The Two Hardest Jobs I've Ever Had: Being a Father and Building Zamora
- JP de la Rama
- 2 minutes ago
- 6 min read
"The strongest reason to keep going isn't the dream itself. It's the people waiting for you on the other side of it. Talent may start the journey, but love is what keeps you walking when the road gets difficult."
Introduction: Setting the Stage
A while back, we celebrated Mother's Day with my family.
Nothing extravagant.
Just a simple family gathering filled with food, laughter, and the usual chaos that comes with having a six-year-old daughter.
Then something happened that caught me completely off guard.
My daughter looked at me and said:
"Happy Mother's Day, Daddy."
I laughed.
"Thank you," I told her, "but Mother's Day is for mothers. Fathers have their own day."
She laughed too.
And then immediately ran off to do six-year-old things.
But that tiny moment stayed with me.
Not because she got the holiday wrong.
Because she didn't care.
In her mind, she simply wanted to celebrate someone she loved.
And honestly?
That reminded me of why I keep fighting every day.
Not for myself.
Not for likes.
Not for algorithms.
Not even for Zamora.
I fight because of my family.
Because of my daughter.
Because every decision I make today becomes part of the future she inherits tomorrow.
So before anything else,
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there putting up a good fight.
The ones working long hours.
The ones carrying responsibilities quietly.
The ones showing up even when they're tired.
The ones trying their best to build something meaningful for the people they love.
Because fatherhood isn't about perfection.
It's about persistence.
And lately, persistence has been the story of my life.
Especially with Zamora.
When Dreams Meet Reality
For years, Zamora existed mostly inside my head.
A creature design here.
A notebook full of lore there.
A collection of ideas accumulated over more than a decade.
Like many artists, I assumed the hardest part would be creating the story.
I was wrong.
The hardest part is finishing it.
Ideas are exciting.
Execution is exhausting.
Everyone loves talking about the dream.
Very few people talk about the thousand tiny problems waiting between the dream and reality.
And lately, I've been facing one of the biggest challenges of the entire project.
Converting Zamora from a Webtoon into a printed graphic novel.
At first, I thought it would be straightforward.
After all, the story already existed.
The artwork was already there.
How hard could it be?
Very hard.
Because vertical storytelling and page-turn storytelling are completely different animals.
A Webtoon is designed to be consumed through scrolling.
The pacing is controlled by distance.
Suspense is created by what appears below.
The reader experiences the story in a long, uninterrupted descent.
A printed comic works differently.
Every page turn becomes a storytelling weapon.
Every spread becomes a decision.
Every reveal has to earn its place.
And that's where I discovered one of my biggest mistakes.
I never originally designed Zamora for print.
I wasn't thinking about page turns.
I wasn't thinking about chapter flow.
I wasn't thinking about how scenes would break across physical pages.
I was only thinking about scrolling.
Now I'm essentially rebuilding parts of the story so that it works in an entirely different medium.
It's frustrating.
It's time-consuming.
And sometimes it feels like I'm solving problems created by a younger version of myself.
But that's part of creating something real.
The dream eventually collides with reality.
And reality always asks harder questions.
Emotion Commits the Crime, Logic Does the Cover Up
Most creators don't quit because of technical problems.
They quit because of emotional ones.
The technical challenge is rarely the real challenge.
The real challenge is continuing when things become difficult.
When the excitement fades.
When progress slows.
When mistakes become visible.
When deadlines feel overwhelming.
Then logic arrives afterward.
"Maybe this project isn't worth it."
"Maybe I should start over."
"Maybe nobody will care."
"Maybe I'm wasting my time."
Those thoughts sound logical.
But they're usually emotional exhaustion wearing a logical disguise.
I've experienced that feeling many times throughout Zamora's development.
And whenever it happens, I often find myself doing something unexpected.
I spend time with my daughter.
We play.
We talk.
We laugh about something completely ridiculous.
And somehow, the problem becomes smaller.
The challenge doesn't disappear.
