Why Did I Create Anime Shelter?
Hello everyone and welcome to our shelter!
Today, I’m writing more for me than for you… Sorry! However, I feel the need to put in words why did I ultimately create Anime Shelter.
Truth is, I’ve been lost for a few months! And, no, I’m not saying that I started hating blogging or some of the sort. However, especially when it comes to my career, I feel a bit lost in what should I pursue. In other words, why I’m in this world and what is my role for the greater good.
To be honest, I’m not a very spiritual person. Nonetheless, I strongly believe we all have a role in the world, in society, in our families, in our friendships… And, the thing is, for some months now that I’ve been trying to understand what am I supposed to do, to create… Ultimately, what is the path I need to partake to be happy?
Well, I was not able to come up with the answer myself. In fact, I’m still looking for answers. However, I do have a little more depth to what I want to contribute and live in this world. I decided to go and speak with an old professor of mine for some enlightenment. She then proceeded to point me another person who I had a conversation yesterday. This conversation made me realize many things that I was not able to grasp by myself, but there was one question that really made me think.
What Do You Want To Leave In This World?
Basically, what do I want to add and make an impact in this World? Strangely enough, the answer was already there, I just had been too busy to actually find it. The thing that I want to add the most to this World is helping people who may be passing through the same I passed when I was younger.
When I was a teenager my father passed away. With this, a huge amount of debt appeared and my mother entered into a depression state. I felt alone, without knowing what to do and with nobody to ask for help. It was amazingly difficult. In fact, I ended up to also fell in a state of depression.
To be honest, even today I’m not sure how I was able to pass through all that with good grades that led me to go to one of the best management universities in Portugal, which, in the end, abled me to be in a state of economic stability as I am today. If someone told me that there would be a day that I was going to be able to buy a videogame without thinking twice in the money I was spending, I would say that they were lying.
Nevertheless, the path to arrive here was not easy in any shape or form. In fact, that’s the main reason why, 6 years later, when I was finishing college, I had general anxiety and thought I was going to die any day. This time around, the healing process was way more rational, and I know, step by step, what I had to do to regain mental health.
Where Does Anime Shelter Enter In This?
When I started my blog – arthifis.com – my only objective was to learn and gain experience in Digital Marketing. The goal was to land a new job… 2 months later I got the job I wanted (at least at that moment). However, in those 2 months, I fell in love with blogging. In other words, I fell in love with writing.
1 year later, I then decided to go self-host and start the Anime Shelter website. Truth enough, the website is about Anime. You could even say that it is about seasonal Anime since that’s what I write the most nowadays.
To be honest, until yesterday I just thought that I wanted to continue with the blog because I wanted to go pro and start making money with it! Something that continues to be true… But, there is something deeper.
Do you know why I named it Anime Shelter? After my trials, I was finally able to grasp this domain and, let me tell you, it made complete sense. A Shelter is something that you go for protection, and ultimately that’s what I want my website to be. A place where Anime lovers can come and give their opinions without feeling that they are going to be judged (I will make sure of that, don’t worry).
But, there is more than that… After the conversation with this person, I realized there was something moving me that I didn’t even know. Now I understand, I want to create a community! I want to create a place where Anime Lovers from all around the world won’t feel lonely! Where people can go and know that they can give the opinion they want without feeling judged (something that won’t happen in social media for example).
The moment I realized this, everything made more sense. Do I still want to make money with blogging? Yes, yes, I do! But not, it’s not because of an egocentric reason of just making money for myself while doing something I love. It’s much more.
Next Steps
Now that I understand what I really want to do in this World, I believe it will be easier to understand where I want to lead my blog and my career. I know the ultimate objective and will do everything to get to that objective, making people feel less lonely.
That’s why I’m in the process of editing my very first video for YouTube! YouTube videos really helped in those nights where I couldn’t sleep because of anxiety. I know they are not going to be good, at least in the beginning, but I don’t care! I feel that I’m working for what I want to add to society, and that’s enough.
I don’t want to get popular, I don’t want to get famous, I don’t want millions of views. I just want to help others in feeling less lonely and giving them words of comfort when they need to. And, that’s what I’m going to do. If I’m able to make money out of it, perfect! Having my own business is also a dream of mine and that way I would have more time to focus on the project. BUT, that will never be the ultimate objective.
Now, I pass the ball to you!
