So, here’s a twist I didn’t see coming: my coworker Robbie—the same guy who once accidentally CC’d the entire office on his grocery list—wants to commission a drawing from yours truly. Yes, Robbie, who once thought “Bcc” was some kind of trendy diet, thinks my little doodles during meetings are art gallery material. Who knew those tiny scribbles of existential dread would catch someone’s eye?
Let’s rewind a bit. Robbie found out that I dabble in art as a hobby. You know, just my little escape from the nine-to-five grind, where I pretend I’m not just a cog in the corporate machine. Somehow, he got wind of my passion and approached me with a request. Robbie wants me to draw him and his longtime girlfriend, Isabelle. You heard that right. Not a dog portrait or a landscape—an actual human couple.
At first, I thought he was joking. Robbie doesn’t exactly strike me as the art patron type. He’s more of a “let’s slap some IKEA art on the wall and call it a day” kind of guy. But nope, he’s serious and even offered to pay. And while the idea of making some extra cash is tempting—hello, bills and that overpriced coffee habit I can’t seem to kick—I’m not sure if I’m ready to take on a commission. My artistic ventures have been limited to the back pages of my notebooks, with the occasional failed attempt to recreate anime characters from memory.
Here’s the thing: I still feel a bit rusty with my art skills. My last masterpiece was a doodle of a cat that ended up looking more like a potato with legs. Not exactly commission-worthy, right? Imagine Robbie’s face when he sees a Picasso-esque version of himself, where his nose could be mistaken for a modern art installation. And while Robbie seems confident in my abilities, I’m battling that pesky imposter syndrome whispering, “You’re not good enough for this. Remember the potato cat?”
But maybe this is an opportunity. Maybe saying yes to Robbie’s commission could reignite my artistic spark, shake off the rust, and prove to myself that I’ve still got it? Or it could end in disaster, with a potato-shaped Bob and Isabelle staring back at me from the paper, their eyes as confused as mine.
Decisions, decisions. Should I take the plunge and accept Robbie’s offer, risking potential artistic humiliation? Or should I politely decline and keep my doodles safely hidden in the margins of my notebook, where they can’t be judged by anyone other than my overactive imagination?
Stay tuned, dear readers. I’ll let you know if I decide to turn Robbie and Isabelle into my next art project—or if I chicken out and stick to drawing potatoes, dreaming of a day when my artistic endeavors don’t involve vegetable comparisons.
Stay snarky, and may your art always be potato-free.
~ Rita 🖤