Featured Artist Spotlight (March 2020): InstantMiso
By Skywing Knights // March 2, 2020
Hello loves!
Itās still winter in my neck of the woods – but Iām longing for the spring and summer! So this monthās featured artist is one who excels in bringing out the beauty seen in those wonderful seasons – InstantMiso, creator of āWhere Tangents Meetā and āSirenās Lamentā on WEBTOON!
InstantMiso (or just Miso as some of her readers call her) began drawing at the young little age of 4 years old. She was introduced to manga and anime (such as Sailor Moon) at a young age and was influenced by her uncle, a professional artist and comic fan himself.Ā In past Q&A sessions with her readers, Miso said about her early days of drawing, āI loved drawing comics as a little kid because i would show it [to] my sisters and my cousin and just seeing their reactions [and] them laughing while reading it just brought me so much happiness. Just to see that something that I created was able to make someone that I love smile and I donāt know, I know thatās really cheesy and stuff, [but] thatās the main reason I started doing comics. It just brought me ultimate happiness and it still brings me ultimate happiness!ā
One or two decades later, Miso entered college and at that point, started working on āWhere Tangents Meetā, a comic she created with her friendsā input for plot inspiration. She never intended at first to publish it for the public, instead, keeping it for her friends though. But on April 9th, 2015, InstantMiso took a leap and uploaded the first chapter of the series to WEBTOONS. She completed the series on December 31st, 2015 With a 39 chapter run, tand over that period of time, her work grew in popularity. She also met the musician KennyComics, who she would soon start collaborating with for comics. It was during this time that the idea for her next comic, āSirenās Lamentā would begin coming to Miso as well. In her own words, āI just wanted to write a story about mermaids!ā
The story came in bits and pieces and InstantMiso began to sculpt the various characters personalities before creating designs to suit them. āWhat if sirens, always perceived as evil, were just misunderstood?ā was the essential question that made the concept for the story bud in her mind. Slowly, she began building up the mythology and magic within her story. On March 5th, 2016, āSirenās Lamentā launched and it quickly became one of the top comics on WEBTOONS. Currently, the comic stands at 173 episodes in total, with the final season coming soon.
And all this while Miso has been working both full time on the comic while pursuing her education! When discouraged, Miso has stated in the past, āI feel like thinking about the finished product in the end is always a good motivator for me. And thatās what so great about being a creator you have the ability to create things and then look at it after, whether it be, you know, writing or drawing – and I feel like my readers also help a lot with motivating me to keep going.ā
And speaking of her readers, she loves them all too! Sheās said of her fans, āItās just really amazing meeting you guys in person. Because itās easy to forget [that] there are actual physical people out who [read] my comic. [Itās] really cool and I really appreciate and admire my fans for being so supportive and I love you guys a lotā¦ you guys are seriously the best readers anyone could ask for!ā
Havenāt read āWhere Tangents Meetā or āSirenās Lamentā yet? Check out some of InstantMisoās work below!
*Warning! Spoilers follow!*
“Where Tangents Meet”
“Siren’s Lament”
Upon completion, Miso plans to formally publish āSirenās Lamentā before likely moving on to a new story. But for now…
Where Can You Read Work By InstantMiso?
Read “Where Tangents Meet” Here
Read “Sirenās Lament” Here
InstantMiso on Social Media
Instagram (WEBTOONS)
Tumblr
DeviantArt
Youtube
Instagram (Miso)
So why was Miso chosen this month as a featured artist? Miso was chosen quite simply for her humble and quiet way of holding on to doing what she loves. Sheās like Ariel from Disneyās āThe Little Mermaidā in that way (and yes, that comparison was very intentional). š Miso wasnāt simply always given praise in her career as an artist though. By putting her work online and gaining popularity, she inevitably received negative feedback along with the good (why anyone would do this, I personally donāt know). However Miso discerned the difference between praise and constructive criticism, choosing to focus on the good and take the constructive criticism as needed. However, she believes, if itās something unnecessary, then those people are not worth your time. “[In] the end itās your happiness that matters, [so] do what makes you happy only focus on the good.ā
Even offline, Miso faced pressure to pursue financially stable careers upon entering college. This made her feel that art would always just be a hobby of herās. But she realized something about drawing comics, āItās the way I can express myself the best. [Iām] pretty awkward when Iām talking and explaining myself, but I feel like I can express myself a lot better through art and writing.ā And going off of that, always practicing, drawing, and honing her skill, Miso ultimately decided to take a leap and pursue art as a major in school and sheās very grateful for where she is now. THAT’S something we can ALL learn from.
When asked by others what advice sheād give aspiring artists she says, āJust have fun with it! Do it for yourself and donāt worry so much [about] what other people think. [Write] and draw about something youāre really passionate about. That way you won’t ever get tired of it! ā¦And try finding fun in, you know, challenging yourself even if it is tedious sometimes. [Do] it for the end product, cause youāll be able to pat yourself on the back in the endā¦ Donāt worry about [how] many views you get, [all] you have to care about is doing what you want to do… Donāt try to impress anybody.ā
What an awesome thing we can all learn, both for art and for ourselves. āCare about doing what YOU want to do, donāt try to impress anybody.ā I think we all are very prone to caring about what other people think of us. We naturally want to be liked, to fit in, to be accepted, and to make people happy with us. We believe that will make us happy and less stressed in return. But Miso has locked onto something very key in life. Youāre never going to make everyone happy, but you can certainly make yourself happy. And thatās what Miso does with her art. She makes stories SHE wants to tell. And often, when you do that, others will want to hear that story too.
I hope you all check out InstantMiso and her work on WEBTOONS! (You have time now to catch up and get ready for the final season of āSirenās Lamentā!) Both of her works are wonderful. Though I must admit, that “Siren’s Lament” is seriously one of my favorites on WEBTOONS. (It’s good enough for me to want to re-read it – in fact, I do re-read it very often!) So again, check it out! (And thank you, Miso for this fun ride! š ) Till next monthās feature, wishing you all the best happiness,
~Skywing
*Source for Interview Quotes Here on Miso’s Youtube Channel.*