We were lucky to catch up with Natasha Chomko recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Natasha, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
I feel like I do so many things for my self care that I sound insane when I lay it all out at once. Before getting into it, I got sober in 2016. Since then, I’ve needed to do a lot of these things to keep my head on my shoulders.
The biggest — and most impactful — thing I do is avoid bringing my phone into the bedroom. I don’t use it as an alarm clock – I got one that tells the time. I don’t need to answer any calls or emails immediately before bed or after I wake up – I am surely not that powerful to change the course of anything with a time sensitive contribution. No phone in the bedroom has allowed me to get out of bed earlier, fall asleep faster, and sleep better. I would recommend this to anyone.
I go to the gym 6/week, and I attribute this discipline to having a good gym membership. Yes, my gym is expensive but I view it as an extension of my health insurance. It’s just as important to me as getting routine check-ins with my doctor. I also go in the morning before the day can crash upon me. It’s a wonderful feeling to get up in the morning, leave my house, and get something done before my day actually starts. Regular exercise has improved my mental and physical health, and it’s vastly improved the quality of my sleep.
Speaking of sleep, I also don’t drink caffeine. I am grateful I live a life that does not require me to be wired 24/7, I am allowed to take breaks, move slow, and do what feels right for me. Caffeine became a replacement for quality sleep for me and I didn’t like the way that made me feel.
I try to call at least one friend a day to see how THEY are doing. Crisis calls are not included. I sit and listen to them. Doing this gets me in the habit of listening to others, getting out of my own head, and ultimately recognizing that all of my mental anguish is important, yes, but rarely time sensitive. Listening to others gets me out of myself.
I time-block everything I do. Every work related task I do, call I make, and project I work on goes on my calendar in different colors. There is no “falling behind” or strict adherence to the calendar. I use it as a time keeper to help me with my (poor) time management skills.
I am an artist, so I try to do something creative every day. In an ideal world I could create art every day and I’m working towards that, but I’m not there yet and that’s okay for now. As long as I’m flexing that creative muscle in some way, I’m happy.
I read one chapter of a book every night I can. I’ve been reading more self help type books lately, and I take notes as I write. I don’t ever look back at the notes but they help me remember.
I wait for the question — I don’t give unsolicited advice. People are capable of taking care of themselves, I don’t need to take care of them.
I let myself say no. If my lack of boundaries upsets you, that is not my problem! I stick to my boundaries because I love myself and I respect my own limits.
I do things that make me genuinely happy. I no longer fill my social time with lukewarm interactions to feel a part of — If I want to be at home, I stay home. If I’m thinking about someone, I let them know. If I want to make grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, I do it.
I have let go of the need to be liked by everyone because I like myself and that’s what matters to me today.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a digital artist. I make my work in Photoshop, After Effects, and Lightroom — depending on what the artwork calls for. I love being an artist — bringing my vision to life is an otherworldly experience that I am so grateful to call my life.
I make landscape themed art with heavy space influences. My dad works for NASA, so I’ve always had a lot of space themed information at my fingertips. I’m deeply enthralled with what’s above our ozone layer, even if it scares me a bit. There’s something special about space exploration that draws me in. I’m also fascinated with the world around us — the strata that makes up this planet. I find mountains riveting — it’s so wonderful how tectonic plates have pushed up strata over time to create jutting shapes on our horizons, how wind and water can knock them back down again, and how different climates are formed through erosion and wind patterns. I’m also a scuba diver, so the ocean is my happy place. I love including elements of underwater life into my work to combine the life we see below the surface, the life we experience on Earth, and what’s above it. My work aims to encapsulate my experiences + these feelings.
I make money through a combination of e-commerce sales, licensing, commercial work, and selling digital collectables of my work. As a full time creator, every month looks a little different so I’m grateful I have so many avenues to support my endeavors. I spend a fair amount of time on social media, but I prioritize time away from screens as much as possible to balance it out. After al as an artist, my eyes are probably one of my most important assets.
I love my day-to-day because it can look how ever I want it to. If I need a day off, I can take it. If I need to do something until late at night, I can swing it. I can say no to projects I don’t want to take on and I can work with other artists to bring a collective vision to life. Being an artist has introduced me to plenty of amazing artists as well and those connections are invaluable. I get to travel around with artist friends that feel like family creating art that starts as a dream in our minds — in my opinion, I have the perfect life.
I’m currently working on a project that will launch photos and audio files into space — yes, like transmitting actual things INTO space — that I’m really excited about. It’s been such a cool experience to work with everyone who’s helping make this happen. Everyone is brilliant and excited to launch a fun and quirky project among aliens. The project is such a good merger of my love for space and technology and art. I’m thrilled to be on it.
I’ve also changed the way I sell prints as of late — I used to do print drops every month and it got very tiresome. Now I do a few drops a year and have introduced a lot more evergreen product on my site and it’s far less stressful. Now I’ve started making all of my drops far more thematic to tell a story of a particular era or feeling instead of what I think people will want.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s! We’re all different and our experiences are meant to be different.
2. If you want to get really good at something, do it often! Practice and don’t be afraid to fail.
3. Keep going. Whatever it is, just keep going at it. The only way out is through.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I make sure everything is written in my to do list, preferably in order of importance, and then I block out how long it should take me to complete it that day. Having a visual example of how long something will take me to complete helps me feel less stressed about it because I have a gameplan to get it done.
Contact Info:
- Website: postwook.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/postwook
- Facebook: facebook.com/postwook
- Twitter: twitter.com/postwook
- Other: portfolio.postwook.com
Image Credits
Headshot: @moodydarkroom
