What makes an awkward moment even more unbearable is when we try too hard to make it go unnoticed. Rather than stick our heads in the sand and hope for the best, we should simply point out those cringeworthy moments and get a few laughs out of them. It’s refreshing when we laugh at ourselves and those tense few seconds of awkwardness slowly fade away with the first chuckle. Artist Julie Houts embodies this carefree attitude through fresh illustrations and quirky spins to everyday situations we all wish we could erase from our minds.
Her illustrations resemble fashion sketches, and it is with this seemingly simple style that she is able to explore difficult subjects. Take for instance anxiety. People normally believe that you have to suffer in silence and only voice your experiences with a therapist you pay to see once a week. This is obviously not true, but let’s be honest here, how often do you voice your issues and insecurities? Don’t they say that sometimes it is easier to vent to a stranger on the street than a close friend or relative? It is by openly sharing these insecurities that you can truly connect with someone on an honest level. Julie Houts does exactly this: she opens up and makes us laugh at all those things that chip away at our confidence.
Julie Houts began her Instagram account without a clear vision or plan of where she was heading. She simply penned down her inner thoughts, and as time went by, she noticed how her own viewpoints were shared and voiced by others. Her success lies in the honesty and clarity with which she sketches her experiences, and this is what makes her incredibly relatable to her growing audience.
Her characters are shy, nervous, and funny as hell, and the situations they find themselves in are both cringeworthy and hilarious. She knows how intense anxiety feels like: when a small, insignificant blunder turns into a gigantic snowball of nerves and self-doubt. We feel like it’s the end of the world when we send an email to the wrong person, but once we take a step back, we realize how silly the whole situations really is.
Through her illustrations, she criticizes the silly customs we follow. By highlighting how absurd some situations really are, we can take some weight off our shoulders and simply enjoy the moment. Feel the tension leave your shoulders and revel in the healing powers of laughter. Don’t worry, in the end we’re all losers, so there’s nothing left to do but laugh at ourselves and poke fun at others while we’re at it. That’s the only way you win in life.
If you want to see more of Julie Houts’ work, take a look at her official Instagram page.
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