In this interview, the Australian illustrator and cartoonist Chaz Hutton talks about humour, frustration and the role feedback plays in learning. Known for his sharp observations about everyday life and work, Hutton turns small human frustrations into simple, funny drawings that feel instantly familiar. You can find his work on Instagram.
For Edkimo, Chaz created a comic about learning and feedback. A reminder that feedback is essential to improving anything, whether you’re cooking, building, or teaching. We spoke with him about growing up in a family of teachers, why humor works so well in education, and how feedback shapes both creativity and learning.
You come from a family of teachers. What’s one classic teacher frustration that you heard about your whole life?
Chaz Hutton:
It’s often the parents that are the hard thing about teaching, not the children. Dealing with parents at conferences and things like that is probably what I’ve heard the most. Parents complaining or not being happy with how their child is doing, while the teacher is thinking: “Actually, I spend more time on your child than any other child, and they’re still taking up more time and they’re still not doing better.” You don’t want to say: “Your child’s an idiot.” But I think that sort of frustration is definitely one.
But on the other hand, my sister, at least, is an amazing teacher. She’s really good. And it does crack me up that she essentially gets school holidays. There’s no other profession where you get to continue enjoying school holidays long after you’ve left school. People always have this cliché that teachers have so much free time and then end up doing all their work during the holidays. But honestly, if you have to teach, you deserve to have that much time. It’s not like you can have a slow day and just pretend to work. You’ve got a classroom full of students. You’re working.
Why do you think humor works especially well in education?
Chaz Hutton:
I think it definitely works because, first of all, it’s engaging. If something’s funny, people pay attention. Humor as a teaching aid is really powerful. I still remember all the teachers who were funny. I don’t really remember what the boring teachers had to say. The funny ones created something engaging for students to be part of. And I think the easiest way to be engaging is to be entertaining. Humor is a key factor in making things entertaining and, therefore, engaging. I also remember the teachers who left an impression by being funny or clever.
Recently, I did an Instagram carousel about the journey from Earth to the Moon. It explained how far away it is and included little facts and details as you scroll through. I was surprised by how many schools and scientists reached out asking if they could use it as a teaching resource. I had just done it because I thought it was fun and interesting. I never really considered it a teaching aid. So I feel like I’ve already crossed into that world a little bit. It was unexpected, but really nice.
What do schools and workplaces have in common when it comes to feedback culture?
Chaz Hutton:
Regular feedback is always good. That feedback cycle is generally how I work now. I’ll do something, come back to it, make changes, and go back and forth. That’s probably the biggest thing I can relate to when it comes to feedback culture It’s certainly better than a situation where there’s no feedback and everything just goes one way.
You’re known for turning everyday frustrations into something funny. What makes frustration funny instead of just frustrating?
Chaz Hutton:
I don’t think frustration becomes funny. I think it stays frustration. But it becomes lighter when you realize you’re not the only one feeling it. You’re not alone in that frustration. That’s what I love about making comics. Sometimes people assume that a weird little frustration only happens to them. Then they see a comic and think: “Oh my God, I thought it was just me.” I think that’s such a human thing. Something becomes funny because you recognize yourself in it. It’s relatable. And when you see all the comments and conversations underneath a post, people suddenly feel a sense of community and camaraderie around this thing that we’re all struggling with. That’s why I think humor is such a powerful thing.
Sometimes it’s also about seeing something visualized that you hadn’t fully put together yourself. It was just this abstract feeling, and suddenly you see the exact thing. The same applies to stand-up comedy. Someone puts a situation into a funny metaphor and you : “I’ve never thought about it like that.” With a drawing, it’s the same. You look at it and think: “Oh, I get it.” And that’s really satisfying.
Chaz Hutton created a comic for Edkimo about learning, feedback and the small steps that help us improve. Source: Edkimo.