Stella, how long have you been making art?
The idea of painting came to me in 2016, when I was in my fourth year of university and working as a human resources inspector at a Ukrainian construction company. Although I was working in my field of study, at some point I realised that it wasn’t my thing, and I was going through a personal crisis.
So I started looking for something I really wanted to do. I didn’t have any particular hobbies, but I remembered that as a child I loved to draw without going to any art classes or schools. (That’s probably why I didn’t take it seriously before, because “all children draw”). So I started attending courses, taking lessons and drawing by hand with ink and watercolour.
I came up with the idea of making postcards. I shared my attempts on social media and received comments from friends who wanted to buy them. I made the first batch and they sold out. That motivated me. With the money I made, I bought my first camera. Then started painting to order and doing commercial shoots, and later quit my job to pursue my art. I set up Stella Sun Studio, where I create souvenirs with my own illustrations: postcards, mugs, shopping bags, stickers, etc.
At the time, freelancing seemed like the perfect option for me, especially after working an 8-5 schedule. I took on almost all the work that came in. I thought it was so cool that someone liked my work. After a year of this rhythm, I realised that working for myself meant not only creating and being inspired, but also that inspiration didn’t come every day, and I wasn’t ready to scale my business.
I spent all day doing my hobby, and then it… turned into a job. I lost my joy because life became a conveyor belt. Also I remembered the approach: when a hobby becomes a job, you need to find a new hobby.
But I decided otherwise. I decided to find a job not related to art.
I became interested in the IT sector, completed my courses, and joined a Ukrainian company where I have been working as a QC Engineer for four years.
Now everything is perfect for me: I have a main job and free time for creativity.
In addition, my business came to life when my younger sister Ivanna Marchuk joined me (she was also interviewed as part of the same project, you can read about Ivanna’s work here). At first, she just decided to practice with the SMM part, and then she took over all the organisational, production and managerial functions. Today, I only draw and shoot photos and videos, as I wanted to from the very beginning. Thanks to this division, the business has reached a much higher level. We bought new equipment, expanded our product range, and registered our business at the end of last year.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about 24 February 2022, the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine?
On the morning of 24 February, when I heard the first distant explosions through my sleep, I thought I was just dreaming. But when I received the first call from my family shortly afterward, I realized from the first seconds of the conversation that a large-scale war had begun. My family and I left Kyiv on the same day, heading to my parents’ place in the Rivne region.
What made you decide to help the Ukrainian army through your art?
In the first months, there was no time for creativity at all. All I was doing was flipping through the news, donating and hating the Russians.
During the alarms, we would hide in the cellar, where my parents usually keep all sorts of supplies for the winter. There was no connection there, so we kept each other entertained by talking. I took my tablet with me to avoid thinking about the possible arrival and distractions.
Before that, it had been lying idle for more than a year, because I couldn’t master digital due to lack of time and motivation. I started studying a special program and tried to draw something with an electronic brush. Since my thoughts were only about the war, the theme for my illustrations was military motifs. I realised that over time, many moments would begin to fade in my memory and that illustration, in particular, would help me to restore them. My first successful wartime character was a loaf of bread, which was the subject of a wave of memes at the time. It turned out to be cute, but martial. Then I painted portraits of famous Ukrainians with their quotes.
In April 2022, we decided to return to Kyiv to pick up the equipment and resume production. We ordered the first batch of postcards, made new souvenirs and posted photos of our work on Instagram. I was sceptical at first. There is a war going on, Ukrainians are dying. Who would want to make such non-essential purchases now? And I was very surprised when I received support from my followers and the first orders in my messages.
Then my sister and I decided: if we can work in such conditions and people are interested in our work, we will transfer the proceeds from our sales to the military. Today, the amount of our contributions is over 52 thousand hryvnias. In addition to sales and raffles on social media, we also participate in Ukrainian charity fairs. For example, we regularly interact with the charity fair on the territory of St Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, which we joined with our souvenirs from the first days of its operation in May 2022. Currently, the fair aims to raise 100,000 hryvnias every week to buy five FPV drones. The organisers of the fair are our family members, and we are proud that they have managed to develop this business to such a large scale.
We closely cooperate with the Rivne Rotaract Club charity organisation from Rivne to deliver our postcards to support the military in hospital. You can also buy a postcard for wounded soldiers from us and sign it on your own, and we will then send it to the hospital, and the money raised will be used to buy goodies for our defenders. We have sent products for charity fairs in Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. Our subscribers buy gifts from us for those who support our country. For example, we prepared and adapted our postcards for Ukraine’s Danish and Finnish partners.
What else does your creative volunteering bring to you other than financial support for the Army?
I have always seen my own products as a way to support others. I just never thought it would be during the war. Volunteers from the hospital often tell us stories about how the wounded look at our cards with admiration and say thank you. One day we met some soldiers on their way to the front and decided to support them by giving them some cards. It was a small thing, but I still remember how the soldier took out a file with important documents from his pocket and put our gift in it.
My volunteering helps me find and see bright and kind people in such dark times, and gives me a sense of unity with other Ukrainians. And, of course, it is an opportunity to help while doing what I love.
I try not to divide my plans into ‘before the victory’ and ‘after the victory’. If I have ideas, I try to implement them as soon as possible. Because right now Ukrainians need to support and inspire each other, give words of gratitude, support, and love.
Translator: Ivan Chepaykin
The material was produced with the support of the NGO “Institute of Mass Information” as part of a project of the international organisation Internews Network.
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