This was an image from my Dear L book about an artist falling in love with his/her character.

<B>The letter:</B>
<I>Dear L,
Hello. My name is John and I am a little sad. I am an artist, a character designer. I feel like I have the talent to draw anyone or anything I wish on a piece of paper. But there is something in which I feel like I do not have. I do not have my ultimate and significant other.

Every time I draw someone on paper, a character in which I created form my own imagination, I give them a soul. I try to draw them so they look like real beings that live on this planet and not in the folded pages of a sketchbook. There is one particular character that I call “love”. I draw her in ways that I picture my true love; good body, long hair, good size chest, long bushy tail. Her personality is the same as mine, but yet she is happier. She enjoys life to the fullest and she has a heart that is openly true and never gives off false love. She loves me and only me, and I love her in return with all my heart.

I know what I am saying is baloney, but I feel like one can fall in love with their characters. I feel like each character is a part of one’s personality and one’s inner self. The only thing is closest to mine is the girl I explained about. Her name is “Jenny”, my female “fursona”.

Everyone wishes to find their equal. Many find them, but in some cases, they turn out to hate each other and then hearts are broken. I constantly search for mine. I know what she looks like and how she acts. I know everything about her and we would just click on first sight. But I know that I shouldn’t judge on looks. It’s personality that is the key to a relationship. My “Jenny” would look different, but she would have the personality, that unique spark in her soul that would be very recognizable.

Dear L, is there ever such a thing about falling in love with your own character, then later trying to find her out in the real world? Do you think that there is such a person out there?

Thank you,
John
</I>

<B>The Explanation:</B> This was the letter from the book that went along with the image. One can treat their own creations like living beings. Any creator will say that. But one can take it a little too far and loose control on what is real and what is reality; falling in love with an imaginary friend and disconnecting him or herself from reality.

Alot of people have "split" personalities, two sides of the brain and soul. Many like their other persona or fursona to be a separate sex, or the same sex, to have the body they wish they could have or the animal they wish they could be: Their fantasy body, an imaginary self. When a furry fan dresses up in a mascot uniform that resembles their character or a cartoon character, they pretend that they are that character and slowly go into this trance and start to act like that character, someone or something different from their true self. They play as their character.

Alot of artists make up characters and describe them as themselves to hide their sexuality, physical features or anything else they feel they must protect themselves from the internet.

This is not new. It has been done thousands of times, mostly with furry artists. They create an interesting character that others can relate to and talk to or about. They create someone or something through drawing that everybody can relate to, have fun with, someone more interesting that the creator him/herself.

<B>Conclusion:</B> Alot of people can take this in a different way. Some can agree with this, or disagree, saying that one who does this has issues, messed up. There is no right or wrong answer to this. Artists have an never-ending imagination and they use it in many ways and it is their right to use it in whatever way they want.

An artist is like a God; with your hands, voice or feet, you can create a world of your own, creatures of your own, a galaxy of your own. It feels very good to be an artist because you can do whatever and create whatever you wish. But one must be careful how to use this "power". Heh.

Thank you,
- Ookami Kemono

Drawing Love © 2006 Alex Cockburn