The Analog Renaissance
- JP de la Rama
- 3 minutes ago
- 4 min read
How Old Habits Reignited My Creative Fire
“In a world obsessed with speed and automation, the slow, imperfect line drawn by hand may be the most radical act of creation.”
PART 1
Setting the Stage
Something strange happened these past few weeks.
I didn’t add more hours to my day.
I didn’t download a new productivity app.
I didn’t suddenly become superhuman.
But because of a simple habit tracker and small daily commitments to my IP, I found myself… free.
More focused.
More fulfilled.
Happier with my work.
And the biggest surprise?
I’m doing more in less time.
As I returned to drawing and writing for my IPs consistently, something clicked.
The more I worked with my hands — pen, paper, pencil — the more alive the process felt.
Like old times.
The Problem With Modern Creativity
We live in a hyper-digital world.
Everything is optimized:
Faster workflows
AI assistance
Templates
Automation
Efficiency is king.
But here’s the problem I discovered:
The more I relied purely on digital speed, the more disconnected I felt from my work.
Somewhere between shortcuts and software updates, I lost something essential — friction.
When I draw traditionally, every line matters.
When I write by hand, my thoughts slow down.
When I jot ideas on a tiny notepad, they feel raw and real.
I’ve always had this habit — writing ideas in small notebooks.
Even when I don’t have one, I use my phone’s notes app.
Dialogue fragments.
Creature names.
World-building concepts.
Random lore.
Years later, those scribbles become gold.
Especially when building something as layered as Zamora.
World-building isn’t born from one perfect brainstorming session.
It’s accumulated — quietly — through fragments of ideas captured in ordinary moments.
And here’s the professional lesson I’ve learned the hard way:
Misplaced ideas are lost worlds.
If you don’t capture them, they vanish.
Build Systems That Protect Your Creativity
Here’s what changed everything for me:
1. Track your habits, not your moods
Inspiration is unreliable. Systems are not.
Even 1 hour per day compounds.
2. Go analog intentionally
Try sketching your first concept on paper.
Write your first draft by hand.
Slow thinking produces deeper work.
3. Capture everything
Carry a small notebook.
Use your phone if needed.
Dialogue ideas? Write them.
Monster concepts? Write them.
Emotional beats? Write them.
Creative IPs are built from fragments.
4. Respect friction
When it feels harder, slower, more manual — that’s often where authenticity lives.
Technology evolves.
But human accent — the imperfect line, the emotional handwriting, the spontaneous note — that’s irreplaceable.
And in a world drowning in automation, human texture is your edge.
PART 2
Zamora: A War Between Realms — And the Cost of Loving Humanity
Let me condense your pitch into something engaging and forward-driving:
The Continuation Hook
The battle in Cagayan de Oro was only the beginning.
After expelling Bubudhi — the treacherous ruler of the Ninth Circle — from Eleanor’s body, victory seemed within reach.
But Hell doesn’t lose quietly.
In a desperate act of defiance, the Yawa dragged Eleanor into the infernal abyss.
Now the war is no longer about exorcism.
It’s about invasion.
As Father Zamora and his fractured team regroup —
as Sister Therese fights for her own life,
as Father Burgos wrestles with his own temptation,
as Father Gomez balances science, faith, and rivalry,
as SP01 Domingo tracks paranormal anomalies like a shadow in the night —
a terrifying truth emerges:
The coming war isn’t just Heaven vs Hell.
Eldritch beings older than God and Satan stir in the Darkness.
And they want everything back.
Light.
Hell.
Humanity.
All of it.
Zamora must choose:
Remain a servant of Heaven —
or become something else entirely to save the material world.
The Lesson – Why This Story Matters (For Artists)
Zamora isn’t just a horror comic.
It’s my answer to a creative question:
If everything feels chaotic — politically, technologically, culturally — what kind of story should I tell?
DEEP DIVE
I could chase trends.
I could imitate Western occult comics.
I could water down Filipino myth into something globally “digestible.”
But that’s not sustainable.
Because in the end, borrowed fire burns out fast.
Zamora works because:
It’s rooted in Cagayan de Oro.
It uses Visayan language.
It draws from Filipino mythology.
It blends Catholicism, eldritch horror, and Southeast Asian folklore.
It reflects my internal battles as an artist in a collapsing system.
It’s personal.
And that’s the edge.
Creative Career Lesson
If you want longevity as an artist:
Build your own mythos.
Pull from your culture.
Document your ideas daily.
Accept that you won’t have endorsements at first.
Target your true audience — not everyone.
Your story doesn’t need approval to exist.
It needs conviction.
And sometimes, telling your own story isn’t just a creative decision.
It’s a survival strategy.
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