Basic Lecture 01: Let’s Illustrate “My Goal.”
- MORI Ryuichiro
- Jul 30
- 15 min read
(This lecture is written based on the circumstances of the illustration industry in Japan and on Japanese law.)
In the previous lesson, I wrote that we would begin studying how to create illustrations that are skillful, appealing, and more likely to lead to professional work.
But before we begin, I would like to give you your first assignment.
Assignment 1: Illustrate “My Goal”
What kind of illustrator would you like to become?
Take plenty of time to think carefully about the kind of illustrator you hope to be.
Then express that vision through an illustration.
This will be your first assignment.
Please combine illustration and written text.
Add written explanations for any details that cannot be fully communicated through the illustration alone.
If there is not enough room to include the text within the illustration, you may submit the illustration and text separately.
You may also use more than one page if necessary.
It might be interesting to present your goal like a picture book or a kamishibai picture-story show.
You may even create it as a comic.
You are free to use any materials or techniques you like.
You may work traditionally or digitally.
Please use whichever method suits you best.
People with Specific Goals Are More Likely to Succeed
It is important to make your goal as specific as possible.
Psychological research has shown that defining a goal clearly and specifically can greatly increase the likelihood of achieving it.
For example, do you know what it takes to become a professional baseball player?
Most people who become professional players have lived with the specific goal of becoming a professional baseball player since childhood.
Many join well-known youth baseball teams at a very early age.
They then attend high schools that regularly compete in the National High School Baseball Championship at Koshien Stadium.
They must join the baseball team and earn a place in the starting lineup.
Otherwise, they are unlikely to attract the attention of professional scouts.
It is said that figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu concentrated almost entirely on figure skating from a very young age.
I have even heard that he never learned to ride a bicycle.
That is how completely he may have focused on his goal.
No matter how athletically talented a child may be, simply thinking vaguely, “I would like to become some kind of athlete,” without choosing a specific goal will not make that child a professional baseball player.
Nor is that child likely to compete in the Olympics as a figure skater like Yuzuru Hanyu.
In many cases, the child simply grows up to become an ordinary adult who happens to be good at sports.
Those who establish a specific goal and concentrate their efforts on it are able to climb much higher.
Illustrators Also Need Specific Goals
A surprisingly large number of people who call themselves professional illustrators only have the vague desire to “do some kind of illustration work.”
Most of them receive very little work.
Instead, if you set a specific goal such as, “I want to illustrate the cover of a novel by [name of author],” your chances of receiving that kind of work increase considerably.
For example, imagine an illustrator visiting the book division of a publishing company to promote their portfolio.
If the illustrator simply says, “Please give me some work,” the editor is unlikely to be impressed.
Editors receive many such approaches.
Most of the illustrators who contact them are already highly skilled.
Therefore, even if someone’s work is reasonably good, an illustrator who has approached the editor without a clear purpose will rarely make a strong impression.
Now imagine that the illustrator has read almost every novel by Haruki Murakami and says:
“I am a great admirer of Mr. Murakami’s work, and I would love the opportunity to illustrate one of his book covers.”
If the illustrator then speaks enthusiastically about particular novels and explains what they love about Murakami’s writing, the editor may be genuinely moved.
The editor may think, “Perhaps I should give this person an opportunity.”
I have personally obtained work in this way many times.
Someone at a major publishing company once told me, “We receive so many portfolios that we cannot possibly look through all of them.”
They also said, “Most of the illustrators are already at a professional level, and some are technically better than you, Mr. Mori.”
Even so, the work came to me because the editor and I became deeply engaged in a conversation about novels.
Suppose two illustrators approach the editorial department of a publishing company.
One does not read many novels.
The other names specific favorite authors and speaks with genuine affection about their books.
If the quality of their illustrations is at roughly the same level, the work will almost certainly go to the second illustrator.
Editors are approached by countless people like the first illustrator, so it takes something exceptional to capture their interest.
Therefore, if there is an author whose book covers you would like to illustrate, begin reading as many of that author’s books as possible now.
