People: Chloe Sobejko
Name: Chloe Sobejko (she/her)
Location: Melbourne / Naarm. Practicing and living on Wurundjeri country.
Occupation/Creative Practice: Naturopath, Nutritionist, Herbalist, Artist, Founder of Body of Work
Who makes up your family? All the people and plants and sentient beings that nurture and support me.
What core principles and values inform your creative practice / day-to-day life? Leaning into and honouring complexity. The body is reflected in nature and vis versa. Utilising nature and these principals to healing. Collaboration and Symbiosis. Growing through diverse perspectives and expressions of being. Incorporating embodiment and empirical knowledge within my critical thinking. Inclusivity – everyone should be able to feel safe and at home in their bodies.
What are you currently working on ? Through Body of Work I’m working on several educational projects that incorporate education about food and/or the body in a way that uses creativity and promotes experiential learning.
For example, I’m working on a short film about the anatomy of the digestive system that explores biological processes from a more poetic lens. I’m also working on curating a series of embodied dinner parties and dining experiences. Eating is such an intimate act- what we ingest becomes and directs our physiology- my goal with these projects is to connect people to this and engender a rich and fruitful relationship.
What daily practices or rituals connect you with your centre? I’m always taking some herbal concoction. Living in a city / fast-paced environment can be destabilising. I find herbs help guide my body back into a rhythm that best serves it. Being a herbalist I’m naturally changing my formula in response to my body’s needs/seasons/intentions.
I always start the day with some form of body centred meditation or movement. I practice Ashtanga yoga which is a daily, repetitive practice performed in silence. Due to the repetition, I am given the opportunity to observe the subtle changes within myself each day. Through the practice I’m reminded of the flux and importance of not attaching myself too strongly.
What does community mean to you? And how does community care and self-care intersect for you? Our bodies are so expansive. The microbiology of the body and plethora of different species it houses, demonstrates this. We mutually consume and ultimately become one another through the transference of nutrients, oxygen, microorganisms, information and memory. From this perspective, the health of our bodies is tied to the health of the environments they exist within.
It comes back to the principal of how the internal mirrors the external; As we begin to see how our wounds are universal. That only in healing each other we become closer to heal ourselves.
In a world obsessed with constant growth and productivity, I think loving yourself is an inherently anti-capitalist act, because it allows you to be enough and gives other’s permission to love themselves by example. When you’re enough you don’t need anything more to complete- you’re not waiting for when you have enough stuff/knowledge/energy.
Seeing your true value allows you to show up for others, be better carers and lovers and friends, because you’re not concerned with not being ready or there being someone better to do the job - you can give what you have to offer in that moment, knowing that it will always be enough.
What is something you are proud of? I’m proud that I have a kind inner voice and the courage to peruse my passions.
My cup is full when... I am able to creatively express myself. When I’m laughing a lot. When I’m connecting with nature.
I'm grateful for... I’m grateful to be a herbalist. The profound wisdom of nature. The knowledge that I have received through various studies and mentors. My insatiable curiosity. My clients that trust and inspire me. The mutual healing that comes from my work.
Where can we find you? bodyof-work.com and @bodyof-work
02.09.2021
