, it’s that you lack belief in yourself. are you afraid that your own work will be judged, rejected, mocked? mine certainly has been, but I keep going. are you worried that your work will be immature, unpolished, outshone by better examples? mine certainly has been, and yet I continue to believe in my illustrations and writing.
what level of perfection do you need to reach before you value yourself? aren’t you allowed to be messy and human and passionate, and try things just because they’re fun?
anyways, I’m definitely not hiring you to play the mad sorcerer when this book gets turned into an HBO series after topping the New York Times Bestseller list 43 months in a row, so better luck next time.