The Purpose of Kozians
There is a lot of thought, passion, and purpose behind Kozians. It's taken years to develop the idea to where it is now, and many hours of careful thought, driven by a desire to share the good things I've discovered in this walk called Life.
For starters, I've been an observer of Original Species communities online since 2013. Because of those experiences, I've been able to notice the really good aspects of original species as well as the not-so-great ones. Like many others, I've wanted to be able to create an original species myself. But I didn't want to run into some of the common roadblocks that I saw. I wanted to create a species with as few restrictions as possible, while still having a structured outline for how the members of the species should be used. My solution to this was to essentially create a brand out of my ideas rather than a species. Kozians can still be referred to as an original species to be concise, but for all intents and purposes they are most technically a brand of designs by Lambity! :)
One of my goals when I started developing this brand was to give people the freedom to customize their character almost as much as they would be able to if it were their own original design, with only a few restrictions to maintain a consistency within the species, and to keep the intended positive themes of the species as the focus. I also wanted to create a species that would have a lot to offer in terms of how fun it is to draw them! With Kozians, you have several ways of drawing your character. You have Plushie Form, which presents the design as a soft and huggable plush critter that can be drawn in ragdoll or posed-plush fashion. Then you have Friend Form, which gives you the freedom to draw your character more like they are a real animal, or as a more abstract-looking creature, or even a living version their plushie-self! A single Kozian can have many alternate appearances, and you even have the ability to edit your design for free so it can more easily grow and change with your tastes as an artist and individual.
My designs are mostly one-offs to which edits can be made, while still existing within a set of guidelines to keep things centered around the ideas I intend for my species and designs, as well as to create a community that emphasizes the values I put into my brand. With this brand, my intention has been to create something I'm passionate about and have been for a long time - designs that are meant to represent love and comfort, who have friendly and gentle faces, interesting and unique features and anatomy, and an overall sense of calmness of tranquility. I've drawn creatures like this for years, and it's the one thing I've always loved doing and easily went back to for so long. I wanted to finally take that and make it into something I could share with others!
The biggest reason behind Kozians is my faith, which is the most important part of my life. Like many things, Kozians too are an extension of my desire to share with others the hope I've found. Kozians at their core represent hope - more specifically, the hope that can be found in Christ Jesus the Son of God. Humans are God's creation, but sin, which is rebellion against God's perfect order, separates us from God. Everyone has sinned - lying, stealing, envy, or even being angry at someone wrongfully, is sin. These things go against God's perfect design and lead to destruction and death. But Jesus makes it possible for us to be saved from sin, and to be spiritually reborn and be set free when we believe in him and his work on the cross. Christ Jesus, who is God, came to earth as a baby about 2,000 years ago. He was both fully man and fully God. Because he is God and cannot sin, he lived a life without any sin, which is something we could not do. He willingly gave up his life on a cross to pay the debt for sin in our place (for the wages of sin is death). He was laid in a grave and rose again to life three days later, defeating death. He is alive and wants all people (including you!) to know him and receive his forgiveness and love. Everyone who believes on him is saved from their sin and receives eternal life! The sting of death is put out, and we are enabled to overcome all sin through his strength. This story is found in four books of the Holy Bible called the Gospels, which are written by men who witnessed Jesus themselves. The one written by John is a good place to start for anyone interested in reading it, which you can read online here. And if you have questions about Christianity or God, this website is a great resource as well: www.gotquestions.org
As you can see, there is a lot of meaning behind Kozians. At the end of the day, they are one small piece of the contents of this world, but I hope they can be a piece that helps you keep up that positive outlook, like they are for me. I hope they can bring to you the same thing that they bring to me, which is a sense of serenity and simple enjoyment at having something sweet by your side - even if it is something as simple as a digital animal character - and a sense of the hope that goes beyond. And even if you don't end up owning one, I hope that they inspire you to think about all the things they represent, and to maybe even make some comfy creatures of your own to encourage you to look on the bright side of life. Kozians are not made to be something we focus all our attention on, but instead to be reminders of what's good in life, and what we all seek, which is love. As a Christian, showing love to others is the most important thing to me, so that if possible, through me, others might know of the wonderful love there is in Christ Jesus. The following verse is perhaps the best way to describe the purpose behind Kozians:
For starters, I've been an observer of Original Species communities online since 2013. Because of those experiences, I've been able to notice the really good aspects of original species as well as the not-so-great ones. Like many others, I've wanted to be able to create an original species myself. But I didn't want to run into some of the common roadblocks that I saw. I wanted to create a species with as few restrictions as possible, while still having a structured outline for how the members of the species should be used. My solution to this was to essentially create a brand out of my ideas rather than a species. Kozians can still be referred to as an original species to be concise, but for all intents and purposes they are most technically a brand of designs by Lambity! :)
One of my goals when I started developing this brand was to give people the freedom to customize their character almost as much as they would be able to if it were their own original design, with only a few restrictions to maintain a consistency within the species, and to keep the intended positive themes of the species as the focus. I also wanted to create a species that would have a lot to offer in terms of how fun it is to draw them! With Kozians, you have several ways of drawing your character. You have Plushie Form, which presents the design as a soft and huggable plush critter that can be drawn in ragdoll or posed-plush fashion. Then you have Friend Form, which gives you the freedom to draw your character more like they are a real animal, or as a more abstract-looking creature, or even a living version their plushie-self! A single Kozian can have many alternate appearances, and you even have the ability to edit your design for free so it can more easily grow and change with your tastes as an artist and individual.