If there is a magazine you would like to work for, read every issue.
If there is a company whose packaging you would like to illustrate, begin purchasing its products and collecting the packaging.
If you would like to create advertising illustrations for a particular product, begin buying the product and collecting its advertisements.
This is what it means to have a specific goal and to focus your efforts on it.
Those who begin preparing now for future promotional opportunities are the people who will succeed several years from now.
People who vaguely assume that work will come once they improve their drawing skills and begin sending out portfolios often continue to receive very little work, no matter how good their illustrations become.
This is one reason there are so many excellent illustrators who receive surprisingly little work.
The time when good artwork alone was enough to generate a large number of commissions has ended.
Today, there are more highly skilled illustrators, and many of them actively promote their work.
Merely producing reasonably good illustrations is no longer enough to secure a steady flow of commissions.
A small number of fortunate illustrators may suddenly begin receiving project after project, but they are the exception.
If you also want to receive a large amount of work, begin setting specific goals now.
Concentrate your efforts on those goals.
Take action.
If you do this, your life may be very different several years from now.
The “Matsumushi Miracle” Also Began with Goals
Takashi Harada was a teacher assigned to Matsumushi Junior High School, a severely troubled public school in Osaka.
He became the coach of the track-and-field club and led the students to thirteen national championships in individual events, twelve consecutive overall boys’ championships at the Osaka tournament, and five consecutive combined boys’ and girls’ championships.
These achievements became known as the “Matsumushi Miracle.”
Mr. Harada had no specialist background in track and field and apparently provided no technical instruction.
Instead, his approach focused entirely on the students’ mental development.
The students set their own goals and thought for themselves about what they needed to do in order to achieve them.
Mr. Harada repeatedly emphasizes the importance of goals in his books.
The Matsumushi Miracle later had a significant influence on theories of goal achievement in sports, education, and business.
Psychological Research on Goals
It is often claimed that a psychological survey was conducted at Harvard University in 1979.
That year’s graduates were asked whether they had goals.
The reported results were as follows:
84% had no specific goals at all. Group A
13% had goals but had not written them down. Group B
3% had written down clear goals and created plans for achieving them. Group C
Ten years later, the same graduates were reportedly surveyed again.
The following results were reported:
The average income of the graduates in Group B, who had goals, was twice that of the graduates in Group A, who had no goals.
The average income of the graduates in Group C, who had written down clear goals, was ten times the combined average income of Groups A and B.
In other words, people with goals reportedly earned more later in life, and people who wrote down their goals reportedly earned even more.
Of course, simply writing down a goal does not magically increase your income.
People who have clear goals are generally more motivated in their lives than those who do not.
People who take the time to write down their goals are also likely to approach their lives with even greater commitment.
Writing down goals probably strengthens the desire to achieve them.
Let us also look at a study conducted at Dominican University of California.
A goal-setting experiment was conducted with 149 participants.
The participants were divided into five groups, and researchers measured how much progress they had made toward their chosen goals after four weeks.
Group 1: Chose a goal but did not write it down.
Group 2: Chose a goal and wrote it down.
Group 3: Chose a goal, wrote it down, and created an action plan.
Group 4: Chose a goal, wrote it down, created an action plan, and told a friend about it.
Group 5: Chose a goal, wrote it down, created an action plan, told a friend about it, and sent that friend weekly progress reports.
After four weeks, the reported goal-achievement rates were:
Group 1: 42.8%
Group 2: 60.8%
Group 3: 50.8%
Group 4: 64.1%
Group 5: 76.0%
This experiment also suggested that simply writing down a goal can increase the likelihood of achieving it.
When you turn your goal into an illustration, you are doing more than writing words on paper.
You are vividly imagining and visualizing your future self.
For that reason, illustrating your goal may make the process even more powerful.
We should also pay attention to the result suggesting that people are more successful when someone else is aware of their goals.
Everyone has a tendency to become lazy from time to time.
