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 :)
Thank you Vero. I consider myself quite privileged that life afforded me the opportunities to take the leap, and the foresight to appreciate that gift in due time. I had support from parents (after a couple of tense weeks!), unwavering love and encouragement from my partner, and no liabilities. Perhaps I am also the first generation of Indians to have such a chance, not only in terms of economic circumstances, but also the shifting zeitgeist.
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.
I hope so (i've been fighting with myself over making this decision for a few weeks). Nishant, I thank you for pushing me and countless others in the good directions.
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.
That's oddly similar! Where in the Netherlands were you? I was in Delft, in the department of biomechanics. My PhD was neuroscience-y because it was at the intersection of biomechanics, control engineering, and neuroscience (in exchange with Chicago).
Amsterdam! I was doing stem cell/gene therapy/neuroscience (why I struggle to category my PhD). Yours sounds fun! But if your heart is elsewhere, it's probably endlessly tedious.
Wow that's a lot of intersections! My research was a three-way collab between TU Delft, Northwestern Uni (Chicago) and Vrije University in Amsterdam. I visited often for meetings. :)
And indeed, it had become tedious. The others around me were truly dedicated, and I was half-faking my enthusiasm. Quitting was also the most honest thing I could do.
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! 💕
I'm glad to help in any little way! I realized I was surrounded by people passionate about their research and I didn't have that drive. I needed to go towards where my passions were.
I must say -- the dual practice of writing and drawing resonates. I am constantly switching modes and working to embrace a practice of doing both. It's easy to convince myself I'd prefer doing the one I'm not doing at the moment, as soon as I hit a wall and the creative process gets challenging.
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.
Oh that's wonderful, thank you Sarah!
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 :)
Thank you Vero. I consider myself quite privileged that life afforded me the opportunities to take the leap, and the foresight to appreciate that gift in due time. I had support from parents (after a couple of tense weeks!), unwavering love and encouragement from my partner, and no liabilities. Perhaps I am also the first generation of Indians to have such a chance, not only in terms of economic circumstances, but also the shifting zeitgeist.
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.
Best wishes in your journey, Amrita! ❤️ And congratulations on actually finishing the PhD, its a marathon!
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!
He changed my life!
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.
Ah, thank you Nolan!
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.
I hope you are able to take the best decision, Negar. And I am glad to push you in the good directions. :)
I hope so (i've been fighting with myself over making this decision for a few weeks). Nishant, I thank you for pushing me and countless others in the good directions.
You are most welcome. ☺️
😉😊🙂
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!
Best wishes, Monica. I am so glad to hear you enjoy my work! 🙌
Your story inspires. Cheers to committing – it is such a joy to see where that courage has taken you!!
Thank you Tatiana! ☺️
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.
Thank you, Shub. You are so right, it was difficult kinda because it was so easy. And easy for the same reason!
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?
Ha! Data collection was clearly more easy and more difficult back then. Glad you found your way to drawing too!
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.
That's oddly similar! Where in the Netherlands were you? I was in Delft, in the department of biomechanics. My PhD was neuroscience-y because it was at the intersection of biomechanics, control engineering, and neuroscience (in exchange with Chicago).
Amsterdam! I was doing stem cell/gene therapy/neuroscience (why I struggle to category my PhD). Yours sounds fun! But if your heart is elsewhere, it's probably endlessly tedious.
Wow that's a lot of intersections! My research was a three-way collab between TU Delft, Northwestern Uni (Chicago) and Vrije University in Amsterdam. I visited often for meetings. :)
And indeed, it had become tedious. The others around me were truly dedicated, and I was half-faking my enthusiasm. Quitting was also the most honest thing I could do.
Good on you! Quitting is my hobby & my passion honestly but there are times to pace yourself...
True!
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.
Raj, I am glad to help! 🙏
Really inspiring to hear the story, I'm currently somewhat in the wierd journey myself too. Love your cheesy comic!
Hehe thank you for appreciating the 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! 💕
I'm glad to help in any little way! I realized I was surrounded by people passionate about their research and I didn't have that drive. I needed to go towards where my passions were.
So inspiring! Thank you for sharing your story - and for following your (he)art! 😅
😅😅 thank you for that, Emily!
I must say -- the dual practice of writing and drawing resonates. I am constantly switching modes and working to embrace a practice of doing both. It's easy to convince myself I'd prefer doing the one I'm not doing at the moment, as soon as I hit a wall and the creative process gets challenging.
One can feed the other and provide respite when we hit a block. It took effort to combine them, but I can promise it is worth that.
I love your story Nishant!
Glad to hear from you, Toby. Thank you!