Meet Nat Eden Fino | Writer & All-around Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nat Eden Fino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nat Eden, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

I am someone who has taken tremendous risks in her life, probably more than most. I am very adventurous and have an unwavering trust in my competence. I am the type of person who jumps off a cliff and figures out how to fly on my way down. Did I fall on my face? A few times. But in the end, I know I will always end up on my feet again, even if bruised and broken.

Can I recommend taking risks? Yes, but it depends on the situation. Overall, you learn a lot from risk taking, especially when things don’t go as desired. Some of the risks I’ve taken didn’t turn out the way I imagined, mostly because I wasn’t prepared enough, but also, when it involves other people, you can’t control the outcome, which is the definition of risk taking, but even less so when others are involved. So, what I’ve learned is the importance of having a plan B and some safety measures in place.

I’ve also learned the importance of thinking things through meticulously. To become aware of the potential problems that could arise and how they could be handled, so if it all turns south, you won’t find yourself in a precarious situation. The most important of all, I realized, is to have an emotional support system in place that can help you get back on your feet, if necessary. Thinking about my own journey, that was probably the biggest issue. I mean you can go through it all by yourself, which I did, but it takes a lot of strength, resources, perseverance, discipline, and most of all, time to recover from a risk gone bad.

If you look at any successful person, the thing they have in common is a strong support system, even if that was/is just one person, who believed in them and emotionally supported them along the way. Nobody makes it alone. If that’s missing, then that’s probably what you need most in order to succeed. With the right emotional state and mind set, you can tackle any situation.

This was a hard lesson I had to learn. And you feel it most when you’ve taken a risk that didn’t turn out the way you’d hoped for.

Unshakable faith that it will all work out just fine isn’t enough because often it doesn’t, no matter how hard you believe in your mission.

I think taking risks is necessary for growth if you want to make the most of your life. Nothing great has ever been created in a comfort zone. Even though I didn’t always succeed in my endeavors, for the most part I am glad for the risks I’ve taken because, if I am honest with myself, I’ve accomplished a lot. I am saying “if I am honest with myself” for a reason here because I don’t acknowledge my achievements enough. I tend to look at what I haven’t achieved yet and get frustrated, which leads me to stagnation. That’s not where I want to be. To combat that I am learning to be more kind to myself. Of course, I do also have some regrets, but what can you do? Learn from them and move on.

As a creative, going through the good, the bad and the ugly that comes from all the trials makes me a better writer, artist, designer, and human. It’s kind of necessary for my craft. Creating something new is always a risk because you never know if the time and energy invested will pay off in the end.

So, as an entrepreneur, creative and/or freelancer you must have a higher risk tolerance. You just don’t have the same stability as you do when you are employed. Your own business can only grow by taking risks, and so do your skills and capabilities. It’s part of being a business owner, and part of life, really.

It’s a balance between a willingness to step into the unknown and stretch into discomfort but also having some skills and tools in place if you “fail” to soften the blow. It’s a lot of trial and error but the key is to never give up.

For myself, I know I will never give up, even if it takes me another 20 years to get to where I want to be. When things don’t go the way I’d hoped for, I often remind myself of this quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

“It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I am a big thinker and meticulous observer and writing is something I’ve done on the side for a long time but it never occurred to me to make a living out of it until later in my life. Why? It was too easy, meaning it came too easy to me. I associated life and a career with struggle and hardship, and ‘easy’ didn’t fit into that world view. People continuously gave me encouragement and positive feedback about my writing along the way. It opened my eyes to become a writer.

Of course, working as a writer is not easy but I am purpose driven, I see it as a vocation now in how I can contribute best to this challenging world we live in that requires many solutions on many levels. My forte is to take complex information, break it down, make it easily digestible and understandable.

In 2019 I got heavily interested in environmentalism and sustainable living, which led me to creating a blog called Ad Vitam – Sustainable Living. With that I initially positioned myself as a sustainability and environmental protection writer. I am not blogging as much as I used to because I got too busy with other writing projects. I am also a freelance copywriter at Contentoo, Europe’s leading platform for content marketing talent.

