Most people watch a beautifully animated film and think, “That was cool.” But they rarely think about what it takes to make it. Especially in 2D animation, where every frame is drawn by hand, one at a time, sometimes 12 to 24 frames just for a single second of smooth motion. It’s an art form that demands more than just skill. It requires obsession.

In many ways, it’s a dying art.

In today’s media landscape, 3D animation often dominates. It’s more scalable, and in some cases, even cheaper. Software tools have come a long way, and big studios can produce beautiful 3D sequences with relative efficiency. Meanwhile, 2D is still done one painstaking drawing at a time. The market for it has shrunk—not because it’s less powerful, but because it’s harder.

But that difficulty is part of what makes it so special.

The price of great 2D content isn’t just money, it’s one obsessive creative’s absolute full attention. Attention to every detail, in every single frame. And the thing most people don’t realize is that animation isn’t just about drawing. It starts with writing – tight, smart scripts that create the foundation. Then comes sound design, voice acting, timing, and editing. Each second of a 2D animation can be critiqued across five different disciplines. So when you’re creating a 10-minute piece, you’re not just reviewing 600 seconds—you’re analyzing 3,000 unique decisions.

It’s really why the best creative work in history, animated or not, often has one person at the center who obsesses over every aspect. Christopher Nolan spends a year just writing. Hayao Miyazaki famously storyboards and directs every frame of his films. Matt Stone and Trey Parker do almost everything in South Park, from writing to voices. The visionary doesn’t just show up with an idea – they relentlessly and obssesively shepherd it through every stage, refining relentlessly.

I’m nowhere close to that level. But I’m actually trying to get there.

Right now, I’m working on my first animated series, Degen Galaxy – a satirical, fictionalized take on the tech and VC world, told through 2D animation. I’ve always been obsessed with the tech ecosystem, and I wanted to cover it like a historian, but through something that feels wildly creative. At the same time, I’ve always believed that 2D animation, when done right, is one of the greatest art forms. There’s a texture and care to it that you can’t fake.

I’ve put together a small team: 13 incredibly talented creatives. Our goal? Just one 10-minute episode per month. That doesn’t sound like much until you do the math. It’s an enormous amount of work. And honestly? It’s costing me a stupid amount of money. But I believe in it. I believe in the process. I want to get better, I want the team to get better, and I want to build something lasting. A series that’s not just funny or clever, but crafted.

Because the truth is: when animation hits, it hits harder than most forms of storytelling. When you watch a great animated moment, you’re not just watching characters move. You’re seeing craft.

And sure, people might scroll past it. That’s the world we live in. But I also think people know when something has love in it. You can feel it. You can tell when someone cared deeply about the frames, the timing, the insides jokes, the visual gags, the tone, the transitions. It might be subtle, but it’s there.

That’s why I’m doing it. That’s why, despite the cost, the time, the risk, I’m chasing this vision. I do think it will go viral and do well as a series, but it won’t make me nearly as much money if I put the same time and attention into anything else. It’s simply worth spending time creating things you personally want to see in the world.