Meet Natasha Matalanga

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natasha Matalanga. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Natasha, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
Learning how to exist outside my community as myself was a journey that might still be ongoing. It can be a very intimidating to be the only one with your cultural background in a room full of many. You’re immediately on guard. They don’t laugh at your jokes, they dance to different music and they even smell different. They feel so out of reach. I think, “What can I even say?” But if there is one thing about the human mind – it is that it remains curious. When you are different in a room full of people who are the same, you are a novelty. Sometimes that curiosity could manifest as ignorance or even rejection, but that’s not a death sentence; it’s simply a response. To this day, I still get questions about my heritage – people asking me bordeline offensive questions about African stereotypes like at what age did I get my first pair of shoes or do I use a stick to brush my teeth. I have to take a breath and remind myself, “They just want to get to know you.” In my experience, that is a very favourable position for an artist to be. The demand is already there. The downside is, they don’t understand your language. This can either kill you or push you to new heights. Art communicates feelings that cannot be put into simple terms, and so by getting better at your craft, you eventually bridge the gap between the two worlds – your art becomes more universal. It’s a delicate balace between staying true to yourself and allowing external influences to mould your work. At our cores, we are more similar than we consciously remember, and art reminds us of that. We all experience happiness, sadness, anger, heartbreak, loss. I am still learning to exercise patience and remain respectful in the face of adversity. I now know that as the ‘othered’ in the room, I have the power to command the attention in a certain way and that gives me the confidence I need to navigate these waters. I recently realized that it is important to me to be a good representation for those who look like me and feel the same way I do. I want them to be perceived with honour. This realization made me feel connected to my community because it gives me a sense of purpose. It made it easier to allow my community to support me. It’s harder to feel alone knowing that I have my family and friends by my side, even if they are not physically there with me. It made me feel proud of where I come from, and that confidence has translated in how I present myself and my art. With this confidence, I no longer think about what I should say but I am more curious about what has brought us together to exist in the same room.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am Talanje and I am a comic artist. I run a zine called Instincts! I launched Instincts! in 2022 and now I am working on the third issue. The aim of Instincts! is to gather stories about the intricasies of the human experience. Instincts is about following your nose and trusting your gut. Instincts is about the magic around us. It centers around comic art, illustration and writings featuring my work as well as multiple artists around the world. It is a community of storytellers. We also have a really cool website where you can play games and chat with people online and a program where we archive our memories through collecting and submitting our daily sunsets through our instagram @instincts.world.
We are launching a newsletter called ‘The Spacewatch Dispatch’ towards the beginning of February.
In my free time, I enjoy working with video art and dabble as a visual jockey and animator.

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?
Patience is has been very difficult for me but very important. I am very aware of how patient I have to be to make good work. In the past, I have been frustrated with myself for not creating fast enough or to a certain standard, but it takes time and effort to build skills. It takes time to nurture creativity and allow the process to unfold. My advice for exercising patience would be to breath, clench and release (physically and spiritually.) I was recently given the advice to ‘have a plan.’ And it has improved my process immensely. This range look like thumbnailing ideas and making color swatches to daily to do lists and 3 year plans.
Enjoy the process! At the end of the day, make sure you love what you do.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Instincts! currently has an open call where we are to feature work by comic artists, illustrators and writers. The theme of the issue is “Our Sensitivities” which is set to highlight the things that make us who we are. This includes our favourite foods, the songs we cry to and the smells that remind us of a random day of our youth. What do you see in the world that you would like to show us? We can’t wait to see. The deadline is on March 1st 2024 through instincts.world/crew. However, we are always looking to hear and collaborate with artists. Please connect with me through info@instincts.world with ay questions.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
by Talanje

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