Meet Oksana Badrak | Creative Director/Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Oksana Badrak and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Oksana, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
In a previous interview with Voyage LA I wrote about growing up in Soviet Russia and how in stark contrast to realities of that time and place my parent’s artistic circle became a beacon of wonder that influenced my decision of becoming a creative professional. All that remains true, but I’d like to acknowledge another factor I discovered while doing a bit of soul searching after my father’s passing a few months ago. No doubt curiosity led me to the choices I’ve made regarding my career, but also, surprisingly, an insatiable subconscious desire to have parental approval. To be liked by them, to possibly even impress them one day. Some individuals are guided by the need to rebel against the system their parents embody, in my case the opposite was true.

My father, an established choreographer and my mom, a theatre designer were mostly encouraging parents but never easily impressed. Creative stints of my childhood were limitless in variety and scope. Drawing scenes from books I’ve read, designing theatrical posters for performances I myself co-wrote and acted in, participating in dreaded piano recitals — all these barely received a nod from my parents.

In the early nineties my father left Bolshoi Ballet and with involvement of a few partners built a small but impressive chamber ballet company. At that time western, future-facing words entered our post-soviet consciousness — LOGO, BRANDING, MARKETING. Not knowing anything about logo design I decided to take a stab at making a mark for my dad’s new ballet company. Not seriously thinking the company was going to use it but inspired and eager to show support I rolled up my sleeves. One evening while my father was removing his snow-dusted coat at the door I presented him with a black and white drawing of horrifically cliche Russian domes fused with a ballet shoe, all trapped in a circle. He looked at it attentively and without sounding patronizing said — “This is really interesting.” And the next morning he took the drawing to work in his briefcase! My heart soared from this unexpected little victory of being taken seriously, almost like a PROFESSIONAL. Of course the company didn’t use the logo, but for a couple of weeks that winter I was referred to as “our young graphic artist” at home. Maybe that’s how it all started?

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In recent years I’ve been focusing on creative direction, but my background is in illustration and to a lesser degree in graphic design. I find freedom in blurring the lines between design disciplines – illustration, typography, motion graphics, product design. I purposefully combine digital and traditional media and mix elements that seemingly don’t belong together to create friction, energy, spark of newness.

I credit curiosity for showing the way to a life of fulfillment. I consider curiosity divine. Being open to all kinds of experiences often placed me at the right place at the right time. ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena is where I started my creative journey, enriched and inspired by mentorship of many excellent instructors there. Survival instinct and hunger of an immigrant fueled my work ethic at the beginning of my career. Investing in myself — learning the latest software, trying different traditional techniques, attending industry events, not skimping on tools – all helped strengthen and diversify my career.

One of the most difficult challenges to overcome has been life-work balance. I talked about the struggles with it in my previous interview with Voyage LA. This time I’m thrilled to report that our efforts of having a child have been a success! Only because my husband and I put enormous efforts in addressing work-life balance issues we’ve been able to become parents to a magical little girl.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My husband and I are fortunate to have a global community of friends. For that reason we host constantly. I’m including just a few places that have been consistently rated the highest by our guests and are located in our part of town, otherwise the list will be too long.

We are situated in Mount Washington, a hilly, verdant neighborhood of NELA.

First Stop – Kumquat coffee on York. Perfectly crafted cup of coffee every time, tasty and imaginative.

Huntington gardens in Pasadena is always the big event. My favorite part — unique to Southern California cactus garden is a visual feast of shapes and textures, color too if you catch it in bloom.

Lunch or dinner at Sasso, a Basque restaurant situated in the picturesque courtyard of the Pasadena Playhouse will transport you to a place where you can feel history and time. The food is excellent.

Norton Simon is the one museum in LA I never tire to return to and gladly accompany my guests there. If mimosas were involved at brunch I even attempt a little lecture on the impressionists. You may be surprised by the quality of this world class art collection.

Little Tokyo is a super fun half day tour, and it’s close to other downtown landmarks. Browse the essential Pop Killer, taste mochi at a historic Japanese mochi shop, enjoy reliable sushi at Komasa or Hama Sushi.

Other NELA eats:

Kitchen Mouse for breakfast or lunch in Highland Park. Delicious vegan options carnivores will love. Exit through an awesome gift shop and don’t forget to pick up little gluten free treats.

Gloria’s – excellent authentic Mexican in a very casual setting. The star dish is enchiladas Swiss’s with creamy poblano sauce. They serve cafe de olla. Breakfast or Lunch in Highland Park.

Malbec Market in Eagle Rock – tasty Argentinean without the attitude. Lunch or Dinner.

For lovely Taiwanese try Joy, For solid Ramen — Ramen on York. Both in Highland Park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate this Shoutout to Valerie Sobel, a long-time Angelina who is a living work of art of her own making. A philanthropist, an actress, a fine artist, a writer, and a muse, she’s been an endless source of inspiration in my life. Our paths have crossed when she invited me to design visual identity for a unique fundraising event she was producing to benefit Compassion Can’t Wait, an organization she founded and serves as the president. I immediately wanted to be involved once I heard her incredibly sensitive mission: When single parent families are in despair, we help with urgent expenses and this allows these parents to stay at their child’s bedside during catastrophic illness.

“I recognized the plight of others with dying children, sometime after my teenage son and husband died within one year. When I asked the question, how much worse could any family’s tragedy be than the one my family has endured?
The answer to my question was so immediate as to be akin to an epiphany. What if you were alone? It was difficult even to imagine how a single parent without emotional, financial, and physical support could survive the experience I had to… it seemed untenable.” Compassion Can’t Wait has already donated $8 million plus, and will continue help others.

In addition to running CCW she is a celebrated fashion icon appearing on pages of various publications including a stunning cover of “Advanced Style: Older and Wiser”, by book by Ari Seth Cohen that celebrates women over the age of 60 with unique personal style. Valerie Sobel styles herself combining iconic couture pieces with works of talented young designers, vintage garb and found object.

CompassionCantWait.org

ValerieSobelArt.com

Website: Badrak.com

Instagram: @oksanabadrak

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/oksanabadrak

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/583478834/