BOA ORIGIN

Burnout Asylum is an independent publication launched in September 2024 by me, Siraaj Ali. This is essentially a portfolio that covers my journey into the world of animation, sequential art (comics), and even a little bit of barber work.

Who Is Siraaj Ali?

My name is Siraaj Ali. I also go by "Raaj" and "Ali". I come from Detroit, I'm in my early twenties, and I'm currently an art student. I came up in life with a deep love for cartoons, anime, comics, manga, graphic novels, and illustration as a whole. And to this day I hold onto that love with conviction. Since a kid, I've always found it fascinating how so much life, emotion, and impact could be given to a still image. Its a level of fascination that wasn't shared with family or friends too much, but always supported, so I try my best not to let that support go to waste. My goal is to one day, play a vital role in the animation industry to influence others in the same way it was done for me.

What Does Burnout Asylum Mean?

Besides being the best and most available website name I could come up with, "Burnout Asylum" happens to be the truest to self. No matter how much progress I make as an artist, I rarely ever feel like I've mastered my craft. And thoughts like that typically drain me of motivation to continue putting forth effort to improve. I'm aware that I'm far from alone in this state of burnout, so I made it an ulterior motive to create a hub for other like-minded individuals to somehow find inspiration and asylum. I wanted too form my niche of fellow manga readers, aspiring artists and writers, even hip-hop fans. I just thought of what a guy like me would want to see in an art centric website and who else would most likely find it interesting.

Why The Lighter?

The lighter represents the process of creation (in my opinion). A spark of inspiration ignites a passion in all creative minds of every medium. imagination fuels us to create a flame that burns with the soul purpose to illuminate the shady corners of the audience's minds or to warm the hearts of the creators themselves. the purpose of the flame varies over a wide spectrum, but the fact that remains constant is that the lighter always loses its flint or runs out of fuel. where most may discard the lighter and many will neglect it, some will break down its components and replenish its functionality. it might be a concern or insecurity of the brand and quality of your fuel or flints, but do keep in mind your main priority is to ignite the flame. (DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A METAPHOR. I DO NOT CONDONE ARSON.)