welcome to my life in a nutshell
The world of dew
is the world of dew.
and yet, and yet—
this is a favorite haiku of mine by Issa Kobayashi. it was inspired by the death of his two-year-old daughter, Satoyo. in Buddhism, a dewdrop symbolizes the fleeting nature of human life. what i like about this poem is that the first two lines tells us that Issa is very much aware that life is indeed short and that we must not cling to our earthly desires. but by writing the last line,
“and yet, and yet—”
he reminds us that it is okay to be a human being, that it is okay to feel our suffering, that it is okay to be imperfect, and that it is okay to feel that we may never be whole again.
this is something i want to explore through my art and writing because these things are what makes life beautiful and meaningful. it is beautiful because in times of sadness, we remember the little things that brought us joy. it is beautiful because in times of hardships, our bonds grow stronger. and it is beautiful because in times of despair, we find hope in the most unexpected places. i want to show that reality can be beautiful even amidst hardships and heartbreaks.
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about me
i am Thomas, creator of the webcomic, “a wish that bloomed in fall.” i am also a haiku poet, an origamist, and a squirrel whisperer. i love nature and all kinds of animals.
i love reading about them ever since i was a kid. i used to have stacks of animal dictionaries and encyclopedias back then. i even wanted to become a zoologist, or a paleontologist, because i love dinosaurs as well.
but I fell madly in love with art and storytelling after watching the anime, “Your Lie in April.” it was the very first show that made me feel something deeply. something that made me feel very human. now, i’m making my own story and i hope to inspire others like how this series inspired me.
i started writing “a wish that bloomed in fall” on november 2020 after meeting a squirrel, whom I named Almond. this is him!
he changed my life and my whole perception about it. i became more grounded and more present because of him. he showed me the beauty of nature and human connection. he showed me that there is always hope even in the darkest times. he inspired me to write a whole novel, to connect with people, and to build a community. my goal is to create a comic that i hope will inspire everyone to see the little wonders around us. they are everywhere; you just have to know where to look.
here’s “a wish that bloomed in fall.” it’s a heartwarming slice-of-life story about Emma, a girl who meets a cute little squirrel named Cinnamon, who will inspire her to pursue her dream of becoming a comic artist.
it is loosely based on my own experiences with the squirrels during the pandemic. it is also inspired a little bit by Studio Ghibli’s “Whisper of the Heart.” my favorite movie of all time.
if all of these things i talked about resonate with you, you should definitely give my comic a read! it’s available on multiple webcomic platforms. here are the links!
thank you all very much for your time! :D
"Yet, even amidst the hatred and carnage, life is still worth living. It is possible for wonderful encounters and beautiful things to exist."
- Hayao Miyazaki
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