The awareness that other people are watching can help us maintain discipline.
That is why, at this school, you will declare your goals where I and the other students can see them.
You will also complete each assignment while being observed and encouraged by your instructor and fellow students.
This school uses training methods informed by psychology to increase your potential for growth.
Ideas for Creating a Specific Goal
You may wish to base your specific goal on:
Something you love
Something you are good at
Experiences that are unique to you
Special qualifications you possess
Something you have cared deeply about since childhood
You may also create a goal that makes use of a strength that other people do not have.
For example:
If you are a qualified nurse, you are likely to have an advantage when working on medical projects.
If you have worked as a childcare professional, you may be particularly well suited to projects involving children.
If you actively practice martial arts, that is an excellent strength. You may be able to produce better work than other illustrators on projects involving martial arts.
If you are good at English, consider working on English-language educational materials.
If you enjoy fortune-telling, you may be suited to projects related to astrology or divination.
If you enjoy cooking, consider aiming for projects involving food or cuisine.
If you have lived in the United States, you may have a strong advantage when working on projects related to American culture.
Find a Goal That Is Uniquely Yours
It would be wonderful if you could find an original goal that only you could have, rather than choosing something ordinary.
For example, countless aspiring illustrators say, “I want to illustrate book covers.”
But consider the following:
“I want to illustrate book covers. More specifically, I would like to create covers for novels by Haruki Murakami, Hiromi Kawakami, Mitsuyo Kakuta, Riku Onda, and Shion Miura.”
Very few people will have exactly the same goal.
Rather than choosing a common goal, think about something personal and distinctive that reflects who you are.
When You Do Not Know What You Like or What You Are Good At
Some people may feel that they do not know what they like or what they are good at.
In that case, look back over your own past.
Go back one month, one year, and five years.
Continue tracing your life backward.
Think about your thirties, your twenties, your high school years, your junior high school years, and your elementary school years.
Eventually, return to your earliest memory of yourself.
What were you deeply absorbed in during each period of your life?
It may have been a sport, a television program, or a comic.
When I was in the fourth grade, I became completely absorbed in novels and read books every single day.
I believe my later success as an illustrator of novels grew out of those childhood experiences.
During Japan’s economic bubble, advertising illustration was highly celebrated.
When I was beginning my career, I also aimed to work in advertising.
However, the amount of advertising work I received never increased very much.
Perhaps advertising illustration was not the right field for me.
Before I knew it, most of the projects coming to me were related to novels.
Although I initially aimed for advertising, I eventually returned to the world of novels, which I had always loved.
The work that suits you and the direction you should pursue can often be found within your own past.
When you cannot see your future, I recommend returning to your past.
Your own answer may be waiting there.
Imagine a Vivid Picture of Your Future
Imagine your future as clearly and specifically as possible, and then turn that vision into an illustration.
Consider questions such as:
What kind of illustrator will you be?
Where will you live?
What will your annual income be?
How much work will you be doing?
What genres or fields will you work in?
What kind of atmosphere or style will your illustrations have?
If you want to illustrate magazines, identify the specific magazines you would like to work for.
If you want to illustrate novel covers, name several specific authors.
Think of specific designers, art directors, or book designers you would like to work with.
If you want to work in advertising, name the companies whose advertisements you would like to illustrate.
If you want to work on stationery or lifestyle products, think of specific companies and product names.
If you want to work internationally, think about which countries and what kinds of projects interest you.
Imagine opening a magazine and seeing your illustration inside.
Imagine your illustrated books displayed in a bookstore.
Imagine the shops, streets, and environments in which your work appears.
Visualize all of these things as specifically as you can.
This Is Your Dream, So Remove Every Obstacle and Every Reason It Cannot Happen
Do not say:
“I do not have enough talent.”
“It will never work.”
“My family is against it.”
“I have a full-time job, so I also have to concentrate on that.”
Stop searching for reasons why you cannot succeed.
One of the main reasons people fail to develop their abilities is that they constantly search for reasons why something is impossible.