But my perspective changes.
Because being a father constantly reminds me that growth isn't supposed to be instant.
Children don't become adults overnight.
Families aren't built overnight.
And meaningful creative projects aren't built overnight either.
Everything worthwhile takes time.
The Legacy Principle
One lesson keeps appearing throughout both fatherhood and creativity.
I call it:
The Legacy Principle
Most people focus on outcomes.
The people who succeed long-term focus on what they're building.
A father isn't simply raising a child.
He's building a future.
An artist isn't simply drawing pages.
They're building a legacy.
A creator isn't simply publishing a project.
They're building a world that may outlive them.
The Legacy Principle changes how you think.
Instead of asking:
"How fast can I finish this?"
You begin asking:
"What am I building that will still matter years from now?"
That's how I think about Zamora.
It's not just a comic anymore.
It's a body of work.
A universe.
A reflection of everything I've learned about storytelling, faith, fear, perseverance, and humanity.
And for the first time, that universe is about to become tangible.
A Small Announcement
I'm excited to finally share this:
We'll be exhibiting at the upcoming Cagayanime event this August 14, 15, and 16.
And more importantly,
Zamora Volume 1 will officially debut there.
After years of development, revisions, redesigns, worldbuilding, and late nights...
People will finally be able to hold it in their hands.
We'll also be bringing merchandise, including shirts, stickers, prints, and other collectibles.
Honestly, the thought still feels surreal.
Because I can still remember when Zamora existed only as rough sketches inside a notebook.
Now it's becoming something real.
What Artists Can Learn From My Biggest Mistake
If there's one lesson I'd share with fellow artists, it's this:
Build With The End In Mind
Think about where your project might eventually live.
Webtoon?
Print?
Animation?
Games?
Merchandise?
Planning ahead can save years of revision later.
Different Mediums Tell Stories Differently
Never assume content transfers perfectly.
Every medium has unique strengths and weaknesses.
Learn them early.
Finishing Teaches More Than Starting
Most creators become addicted to beginnings.
The real education happens near the finish line.
That's where the difficult lessons live.
Family Can Be Creative Fuel
We often separate art and life.
I've learned they're deeply connected.
Some of my best creative insights arrive while spending time with the people I love.
Persistence Beats Inspiration
Inspiration starts projects.
Persistence finishes them.
Always choose persistence.
Dual Readership: For Artists and Parents
If you're an artist:
Your biggest challenge isn't creating.
It's continuing when creation becomes difficult.
If you're a parent:
You already understand this lesson.
The most meaningful things in life are built slowly through consistent effort.
Different responsibilities.
Same truth.
The things that matter most rarely happen overnight.
Before vs After
Before
Dreaming about Zamora.
Building lore.
Creating concepts.
Starting projects.
Imagining possibilities.
After
Lettering nearly complete.
Volume 1 is approaching release.
A booth at Cagayanime.
A decade-old dream is becoming reality.
A universe is finally stepping into the world.
Why Father's Day Means More Than Ever
This Father's Day feels different.
Because for the first time, two things I've spent years building are becoming visible at the same time.
My daughter is growing up.
And Zamora is finally growing into the project I always hoped it could become.
Both required patience.
Both required sacrifice.
Both required continuing when things became difficult.
And both remind me of the same lesson:
The best things in life aren't created through talent alone.
They're built through consistent effort over time.
One day at a time.
One page at a time.
One decision at a time.
That's true for parenting.
That's true for art.
And that's true for life.
Ask, and You Shall Receive
So let me ask you:
What's something you've been building quietly for years?
A project?
A business?
A family?
A dream?
A skill?
Whatever it is,
Don't underestimate how far you've already come.
Because sometimes we're so focused on how far we still have to go...
We forget we're already living inside a future version of a dream we once had.
And if you're attending Cagayanime this August, come say hello.
I'd love to meet you, share the world of Zamora, and hear what you're building too.
Because every meaningful journey starts the same way:
By deciding not to quit.
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