Everyday sticky-note humour

In an interview as quick and insightful as his sticky-note doodles, Charles ‘Chaz’ Hutton talks about his larger-than-life Instagram persona ‘instachaaz’

From Tinder to diet problems to Sunday morning hangovers, Charles Hutton expresses quintessential millennial problems through quirky Post-it art. With the help of social media and a booming Instagram account of 1,68,000 followers, he even landed a book deal. The inevitable question of “Why Post-its?” pops up and he explains, “If emojis are the hieroglyphics of our time, then Post-its are the scrolls.” Plus, according to Charles they were always at hand. “They’re also easy to steal from work.”

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m an ex-architect who now draws comics on tiny little pieces of paper. When I’m doodling away on Post-its I’m usually at a desk sitting down under the influence of 16 cups of coffee.

How did the doodling start?

I used to draw comics for friends, which were much more puerile than the ones you’re now familiar with. Those friends then convinced me to start on Instagram.

Have you always been creative or is this something you just started on a whim?

Hard to quantify really. I was pretty terrible at any subject at school that wasn’t art, so I’ll go with a ‘always been’ on that question.

What kind of response did you expect for this?

Minimal to none.

How did your inspiration come about?

I met her outside a bar while I was having a cigarette once.

What has been the highlight of your doodling career since you started this?

Probably finding out that Neil Degrasse Tyson saw the comic that I drew about him, and that he apparently liked it.

Has doodling daily-life struggles helped you as a person?

Absolutely not.

You released your book A Sticky Note: Guide to Life and Ideas of Note . Could you tell us a bit about them and the kind of response you got?

It’s a shame there’s no Amazon category for ‘Great Toilet Reads’—if there was, I like to think I’d be in the top 5 of that category, which really tells you everything you need to know about them!

What’s Instachaaz’s mood on a run-of-the-mill day?

Hard to say. Instachaaz isn’t me, but rather a kind of character that’s a hyper-version of myself—I have no idea what his mood is like.

Do you think you’d ever do a book tour in India?

If I get published there I’d love to! And obviously I’ll sign your copy!