Hidden talents

It gives me great pleasure to learn about the unexpected talents of my coworkers.

Years ago, I worked with an editor, a nondescript, slightly goofy, by-the-numbers kind of guy. I didn’t think much about his life outside the office until I learned that he was a serious square dancer. Every weekend, he and his wife dressed in matching outfits (brightly colored vest for him, lots of petticoats for her) and drove to an Elks lodge or church hall to do-si-do and promenade with a bunch of similarly inclined couples. It completely changed my image of him.
 
Now that we’re mostly working from home, we don’t have as many of those social gabfest moments when we can learn which of our esteemed associates are gourmet cooks, equestrians, mountaineers, novelists or chess masters. And that’s a real shame. It’s such fun to imagine the person who, in my experience, mainly stares at a computer screen, out feeding the poultry in a backyard chicken coop or teaching a Zumba class.
 
That’s why I was so delighted to see these drawings.
 
Vic De Luz has worked in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s publications department for more than two years, most recently as executive assistant. Back when we were in the office, I knew Vic mostly as a nice person to chat with while waiting for coffee to brew. Our work didn’t intersect very often, so I was completely taken aback when I saw this artwork for the Journal of Biological Chemistry’s Methods Madness campaign.  It’s witty and fun, and it brings our first-ever science and art issue of ASBMB Today right back to the heart of the society.