Every person can improve by making the right kind of effort toward a goal.
No one knows exactly how far you will go, but you will certainly grow.
For now, stop searching for reasons why you cannot succeed.
Allow your dream itself to become your goal.
Psychological research has found that the difficulty of a goal is related to a person’s level of performance.
In other words, more challenging goals can increase motivation and encourage higher performance.
You have probably experienced something that felt difficult but worthwhile.
Psychological research suggests that such challenging goals can develop a person’s abilities more effectively than goals that are easily achieved.
However, if the person does not personally accept or believe in the goal, excessive difficulty may reduce motivation instead.
Therefore, the best goal is one that may seem almost impossible, but that you genuinely and deeply want to achieve.
Feel Excited When You Imagine Your Future
This feeling of excitement is extremely important.
People who feel excited about their future no longer experience the work they do toward that future as painful effort.
They simply become absorbed in something they love.
Before they realize it, they may have worked several times harder than other people.
Some people call such individuals “geniuses” or “people with exceptional talent” and assume that they are fundamentally different.
However, I believe that the difference between a “genius” or “exceptionally talented person” and an ordinary person may lie in the ability to imagine the future and feel excited about it.
I do not believe the difference is simply an inborn talent for drawing.
Imagine your future and allow yourself to feel excited.
Imagine a limitless dream that other people may say is impossible.
If you can do that, you too can become a genius.
In this assignment, express that feeling of excitement through your illustration.
Communicating that excitement is essential.
Think About How to Communicate Your Goal Clearly
Communicating information clearly is one of an illustrator’s most important responsibilities.
Please express your vision in a way that allows me to understand what kind of person you want to become.
The ability to communicate an intended message effectively is an essential part of an illustrator’s work.
Consider Whether the Viewer Will Enjoy It
Entertaining and engaging the viewer is also important for a professional illustrator.
Please create something that I will greatly enjoy.
Six Key Points of the Assignment
There are six important points to remember:
Is your goal specific?
Have you named particular magazines, authors, companies, products, or other things that you genuinely love or care about?
Did imagining your future make you feel excited?
Have you successfully expressed that excitement?
Is your goal uniquely yours rather than something ordinary or predictable?
Can the viewer understand what your goal is?
Is the work enjoyable for the viewer?
Please express yourself through illustrations and writing while keeping these six points in mind.
Check all six points while your work is still at the rough-sketch stage.
If anything is missing, reconsider and revise your idea.
Before beginning the assignment, please also look at the work submitted by other students and read my comments on those submissions.
This should help you understand what makes a strong response to the assignment.
Then use what you have learned to develop your own work.
How and Where to Submit Your Work
If you created your work digitally, save it as a JPEG or PNG file.
If you created it using traditional materials and have access to a scanner, scan the work and save it as a JPEG or PNG file.
If you do not have a scanner, photograph the work with your smartphone and convert it into digital data.
Students enrolled in the ¥10,000 plan will receive feedback on their work. Please submit your work through the designated group.
Click the “Create a Post” button.
A window titled “Select a Group” will open.
Choose “Basic Lecture Assignment 01 Submission Place” and submit your work there.
Students enrolled in the ¥20,000 plan should submit their work by email to:
Unfortunately, students enrolled in the ¥1,000 plan are not eligible to receive critiques or advice. Thank you for your understanding.
Submission Date
There is no fixed submission date.
One of the distinctive features of this school is that assignments do not have strict deadlines.
However, I will provide a general guideline.
Aim to submit your work approximately two weeks after reading Lesson 002.
Ideally, you should progress at a pace of approximately two assignments per month.
However, if you finish early, you do not need to wait two weeks before submitting it.
It is also perfectly acceptable to submit the assignment more than a month later.
I will still carefully review your work and write feedback.
Everyone has different circumstances and different levels of busyness.
Complete and submit the assignment at your own pace.
Display Your Finished Illustration Somewhere Prominent
Once you have created your “Goal Illustration,” display it somewhere prominent in your room.
