We were lucky to catch up with Kateryna Metelytsia recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kateryna, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I haven’t always been like this. However, at one point, I made the decision to adopt a different attitude towards myself. And I started with myself. I demanded the best treatment from myself. So, everything was so very simple, but oh Gods, how long it took me to get to this point. I simply reassessed what I already possessed. All this time I made the wrong choices. Choices that reduced me, slowed me down. And the cycle persisted. And I pushed away people who really cared about me. Now I understand why – they weren’t afraid of success and offered me bold strategies and complex decisions. Oprah Winfrey once quoted Maya Angelou and said, “I come as one, but I stand as ten thousand.” In my case, at one point the opposite happened – I left many behind. I am now blessed to have new goals, new motivations, and talented strong passionate people in my life. My confidence and self-esteem are when all my tests are passed, new goals are set, ideas flow like a river, and I feel that my knowledge and my experience will not let me down.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an artist. Drawing occupies much of my time throughout the week as I delve into my personal projects. However, since 2010, I’ve also been sharing my passion by teaching both children and adults the art of drawing. Initially, I had a studio in Ukraine, and upon immigrating to the United States in 2017, I established “Snowstorm Art Studio” here. As an artist, I find myself reflecting on contemporary events, yet as a Ukrainian, I cannot ignore the ongoing war in my homeland. Despite all the scandals and complications, I do everything in my power to support our guys on the front line for the sake of victory. Therefore, a certain amount of money from my sales always goes to specific needs on the front line. And the prevalent theme in most of my paintings, awaiting realization, centers around the subject of war and its profound implications.
Yet another crucial aspect of my work is engaging with the public’s interest in art. Several days a week, from morning to evening, the doors of “Snowstorm Art Studio” are open to children and adults alike.
Everything that people want to learn about painting and art, everything that they wanted to try, but put off or didn’t dare, they do in my studio. Everything I know and can do should be spread further. This is my goal – to pass on my knowledge to everyone. My studio is a creative space where art lovers receive practical advice, master classes, and knowledge from hand to hand. No secrets. Adult art lovers usually draw their projects, bring their ideas to life, and they learn as they go. I always conduct correspondence with visitors personally because people’s needs are very different. Classes are also taught only by me personally. I do not have other teachers who teach on my behalf or using my methods. The schedule sometimes changes, and it depends on my other commitments, but I still try to dedicate time during the week to everyone who is interested. For children, I created a program in which skills are gradually developed and improved. The program has been tested for years and is constantly being improved.
And, I myself didn’t expect that my online classes would be so productive. Since the lockdown due to COVID-19, I’ve developed a methodology that yields very good results, and I’m very glad that I don’t interfere with my students’ artwork. It’s always their own achievement. To promote my classes, sometimes I conduct free online group masterclasses for adults.
Furthermore, I’m venturing into a new direction—creating exterior concrete compositions for ornamental plants.
Recently, I made the decision to allow in some cases free use of photographs of my artworks. I aim to make contemporary art to be accessible to people, more involved, included and integrated into people’s everyday lives. I don’t want art to be separate or parallel to real life, or something that people think is complex and dangerous to use. I paint my paintings for people. So long as these are not reproductions intended for commercial purposes—such as postcards or T-shirts. Photos mentioning my name as the artist or the logo of my studio can be freely employed for aesthetic enhancement, project embellishment, website adornment, social media posts, videos, and more. Sometimes people doubt, then upon request I quickly issue the corresponding document, and sometimes people need a better-quality photo and good to go.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I can share some of my experiences, but I can’t promise they will work for anyone else. But what if?…
Firstly, I’ve noticed that sometimes people’s negative attitudes toward my projects affect me, and sometimes they don’t. Have you experienced something similar? After all, everyone has their own opinions. So, when I care about what others think, it means the project doesn’t align with my true desires. And if I’m indifferent to others’ opinions, then I’m on the right path. And of course, constructive criticism is always welcome. I enjoy discussing art.
Secondly, those who don’t believe in you and your idea should be kept as far away from your plans as possible, at least in the initial stages. While they’re around, they can poison your endeavors, slow you down, and undermine your achievements. Just one small drop of tar can ruin a whole barrel of honey.
And finally, I would advise you not to listen to anyone about what you should do or how to be proper. I’ve been on this path. I stopped respecting myself; I was sick of myself. There is nothing and no one who knows better than you what you should be. Compromising too much can feel like giving up on your values or goals. Only you can feel and suspect that you lack something in yourself, to be somewhere where you are not now, to have what you consider worthy of you, to be better. And these are just your personal affairs, and you decide for yourself what and where you need to take new skills and knowledge for your goals. Set beautiful goals for yourself, study yourself, experiment, lose and find, fall, and be sure to get up.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I believe in developing and investing in talent, and in what will strengthen you now and in the future. For example, being an artist and a creative person, mathematics has always been difficult for me. And I graduated from school in a country where the money culture is such that people don’t know anything about money accounting, and they don’t know how much they just paid in taxes. Therefore, when I started my own company, I learned everything that people in America know and can do from school about accounting, money, and business, I learned from the beginning.
I always listen to the advice of professionals. No matter how much I study, they will always have more experience and practice, and therefore more resourcefulness, ingenuity, creativity, and courage in their field than I do. But with all due respect, only I know better what I want for my company and what I am willing to sacrifice for the sake of priorities. And it’s easier for me to make a decision when I understand what’s going on. Therefore, today I am ready to invest as much effort and resources into this area as necessary, no matter how difficult this knowledge may be for me.
Well, because I’m an artist, so understanding copyright law is part of my job. Moreover, I open most of my rights for free use, to popularize art, so that it is more friendly and, in the end, fulfills its true function for people. The legal field was not my talent or dream, and when I needed advice, I searched and found answers. But when there were a lot of questions, I decided that enough was enough, I needed to sort this out once and for all. It’s easier to navigate this way, because my reputation, money, and responsibility are at stake. This knowledge strengthens me, and I will invest resources in it.
And of course my program for teaching children to draw. Its beginnings go back to 2010. Then it seemed to me that she was perfect. But it’s already 2024 and I’ve now taken a break from my studio teaching children because it’s as if I finally saw my program at the same time: both in its entirety and each lesson separately, and I urgently need to write it, put it on paper. This program has been refined over the years, but it’s as if it’s only now that it’s finally really born and formed.
Modern trends do not tolerate static conditions, and there are still many plans and studies ahead. It makes me freer, more confident, and I love it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.catherinesnowstorm-studio.art
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinesnowstorm/?igsh=MWJubWt5bnRsMmFh&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kateryna.metelytsia
