Innovation

Natalia Vasilenko is the founder of her own business, in which she created a sustainable way to provide people with thorough tours of Vienna Art Museums while enjoying what she loves to do. In the beginning, Natalia’s work was not very easy, and she had to work very hard to get to where she is today. “At the beginning, nobody knows you… On my first guided tour, only one or two people showed up”, Natalia told us. Not many people knew of the existence of Natalia’s business. Starting a business is the most difficult part when you have no audience and have not established relationships with the clients. “It took me about two years to grow my visibility… Now, I do about three guided tours in a week, and I have as many as 15 people participating each time… One must just be patient.” Natalia has come a long way from the beginning, and her persistence and innovative methods have paid off.

Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of Natalia’s business is that she did not have partners at the launce of her business that helped her through the startup process. She did this all on her own, her core business is based on her own creative persona. She can handle her time extremely well and being a master of her own time is extremely important for her. Natalia is a passionate lover of art, which helps her execute the role of her business much better. Natalia’s business offers a unique experience that allows visitors and residents of Vienna to connect with art in a meaningful way, promoting smart rest, mindfulness, and a positive outlook on life. Her tours contribute directly to mental health and wellbeing of her clients through incorporating art appreciation into her approach.

Natalia’s success is a testament to the power of combining passion, creativity, and a desire to make a positive impact on people’s lives. The role of art in sustainability has a much deeper meaning for Natalia: “It's about feelings… you can always connect with art.” Natalia emphasizes how art can help you get in touch with your own emotions. Her innovative approach demonstrates how art can be used as a powerful tool for improving mental health and wellbeing, and she serves as an inspiration to others seeking to create meaningful change in their lives.

Inspiration

Natalia, as an art historian, with diploma from Moscow State University started doing guided tours as a way to find something meaningful for herself. She wanted to do something that would satisfy her interests and passions while also providing value to others. She initially started with guided tours of the most popular spots in Vienna, but quickly realized that her true passion lays in guiding tours in museums and current art exhibitions.

Many people who offer guided tours find inspiration in a variety of ways. In the case of Natalia Vasilenko, her love for art and history served as her primary source of inspiration for her guided tours. This is a common theme among art historians and museum guides who have a deep appreciation for the works of art and cultural artifacts that they present to their audience. Natalia wanted to share this passion with others in a way that would be engaging and informative. By focusing on specific topics, she is able to give more in-depth information by storytelling and provide a more personalized experience for her clients and allow them to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the subject matter. According to Natalia, guided tours “are better for her and for other people”.

Regardless of the source, the key to a successful tour is to have a deep passion for the subject matter and a commitment to sharing that passion with others and Natalia does this perfectly.

Overall impact

Natalia doesn't want to be a regular tour guide who is just there to give visitors some extra information. It is very important to her that her tours create a positive impact on people, and this does not necessarily have to be immense. Her main goal is to make sure that at the end of her tour, her clients feel somewhat of a different kind of person compared to what they felt at the beginning of the tour.

She really wants them to understand the power of art and what effect it can have on people and their mental health. After her tours, people often tell her that they feel much more relaxed and conscious. The fact that they have learned new things and were drawn out of their daily routine and busy lives for a moment makes them unwind completely. "When you go to a museum or gallery, or just to have an eye from time to time to see the art pieces, I think your feeling of beauty will be deeper and everyday life will be more satisfying", told us Natalia.

On the other hand, experiencing art in some way also creates a sense of connection. Not only with each other, with self, but also with the people or ideas represented in the artworks. "When you see the problems that people had in the past and continue to see them in our present, art is there to focus on these problems, so people can also see it or feel it and then this connection happens", emphasized Natalia.

When one sees themselves and their daily situations, reflected in the artworks, a form of empathy arises, something one might not have expected beforehand. At the end, experiencing art also creates a deeper connection with your inner self, and perhaps that is even the most important thing of all. With her guided tours, Natalia thus does have a big impact on other people's lives, although sometimes she may not realize it herself.

Business benefit

It is very important to mention that Natalia’s venture is first of all a business, and a business that is profitable and creates a foundation of her personal financial and mental wellbeing. That is something that makes her very special, because with her guided tours she is adding value to her audience and contributing to the SDG’s but at the same time her business is set up in a way that each week she receives a stable income from the tours she provides to her clients. In the interview she told us that her business saw a growth after the COVID pandemic because of the mental issues many of clients were suffering at that time. Her business provides some kind of healing for the people who were depressed after the pandemic. Combining her interest in art and history she founded a new service that created a new target audience for this kind of tours.

Natalia Vasilenko is a role model for promoting female entrepreneurship. She told us that it is important to keep a focus on what one finds really interesting for self-development and start to commercialize it. She explained that her primary business model operates without the help of other people because only she can provide the service offered to her clientele. The reason why her business is prospering, is the fact that she provides her clients a full-immersive guide tour that really brings her audience to a better mental state. She explained that her USP was the fact that when you order a regular guide from a museum, you as a person will not normally get the level of emotional connection with the artwork that she provides. Further the service she offered replaces in some ways a psychotherapist, because her tours provide a stress-relief and break the routine of daily life.

Social and environmental benefit

Natalia Vasilenko’s business achieves two of the SDGs in diverse ways, thus creating social and environmental benefits. Natalia’s business mainly targets the SDG 3 "Good health and well-being". First and foremost, Natalia prioritizes her own well-being over her work to ensure that she runs her company efficiently. Also, Natalia achieves this goal effortlessly due to her love for art. Her appreciation for art helps to improve her mental health, as well as the mental health of her clients who appreciate art as much as she does. Natalia has also fostered a positive work culture by emphasizing the well-being of herself and her clients and network of business partners. By taking these actions, Natalia has contributed towards the achievement of good health and well-being for both herself and her clients.

Another SDG achieved by Natalia’s company is 16 "Peace, justice, and strong institutions". By offering art tours, Natalia is promoting cultural understanding and appreciation, especially for the Russian speaking people from Russia and Ukraine that can enjoy her tours and leave behind all the pain they are suffering at the moment. The tours generally provide an opportunity for individuals to learn about diverse perspectives and cultures through art. Doing this can also help foster a more peaceful society and community engagement, thus connecting communities of different people. Also, because her tours improve the mental health of others and herself, Natalia is helping to create a more just society. These tours can encourage individuals to explore their creativity and express themselves through art, improving mental health and creating resilience in the lives of people.

Interview

Natalia Vasilenko, Founder