NUMBER ONE HUNDRED! Technically, Dinosaur Kid isn’t a year old until December 12th — somewhere around strip #104 — but this is the big round number, right here.

It’s been a really good year. I haven’t missed an update, which was one of my original goals, and this little guy’s become a big part of my life. My abilities have redeveloped really rapidly. See, I drew a lot in high school — but for at least 5 years after that, I didn’t do it seriously. My skills atrophied. So Dinosaur Kid has helped me rediscover my drawing style, modify it, and advance past where I used to be. I’m still growing, too, because I’m still doing this comic (and others).

Before Dinosaur Kid, I was a person who was always full of ideas and always wanted to be creative; but if I’m honest, when it came to execution, I couldn’t make myself do it. There was always something else to do or watch or read or see or eat. With so much stuff in the world worth consuming, it’s really easy to just consume and feel like anything you produce is a waste of time.

But having a regular webcomic and not slacking off on deadlines has forced me to do what I wasn’t doing before: sit down and make stuff. Storytelling and art are now part of my daily routine in a way that they never have been — not even while I was in school studying creative writing. And I haven’t been able to show a lot of them off yet, but Dinosaur Kid has led me to other projects that’ll be visible next year.

My head is full of overwrought metaphors about mountains to describe the whole thing, but I won’t bother. The comic is simple and childish, but you’ll just have to take my word for it when I say that this is the most important thing I think I’ve ever done for my creativity. If you’re on the fence about creating something, I’d urge you to just start. Make yourself do it. Forget about all the talented geniuses who produce immediate masterworks. You won’t start there, but it doesn’t matter where you start. The longer you keep at it, the better you’ll get.

So I plan on keeping at Dinosaur Kid. Thanks for stickin’ with us.