Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone
I’m quite a shy person. I don’t particularly enjoy crowds, I struggle to put myself out there, and I often feel more comfortable in my quiet space, surrounded by illustrations, colors, and projects to build at my own pace.
Even showing myself on social media, posting regularly while “putting my face” and voice out there, is difficult for me. It’s true that with practice you improve and get used to it, but it still feels somewhat forced. So imagine participating in an in-person event!!!
That’s exactly why I enjoy being part of the Ticino Illustration Collective: first of all because I get the chance to interact with other illustrators, share opinions and advice, and be inspired by other people’s creativity. And secondly because it creates opportunities to show our work to the public, interact with people, and step out into the “real world.”
So when the opportunity to participate in TiNerd came up, I decided to accept. It felt like a good chance to step a little outside my comfort zone and bring my work into a different environment than usual.
Two Days at TiNerd
For those unfamiliar with it, TiNerd is an event dedicated to nerd and creative culture: video games, board games, cosplay, illustration, crafts, and lots of people united by their passions.
This year’s edition took place on April 25th and 26th and, together with the Collective, we had a space where we could display our illustrations and products. On Sunday afternoon, we also went on stage to introduce ourselves and talk a bit about our work.
Before the event, there was one thing I was especially curious about: I wanted to understand how people would react to my four seasons puzzles.
Since it’s an event so closely connected to games, it felt like the perfect setting to observe them through the eyes of the audience, see who stopped to look, which details caught people’s attention, and what stories naturally emerged while looking at them.
The Encounters That Stay With You
Standing for two days behind a table and talking to people is exhausting. Repeating the same things over and over, always smiling, eating quickly and then going straight back to work. But there’s one thing that completely makes you forget all that effort: the encounters.
Surprisingly many people came up to the booth saying “I follow you on social media!”, wanting to say hello in person. It’s always strange, in the best possible way, to finally put a real face to names and profiles that until then had only existed behind a screen. It was also an opportunity to rethink the way I viewed “social media numbers”: when I looked at a follower count that wasn’t growing, I used to tell myself it was too small and that I wasn’t doing a good job… but that wasn’t true at all. The people who showed such genuine warmth are real people, not numbers. And there are many of them! Thank you!
There were also many new connections born in the moment. What struck me the most was seeing how people reacted to the ninja: not only aesthetically, but to his story and what he represents. Some people stopped, completely fascinated, to listen to how this little character was created and what he represents... and I loved seeing the expressions on their faces change. There was connection, there was empathy.
It was also incredibly fun watching people’s reactions when they saw my four seasons puzzles: most people showed a mix of admiration and horror/fear in front of such complexity! But many also expressed interest in this unusual product, made for true enthusiasts.
One of the moments I’ll treasure the most, though, was when a woman stopped by specifically to tell me how much she loved the Spring puzzle she had bought for her daughter at Christmas, but ended up keeping for herself because it was “too beautiful!”.
They’re simple things, but receiving them in person carries a completely different weight. It’s not a notification, not a number, not a like appearing on your phone for a few seconds. It’s a person deciding to stop and share a real feeling with you.
What Social Media Doesn’t Show
Over the past few months, I’ve realized that I’ve been feeling quite tired of social media.
There’s so much effort behind content creation: thinking about what to post, trying to stay consistent, figuring out what works and what doesn’t. And often, on the other side, there are very few visible interactions. It’s easy to start thinking that what you’re doing isn’t really being seen.
During TiNerd, though, several people told me something very similar: “I’ve been following you for a long time, I really like what you do, even if I rarely interact.”
And it’s a sentence that really stayed with me.
It made me realize that silence on social media doesn’t necessarily mean disinterest. There are many people who observe, follow your journey, and appreciate your work without necessarily feeling the need to actively participate in the conversation. Or maybe my posts simply aren’t divisive or discussion-driven: perhaps they just arrive, are appreciated, and that’s it.
At the same time, it reminded me how important it is not to let everything remain confined online. The key is probably right there: finding a balance.
Using social media as a useful tool for sharing and creating connections, without forgetting the value of real encounters, spontaneous conversations, and experiences lived in person.
What I’m Taking Home With Me
What I’m taking home from this weekend above all is gratitude.
For the Ticino Illustration Collective, which gave me this opportunity (thank you Raffaele, Lisa, Aline, Joel, Paloma, Jamila, Mavie, Elanor!)
For all the people who stopped to talk with us. For those who shared a thought, a story, or even just a few minutes of their time.
And also the confirmation that events like these matter.
Because every now and then, stepping away from the screen and truly meeting people is good for you.
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