I Am YEG Arts: Natasia Martin

What do puns, paper goods, and the river valley have in common? The adoration of Natasia Martin. If her name sounds familiar, it’s for good reason. She runs a local design studio, is an instructor at MacEwan University, co-founded the Edmonton chapter of Ladies, Wine & Design — and! — is the heart and talent behind Natasia Makes — a paper-goods studio serving up playful cards and art prints with an extra dose of pep. Illustrator, lettering artist, and believer in positive vibes — this week’s ​“I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Natasia Martin.

Tell us about your connection to Edmonton and why you’ve made it your home.

I was born and raised in St. Paul, Alberta, a small town just two hours northeast of Edmonton, but we often came to Edmonton, and when we did, it was always so *glamorous* and exciting to go to the ​“big city.” I eventually moved to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta. It’s honestly remained my home because it has that small-town community vibe with the big-city amenities and progressive mindset. Plus, it’s only a skip and a hop from my hometown where I can see my family.

What is it about illustrating and hand-lettering that play to your strengths as a visual artist?

Because my background is in visual communication design, my strength lies in using strategy and storytelling to communicate a deeper or hidden meaning to my artwork. Whenever I pick up a new skill, navigate a new outdoor adventure, or discover a new way to process whatever life throws at me, I’m inspired to pass on that knowledge through my illustration and lettering. When you look at my work, you likely wouldn’t be able to tell that it’s inspired by postpartum depression, pandemic parenting, self-discovery, and so on. I try to visually process these things in a subtle way to tickle my inner visual communication designer bone.

Tell us a bit about Natasia Makes and why ​“pep and positivity” are at the forefront of your creations.

Natasia Makes is a female-owned, Canadian paper-goods studio serving up fun greeting cards and art prints for fun people. Because I use my products to process and share my personal stories and experiences, I try to do it with a positive perspective to empower others to see the positive in their situation and to feel connected or a little less alone. I’m not about ​“toxic positivity,” but rather being able to process the bad, acknowledge it, keep it there, and view it in a positive light. I love sharing the personal stories behind my products and illustrations because, so often, people can very easily relate. And then they can have these meaningful pieces of art in their homes or lives that have a much deeper meaning than they anticipated.

What’s your creative process like? Is there someplace in particular you can always find inspiration?

My personal experiences, the people in my life, and navigating everyday challenges are the core things that inspire me. But rather than going from brain to paper, I usually need to process that, which for me means turning to the river valley. I’m always either hiking, biking, snowshoeing, or skiing along the river valley. There’s something about being surrounded by thick shrubs and nature that just transports me back to growing up on an acreage in rural Alberta. It cuts out the noise of the city (the concrete buildings, houses, roads, etc.) and allows me to clear my mind and process what I need to.

Tell us about the first thing you ever made that inspired your career path?

I was a very reluctant artist. My career path has swerved in all directions, so I’ll share what inspired my current career path. In University, once I wrapped up my final projects, I snuck into the printmaking studio so I could screenprint holiday greeting cards for all my loved ones. I also wanted to make an art print that created a personal connection with each and every one of them. After a 10-year gap between that and constantly having those cards at the back of my mind, I finally made the leap into my own paper goods.

What does community mean to you, and where do you find it?

Community is one of my favourite words. It means everything to me, and I find it everywhere that I can. I think it stems from growing up in a big family in the middle of nowhere. I relied a lot on the people around me, and once I moved to Edmonton, it was so easy to find a sense of community within our arts scene. If I can’t find community around me, I make it. Like creating YEG Designers—an online community for Edmonton-based designers; or LWD Edmonton, a meetup for underrepresented creatives within Edmonton; or things as silly as book clubs or mom groups. I love building a community around what I care about.

When you’re taking a break from a project, what will we likely find you doing?

The same things that inspire me: spending time outside with my family and pup, hiking, skating, snowshoeing, cycling — you name it. Or baking myself a big batch of cookies while bingeing something on Netflix.

What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d had when starting out? And what’s something you knew instinctively that’s still serving you?

There’s no ​“right” path. I always thought if I followed a certain set of steps, it would get me to where a lot of my then mentors were. But now, I realize there’s no right path or right way to have a creative career, especially with all seasons of life changing all the time. It’s sort of a balance of all the different things that fuel you, and less so of what other people are doing. And it’s okay if your ​“career” doesn’t fit in a perfect square, per se. Right now, when people ask me what I do, it takes me so long to answer because where do I even start?! I teach post-secondary design, I make art prints and greeting cards through my studio Natasia Makes, I do commissions for clients, I license greeting-card artwork to companies like Trader Joes, I sell my goods at craft shows like Strathearn Art Walk, and I sell my art and products wholesale across the country. It’s taken me a long time, but I now realize that it’s okay if I can’t just say, ​“I’m an accountant.” Saying I’m an illustrator, educator, and lettering artist is the perfect title for me right now in this season I’m in. And if it changes, that’s okay, too!

What excites you most about the YEG arts scene right now?

I’m excited to start participating in in-person things again and getting to put faces to fellow creatives. Right now, I’m doing a collaborative mural with the John Humphrey Centre for Peace & Human Rights, and it’s so lovely getting to reconnect with real live (non-screen) people.

You visit Edmonton 20 years from now. What do you hope has changed? What do you hope has stayed the same?

I hope we still have a strong arts scene, as it’s one of the things I love most about this city. It’s so easy to chat with fellow creatives and to share and collaborate and be part of events.

As for change, I’d love to see more action on climate-change initiatives, preservation of our beautiful river valley, and hopefully some more accessible support for mental health. I know those are serious answers, but I’d love to find a way to use my art for social good and to help fuel those changes.

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along! Click here to learn more about Natasia Martin and Natasia Makes.

About Natasia Martin

Natasia Martin is a Canadian illustrator, designer, and lettering artist who creates bold and playful artwork inspired by nature, outdoor adventures, and navigating whatever life throws at us. She wears many hats as a creative. She primarily runs a paper goods studio, Natasia Makes, that creates greeting cards and art prints for both retail, markets, and wholesale. She also does illustration commissions, public art, and freelance design projects. Natasia has a Bachelor of Design degree in Visual Communication and Marketing from the University of Alberta and has been an illustrator, branding and publication designer for over 10 years in ad agencies, small studios, and in-house.

When Natasia’s not creating or packing products in the studio, she’s an instructor at MacEwan University teaching the next generation of designers, and she’s one of the founders of the Edmonton chapter of Ladies, Wine & Design. Outside of the studio, you can find Natasia on outdoor adventures, planning fun get-togethers with friends, and spending some wonderful downtime with her husband, Darren, baby girl, Eloise, and their pup, Maggie.