I would say that many furries who become artists (if not all, in a subconscious way) do so in order to try to get closer in touch with their furry selves. We want to take the intangible furry fantasies out of our thoughts and nail them down into something more physical, more concrete, not only to express our furriness to others, but also to create a kind of visual 'window' where we can peer into our own version of the furry world for ourselves, as close as we can manage.

But how close can we really get with ink and watercolor marker on bristol board... or with acrylic paint, sculpey, faux fur and upholstery foam? Of course, being an artist, I should know better than to underestimate the power of art and expression, but it seems at times like the quest to capture an honest piece of an elusive furry dreamworld between the scrawly lines of a pen or with a well-placed daub of paint is a near-impossible task.

Ultimately, the things we create in order to further solidify our furry identity, whether it be images, sculptures, costumes, plush, stories, or whatever else it may be, are all simply representations of a world outside our grasp, like postcards from a place we've never been to.

However, does that mean we should all stop trying? Of course not. Although we might not get very far with a single kind of art or a single discipline of expression, perhaps we CAN make some progress when we take selective pieces of all these disciplines together, and try to view through as many 'windows' as we can at once rather than just one. And we don't even need to limit ourselves just to the things we create ourselves. You don't need to become an artist in order to get a good solid grasp of your own furry identity. The cartoons we watch, the things we buy, the pets we keep, the animals we see at the zoo, the experiences and lifestyles we choose to live -- there are elements of all of these things our own idealized furry worlds, and if we remember to look carefully, we can appreciate them as such.