My designs are mostly one-offs to which edits can be made, while still existing within a set of guidelines to keep things centered around the ideas I intend for my species and designs, as well as to create a community that emphasizes the values I put into my brand. With this brand, my intention has been to create something I'm passionate about and have been for a long time - designs that are meant to represent love and comfort, who have friendly and gentle faces, interesting and unique features and anatomy, and an overall sense of calmness of tranquility. I've drawn creatures like this for years, and it's the one thing I've always loved doing and easily went back to for so long. I wanted to finally take that and make it into something I could share with others!
The biggest reason behind Kozians is my faith, which is the most important part of my life. Like many things, Kozians too are an extension of my desire to share with others the hope I've found. Kozians at their core represent hope - more specifically, the hope that can be found in Christ Jesus the Son of God. Humans are God's creation, but sin, which is rebellion against God's perfect order, separates us from God. Everyone has sinned - lying, stealing, envy, or even being angry at someone wrongfully, is sin. These things go against God's perfect design and lead to destruction and death. But Jesus makes it possible for us to be saved from sin, and to be spiritually reborn and be set free when we believe in him and his work on the cross. Christ Jesus, who is God, came to earth as a baby about 2,000 years ago. He was both fully man and fully God. Because he is God and cannot sin, he lived a life without any sin, which is something we could not do. He willingly gave up his life on a cross to pay the debt for sin in our place (for the wages of sin is death). He was laid in a grave and rose again to life three days later, defeating death. He is alive and wants all people (including you!) to know him and receive his forgiveness and love. Everyone who believes on him is saved from their sin and receives eternal life! The sting of death is put out, and we are enabled to overcome all sin through his strength. This story is found in four books of the Holy Bible called the Gospels, which are written by men who witnessed Jesus themselves. The one written by John is a good place to start for anyone interested in reading it, which you can read online here. And if you have questions about Christianity or God, this website is a great resource as well: www.gotquestions.org
As you can see, there is a lot of meaning behind Kozians. At the end of the day, they are one small piece of the contents of this world, but I hope they can be a piece that helps you keep up that positive outlook, like they are for me. I hope they can bring to you the same thing that they bring to me, which is a sense of serenity and simple enjoyment at having something sweet by your side - even if it is something as simple as a digital animal character - and a sense of the hope that goes beyond. And even if you don't end up owning one, I hope that they inspire you to think about all the things they represent, and to maybe even make some comfy creatures of your own to encourage you to look on the bright side of life. Kozians are not made to be something we focus all our attention on, but instead to be reminders of what's good in life, and what we all seek, which is love. As a Christian, showing love to others is the most important thing to me, so that if possible, through me, others might know of the wonderful love there is in Christ Jesus. The following verse is perhaps the best way to describe the purpose behind Kozians:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." - Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
I left links to the chapters that all these verses are from, and I encourage you to get into the Word of God to really find that peace and comfort we all seek. Like I mentioned earlier, if you're ever looking for a place to start, I recommend reading the book of John! It tells the story of Jesus' life on earth as a man (but still fully God) and when He went to the cross to give His life for us (and when He rose to life again!). Kozians are at their core meant to merely point to Jesus by being a light to the comfort that is possible in Him. :)