Life & Art with Hyde Chrastina

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hyde Chrastina.

Hi Hyde, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by walking us through your artistic journey.
Artmaking has been my safe space since I was a kid. Growing up, I was involved in a million things, but the art room at school was the one place where I could actually be quiet and connect with myself. I went to Philadelphia to study Interior Design, thinking that it would be a practical way to have a creative career. After moving to Denver and working as a designer for several years, I realized that it wasn’t the type of creative expression that was going to fulfill me, and so I quit the firm I was working for and traveled to India to study and become a yoga instructor. I was interested in the overlap of mindfulness and creativity as a means towards healing. When I returned, my partner at the time and I bought a retired school bus and converted it into a tiny house on wheels. We were creating a self-driven path where we could freely follow our passions rather than meeting the expectations of society. After the dissolution of our relationship, I let go of the nomadic lifestyle and began a tremendous healing journey here in Denver. Out of necessity, my own mental health and understanding the mental health of others in my life came to the forefront of my focus. I found fulfillment working with my hands as a full-time carpenter, which also gave me the stability I needed to be able to find my art practice again. Since then, my art has been foundational in rediscovering myself, and through my work I’ve been able to navigate and come to terms with some of the most difficult aspects of being human. Depression, identity, aloneness, entrapment, abuse, self-preservation, masking, perfectionism, transformation and non-attachment are just some of the concepts I confront and explore in my work. The art is a powerful means of reflection and understanding, just as it was when I was young.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I struggled for a long time with identity and self-worth, allowing myself to be defined by what I do or who I’m with rather than cultivating my own amour-propre from within. Deciding to leave a nine year partnership and the entire life that I had built entered me into survival mode for quite some time, but it was also an opportunity to start from scratch and confront the unhealthy patterns in myself and in my family that had been suppressed for too long. It is ongoing, and challenges will always come, but my ability to navigate them is what makes the difference now. Something my therapist helped to instill in me is this: “You can’t stop things from hurting, but you can trust in your ability to handle it.”

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I mainly work in ink, charcoal, watercolor and acrylic paint. Much of my work features detailed and intricate geometries, and I sometimes integrate figurative drawings on top of the geometric forms. My approach is rooted in my background as a designer – I start each piece as I would a hand-drafted architectural drawing. I love the precision of my tools and pens, and I lose myself in the careful, intentional nature of creating something manually. The geometry is a way for me to create order out of chaos – when my mind is a mess, the process of drawing becomes a meditation, and the balance I depict externally on paper creates balance and peace within. What I love most about the work is that while it is very personal, it remains open to the meanings that others may create out of it, and each person can find their own story somehow reflected in it.

How do you think about happiness?
Simple things – time in nature, feeling my bare feet on the ground, bird songs, breathing deeply. Cozy evenings with friends where we spend hours talking on the couch. Time can move so quickly sometimes, but the moments where we’re able to slow it down make me the happiest. I love the art and culture of the city, live music, unique exhibitions. Seeing and learning about other people’s art and creativity lights me up to no end. There is nothing more inspiring than authentic expression.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @hydechrastina (https://www.instagram.com/hydechrastina)
• Email: hydechrastina@gmail.com