Redoing Old Projects, Reinventing My Brand, and Refining My Approach — Part 1

For the past several months, I have been reflecting deeply on my creative direction, my workflow, and the long-term future of my projects. It has been a while since I last made a proper blog post, and honestly, that distance gave me time to step back and evaluate everything I had been trying to accomplish. Between writing novels, developing manga, creating social media content, experimenting with AI-assisted production, handling branding, and balancing real-life responsibilities, I eventually realized that I had overloaded myself creatively.

At one point, I found myself trying to manage nearly ten major projects simultaneously. Looking back at it now, I can honestly say that my ambition began turning into creative chaos. I was trying to build worlds, market stories, redesign brands, learn manga production, experiment with new technologies, and maintain consistency all at the same time. While ambition is necessary for any creator, there comes a point where trying to do everything at once becomes counterproductive. Instead of refining my skills properly, I was scattering my energy across too many unfinished goals.

One of the clearest examples of this realization involved a project I originally intended to release: a ChatGPT-assisted book about drawing African American characters in manga and anime styles. At first, I believed this project could contribute something meaningful because representation within anime-inspired artwork matters to me personally. I know there are artists searching for guidance when it comes to drawing melanated characters in ways that feel authentic and visually appealing within manga aesthetics.

However, after serious reflection, I decided to either place the project on hold or possibly scrap it entirely. The reason was simple: I had to be honest with myself about my current skill level. Although I have improved significantly during the last two years, I still consider myself a developing manga artist. There are many areas where I continue to grow, including anatomy, panel composition, perspective, storytelling flow, environmental detail, and visual consistency. I realized that while I may eventually create educational material in the future, I am not yet at the point where I personally feel comfortable presenting myself as an authority on manga instruction.

That realization humbled me in a positive way. Sometimes growth requires stepping back instead of constantly pushing forward blindly. Rather than forcing projects into existence prematurely, I realized I needed to refine my foundation first. I needed to become more disciplined, organized, and intentional about the projects I choose to pursue.

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The Dark Ichalocha Of Terres Nei

One of the largest ongoing projects in my creative life remains The Dark Ichalocha Of Terres Nei. Earlier this year, I published Book 7: Iudicia. Reaching seven books is honestly something I never imagined when I first began developing the world years ago. What started as a fantasy concept gradually evolved into an expansive mythological universe with its own spiritual systems, kingdoms, elemental regions, cultures, philosophies, histories, and symbolic structures.

However, writing books is only one part of the challenge. Marketing independent creative work is another challenge entirely. Recently, I have been experimenting heavily with AI-assisted workflows to help create social media content and promotional material for the series. I understand that many people dislike AI, especially within creative spaces, but I also have to acknowledge the reality of my current situation. I am effectively operating as a one-man creative studio.

I do not have a marketing team, editors, assistants, promotional artists, or social media coordinators working behind the scenes. Because of that, AI has become a practical assistant within my workflow. I do not view it as a replacement for creativity. Instead, I see it as a tool that helps accelerate brainstorming, organization, mockups, visual experimentation, and production efficiency. The vision, storytelling, and worldbuilding still come directly from me. AI simply helps me manage the overwhelming amount of work attached to independent publishing and brand development.

Another major component of The Dark Ichalocha Of Terres Nei that I have continued developing is custom font creation and visual language design. This process unexpectedly became one of the most creatively satisfying aspects of the project. I realized that I did not simply want the series to exist as a collection of books. I wanted it to feel like a complete universe with its own symbolic identity and artistic atmosphere.

As a result, I began creating typography systems connected to the world itself. Some fonts are designed for magical inscriptions, ancient relics, architecture, sigils, and fictional cultural identities. Others are intended for branding purposes such as logos, chapter titles, and eventual manga adaptation work. Studying typography made me realize how much emotional atmosphere visual language alone can create. Gothic lettering communicates something entirely different from futuristic corporate typography. Ancient rune-like structures evoke different psychological responses than elegant royal calligraphy. These details may seem small individually, but together they help shape the emotional identity of a fictional world.

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Love From Al Khadhimiya

Another important project I continue developing is my manga Love From Al Khadhimiya. Originally, this story was only intended to be a simple one-shot manga chapter. I wanted to create something smaller and more emotionally grounded compared to my larger fantasy and science fiction projects. However, as I continued working on it, new ideas kept emerging naturally. One chapter eventually became six chapters.

That experience reminded me that creativity often evolves unpredictably. Sometimes the stories that begin as small experiments become far larger than originally intended. Although I originally planned to publish the manga last year, I encountered publication difficulties through Kindle Direct Publishing. While that was frustrating at the time, the delay ultimately allowed me more time to improve the artwork, refine the pacing, and better understand my identity as a manga creator.

One aspect of Love From Al Khadhimiya that remains important to me is my intention to create more FBA and melanated representation within manga-inspired storytelling. Growing up, I rarely saw Black characters centered within anime aesthetics unless they were stereotypes or side characters. I wanted to contribute something different creatively. Whether or not that effort ever leads to mainstream success is impossible to predict, but I still believe there is value in creating stories that reflect broader perspectives and identities within imaginative spaces.

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Redoing StarClass Billionairess

At the same time, I also made the decision to revisit and completely redo my first manga attempt: StarClass Billionairess. This project represents the very beginning of my manga journey, and looking back at it now, I can clearly recognize its flaws. The anatomy, pacing, visual flow, and storytelling all reflected my inexperience at the time. However, instead of feeling embarrassed by the project, I now view it as evidence of growth.

Every artist eventually outgrows older work.

That is part of the creative process.

Rather than abandoning the project permanently, I want to rebuild it using the skills and knowledge I have gained during the last two years. My artwork has improved. My understanding of storytelling has improved. My visual composition and worldbuilding have become stronger. Because of that, I believe the project deserves another opportunity.

More importantly, reworking StarClass Billionairess also serves another purpose: preparation. Eventually, I want to create a full manga adaptation of The Dark Ichalocha Of Terres Nei. That project represents one of my largest long-term creative goals. However, adapting such an enormous and lore-heavy universe into manga form will require a much higher level of discipline and technical skill from me.

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Preparing For A Dark Ichalocha Manga

The world of The Dark Ichalocha Of Terres Nei is massive. The environments are detailed. The costumes are complex. The mythology is layered. The emotional themes are heavy. Translating all of that into sequential manga storytelling will be one of the biggest creative challenges I have ever attempted.

Because of that, I see StarClass Billionairess as both a creative revival and a training ground. Once I finish Love From Al Khadhimiya, I plan to begin reworking StarClass Billionairess while simultaneously preparing concept art for the future Dark Ichalocha manga project. This fall, I intend to begin focusing heavily on character sheets, environmental studies, costume redesigns, weapon concepts, architecture, symbols, and atmospheric experimentation connected to the series.

Ultimately, this entire period of reflection has taught me something important: creative growth is not simply about producing more content. It is about refining process, improving discipline, and building stronger foundations over time. Instead of trying to rush everything into existence simultaneously, I now understand the importance of slowing down, focusing carefully, and evolving strategically.

In many ways, I feel like I am rebuilding myself creatively.

Redoing old projects.

Reinventing my brand.

Refining my approach.

And hopefully preparing for something much larger in the future.