I needed to.
I've mentioned it elsewhere on the forums, but like many people, I started this project in quarantine. Well, sort of. See, the desire to Make Something (which in this case means 'make an original story and put it into the world for others to experience, ideally as a career or at least a long-term project) has been an ever-present feature of my life. Since I was a child, I've never wanted to be anything but an artist. I've wanted to make comics since I entered college, and that was my plan all four years.
And then I got out of college, and promptly... didn't get into the comic industry, for various reasons. And then I spent fifteen years doing anything except art for work, because I didn't think I could, and (surprise!) found that I was really, REALLY unfulfilled and directionless. And what began as an annoying 'I'll get to it someday' feeling in the back of my head started really gnawing on me a couple of years ago, and taking a serious toll on my mental health. I NEEDED to start making something, because not doing so was eating me alive. It was the caliber of Need that people have regrets about on their deathbed if they don't at least try. (I know that sounds melodramatic, but it actually feels that way.)
So I tried a few different ideas, and finally actually started. I'm still wrestling with my long-term feelings of inadequacy, and wondering if it'll ever actually go anywhere, but I've Started. The panic in the back of my brain has quieted, and I feel like I'm doing something right for the first time in over a decade.