Having a deeply reflective and philosophical nature, I also write essays and articles about the human condition – applied psychology, trauma, transformation and consciousness. This is my passion really and I see myself in that space in the long run. I have a unique perspective on a lot of things and people have responded well to it. Plus, I have extensive experience in those areas. It’s my art that comes from deep inside of me, versus writing about environmentalism and sustainable living, which is something any writer can do with enough research. Also now with the emerging AI technologies such as ChatGPT, it remains to be seen how the marketplace for writers is going to change in the face of that. I think the more unique and profound your writing is, the better chances are that you can survive as a writer in this new era. A lot is going to be replaced by AI. It’s an interesting time.

I am also currently working on other creative projects such as digging my teeth into web design, which came out of nowhere. I’ve built a few websites in my life and people liked them and asked me if I could build theirs. It’s a great side hustle, and it satisfies the visual artist in me. I really enjoy it.

As a writer, I am very protective of my intellectual brain power and there are a lot of jobs I simply won’t do because they are disrespectfully underpaid, so having a side hustle is important.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

What makes LA so magical in my opinion is that you can find yourself in nature in no time. Without the hills, I couldn’t survive in this town. I particularly love Fryman Canyon, it’s my church. I run and hike there numerous times a week. There are so many other beautiful canyons to explore. Griffith Park is definitely a great place to take friends visiting from out of town. It has nice views. Runyon Canyon has them, too, but is rather busy.

I think the best kept secret is Nichols Canyon, but that’s more for living than hiking. It’s so peaceful and quiet and it feels like you are in a forest. No views of the city though because it’s enclosed in itself, so your view is the canyon.

Then there is always the ocean. My favorite beach is Point Dume in Malibu. Laguna Beach is also very beautiful.

Besides nature, there is a lot of art to see in this city if you are an art enthusiast. I regularly go to art show openings. My favorite galleries are Nino Mier, Jeffrey Deitch, David Kordansky, Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian. There are also so many smaller galleries that show great artists, I like AF Projects. I am sure I am forgetting other great places, but this is all I can think of for now. Then there are the museums, too. I love The Broad downtown.

As for restaurants, my favorite place is probably Pace in Laurel Canyon. It’s the vibe there that’s so special. The food is local and organically sourced, which is important to me. For pizza, my favorite is Pizzeria Mozza. I’ve yet to find a better place in this town. If you like gourmet wine and cheese, I like Wally’s in Beverly Hills, but I recommend going there during the week. They don’t take reservations and you might end up waiting for an hour or two to get a table on the weekends. Wining and dining is also great on the eastside around Silverlake.

Going on a road trip to the desert such as Joshua Tree, Palms Springs, etc., or driving up the coast on PCH are also fantastic adventures.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

As I already mentioned earlier, I’ve learned the importance of a strong support system just recently. The pandemic super amplified that for me and I realized I can no longer go through all my trials, professionally and personally, alone. I had to come to a place of serious burnout. We always like to separate our professional and personal lives, but the truth is they very much affect each other. Even though I haven’t found the right support professionally yet, I am diligently working on having a personal support system.

Last year I joined a book club led by Rachel Sat Siri Dougherty. It’s a women’s book club where we read, reflect and discuss deeply transformative books. I’ve gained so much from it. Most importantly, it’s a place where I can show up vulnerable and feeling raw without being judged but rather heard and held. Plus, you gain and learn so much from listening to other people’s stories and struggles. We are all going through it together, which is a new experience for me.

My soul brother Sat Devbir, who always cheers me on, no matter what crazy idea I come up with. My long-term therapist Dr Douglas Brayfield for always being there for me and pushing me to become a writer. And last but not least my best friend of over 25 years Larissa, who is like family to me.

Website: https://nateden.xyz/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natedenf/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nat-eden-f-7886091a1/