My job has a ridiculous side

This article is primarily the Creative Lesson of the Month section of my August 2023 Creati’letter.

My job has a ridiculous side

I’ve been thinking about this since my move-in.

It was the afternoon when I was desperately looking for my drawing tablet in the middle of 80 boxes, following my sudden house moving.

Having found the situation funny, I wanted to tell it in an Instagram post, for a behind-the-scenes of an illustrator’s life.

I immediately took out the camera and its tripod and started walking over the boxes to pose for the photo. I was excited to share this post.

Then suddenly…

… the door opened.

In front of my spouse, who had just come in, I felt ridiculous. It wasn’t because of the potential judgment of the other person, but because of the nature of my actions.

Do you remember the moment when you put your heart and soul into a song, dancing like a real rock star in your teenage bedroom ? And do you remember the moment when you realized that you were not alone in the house ?

That’s exactly how I felt.

I was burning with the desire to justify myself, to explain that it was a part of my business communication, to differentiate myself from the cliché of “influencers” who stage everything, to make myself feel less ridiculous …

But then, why do I take this kind of photo even if I don’t want to be caught doing it?

Because posing in front of a camera is 1 ridiculous step before 5 other cool steps, such as taking the photo, writing the text, drawing on the photo, sharing the post and reading your comments.

Yes, sometimes, to do what we love, we have to go through stages that make us look ridiculous when others look at us.

But it’s like when those gazes fall on sketches of a drawing : it’s not the end point, it’s not what defines our work.

What about you? What’s the “ridiculous” stage in the job that you enjoy?

What I don’t dare to share publicly (yet)

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, this text is originally part of the Creative Lesson of the Month section of my Creati’letter for August 2023.

Creati’letter is an e-mail I send you at the end of each month, in which I reveal what I’ve freshly learned during the month, but don’t dare share publicly on social networks or on this blog (yet). Most of the time, it’s because I don’t have enough perspective yet. But sometimes, it’s also because I haven’t fully assumed my thoughts, or because I haven’t found a delicate way to get into a topic with the public, or quite simply, because it’s too personal.

If you’d like to be part of my cozy circle and receive an email at the end of each month, for a lesson that the creative life brings me during the month, for not missing my new contents of the month, and for the previews of my current and upcoming projects, you can subscribe to Creati’letter.

The Creati’letter of October will be sent out on November 10. You’ll find out the reason for the 10-day delay, as well as why this blog post wasn’t published on the 5th as usual, in the contents of the next Creati’letter.

Keep creating!

Tu Ha An

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