Quotes

To me, great personal style begins with a strong sense of identity. Self-awareness and understanding are, in my opinion, crucial aspects of human development, the foundation stones of living well. I believe my style writing resonates with readers because I encourage them to actively seek out their true selves and pursue life without being slaves to brands, conventions, or anything else, for that matter. Also, people generally seem to enjoy pictures of cute, adventurous outfits.

Russia has an incredibly rich, albeit occasionally selective, art history. When I was growing up in Moscow, my parents took me to museums, to puppet shows and to plays. Our apartment overflowed with modern and classic art books*, which I devoured cover to cover every chance I got. Despite the bleak economic times and my family's very average income, they truly valued the arts and I will always be grateful for their efforts to keep me cultured. By seven, I was in love with Modigilani, Dix, Dali, Kustodiev, Leonardo, and so many more. You could say I was artistically-promiscuous at a very young age.

The idea of other worlds and the infinite potential of the universe were big themes for me growing up. My grandfather, my favorite male role model, was a physicist. A true scientist, he, seeing my fascination with all things fantastical and wanting to gently shift me away from spirituality, taught me about space, rockets, nebulae and black holes. I decided I wanted to be a cosmonaut. Around the same time, Russia became obsessed with UFOs and extraterrestrials, which played right into my already-rampant escapism.

I'll be truly happy only when I'm finally able to paint and write simultaneously, while looking out at my parked rocket from the balcony of my Martian tower.

The creative process, while absolutely vital to my existence, is much more of a compulsion than a release. With painting I'm always struggling to perfect and evolve. I'm never happy when I'm finished with a piece and I never feel like I fully explained what I saw in my mind. Photography is relaxing because the lens is an extension of my eyes, not my brain. It's not about conveying what's inside but about falling in love with the outside world. And love is never, ever cathartic. Except in bed.

What does alternative culture mean to me? The currents that run below the surface - themes, objects and histories that require investigating. Inspiration that's chosen and sought out, rather than flickering from mass-media screens, or spoon-served in 'viral' marketing campaigns. I like to dig for my culture.

Growing up in the Soviet regime and then watching its very public demise did a lot for the way I interact with reality today: there is nothing I don't question. This isn't meant to sound bleak - having no trust in systems is essential for artists.