We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christa LaNatra a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christa, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I grew up with a single mother and watching her work so hard for us taught me what hard work was. I started working as soon as I could getting a job at 15 at the one place in town that would hire me. By 16, I was waiting table making more money than all of my friends and never not had a job since. Looking back, working hard and not shying away from challenges definitely got me ahead, however the older I get, the more I revere a positive mindset and working smart, not hard. Perspective is really everything in life.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
It would be easier for me to tell you what I don’t do vs what I do as I wear many hats on a daily basis. In November of 2021, my husband and I started an NFT Project called “The Battle Bunnies” and have been on a crazy roller coaster ever since. We’ve always dreamed of creating our own world of characters and we jumped into the NFT space head first after conquering the Tattoo industry and looking for something new. Fast forward to now, the Battle Bunnies has become so much more than an NFT project and is literally a world and community of friendly, like-minded Collectors & Creators with Frank & I leading the charge.
I handle all of the graphic design, the Community, our Events, Collaborations & communications on top of Custom Paintings (Joker Painting shown here) and so much more. Everyday is something new, we’ve published a Novel, working on the next one, written a Holiday tale I’m hoping to turn into a pop-up book and developing a TCG (Trading Card Game). I’ve created Reward systems, written a Quest for new members entering our Discord and so many other things I haven’t seen anyone else do before, so it’s really fun to be able to create like this in a world of limitless potential.
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?
Great question, I would say my curiosity, bravery and motivation to learn and grow. I’ve always had an intense curiosity about life and wanting to learn more and when you combine that with motivation to grow and be a better person, artist, creator, communicator, that’s really what’s helped me the most. It’s been a blessing and a curse, but it’s who I am at my core. I think you have to use what you are to your advantage. Everything is a strength if looked at from that perspective, so use whatever you have naturally and who you are to set you apart. We are all so unique and that’s overlooked sometimes and I think the most successful people use these things as fuel and a benefit.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My husband Frank has been everything and I’d be somewhere totally different if not for him. We met in the first class on the first day at the Art Institute back in 2007 and we were best friends instantly. We don’t always agree, which is great, again it’s all about perspective. Having someone to work with has made us both a better person all around. We’re very different people which helps us both grow in different ways and view things from each other’s eyes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thebattlebunnies.io/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christamakesart/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristaTBB
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebattlebunnies
