Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Stromwall.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Keeping all transparency, I grew up in a relatively troubled household; my parents divorced while I was entering high school. My mother at the time was very sick battling cancer and my father struggling to cope with Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and other mental health issues. My parents had a lot of love to give my siblings and me. I think it was just difficult to express and understand all the emotions they were both going through at that time; life had definitely taken a toll on them, as it does with everyone from time to time.
As a struggling teenager, I was put on depression medication and seeking regular help in therapy though it did not stop my attempts at suicide or help me cope with the issues I was facing in life. I honestly felt lost for most of my teenage and young adult years, and I didn’t know how to express all the emotions I had bottled up for so long. It really wasn’t until age 2o or so that I had really began to delve into creating art in all sorts of mediums from sketching/painting to conceptual photography/styling.
Creating something meaningful and beautiful from nothing allowed me to express the feelings I didn’t always have the words for, and that has stuck with me ever since.
Please tell us about your art.
I take pride in making an attempt to dabble in all forms of creation, though I inspire myself most when working on new conceptual photography shoots; my art is my way of practicing emotional fluency and giving a little piece of my life lessons to share with the rest of the world. I challenge myself to create each look myself, from makeup and wardrobe to concepts and set design/location.
Each look I create is always done sustainably, meaning my clothes are from secondhand stores (if not from something I already own) and often manipulated or upcycled into something new because I strongly believe in doing your part to leave the world we live in with as little damage and waste to it as possible; many larger shoots and set designs are used for a day or two, just to be taken down immediately and discarded, and it pains me to see the amount of items we throw out and leave to sit in a landfill.
I want to show people that you can be weird and different from the majority, have ups and downs in life, and still look and feel good about riding life’s wave without harming the environment we surround ourselves in; if I can make an individual stop and think twice or raise a discussion on the ways in which we can make our community more supportive and loving of Mother Nature and all of her beauty or even just make someone feel better about their life circumstances, then I’ve accomplished all I can possibly hope for.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Success, to me, is not equated to the monetary worth you hold or the societal stature you possess, but it is about the impact you make on the world in your lifespan; it is about the live’s you touch and the connections you make. I think in terms of being a successful artist, it is more about what you accomplish for yourself through your art and how it makes you feel after creating something special.
Can you go against the majority to be true to yourself or are you swept up in what is expected from you? Can you embrace the feelings you have, both bad and good, and own them as your own despite what others think or say? The reality to me is that everyone has hardships in life to face and endure; we all have pain and sadness to overcome, and it is alright to allow yourself to feel those emotions and cycle through your natural coping process.
When we discover and embrace ourselves for the beautiful individuals we always were, we are successful and can best celebrate and uplift the community that surrounds us; I think sometimes people forget this is a team effort here! There are people out there that are willing to help and are happy to see others succeed in their own special ways!
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
For the time being, my work is primarily on Instagram; however, my website is currently under construction and will be coming your way soon so stay tuned! I am very excited to be releasing some new projects I’ve been working on shortly thereafter! With that said though, all images I create are available as prints that can be ordered through me directly via Instagram until the site is up and running.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_natuhliee
Image Credit:
Ricardo Rivera
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
