Today we’d like to introduce you to Elena Karaytcheva
Hi Elena, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I immigrated from Bulgaria to Texas with my family when I was really young. From the moment we touched down this feeling of needing to figure it out loomed over us, me. It’s manifested itself in each of our lives differently but the older I get the more I realize that’s probably where my drive comes from. That and my Eastern European roots. It’s a very tough but intelligent culture and I try to hold onto it when I’m writing but as those who are familiar with my work know, I also harbor a serious sensitivity so navigating these strange and sometimes relentless waters feels like it’s become my life’s work. I have many people to thank for helping me steer the ship. English teachers. Goat farmers. Best friends. The family I babysat for. My brother. My mom. The list goes on. Where I am today is still wondering if I can pull this thing off but I’ve got a debut project under my belt so I think at this point it’s just a matter of starting on the next one.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I love that you lead with smooth road. I gravitate towards writing and performing because I don’t feel the pressure of a road when I’m in the zone which makes the act of doing it so relaxing to me. The concerns come later when I’m thinking “Where do I even put this?” or “Is this worth anything to anyone but me?” The measures of success aren’t super clear to me yet. I did just publish my first book, FUNNY/SAD along with a short film I created to accompany it and then a live play that was performed at their debut. PHEW. The road was so rocky. I think it took me 3 years to get through the whole process start to finish. It was the first time I’d ever taken myself seriously as a writer and performer. Having to do the delicate dance between free-flowing creative and strict parent was illuminating to say the least. The material itself was just difficult for me to engage with because it happened to be a really clean mirror. Whoever reads this interview can probably tell I’m intense. I hear it all the time. I tend to hang out in a range of extremes and this often feels like trying to brake with your other foot on the gas. At this point in my life it feels like it’s been the biggest challenge. Not the times I’ve been heartbroken, or been late on rent. Or when my car broke down in West Texas so I ended up living on a farm for a year. Plenty of those moments. It’s the common thread behind these stories that, in my opinion, ends up creating the challenge.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
A book, a short film and a play. My current pride and joy. This is my most recent project and I think it sums my work up the best. It started with FUNNY/SAD, a book that I wrote while working and living on the farm. It’s a mixture of personal essays and poems written in a surrealistic style. I titled it that way because in my opinion there are two ways to react to something that reads like a diary. You’re either laughing or crying and I wanted to let readers know that both are safe and fine responses.
With the book I included access to a short film, GOOD APPLES, that adds some more dimension to this otherwise pretty ominous writing. The idea came to me as I was falling asleep on my brother’s couch. It’s like a shower thought. They come and you write them down and sort of forget about them but with this one I checked it in the morning and that was when I knew it had some grip. It’s a little more symbolic, as dreams can be. The hands of each character are painted a different color and it’s representative of the effect people have on one another. Then comes the attempt to cleanse but stains can prove tough. I directed and edited it myself and scored it with a friend. Shot in Houston so you’ll see some staple Houston locations.
Then we have the play! Unnamed. The characters on stage are chapters from the book personified showing the relationship I had with each one as I was writing FUNNY/SAD. With Chapter 1 constantly questioning me and itself, Chapter 3 trying to move things along, all the way to Chapter 13 revealing the true motivation behind the whole operation. We got a lot of laughs on opening night so I’ve decided to take it on the road. We’ll be heading to Marfa in the new year.
How do you think about luck?
LUCK. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. The stories of a person’s fate dropping right into their lap used to drive me nuts. The nepo baby on the cover of a magazine. A leading film role casted on the spot at someone’s bartending job. I think this idea of being chosen, or in a way given permission to do the thing you were meant to do sounds so enticing as if it has the power to relieve you from the fears associated with going after it. I always thought a stroke of luck would finally anchor me. In hindsight, I have gotten so lucky. Lucky with the work ethic my family instilled in me. Lucky with the slice of wild they also kicked over to me. Lucky that even in some of my darkest moments, someone would poke through the storm and at the very least share their umbrella. Bad luck has been a funny thing too. A few years ago my car broke down in a small town in West Texas and I thought it was just the absolute end for me. No mechanics. No one super interested in helping me figure it out. I was in such a bad mood about the whole thing until a stranger reminded me that this world owes us nothing and all of a sudden things started to open up. I was able to find work on a goat farm and lived in a trailer on the property for a year. That was where I met the editor of my book, Eileen Myles, who encouraged me to write and FUNNY/SAD was born. Ended up being a pretty lucky thing.
Pricing:
- FUNNY/SAD $16.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thehumangirl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenasthename/
- Other: https://thehumangirl.myshopify.com/products/funny-sad
Image Credits
Jon Freeze
Abby Simpson
Ryan Hollaway
