Flickr: ania111

I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, went to high school and college in Seattle, WA and worked in the software industry for 5 years after graduation.

Then I quit my job and moved to NYC to pursue a dream of becoming a professional artist. I wanted to get an MFA first, but kept getting rejected from every school I applied to.

Then I thought to myself--fuck it, I'll get an MA in art history instead. In the meantime I kept working on my portfolio and took part in a few group shows and people actually bought my art. I finally got accepted to an MA program at CUNY which turned out to be a huge disappointment. I hated it. Then, one day, right in the middle of the semester I almost threw up during a lecture on Michelangelo. Turned out I simply had a stomach flu, but I took it as a sign to quit grad school. At the same time I was also running my own business (a clothing & accessories boutique called Loopy Mango) which I started with a friend a few months prior. So that was a good excuse to quit graduate school and not look like a complete loser.

Fast forward to 5 years later, what do we have--I'm still running Loopy Mango with Waejong, my art portfolio is nowhere near to getting done, I did manage to have 2 shows last year and sold 3 pieces, and now I am experimenting with photography. A friend introduced me to Holga and I fell in love with it. I like that it's so primitive and you never know what youi'e going to get. My ultimate goal is to find a way to combine my art (woodcuts mainly, may be some drawing and painting too, or even sculpture) with photography.

What inspires me? Art, fashion, people, new york. I get a lot of energy and inspiration from New York which I consider to be the greatest city in the world and I would rather drop dead than ever live anywhere else. My sister told me the other day that if my business fails and I run out of money that I can move back to Seattle and stay at her house for free. I thanked her and told her that I would have to shoot myself first. I love to walk around the city at any hour of the day or night with my holga and take pictures. I love to shoot around Clinton Hill in Brooklyn, where I live. I really love this neighborhood, it's my favorite in Brooklyn. I also like to shoot in more industrial areas, Dumbo for example. Coney Island and Brighton Beach are fun too and have their own character. I love people in New York--they are so amazing--hardworking, creative, fashionable, opinionated, kind, real. One of my favorite people is Waejong who is my business partner but she is also my muse. She has the most amazing fashion sense out of everyone that I know. She is also very creative.

Art that I like and find inspirational: Egon Schiele, Fra Angelico, Modigliani, Antoine Bourdelle, Otto Mueller, Boticelli, Michelangelo, Munch, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Beckmann, Shitao, Donatello, Ge, Goya, Larionov, Goncharova, Helmut Newton, Curt Hutton, Robert Doisneau, Marino Marini, Giacomo Manzu, Midieval sculpture, German Expressionist woodcuts.

My favorite fashion designers are (but I love so many of them--they are not merely designers, they are artists): Costello Tagliapietra, Nicolas Ghesquiere, Vivienne Westwood, Erin Fetherston, Dolce & Gabbana, Mischen, Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Mr. Larkin.

My favorite film directors are Lina Wertmuller, Jean-Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa, Sergio Leone, Mel Brooks, Georgi Daneliya, Cohen brothers, Christopher Guest.