EP (37) Charles 'Chaz' Hutton: From Post-it Notes to a Book Deal Thanks to Instagram And a Witty Sense of Humour
Chaz Hutton - Photo by Josephine Roloff
Chaz Hutton was on the path to become an architect before things took a completely different turn.
He quickly shot to Instagram fame with his clever stick man drawings that he would upload to his account, better known as Insta-Chaz.
And to think, he basically has his friends to thank for the change in career, as they were the ones who convinced him to share his cartoons online.
He refused to do it for month. But when he finally gave in, his following started to grow at a steady rate. First it was a couple thousand. Then 6000. People were loving his life musings, which are comical takes on everyday happenings. And he partly credits his Insta growth to when Jerry Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, shared one of his drawings with her own Insta followers.
After that, his numbers skyrocketed with media attention. He now has over 167k followers and a new career.
He packed up his life and moved from Australia to England. He didn't work as a freelancer right away. That really only happened after he was approached by publishers to do something bigger with his drawings.
What I love about this interview, is that Chaz doesn't sugarcoat things. Although his life may seem glamorous to those looking in, he still has to hustle to make a living. And every day isn't sunshine and rainbows. However, he's loving what he's doing - so the hard days are a lot easier.
But it still takes discipline.
And as he says, you can't always wait around for 'inspiration' to strike. Often times you have to just draw, even when you can't think of anything clever to draw about. It's a process.
Great for us, Chaz was offered a book deal for his drawings and has just launched it out into the world, with a UK version and US version. You can check them out - A Sticky Note Guide To Life and Ideas of Note if you want a good laugh and insight into modern observations of everyday life.
SOME QUESTIONS I ASKED:
Were you always a creative person?
Has drawing been something you've done for a while?
What made you start creating cartoons on post-it notes?
If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?
What did your parents think when you told them you were quitting architecture to draw
What was it like when you noticed your followers had skyrocketed?
Did you ever think this could be a career?
What went through your mind when you were approached about a potential book deal?
How do you financially support yourself?
What's the most challenging thing about being an artists and freelancer?
And so much more...
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
How Chaz manages to stay level headed about everything
How he's turned a passion into a career
What a freelance cartoonist career really looks like
What it was like to land a book deal and write a book
How he stays focused, even when he wants to do other things
His process to complete the amount of cartoons needed on a strict deadline
Why he says inspiration can often be over-rated
How his life has come full circle in many ways
And lots more!!
OTHER LINKS:
CONNECT WITH INSTA CHAZ
INSTAGRAM | BOOK | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
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Edited by: James Nicholson