Q: Can you describe the moment you realised art was more than just a hobby - when it became something you felt deeply called to pursue?

A: I can never be normal about the things I like—I always seem to become mildly obsessive. I discovered I could draw when I was nine years old, and I realized that if I practiced every single day, I would get better and better. That lured me in.

However, art wasn’t the only thing I really liked, and choosing a future career path as a teenager was rough. I ultimately decided to dedicate myself to visual arts when I realized that nothing else made me feel as free and powerful. I never felt the urge to compete or compare myself to other artists (which I can’t say about my other interests). With art, I feel confident and secure as I am. It makes me feel seen and understood more than anything else.

Q: Tell us about your go-to studio rituals or favourite tools that ground you each day. How did they become essential to your process?

A: Cliche, but music is very important to my working process. I often take breaks in between creating by dancing. Movement helps me stretch and work stale muscles, which is important if you're working in the studio the whole day! It also helps regulate and ground my nervous system; I highly recommend dancing to get rid of stress.

Q: In the early days of your journey, was there a challenge, whether technical or emotional, that almost made you stop creating? How did you overcome it?

A: The challenge for me was that I felt like I had stopped improving. It was getting more and more difficult to hone my skills, and it was very frustrating. I felt like I was past my prime, even though I was so young and it was supposed to be just the start of my journey! Heartbroken, I often thought about quitting, but I found another way - turns out learning a new technique from scratch can become a great source of hope and inspiration.

Trying new things forces one to look at things from fresh perspectives, thus leading to seeing previously mastered crafts through a different angle. Create a new approach to an old problem.

Q: How do you define ‘success’ as an artist, and has that definition changed since you first began pursuing your craft?

A: It still is hard to define artistic success for me. Would a person who sold their work as a product placement to some brand be considered successful? From a profit standpoint, yes, but from an ideological standpoint, does it not make said person a capitalistic sellout? Would a person who found the ultimate way for self-expression through art be considered successful? Probably yes, but does he make a living just breathing for creation? I guess the answer shall lie somewhere in between public recognition, cultural impact, martial profit and personal spiritual fulfillment.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone just discovering their passion for art - something you wish you’d heard when you first started?

A: You do not have to have everything figured out immediately. Art does not oblige to modern society's expectations and rhythm of living. Move at your own pace.