Design Director Natasha Chekoudjian on Learning From a Million Small Moments and Not Resisting Things That Come
At Forge & Finish, we create distinctive handcrafted metal designs for the modern woman. As part of our dedication to the inspiring women we know and love, we’re celebrating the working moms in our creative community in a series of interviews. Next up in our series, Natasha Chekoudjian, Free People’s Assistant Design Director, gets real about how motherhood isn’t what it looks like in the magazines, but how she powers through challenges by being fluid and not resisting things that come.
Can you name a pivotal moment in your career that pushed you to where you are now?
I don’t have any big pivotal moments — I really feel like when I look back, it was an accumulation of a million small moments of learning that got me to where I am.
How did becoming a mama change your approach to your work life?
It was a major shift in priorities… It's still hard for me to find balance between work and home life because my work has always bled over into my home life so it’s a challenge for me for sure. When I'm really focused on work, sometimes I totally forget about the kids! And vice versa. I know I'm a good multi-tasker, but for some reason that has been hard for me.
Is there a particular way you structure your day or week to accomplish your career goals and balance having a family? Do you have any time-saving hacks that you’ve incorporated into your daily life?
No! If you have some, please let me know! Both my kids are in school now so I try to get all my work done before they get home so I can focus on them, cook dinner, have a meal together and hang out, then off to bed.
“There are no sick days in motherhood, you know? You just have to keep going.”
What have been your biggest challenges in the transition to being a working mama? How have you navigated them?
I’m lucky that I worked from home for both my kids — believe me, I know how incredibly lucky for me (and them) that was. I was able to nurse both my kids till they were 2.5 years old because I was always there! I guess the biggest challenge has been feeling like hell some days from lack of sleep or whatever and still having to perform at work. There are no sick days in motherhood, you know? You just have to keep going. I guess maybe that’s made me a stronger person, but I really love my sleep, so hopefully it hasn’t just made me more grumpy lol.
How have your notions of what it means to be a mother changed since becoming one?
It’s the hardest job on earth. Before I had kids, I pictured it like how it might look in a magazine — beautiful babies in cute clothes, me being a beautiful mom. I was one of the first of my peer group to have kids so I wasn't around too many kids before I got pregnant with Alek. Maybe it was better that way. It's hard. There are a lot of challenging moments and stressful days, and they don't stop after infanthood or toddlerdom. Alek is 8 now and there's a whole new round of hard things we are dealing with with her. I have a whole new respect for my mom who is a mother of five. I don’t know how she did it.
“I want them to see that I enjoy my work — that I love to talk about ideas and brainstorm, that I feel good about what I do, and that I make money doing what I do. ”
