Pinterest is a powerful tool. It, and its cousin Tumblr, are LOADED with fanart of all kinds. For impressionable people like me, fanart can be the difference between me never reading or watching something–or–moving it to the top of my list.

For example: Years ago, Pinterest was the reason I started watching the show Doctor Who. There were SO. MANY. DOCTOR. WHO. PINS. I didn’t understand any of them, but boy was my curiosity piqued! I wanted to be with the in-crowd. I wanted to understand why everyone felt so passionately about the show. So… I quickly become a devoted Whovian, swallowing the show whole, and now, years later, I have met most of the cast and I even appear as a guest on the Who New Podcast.

That’s just one example, however. I have discovered many other TV series, anime and books this way too. Something about fan art, and the passion the fans put into creating it, ignites my desire to join the fandom. I know I have obsessive tendencies, so when I see my obsessive brothers and sisters out there freaking out about something, I am quick follow the light. More often than not, I am not disappointed.

I always wanted to be good at drawing so I could place the images trapped in my head onto paper. Yes, I realize that’s what writing is– but writing leaves so much open to interpretation. While that is a beautiful thing for the masses, for me personally, I want to see the manifestation of my imaginings. I want a visual recording of what I see in my mind, if only for my own benefit! I want to be able to read a particularly amazing passage, then flip to the photo and get double goosebumps!