LAC LA BICHE - Her unique artwork has been on display at several local shows in recent months, and the current Native Arts and Culture student at Portage College has even hosted some art workshops for community members since moving to Lac La Biche from Grimshaw.
For Soul Dachuk, her artwork is about self-expression and preserving her Indigenous heritage.
Dachuk enjoys working in various Indigenous art forms, and makes items such as beaded earrings, bracelets, ribbon skirts and dreamcatchers. She is also fond of creative writing, singing, painting, and sculpting.
“Making art or doing crafts is important to me because it is my legacy, it is the very essence of who I am, who I will become, and who I will be remembered as,” Dachuk told Lakeland This Week.
Dachuk also assists her mother in teaching Indigenous art workshops in communities surrounding her hometown in northwestern Alberta. She has also done three workshops since arriving in Lac La Biche to start her studies.
“I do workshops on how to make dreamcatchers, often harvesting the natural materials needed weeks before the actual date, which is always fun,” she stated.
Finding inspiration
With regards to how this artist goes about starting a project, she usually finds herself inspired either by something she has read, dreamt about, seen, or felt on an emotional level. Once an idea takes shape, the next step involves brainstorming and thinking of how she will present her piece to have the greatest impact on a viewer.
“Then I bring it to life with any medium of my choosing,” she said.
Since childhood, Dachuk has been highly creative, and as she got older, her arts and crafts became her greatest form of self-expression.
“My art allowed me to convey my emotions without having to utter a word and create connections with people in ways I never could have imagined,” she said.
Dachuk describes her artistic tendencies as a family tradition. Growing up, she watched her grandfather and older brother making art. Sitting next to them as they went about drawing in sketchbooks, or sculpting things out of a variety of materials, she took it all in, and before long, she started a sketchbook of her own.
While she was still in high school in Grimshaw, Dachuk taught art to elementary school students. Most of the classes, she said, were done during specific Indigenous awareness events. She also went into classes and taught the basics of traditional dancing, jigging, songwriting, and creating dreamcatchers.
“I always enjoyed those experiences, and often get told I would make a great teacher,” she said.
“My favourite part of teaching in schools is seeing young children show interest in what they are doing, and problem-solving instead of giving up.”
Once she has completed the Native Arts and Culture program, Dachuk hopes to become a knowledge keeper, preserving and passing on the traditional Indigenous art forms she has learned to future generations. Dachuk also would like to eventually earn a steady enough income through her future endeavours to create Indigenous-based programs to provide relief to people who are struggling.
The young artists says her family and her recent studying at Portage has helped make her a better artist and better person. Her current schooling has offered so many new ways to spark not only her creativity, she said, but also satisfy her thirst for knowledge.
“My style has become more confident and reflective of who I am, and the person I would like to become,” she said.
Working around her busy college schedule, Dachuk hopes to host more community workshops in the coming months.
