SOULBASE TALK :
Olya Tsikhanchuk
Can you share with us what you are doing in life and where you are based?
I am living in the Swedish-speaking countryside of Finland. It is a unique and distinguished place in its culture and lifestyle compared to the rest of Finland. Originally, I am from Belarus. And I have traveled and lived abroad a couple of times during my life, so when I moved here nine years ago, I was up for the challenge of building my life here. And challenging it was – and still is. Maybe one of the more interesting challenges for the readers will be the challenge of finding a job, changing the career path and building a new concept around work-life balance. Now I am a freelance illustrator and graphic designer, also doing some English-language teaching and art teaching as well as working as a support person for international volunteers traveling on Erasmus programs. It seems like a lot of balls to keep in the air, but I love variety and constant change of routines. Each of the jobs gives me a new perspective and new insights, which are later interconnected either in teaching or my art. Can you remember who your first client and paid job as an illustrator was and how it felt for you to get paid for your work?
My first project was a set of 21 illustrations for my friend who had a consulting company in New York. She was working on a 21-day challenge to slow down and become productive. Back then I was a first-year student at a local art school, and I was really insecure about my skills and expertise but very determined to get to that dream place of confidence and flow of client work. Marina was the first one to believe in me. She did not have much money to pay me, and I was not even expecting a reward. I was happy to help a friend and also to get my first real project. So, the money she paid me was like a validation and a confirmation: “I can do this, I still have a loooong way to go to learn and become good, but there is a market for my thought and vision.” That first belief in yourself and also encouragement of others is so important.
How long would you say it took to have a stable clientele where you could make your sole income freelancing?
I think many freelancers will agree with me: the word “stable" is almost an antonym to “freelance.” The only stability in freelancing is the feeling of instability. The trick is to learn to be comfortable with it and also be flexible, knowing when to work and how many projects to say yes to at the same time. It’s also knowing that when you are low on client work, then you can focus on personal projects and developing your skills. It is an investment, and being a freelancer is rewarding in that sense; when it is a quiet period, you have an opportunity to invest in self-development.
How do you define art and design?
Studying graphic design at art school alongside artists, we always had this discussion: how to draw a defining line between art and design. I was struggling with the thought that I needed to put myself on one side or the other – until I graduated and got to work on multiple different projects (personal, commercial, for galleries, for brands, for shops), and I decided that I don’t need to label anything for the outside. I just need to be confident in what I do.
I stopped thinking I can’t call myself an artist because at times I do layouts and get paid for it. And I can’t isolate myself to the title of a designer only either, as I do dig deeper, and in my design work, I do question the existing set of things (as artists do or should do – you know, provoke discussions). I think both design and art can be fluid: both are created by an impulse of an idea, both are functional, both have a purpose, both provoke questions. 
Fill the Blanks
Illustration and creating for me is : a way to bring positive emotions to people. It is making this world better by injecting positive energy to it.
To me, money means traveling and helping others. I have changed my attitude around money. Growing up I was taught that money is bad, we should never strive for it, all rich people are earning their millions dishonestly – pretty unhealthy approach! I have thought a lot about money and what I want to do with it. And I decided that money needs to be a positive thing and end up in the hands of people who know how to use it for the good: sharing with others less fortunate, investing in education, traveling and creating beauty.
Supporting others is : for forever! We do not exist in a vacuum. We are more connected than we think – everything from the obvious on economic level, to the also obvious physiological level.
Silence is : rare, and I am fine with it. Even now, I am writing these answers in a library in Helsinki, and I hear babies crying. I find it amazing! Maybe as a mother, it is not an irritating thing for me. Being a mother should not stop you from working, developing, learning. You should not be left at home with a baby in the social and professional silence.
Fill the Blanks
Illustration and creating for me is : a way to bring positive emotions to people. It is making this world better by injecting positive energy to it.
To me, money means traveling and helping others. I have changed my attitude around money. Growing up I was taught that money is bad, we should never strive for it, all rich people are earning their millions dishonestly – pretty unhealthy approach! I have thought a lot about money and what I want to do with it. And I decided that money needs to be a positive thing and end up in the hands of people who know how to use it for the good: sharing with others less fortunate, investing in education, traveling and creating beauty.
Supporting others is : for forever! We do not exist in a vacuum. We are more connected than we think – everything from the obvious on economic level, to the also obvious physiological level.
