Ah, flaws. Those wonderful, irritating little quirks we spend half our lives trying to hide. You know, the things that make us feel like we don’t quite fit in with the “normal” crowd. But guess what: those are the exact things that can make your art stand out. I know, it sounds backwards—like the kind of thing your grandma would say while patting you on the head—but it’s true. Your oddities? They’re gold.
So instead of trying to cover up those weird parts of yourself, use them. Yes, I’m talking about that dark sense of humor, that odd life story no one else can quite relate to, or even your passion for turning deep sea creatures like the dumbo octopus into wallpaper. Stop treating these quirks like unwanted guests at a party and start treating them like VIPs.
Why? Because perfection is boring. What’s truly memorable—and what people will connect with—are those unique little details that make you, well… you. If you feel out of place, or like your life story is too unusual to share, well that’s your superpower. Take all that strangeness and put it into your work. Make the art that only you can make.
Think about it: your perceived “flaws” are probably the very things someone else is going to find fascinating, relatable, or downright inspiring. And let’s be honest—everyone’s a little weird, they’re just better at hiding it. When you embrace your own weirdness, you give others permission to do the same. It’s a chain reaction, and suddenly, your vulnerability becomes a strength. You connect on a deeper level, and people can actually feel the authenticity in your work.
Sure, it feels risky. You’re basically saying, “Hey world, here’s all the weird stuff I’ve been trying to hide for years. Enjoy!” But that’s exactly where the magic happens. Vulnerability is relatable.
So it’s time to stop running from our flaws, and start running toward them. Because your oddities? They’re not just quirks. They’re the secret sauce that will make your art unforgettable.
Kids Book Illustrator Andy C Marshall 
One of the things I enjoy about blogs are posts like this. I unfortunately do correlate posts as a view into the one writing it. I think most if not those who write do the same. I have no evidence of this but I can say it’s true of me. With that said, when I see posts like this it belies truth, or at least truth as one see’s it, and if one offers a window into their soul, it almosts behooves one to take a look. There’s no need to question the honesty of a post a post like this. Forgive the somewhat cloaky vague nature of this comment. I think more people need to realize when others are interested in us, or anyone, it’s usually not the things one takes for granted, it’s the things that make people question character, or stop and mull over an oddity just encountered in another. The author of this post is 100% correct about “quirks”. It’s quirks that attracts people to us, not our clothes, or our accent, or even our cool Star Wars collection. It’s the things unique or even broken in someone I suspect is what is attractive or liking to others. I think it offers more than just the quirky oddity, it envelops a mystery with a rabbit hole which I’ll bet more likely than not is a fascinating one to fall into. Maybe falling into more of those holes will reveal something in ourselves… Great post. I think anything that gets more than two words out of me is a great post 😉 Thanks!
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