Up late. Had to write.

What does "haters gonna hate" mean exactly? Some people think it's what pompous people say. Like a troll saying "u mad?". If that's what you think "haters gonna hate" means, let me correct you right now. (bare with me til the end <3 )

Here's what it means; There will ALWAYS be haters. Whether you choose to do this, or choose to do that. Whether you pursue your passion, or pursue what you think will make you "financially stable". There will be haters when you're an amateur trying to be a pro. And there will be haters when you ARE a pro. The better of a person you become, sadly, chances are there will be more haters. Haters will hate, regardless. If you're nice, they'll hate. If you're a jerk, they'll hate. If you draw too cartoony, they'll hate. If you draw too realistic, they'll hate. If you improve, haters will appear out of nowhere. There's actually more the better you are than there are when you're a nobody. Why?

Let me break it down. There's a species of crab that has a similar trait to human beings. Let's see if you can spot the similarities. Here's how this crab is caught, there's a cage with bait at the bottom. The crabs go in. There are no trap doors or locking mechanisms. It's just an open cage. Crabs pile in til it's full. Here's the interesting part. When the bait is gone and one crab notices and tries to leave the cage, the others grab it and pull it back in. If more try to escape, the rest pull them in. If one keeps trying to escape, the other crabs will actually tear it apart so it doesn't keep trying. This is strange, even in the animal kingdom. but humans are like this too. Humans, by nature, seek comfort. This is called the comfort zone. That'd be fine and all, except for the fact that as soon as someone tries to be different or achieve greater, the rest of the pack basically shuns them. This is when haters are born. You grow up in a small town where no one leaves and suddenly you wanna leave, people start hating. Start trying to pull you back in.

Why are people like this? They don't like the fact that you're basically showing them that you're not as lazy as them. Or they don't like that you're brave enough to venture out into the unknown and they're not. They like safety. You ever hear this? "Why don't you get a normal job?". Normal jobs are "safe". Formal education is "safe". They're scared and you're not and they don't like that. So they use peer pressure to bring you back to Normal Land. Most haters figure that with enough hate, they can scare you back into the comfort zone. And sadly, most succeed. There are people who I will not name who have literally turned down greatness to just be good. Because of hate from their "friends". Suddenly the hate made them uncomfortable, they went back into their comfort zone. Haters hate because they're comfortable and you expose their weakness and make them uncomfortable by showing off your bravery. And some of you out there let them trick you into thinking they were right.

Here's the kicker. Here's the real meaning of "Haters Gonna Hate". Ready?

There will be haters no matter what you do, unless you dumb yourself all the way down to being far below the haters. Haters gonna hate if you do. Haters gonna hate of you don't. Haters gonna hate if you do that or this or the other.

What's my point?

Haters gonna hate no matter what, so do what makes you happy. Forget money, forget comfort, and take that leap of faith. Because if you believe in it and you want it bad enough, the rest will follow. The more haters you have, the better you're doing. Be strong enough to not care. And be good enough of a person to know they're not hating for any real reason, other than that you chose to follow your dream and stick with your gut. I want you to know right now that if no one else believes in you, I still do. Because I've been laughed at, shot down, shunned, and told I was stupid. I almost quit art once. I'm still a nobody, but I've had a few haters apologize to me because in the last few years I've proven them wrong. In the process I've gained more haters because I'm improving and doing bigger things. That's the way it goes. Haters gonna hate.