We recently visited sunny Los Angeles for Adobe MAX 2025, where we learnt about all the cool stuff happening at Adobe, got inspired and hung out with some rad members of the creative community.  

One of the folks we caught up with was Adobe MAX speaker Natasha Polozenko – an Australian creative who lives in New York and shares process videos on social media that’ll make you go, “Huh?” 

Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do. I am an illustrator and creator. A lot of my practice is doing illustrations, but then I like to share my process and show people how I got to where I got with my projects. A lot of the time that is using Adobe software – Fresco, Illustrator, Photoshop. I also share fun things to either educate or entertain people through my illustrations.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Natasha Polozenko (@nataszko)

How did you get into an art career? My background is in landscape architecture. That's what I studied in my undergrad. I moved to the United States 11 years ago to do my master's in landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. After that, I was set to get into the field, but I really found myself drawn to the illustration side of it. I loved creating little drawings of the designs versus all of the behind-the-scenes engineering stuff. And so, around Covid times, I was like, “I'm just gonna dive head-first into this.” That's when I started my Instagram profile and started sharing my illustrations as well as tutorial content. 

Was there a key moment when you realised this could be your career? At the beginning, there wasn't as much talk about people getting money from doing Instagram or YouTube; it just wasn't a thing as much back then. At some point I started getting brand deals and people started to commission me for illustration. And I was like, “Wait, there are so many different little ways to make money as a creative.” Maybe it’s a little bit here, a little bit there, but then you start to build this big picture. I started working with an agent, and that felt like taking it to the next level, where she was bringing in so many new things that I wouldn't even have thought about when it comes to making money as a creative. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Natasha Polozenko (@nataszko)

You often experiment with weird materials, like Vegemite or paint that appear to be scraped onto your iPad. What's your process for coming up with ideas for these strange methods? I always want to create something that gives people that moment of, “Wait, what's going on here?” It gives that moment of pause, or delight, or excitement. I have these ideas and go to the drawing board and start to figure out, “How can I do this without breaking my iPad, while making it look realistic?” Sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes, I'll have crazy ideas and it’s a dud that doesn’t go anywhere. I'll use Premiere or After Effects to make that magic come to life. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes smoke and mirrors happening. But it all starts with a “what if” question. 

How did you learn how to use tools to achieve the “smoke and mirrors”? My background in architecture means that I've always been using Photoshop. I've been using the industry standard tools. And then along the way, even before I started getting into illustration, I did a little bit of motion graphics. It didn't really go anywhere, but it taught me the basics of how to mask something or track something, to create some of that smoke and mirrors stuff. Along the way, I picked up some of those skills in video editing and After Effects. All of these little experiences cobbled together. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Natasha Polozenko (@nataszko)

Do you ever experience creative block when you're trying to think of new ideas? In my notes app, I have a whole list of ideas that I'd love to explore and experiment with. But sometimes if something doesn't work, then I start to get in my own head a little bit too much, where I'm like, “Oh my god. I haven't posted in two weeks and I need to create something good now.” I put this pressure on myself and it's almost like I block myself creatively from trying new things, because I feel that pressure to produce. Sometimes I have to lean back on things I've done before.  

What’s on your mood board? I have a distinct style in my illustration work, and sometimes I'll grab a few of my own pieces that I really love, that I feel like are so representative of my style, and I’ll put that in the middle of the board. Then I'll start to grab things. I'm a big Pinterest person, so I'll grab beautiful visuals that I think support that idea. I like having that mood board there as a baseline for when I'm creating. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Natasha Polozenko (@nataszko)

What would be your dream project to work on? I recently was drawing some celebrities on the red carpet. I feel like that was a dream project of mine that came to life. I would love to do more of that stuff, specifically for fashion. I would love to be at a fashion show and live-sketching the looks coming down the runway – especially of some of the brands that I really admire. I think that would be the ultimate goal. 

What are some of your favourite brands? This is gonna sound so basic, but I love Schiaparelli. I think that any time I see a piece, I want to draw it. I just love the artistry. I love anything that has an Old Hollywood sort of influence. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Natasha Polozenko (@nataszko)

What advice would you give to up-and-coming artists who want to make a career out of art, but they're not sure how? I think a big thing that a lot of people face is this thought of, “I need to show everything so I can get as many clients as possible.” But I think that by really staying true to yourself, finding your style (or a style that you at least want to start off with) and really believing in it, the clients will come to you. If you spread yourself too thin and show all these different styles, then no one's gonna come to you. Having a very strong sense of yourself and your art is really key.