We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christopher Atamian. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christopher below.

Hi Christopher, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

It was a progressive journey. I currently write fiction, have 2 columns in newspapers and write for places like The Brooklyn Rail and the LARB, translate books, copy edit and curate with Tamar Hovsepian whom you profiled here before, I believe.

Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Atamian and www.atamianhovsepian.art

I think you have to be very confident, follow up with people and not take no for an answer , unless someone really says absolutely not in no way can you do X, Y or Z. Also be thorough: go through your contacts, Facebook, LinkedIn. Also sometimes your friends and school chums are not the best people to help you because they may feel competitive while a total stranger who maybe went to your college ten years after you or something will be more willing to help

Christopher, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a write first and foremost: I write scripts, curatorial statements, journalistic pieces and book/film reviews, fiction nd I translate. I worked 16 years as a content producer and digital director for leading ad agencies such as Ogilvy Interactive so I can produce or write pretty much anything on brand and also consult with clients. I have written web sites and ads as well and been nominated for a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize and been awarded two Tololyan Literary Awards, one for my book of poetry “A Port in Washington Heights” (https://www.nausetpress.com/a-poet-in-washington-heights) and one for a translation from Western Armenian of “The Bois de Vincennes” (https://www.amazon.com/Bois-Vincennes-Nigoghos-Sarafian/dp/1934548022)

I write and translate well, to deadline, and with brand always at top-of-mind.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Well, I write a novel 20 years ago that I was told was “too literary” and “European” in flavor–it was turned down by 20 publishers in spite of m y having kick-ass agent. I just rewrote it and a friend at a big publishing house thinks she may want to publish it!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

I am not a Gen X-er so take this with a grain of salt: as copyright mechanism I think they are fine (but so is emailing a document back to yourself!) as an investment, I think they are risky and gimmicky. Better to have Apple stock or a good start up.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @christopheratamian
• Facebook: Christopher Atamian
• Linkedin: Christopher Atamian

Image Credits

Nauset Press