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

Natasha, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Although I grew up in a family of risk takers, I never thought I’d be one of them. I assumed I never had it in me, and I was constantly pushed by my father to make big decisions, bigger choices, and take giant leaps of faith in ambition – in very different ways than what I actually ended up doing. He was the cycle breaker of his generation, leaving an entire country to move toward something better, something larger than himself. He accomplished exactly what he set out to do, and observing his persistence made me feel close to an aspirational life, however, without a roadmap of my own. Being a journalist and earning an MA in Political Science was neither fulfilling, nor feeling like an actual path for me. It became a dry future I didn’t want. As I was evolving in my late 20s, I started to feel an inner rebellion that practically materialized overnight. A deep feeling of betrayal by aspects of my South Asian heritage started to seep into every part of my experience as a human. It was a catalyst in the kind of change I desired, and how I began to see myself, which was: someone who needed to vocalize that rebellion through art, writing, and the way I lived. I didn’t have a plan, and it took me a week to decide to move out of a heavily populated South Asian community in Houston, Texas, to Portland, Oregon. What followed was a succession of risks, and unravelings of that rebellion. Art became my life, it was always waiting for me as long as I took the risk to get there.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a self-taught illustrator and artist specializing in digital, acrylic, gouache, and oil pastel mediums. A majority of my work involves self-connection, self-understanding, how to find our place in the world after failure, and breaking the rules that don’t work for us in the process. This shows up in diverse formats such as visual journaling, visual poetry, floral landscapes, highly stylized whimsical portraits, and everyday ordinary scenes. You’ll see a lot of intense color, women taking up space or needing respite, and reflections on my erstwhile and current journey.

I got into visual art by obeying every creative impulse I had to build a sense of place for my inner life. The culture I was raised in offered little in terms of introspection, of asking ourselves questions that facilitated original thought. After experiencing massive personal shifts when I was young, I needed everything to make sense. As a writer, it’s imperative that I’m able to communicate that level of original thinking – primarily to highlight a sense of agency, of choosing rebellion. And being a visual artist is the amplification of that expression.

I’ve worked on a variety of projects to date, ranging from a holiday campaign for downtown Portland, to participating in exhibitions and shows, to designing mural’s for local businesses. I’m currently working on a graphic memoir which is taking up most of my creative time. Once that is complete, my aim is to be published, and my overall goal is to merge my art with my personal narrative through memoir-style methods.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

When you observe my work, there’s a large variety of styles present. I move from medium to medium to find the appropriate embodiment for my idea. Thusly, a lot of my work can feel disparate visually, even though my message is always the same. This sometimes throws people off, especially new, evolving artists, who feel pressured to build one unique style. And my advice is always: your art is a reflection of your identity, the choices you want to make, the person you’re trying to become, and that definitely isn’t a one-dimensional being. Build as many styles as you want. Grow into one style if you want, or NOT. There are no rules here. We’re all discovering our creative processes as we go along. Pick the approach that feels most aligned to who you are.

There’s also plenty of projects that I start and abandon – and this has sort of become a rigorous process of my own, adopted from the theme of ‘killing your darlings.’ When I’m struck by a big idea I have to follow, it’s guaranteed to iterate itself, taking a while to reach its peak expression. Sometimes, there are month long breaks between starting and finishing. Art is hardly a linear process. Where you set out will look entirely different than where you end up. Instead of thinking that I simply ‘abandon’ projects, I’ve decided to reframe it as a way of ongoing creative growth.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I was always reluctant to pick up a paintbrush until my 30s, thinking I needed to go to art school to be qualified enough to start painting. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Austin Kleon’s Steal Like An Artist that whipped me into shape, and removed whatever embarrassment and shame I had in self-expression. The two books that follow up from Kleon in the same series, Show Your Work, and Keep Going, are chock full of excellent creative advice for beginners. I highly recommend this series the most if you’re new and hesitating to start out. If I had found the books earlier, I would’ve quickly gotten over so many of my fears a lot sooner. Stephen King’s On Writing is also another compendium of solid creative advice, and it doesn’t have to be limited to writers. We can learn from ALL creatives we admire.

Another aspect of finding resources is finding community where you live. I cannot stress enough the importance of finding fellow creatives on the same path as oneself. And even more importantly, finding and seeking out creative mentors who can help you succeed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.natashatheillustrator.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashatheillustrator/
• Other: Newsletter: https://outoftrouble.substack.com/