I can't quite find the right words... I'm proud of you, or I admire your decisions, or find those choices inspiring... Not sure how to express how much joy it brings me to know that you ditched the sensible for the creative.
I bet you would've been an excellent engineer, made your team happy, created good products. But if that's not what your core was telling you, it was bold and brave to jump ship and go write and draw.
It feels like I'm surrounded by skilled, loving and passionate people who just sit in grey cubicles all day, ignoring their calling. I guess some of it is rationality; They need to pay the bills, feed the kids, know what's happening tomorrow and next month. But they don't seem happy. There seems to also be a fear of the unknown and of having to find out whether they're any good at that thing they're passionate about.
While I try to encourage them to make time for creative endeavours on the side, it makes me sad to see people in their 40's, 50's just... whiling the days away without taking a big tasty bite out of life. So to see you take a big ol' bite is wonderful :)
Wow, I had no idea you started this in the middle of a PhD! It was strange reading that because I actually finished my neuroscience PhD, while the writing/art/other creative stuff was building up inside. I've just started to give in and allow myself to lean in to more creative work. Your story is inspiring! <3 Thank you for re-introducing yourself for a new reader.
The stand-up comedian unphased by his lack of humor really drives the point home. Everyone must start somewhere and have unwavering faith in their choice. Very inspiring!
I recently took one of Nishant’s drawing classes. He is a very empathetic and passionate instructor. I highly recommend joining one of his sessions. Time beautifully spent.
You described your life before becoming a sneaky artist very well and i think i've been experiencing this desire to pursue a new path since last year. I'm an MA grad of TEFL but i'm more passionate about arts than being an English teacher.
Thank you for sharing your journey, it really encourages me to commit to myself and find my own voice.
Opened a substrack account a year ago and posted for the 1st time yesterday. There is a long way ahead.
I can truthfully say that you might be my favorite writter here. I look forward to your authenticity and the beautiful way you pay attention and find joy in the simple things in life. Keep it up!
It feels almost validating to read this. Thank you for this incredibly honest post, I had no idea. And kudos to your courage in making that call, mid-PhD. Can’t have been easy at all. Or maybe it was the easiest thing and the most difficult thing at the same time.
I never knew about the Neuroscience angle. I did slightly similar work with stroke patients in the visual system, back in the 90s when it was a lot easier to look through people's medical records. All you had to do was acknowledge their neurologist in the eventual paper.
I too eventually came back to drawing, and call myself a cartoonist on LinkedIn, because why the hell not?
Our paths are oddly similar for a some time! I did a neuroscience PhD (albeit it in the Netherlands), mostly because I sort of rolled into it, but now I am starting to appreciate 'the arts' more and more.
A small parallel is that I found that like your job title, you can also 'make up' your PhD field - at least in the Dutch system. There's no official 'Neuroscience PhD' or a 'biomedical PhD' program, so you have to sort of summarize the primary topics yourself, like a 'PhD in stem cell biology' or whatever. The first time someone asked I was so totally without a (concise) answer that I doubt they even believed me at the end.
I thought I could write after I retired. It has been awhile and I still can’t. I have taking a peek at Substack but you are truly inspirational. Thank you for making me believe in my dream.
I love your story on choosing to cultivate your authentic self; I’m at a transition point where I have my career and degrees, but it’s not my ultimate passion and when the pursuit for something creative seems silly on paper, but real and necessary and soul-nourishing, seeing someone take the leap is inspiring! 💕
My interview with Nishant is no longer paywalled! It’s wonderful. Such a great look at publicity and how to do it from a genuine place.
I can't quite find the right words... I'm proud of you, or I admire your decisions, or find those choices inspiring... Not sure how to express how much joy it brings me to know that you ditched the sensible for the creative.
I bet you would've been an excellent engineer, made your team happy, created good products. But if that's not what your core was telling you, it was bold and brave to jump ship and go write and draw.
It feels like I'm surrounded by skilled, loving and passionate people who just sit in grey cubicles all day, ignoring their calling. I guess some of it is rationality; They need to pay the bills, feed the kids, know what's happening tomorrow and next month. But they don't seem happy. There seems to also be a fear of the unknown and of having to find out whether they're any good at that thing they're passionate about.
While I try to encourage them to make time for creative endeavours on the side, it makes me sad to see people in their 40's, 50's just... whiling the days away without taking a big tasty bite out of life. So to see you take a big ol' bite is wonderful :)
Wow, I had no idea you started this in the middle of a PhD! It was strange reading that because I actually finished my neuroscience PhD, while the writing/art/other creative stuff was building up inside. I've just started to give in and allow myself to lean in to more creative work. Your story is inspiring! <3 Thank you for re-introducing yourself for a new reader.
The stand-up comedian unphased by his lack of humor really drives the point home. Everyone must start somewhere and have unwavering faith in their choice. Very inspiring!
I recently took one of Nishant’s drawing classes. He is a very empathetic and passionate instructor. I highly recommend joining one of his sessions. Time beautifully spent.
You described your life before becoming a sneaky artist very well and i think i've been experiencing this desire to pursue a new path since last year. I'm an MA grad of TEFL but i'm more passionate about arts than being an English teacher.
Thank you for sharing your journey, it really encourages me to commit to myself and find my own voice.
Opened a substrack account a year ago and posted for the 1st time yesterday. There is a long way ahead.
I can truthfully say that you might be my favorite writter here. I look forward to your authenticity and the beautiful way you pay attention and find joy in the simple things in life. Keep it up!
Your story inspires. Cheers to committing – it is such a joy to see where that courage has taken you!!
It feels almost validating to read this. Thank you for this incredibly honest post, I had no idea. And kudos to your courage in making that call, mid-PhD. Can’t have been easy at all. Or maybe it was the easiest thing and the most difficult thing at the same time.
I never knew about the Neuroscience angle. I did slightly similar work with stroke patients in the visual system, back in the 90s when it was a lot easier to look through people's medical records. All you had to do was acknowledge their neurologist in the eventual paper.
I too eventually came back to drawing, and call myself a cartoonist on LinkedIn, because why the hell not?
Our paths are oddly similar for a some time! I did a neuroscience PhD (albeit it in the Netherlands), mostly because I sort of rolled into it, but now I am starting to appreciate 'the arts' more and more.
A small parallel is that I found that like your job title, you can also 'make up' your PhD field - at least in the Dutch system. There's no official 'Neuroscience PhD' or a 'biomedical PhD' program, so you have to sort of summarize the primary topics yourself, like a 'PhD in stem cell biology' or whatever. The first time someone asked I was so totally without a (concise) answer that I doubt they even believed me at the end.
I thought I could write after I retired. It has been awhile and I still can’t. I have taking a peek at Substack but you are truly inspirational. Thank you for making me believe in my dream.
Really inspiring to hear the story, I'm currently somewhat in the wierd journey myself too. Love your cheesy comic!
I love your story on choosing to cultivate your authentic self; I’m at a transition point where I have my career and degrees, but it’s not my ultimate passion and when the pursuit for something creative seems silly on paper, but real and necessary and soul-nourishing, seeing someone take the leap is inspiring! 💕
So inspiring! Thank you for sharing your story - and for following your (he)art! 😅
I love your story Nishant!