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Description
If you're wondering about the title, it's from a quote Shadow says in his self-titled video game after defeating the Devil Black Doom and realizing he no longer has to be burdened by his dark past. Shadow the Hedgehog has plenty of artworks out there that capture the dark or sad elements of his character and story, but I don't see many that capture another aspect of his character that is equally important: Hope. Despite his painful past marked by witnessing the murder of a loved one, the burden of guilt over how his very existence indirectly caused needless destruction of innocent lives, and the knowledge that he was intended to be used as a tool for destruction by a malicious force, Shadow ultimately chooses to put all of that behind him and begin a new life. As someone who has constantly grappled with feelings of guilt and shame over things from the past, I find Shadow's character arc in his game to be inspiring. Shadow made me realize that even the strongest of us can still be burdened by events that happened in the past, even when they weren't necessarily our fault. But you don't have to let the past control you, nor should you allow yourself to be controlled by others. I believe there are many significant themes in the Shadow the Hedgehog game, and one of them is moving on from the past and entering a new life. For someone who has made their first attempt at art after a long hiatus fueled by discouragement, is about to start a new job and afraid of what challenges await, and has been dealing with a lot of painful personal life issues over the last year, choosing this topic for my first drawing feels appropriate. In the face of all these obstacles I face, I hope that I can be given a strength like Shadow's to overcome all of it.

Description
If you're wondering about the title, it's from a quote Shadow says in his self-titled video game after defeating the Devil Black Doom and realizing he no longer has to be burdened by his dark past. Shadow the Hedgehog has plenty of artworks out there that capture the dark or sad elements of his character and story, but I don't see many that capture another aspect of his character that is equally important: Hope. Despite his painful past marked by witnessing the murder of a loved one, the burden of guilt over how his very existence indirectly caused needless destruction of innocent lives, and the knowledge that he was intended to be used as a tool for destruction by a malicious force, Shadow ultimately chooses to put all of that behind him and begin a new life. As someone who has constantly grappled with feelings of guilt and shame over things from the past, I find Shadow's character arc in his game to be inspiring. Shadow made me realize that even the strongest of us can still be burdened by events that happened in the past, even when they weren't necessarily our fault. But you don't have to let the past control you, nor should you allow yourself to be controlled by others. I believe there are many significant themes in the Shadow the Hedgehog game, and one of them is moving on from the past and entering a new life. For someone who has made their first attempt at art after a long hiatus fueled by discouragement, is about to start a new job and afraid of what challenges await, and has been dealing with a lot of painful personal life issues over the last year, choosing this topic for my first drawing feels appropriate. In the face of all these obstacles I face, I hope that I can be given a strength like Shadow's to overcome all of it.