Check Out Katerina Belenky’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katerina Belenky.

Hi Katerina; we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Writing about myself seems strange, yet I always do it on my blog. Hi, I’m Katerina. I am 32, a wife, a daughter, a writer, a creator, a social worker, a hockey lover, a best friend, and of course, a mother. I was born in Ukraine and immigrated to the US with my family when I was only 5. We landed in SF, and I spent my childhood and adulthood growing up in San Francisco. Life changed a bit, and two years ago, my husband and I relocated to NC. I love it here! I find that my story is that of everyone’s and also uniquely my own. I am creative at heart, and writing helps me process my trauma and grief while providing a creative outlet apart from the other things I love doing, which are making jewelry and embroidery.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Born and raised in a small town in Ukraine, immigrating to the United States was no easy feat. Neither was my desire to write. Writing wouldn’t ‘pay the bills, so it was placed on the back burner and removed from the career options list. I spent my life studying and devoting my life to other realms of work, becoming a Clinical Social Worker, which, funny enough, also doesn’t do the best job paying the bills. Still, it’s my passion, and my heart is in it, just like writing and creativity. In the past, my writing was more hidden in notebooks and scraps of paper that I kept tucked in the crevices of my desk because who would want to see it or read it? I felt that my story had been told repeatedly, and honing in my voice became a struggle. It wasn’t until having my son that that voice started to scream, and I knew the only way to get it out would be through writing. So I started writing and sharing my story and found that so many other women had gone through or knew someone who went through what I did. It built a community, and for the first time, I realized that my voice was not to be silenced but rather serve as an open door for so many others to come.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a writer, a jewelry maker, and an embroidery artist. My works can be found on Instagram and my Word Press blog.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Writing on its own is a risk, in my opinion. I had to decide that the words ruminating and bouncing around in my mind would make their way out into the world, and I didn’t know how people would take it. I wasn’t sure how my story would reflect on others or how comfortable I was with sharing the grief and trauma my family faced. Picking up that metaphorical pen was anxiety-provoking, but I couldn’t stop once I started. The words spilled out of me like a collapsing dam, and I couldn’t drain that water. I had to keep writing, so I have.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://likeamother.blog/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/likeamotherblogger?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= 

Image Credits
Taylor Robinson