Thank you for sharing this. It really makes The Anime Shelter even more special and amazing.
This hit pretty close to home for me. I’m 31 and I’m just now starting to pursue things I’m passionate about. I spent ten years in a place where I was severely oppressed and didn’t have the support I needed to get out and stand-up. Now that I do finally have my peace of mind back, I felt so lost as to what to do with my life. I felt like I was too old to really accomplish anything at all (escaped my abusive environment at 28). Most people my age were getting out of college and starting their careers. That’s when I turned to blogging and it really was a shelter for me. It protected me while I battled through anxiety and PTSD and depression, and eventually it helped me find the willpower to make plans for a better future. I finally returned to college this year and I feel super anxious about… essentially starting my life in my early 30s. I want to become a translator, a published author, and a documentary maker. It’s tough not to think about how lost I still feel on the inside and how somewhere I question if I’ll ever make it. I still ponder if I’m too old and just kidding myself. But when those thoughts and that fear becomes too much, I blog. I blog full-time and it’s, honestly, the one thing that’s keeping me stable and focused on the bigger picture.
Reading your post and reading about how you want to help people with The Anime Shelter made me kind of emotional because that’s what I want to do with my work (aspirations currently) one day. I want to help people. I want to raise awareness for equality and acceptance and peace. Your blog has always been one of my favourites, top three easily, and now it’s so much more special. Thanks so much, Arthifis. (Sorry this became so ridiculously long).
Thanks so much for the kind comment! 🙂
To be honest, I think that we are always lost in some way. A question like “What Do You Want To Contribute For Society In General?” is something that is going to change along the line. I believe it’s one of those questions that you just don’t answer it, you live it.
It makes me really happy that you are moving forward… Life is a b**ch and we need to continue fighting, even if it becomes the darkest we have ever seen. From what we know, we may just live one life, so it’s important to make that one count (Meaning, from what we really know, of course depending in your religion/thoughts you will have different believes about death). So, it really makes me happy that you are pulling yourself together. And, look, if you are 31, then that means that you will probably live more 50-60 years… So, it’s never to late to start pursuing your dreams and I hope you the best 😀
And, yeah, like you mentioned, what is important is that you are doing steps towards your ultimate goal! I really doesn’t care if they are huge steps, or just baby steps. However, what matters is that they are putting you near of your goal!
Top 3???? ??? Thank you so much, that really, really makes me happy! You don’t even know 😀
Thank you so much, Arthifis! I hope I’ve got another 50 years, that would be awesome haha. 🙂 🙂
You have much more noble motives than me for anime blogging, Arthifis!
I started blogging because I DESPISE the rat-race and the conventions of selling your labor by the hour. I want to self-publish my manga-style comic someday in the near future and have it become a popular & profitable venture. I’m using the blog to improve my writing and ESPECIALLY my online marketing skills.
That said, I DO want people to enjoy my comic & get emotionally invested; laugh, cry, all that stuff. My life’s been much easier than most people in this world, but I’ve always been grateful for anime & other nerdy entertainment in difficult times. My hope is to produce something as compelling for other people to enjoy as the stories I’ve grown up with.
Also, I may be more spiritual than you, so I believe writing is my calling & my purpose, and that story in particular is my reason for living.
Hmmm I’m not that sure if I’m that noble! Think for a second… You say that your call is to be a writer, right? Of course, you want that it has popularity and profit. However, why is that you want to do it by writing? I mean, for popularity and profit, you have many other career paths that will give you that 🙂
I strongly believe that you want, through writing, to make this world a happier place. Probably by sending your readers to the world you wrote and make them forget about the present for a while. Am I wrong? XD Because, that’s what I felt from your comment eheh
Of course, you are using blogging to improve yourself in order to get to your goal, but that doesn’t mean it’s not noble whatsoever… At least, that’s my take on it 🙂
You’re right, I do want to transport people and give them some escapism from the real world! I didn’t quite put it in those terms in my mind until you said that…very insightful!
This is kind of overwhelmingly epic Art-san…
My respect has grown, salute!
The reason I write,I think, is to make people think and then of possible smile.
The continue Don’t quit is a different thing altogether of course, but yes.
In short, that’s my reason I guess…
Oooh thank you so much <3
Those two are excellent reasons and I'm sure your readers get just that while reading your posts 🙂 Of course the Don't Quit is one of the most amazing movements here in WordPress though xD