“Mistakes are material to work with” – a conversation with Estera Mrówka about art, synthesis and self-care.

Kamila Knap, Shroom:  We’re starting an interview with Estera Mrówka. How should I best introduce you? Because you have many passions and interests.

Hi, I’m Estera Mrówka. I work in visual arts, and besides that, I’m passionate about board sports.

Estera is a skater and probably one of the first female representatives of this sport on the Krakow scene.

Interesting, that could be researched somehow. Probably one of the first – there were certainly other girls riding too, but I probably stand out in this field somehow.

From our first meeting in 2008, I remember you with a skateboard in hand. 

Yes, it’s my passion, although now probably more snowboarding. A nice way to clear my head and my place in reality.

Estera, you’re someone who combines many passions in life, in yourself: a passion for art, for visual arts, for creating, for sports, and for people – because you actually like people.

I like people, yes. I think that’s why I find myself thriving as a teacher too.

Sport as a reset

It’s remarkable to like people.

It’s remarkable to like people, yes. In excess, I need to regulate it and I also like being alone with myself. I try to balance it. When I regulate it, I really do have this understanding for people. A person who makes mistakes looks more warmly at the mistakes of others.

I wanted to ask you about life balance. About your ways of taking care of yourself in a fast-paced world. How, having passions, an active social life and work, do you find balance?

It’s not easy. I have to admit you’re catching me at a moment when I feel very overstimulated and overwhelmed. I’m actually in the process of looking for solutions. Sport is definitely very important to me, as well as regular trips outside the city. I mainly mean snowboarding here – such trips mentally reset me. Simple things: silly jokes, lightness, ease, really relax me. On top of that comes the full focus that appears during sports. I feel like everyone can find a form of movement that suits their needs and abilities. For me, sports and related trips outside the city are a key element of recovery. And besides that – the classics: sleep from 11 PM and good food.

What do you mean by “good food”? Do you cook yourself? Do you find space for it during the day?

I try to, because it’s healthier and simply better for me. But I also regulate myself through the sheer pleasure of eating – good flavours, spices. I pay attention to what I eat and how I eat. Breakfasts and long mornings are particularly important to me, when I can eat peacefully, drink water with lemon. That’s real quality of life for me. Then the second round – coffee, and sometimes even Shroom Power.

 

And that’s also visible in the space you take great care of.

Yes, it’s strongly connected. Some time ago I received a professional ADHD diagnosis and many things simply became clear. I don’t treat it as an excuse or justification. It’s rather feedback from reality that helps me better understand how I function. Order isn’t an aesthetic whim for me, but a real need of my brain. It works very fast, “runs around,” and in a clean, organised space I feel calmer and it’s easier to manage everyday life.

Congratulations on the diagnosis! Ultimately, it’s meant to help you function better. It’s a new deal, not game over.

Exactly. You know: this I can do, this I can’t – and thanks to that it’s easier to move forward. There’s also less self-blame. I know how to handle myself better. Of course, there are people who use diagnosis as an excuse: “I have ADHD, so I can be late.” For me it works the opposite way. Since I have ADHD, I need to leave earlier because I know I might lose track of time. I need a watch, a system, structure. That’s responsibility, not a free pass.

Where do you look for inspiration on a daily basis?

It varies. I observe a lot of art, but I also have a sense that inspirations come to me on their own. I collect them like a receiver – I listen, watch, talk to people, observe myself. And very often an idea appears during routine activities. I have to write it down immediately then. It’s a classic process – incubation, and then sudden illumination. The brain processed something in the background and suddenly “click.” I really like that.

That moment when the subconscious speaks up is fascinating.

And it can wake you up in the early morning.

Yesterday I had exactly that. A formal, important deadline consisting of two steps. I was convinced I had everything checked off. And in the evening I jumped up because I realised I had only done the first stage, and the second completely slipped my mind – and a quick return to the computer followed. So now a question from the lofty category: in your opinion, is the world heading in a good or bad direction?

It depends whose world we’re talking about.

The world according to Estera Mrówka.

I live in hope. I’m a person who really has a lot of hope in me. I see many good examples around me and valuable people I try to surround myself with. I have the impression that social awareness is growing – of course in my bubble, but still.

On one hand, difficult information reaches me, on the other – I believe things will be fine. Of course, the climate crisis is a huge problem, but at the same time positive changes are happening in many areas. Sure, predatory property development isn’t a beneficial phenomenon and it’s definitely worth fighting for more caring ideals there. But at the same time I see that many people have gained a voice, and many groups genuinely live better today. And that truly makes me happy. I hope that autistic people – especially autistic women – live at least a bit easier today. Similarly, people with ADHD who, thanks to diagnosis, better understand their mechanisms and can “decode” their own minds. These are small stories, but very comforting.

On your path to finding yourself, were there moments you would call breakthrough? Or is it rather a continuous process?

Yes, there were definitely such moments. I’m the type of person who has very clear turning points in their biography. I went through a serious breakdown and had to literally dig myself out of it.

There are people who live more gently and don’t experience such collisions. Unfortunately, I had several very intense moments and it was precisely those that turned out to be the most important points for growth. One of them was my diploma. I was a very good student, had straight A’s, everyone was convinced my defence would go smoothly. And at that moment I experienced total freeze. Only later, in the process of self-discovery, did I understand that some people react this way to strong pressure. But what happened along the way – failing the diploma and fixing it – gave me enormous knowledge about myself.

I ultimately defended my diploma successfully, but I took away something much more valuable from that experience. To this day I use knowledge built on that failure and I’m really happy about it. Of course, I sometimes feel sad when I think about how much I complicated things for myself back then, but at the same time I built real value on it. That’s why I often tell my students too that it’s worth looking at mistakes not as failures, but as material to work with. They really have potential.

I think students must really like you.

I hope so. Besides passing on knowledge, I give them a lot of attention and warmth. If someone wants to work and is in the process, they’ll definitely get along with me.

Has anything recently moved you or lifted your spirits?

I love it when people behave nicely – unexpectedly, selflessly. I admit my brain has been a bit eaten up by Instagram lately, so the first examples come to me from there. But I try to consciously observe good stories. For example, I was very moved by an initiative from the UK – there are benches where consultants are on duty. If someone is in a mental health crisis, they can simply sit down and talk. Apparently this solution gives great results, people really use it. That simplicity and accessibility really moved me.

And if you were to say something from the heart to our mushroom lovers – is there a message from Estera for Shroom readers?

I totally love Shroom. I love that it’s a fancy drink you can have without alcohol, which I don’t like. It’s really a wonderful alternative. May the mushroom do your mind good. Ave. It’s beautiful that we can take care of ourselves in a pleasant way.

But as a producer I can’t say my drink does something like that, because law & order.

Right, watch yourself. But I can. 😉

Thanks Estera!!

Visual artist and graduate of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. She works with drawing, illustration, painting and printmaking – with a particular love for screen printing. Her work can be found in urban spaces across Poland. She teaches at the Screen Printing and Textile Dyeing Studio at School of Form (SWPS University). Three solo exhibitions under her belt, plus group shows and print festivals nationwide. Off the clock – on a board: skateboard in summer, snowboard in winter.