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Hello & welcome to Out of Office—your guide to LIVING CREATIVELY 🍇🪁🤸‍♂️🌞
For those seeking a way of living and working that feels more alive, inspiring & creative. 🌳🎨

Through cohort programs, creative workshops, and purposefully designed tools, we help individuals and teams reimagine how they work and live, spark creativity, and feel more alive every day.

Creative Ways of Living: Natalia Bagniewska

How to live creatively as a mom and artist, and with the limitations that come when time is not on your side.

Alice Katter and Natalia Bagniewska

Oct 30

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Hello!

You’re reading Creative Ways of Living, an interview series from Out Of Office Network, where we’re widening our aperture around more creative (and gratifying!) ways of living and working. Ways that allow us to build our identities around all of the vibrant – and varied! – parts of ourselves, and bring curiosity into our everyday lives.

In this month’s edition, we’re talking to Natalia Bagniewska, a London-based artist, illustrator and designer who celebrates the joys of rest and relaxation through multiple mediums. Through her art and design, she aims to add a touch of escapism to the everyday. Whether it’s branding, packaging, stationery, art commissions or a bespoke illustration, she is guided by the simple principle of pure enjoyment and playfulness.

I came across Natalia’s work on Instagram and loved the colorful and playful artwork she creates. Being a mom as well, when she posted a video of a self-made mobile for her baby, I got excited to build one too and reached out. I loved hearing how Natalia lives and breathes creativity in how she spends her days, even with the limitations that come when time is not on your side — hope you enjoy the conversation!

Alice

What does life look like for you these days? How do you fill your days?

Well, I work for myself as a graphic designer, painter, illustrator… and everything in between. That’s the usual day-to-day, but I have just had our second child, and she is 3 months, so life is quite different at the moment! I am attempting to still live creatively, work and play with her, but the juggle is starting to become a tad overwhelming. I actually started my own Substack, Sunrise Scrapbook, about just this: finding moments to fulfill creative pursuits when time is not on your side.

Tell us about the path that has led you to the life you live today?

I worked in publishing for many years, commissioning photographers and illustrators, and always desperately wanted to be doing what they are doing. Then I moved to Copenhagen for a year. It’s there that I slowed down and took stock, eventually deciding to study graphic design at Shillington School of Graphic Design. It opened up a whole creative world for me. When my son (our first child) was born 4 years ago, I started to paint as a form of agency, and that has stayed with me since. Since then, I have worked as a freelance creative, where I blend the worlds of art and design to create a characteristic style.

What does living creatively mean to you?

Living creatively to me involves noticing; being able to see the beauty, creativity and fun that is all around us all the time. I think anyone can do this - when you go for a walk, notice the colour of the leaves, when you make a meal, spend time on it and serve it on a fun plate and light a candle. It also means making things, I am an artist and designer, so to live creatively means to create - art, brands, sketches, cardboard animals.. But I don’t think this is the limit of creativity. I TRULY believe everyone is creative, and it’s a muscle you need to flex.

How did you uncover what you want in life, rather than following the standard definition of building a “successful career”?

I always knew I didn’t fit in a 9-5. I work so well between waking up and 2ish, then my energies crash. I always knew I’d love to work for myself in some capacity, and I feel so lucky to have come to where I am now; I have my own clients, and I take on work as and when I can. It’s not always easy - it can be really lonely, there are peaks and lows of work, and in the lows, financial stresses can be overwhelming, but I wouldn’t have it any other way now. All I want is to earn enough to pay my bills and live a certain standard of life, and then be able to make stuff for the pure joy of it, spend time with my children… the odd holiday is nice too, but that really depends on how the year is going!

What did you have to let go of it? What did you have to build and integrate?

I had to let go of working with people - I miss this a lot. I miss having to get dressed to go and face the world. I had to make a space in my house for my work; luckily, my husband is very accommodating, and we have a spare room/gym/studio space. I guess I had to build up clients, build up a portfolio, build up trust, build up a style of work.. The list goes on, but that’s all the stuff that makes it fun!

Do you have any rituals or practices to find new inspiration/stay inspired?

I have some art books I always come back to - David Shrigley, Hockney, Maira Kalman, Polish mid-century graphic design books, etc, but I definitely spend way too much time online, and sometimes I kid myself that I am ‘researching’ when it’s really zapping the life out of me…