Look at your goal regularly.
Feel excited about your future self and continue making the right kind of effort every day.
Look at it when you wake up in the morning and before you go to sleep at night.
When you feel discouraged or begin to lose motivation, your goal may help you continue.
The human brain has some fascinating characteristics.
If, throughout your life, people have repeatedly said things that deny your potential, such as, “You could never become an illustrator,” those messages may become deeply embedded in your mind.
On a conscious level, many people may think, “I want to become an illustrator.”
However, at an unconscious level, they may still believe, “There is no way I could ever become an illustrator.”
It is sometimes said that the power of the unconscious mind is more than ten times, or according to some theories even one hundred times, stronger than the conscious mind.
Therefore, no matter how strongly you consciously want to become an illustrator, achieving that goal may be difficult if your unconscious mind does not accept it.
For example, Japanese sprinters struggled for many years against what was known as the “ten-second barrier” in the 100-meter race.
Although overseas athletes had regularly run times below ten seconds, Japanese athletes were unable to break that barrier.
However, after Yoshihide Kiryu recorded a time of 9.98 seconds in 2017, other Japanese athletes also began running below ten seconds.
Japanese athletes who have achieved sub-ten-second times include Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, Yuki Koike, and Ryota Yamagata.
As long as the unconscious belief remained that “Japanese runners cannot break ten seconds,” setting a conscious goal of running in the nine-second range may not have been enough.
Once someone broke the barrier, that unconscious assumption changed, and other athletes followed.
There are also methods intended to deliberately change unconscious beliefs.
One method is to repeatedly communicate a positive message connected to the goal you want to achieve.
For example:
“I can become an illustrator. When I become an illustrator, my days will be exciting and fulfilling, and I will be happy.”
By repeating such a message, it is said that deeply ingrained unconscious beliefs can gradually be changed.
In some areas of psychology and personal development, this process is referred to as “belief change.”
To support this belief change, display the illustration you created for this assignment somewhere prominent in your room.
You may also use it as the wallpaper on your smartphone.
Look at it every morning and every evening and reconnect with your excitement.
By continuing this practice, you may be able to rewrite your own future.
Finally
You will create another version of this Goal Illustration at the end of the Basic Course.
After completing Stage One of the school, you will once again consider the kind of illustrator you hope to become.
I believe you will enjoy seeing how much you have grown and changed.
Now, I look forward to seeing your Goal Illustration.
References
"50 Self-Help Classics: 50 Inspirational Books to Transform Your Lifeby "
by Tom Butler-Bowdon
"The Goal Achievement Notebook"
by Takashi Harada
"First-Class Achievement Skills"
by Takashi Harada and Kentaro Shibayama
"The Rules of Goal Achievement"
by Takashi Harada, Taki Kitada, and temoko
"The Winning Mindset: Taught Through Manga by a Master Teacher"
by Takashi Harada
"The Rules of Goal Achievement: Taught Through Manga by a Master Teacher"
by Takashi Harada
"Techniques for Achieving Your Goals"
by Hitoshi Aoki
"Turn Your Thoughts into Reality by Putting Them into Words"
by Hiroyuki Yokokawa
"The Mindset Textbook"
by Daisuke Tajima
"Simply Keep Records and Make Your Dreams Ten Times More Likely to Come True!"
by Shuichi Kanemura
"The Complete Guide to Making Your Dreams Come True with a Planner"
by Akira Takada
"The Life Design Planner for Making Your Dreams Come True"
by Akira Takada
"Foresight Reflection Skills Improvement Planner
Notebook Techniques for Changing Yourself"
by Osamu Yasuda
"The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life"
by Bernard Roth
"Becoming a Changemaker: An Actionable, Inclusive Guide to Leading Positive Change at Any Level"
by Alex Budak
"The Futurist’s Guide to Changing Your Future"
by Brian David Johnson
"I Had a Dream About Making My Dream Come True"
by Makiko Uchidate
"Opening the Door to Goal Setting That Leads to Success in Life"
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