Silence is : rare, and I am fine with it. Even now, I am writing these answers in a library in Helsinki, and I hear babies crying. I find it amazing! Maybe as a mother, it is not an irritating thing for me. Being a mother should not stop you from working, developing, learning. You should not be left at home with a baby in the social and professional silence.
You are a mother, you freelance and you travel. How important is it for you to be able to do it all? Do you have days where you have mom guilt or get stressed not knowing how to juggle it all?
Mom guilt is a part of our DNA, and we have to start modifying it by changing our way of thinking around parenting and coparenting. I do work a lot, and I love it. I don’t necessarily separate my family life and work. To me it is a lifestyle, and it is also a conscious choice. I chose to have this creative work, uncertain hours and a job that requires me to be on top of things all the time. But also I am privileged, as I can bring my child into my work. Everything I go through as a mother can be reflected in my artistic work and my teaching too. When I travel alone, I don’t think about it as, “I leave my kid and go.” I think about it as, “My child is safe and happy with his father,” and set an example for him that being curious about the world is so rewarding. I take my son with me on shorter trips too, and of course, I can’t wait to take him on longer trips…what did I mention above about being rich?. =) I want to be so financially secure that I can show this beautiful world to my son and let him meet all these amazing people that I meet while traveling. And I want to bring up a human who is both smart and sensitive to other people’s emotions.
About stress…I do feel stressed, and stress does come from guilt. It comes from the guilt that I am not like my parents and that I don’t “struggle” by working hard. I work hard; it is just that it is so easy to work hard when you love your work and get fairly rewarded for it, when you love the community you live in and when you are privileged to actually achieve all that through your choice and education opportunities.
You have lived in many places and are now based in Finland. What does home mean to you and what does it mean to you to own a home by yourself?
I like to think my home is planet earth. I truly think that home is where we feel happy, and I feel happy in many places. The feeling of home can be triggered by many factors: a fire in the fireplace, garden brunch with friends, old pictures on the wall in my childhood home, laughing together with the people you really appreciate in the kitchen while potatoes are getting burned on the stove, looking down on the earth when you land on the airplane…What would you love to be asked about more often?
Oh what an amazing question!!! I think there should be more discussion about money, about fair pay, about motherhood and also the choice of not having kids, about personal relationships and the energy that goes into that and how that can take away from creativity. There needs to be more honest and direct discussion about all aspects of life. We should stop filtering what we say in interviews and for the mags in an attempt to seem more successful and thus hope to attract more customers. I think that our first motivation should be supporting each other, being our true selves and encouraging younger people to live a genuine life. We should talk more about life in general and how we are in the learning process all the time. To whom would you like to say thank you but you never have? Why?
I try to be grateful and mindful of that. But maybe since I have this opportunity, I would like to thank all the people who are working on themselves and want to be the best version of themselves! Thank you for making this world a better place starting with yourself. Thanks so much for your time and your words Olya.
Curious about her work and see more of her illustrations and her life
head to her website or her social media channels to stay in the loop- we will for sure:-)
Do you ever feel lonely in your job?
Very rarely. And as soon as I do, I just turn to my Instagram or meet with local creatives. It is easy to become lonely as a freelancer. Maybe freelancers are the “misunderstood artists” of the 21st century. People think freelancers lead this careless life of flexible hours and constant brunches, yet being a freelancer means being a guru of self-discipline. And this is when it can get lonely. You do need other freelancers to share these kinds of thoughts with and to feel you are relatable. And continuing this topic of professional loneliness, I am an advocate for taking actions. So, I actively approach people, spark conversations, introduce myself to social media contacts and hope that there can be deeper friendships. For example, two years ago, in the middle of pandemic isolation, without the possibility of travel, I posted a call for creative people to connect on my IG and said, “Let’s just Zoom and be lonely together.” A few people have responded, and as a result, I built a beautiful connection with Miriam Van Neste, Suse Engel and Viktoria Semjonova. We had been Zooming for two years until we finally set a date and met in Copenhagen for five days! Work, freelance, design, art, politics, relationships, nail polish and craft beer – we have discussed it all and never get enough! I almost tear up as I write this because I miss my girls…and also at the thought of how people from four different countries can meet online and connect so well. Life is beautiful, and to me it is not an aphorism: it is the truth I feel.