In the core of Shintaro's mind, I learned why he was quitting his anime artist job. The reasons were as simple as they were scary.
It all came down to the disconnect between work and income. The work got more demanding each year but the pay never increased. He was approaching his mid-30's and couldn't afford a home or a family.
As he left the anime studio, I heard his inner monologue: "I still want to make anime. But I can't go on struggling to exist. I shouldn't have to choose between art and living."
I felt a surge of emotion that zapped me back outside the portal. Tears filled my eyes.
All the portals now lit up, showing variations of the same thing: creators, all unhappy, all unable to make a living pursuing their passion.
If the creators can't survive, what will happen to art?
My frown tightened into a scowl as I realized I must help them. But what could I do? Frustration battled helplessness in my mind.
My sword lit up with a flame as I swung it down with frustration near my feet. It tore a hole in the void and I plummeted down through it!
Please enjoy the next post #8 below in the Hekonai Journal:
Post Soundtrack: Is This The Future? - Fatback
In the author’s mind: This electro-soul ballad is the work of Fatback, a NYC-based dance music band who racked up a number of chart and club hits in the '70s and '80s. This 1983 gem offers social commentary with a groove, with its narrator painting a gloomy picture of a time when employment and money are in short supply over an insistent, synth-layered groove. I thought it perfectly captured the tensions felt by Shintaro as he ponders his future in a world where artists have to make impossible choices to use their talent.
The Hekonai's Journal is an ongoing meta-narrative. If you want to learn how it came to be, check out the introduction post by clicking here. If you want to read the prior journal entry, click here.
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