My journey to Art

Since childhood, I’ve always been drawn to creative self-expression.

I was born and raised in Ukraine. Prior to moving to New York City, I enjoy ballet and attended a ballet school back in my Kharkov, my hometown in Ukraine. I also enjoyed creative writing.

After I moved to NYC at the age of 20, I kept seeking various channels to add more creativity my life. I continued my passions for dance by taking on ballroom dancing. Then I found yoga. I fully immersed myself into all aspects of this ancient practice. Yoga completely changed my life. Besides the physical side of yoga, which tremendously improved my wellness, I dove deep into the study of the spiritual aspects of yoga through its scriptures. I was seeking to understand to what is there more to just us being a human being. My yoga teacher talked about Self-Realization, meditation, and how yoga can be one of the ways to Enlightment. This path of me seeking to understand the energy realms and quantum Universe, has lead me to have profound meditation and energy-filled experiences and expansions. I began to grasp that there is more to this whole existence than just being a human.

Being fully committed to follow yoga path, my entire life has changed. The incredible transformation happened in all areas of my life, and the gates of creativity opened up. I started my own company on health and wellness coaching called Be Vital You Wellness. I was also teaching yoga, organizing international and local yoga retreats. When I lived in NYC, I also had a small business on making raw vegan desserts and chocolates. I have done all of that while working and building my career as a professional in finance on Wall Street.

I started painting back in the late 2014 while I still lived in New York City. I answered a very sudden and strong inner calling to create and express myself. I fully surrendered to the process without knowing how and what will I paint. For a while, I was painting for myself only.

When I moved to the Bay Area, California in May 2015, my creative channels opened up even more. Being surrounded by the incredible ocean, forests, and redwoods, I was impressed by the Nature’s beauty and abundance, which contributed to expansion of my art. I started to reflect impressions of the inner changes and outer surroundings on the canvas.

I never thought I would be showing my art to the public, else exhibiting or selling it. Until one day I showed a photo of one of friends. That painting was called “In Your Head #1”. She had an art background, and she said that it looked like Joan Miro’s. I honestly did not know who that was, as I never been into arts or trying to find my inspiration from any of the artists or any of their works. My art is pure inspiration and co-creation with the Divine.

I never know or plan what will be painted next. I come to a blank canvas when I feel the calling to express and transmit various vibrations and energy from the Universe. And this is what makes me happy is to surrender to the process, and then take a step back and see what has showed up on a canvas. Its always such an “awe” moment.

I get the most joy knowing that my art inspires others to get more creative with their own talents, or that by looking at my works viewers feel the shift in their energetic being and letting their imagination flow to what is really painted on a canvas.

Art for me is like a culmination of all of my creative pursuits in life. This is why I call it Art As A Lifestyle as I can combine all my passions and show them in colors, shapes, forms, and textures.