Today we’d like to introduce you to Iuliia Pozdina.
Hi Iuliia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in the city of Perm, Russia. At the age of 5 I went to art classes, that’s where my introduction with art began. I went to art school. Then I graduated from a college in my hometown where I got my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. After graduation I started freelancing as a watercolor artist. I painted celebrities’ portraits in the beginning, I then moved on to nature, cities, animals and many other things. I had a few exhibitions in my hometown in Russia.
In 2014 I moved to Los Angeles where I continued freelancing as a watercolor artist. Also I took photography courses at LACC. During my life in Los Angeles I worked with a clothes designer to create sketches, also I was a personal art tutor, a content creator for a sound engineer and I did paintings upon request. I’m working with many customers for 5 years already. Also, I sell my paintings online, I paint for my friends and when I have an opportunity I give my artwork to famous people who inspired me. Recently I started to work with a children’s book author to create illustrations for the book. Also I’m planning to have my exhibition in LA soon.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was never a smooth road since the beginning of my art life. When I was going to art school and later to a college. I had disagreements with teachers almost all the time. In my country teachers don’t encourage creativity. They want every student to draw/paint the way the teacher wants. But everybody is different and everybody sees art differently. I didn’t like that, I didn’t want to paint like my teacher, I wanted it my way. So those conflicts made me hate art till I graduated and no one was able to control what I paint and how I paint. I was my own teacher. When I realized that I’m free of anybody’s judgment of my art, I loved art. I started to paint more and more and finally I got inspiration and desire to do more art.
Later when I started my career as a watercolor artist I was struggling with finding customers. The hardest part was to find customers willing to appreciate my time and my work, many people wanted to pay just $10 for a painting, I usually spend about 3-5 hours creating it. Also in the beginning of my freelance career, I didn’t take prepayments for paintings and many times I ended up with a ready painting and no payment at all, people just disappeared.
Another barrier in my art life was (and still is) laziness and lack of inspiration. Often I find myself not in the mood to paint, and I have a time frame to finish a painting ordered by a customer. And when there is a time limit I become more frustrated. Every time when it happens I have to find a way to fight the laziness and get myself in the mood to paint. Listening to my favorite music helps me to get motivated. Also I noticed that I get motivated when people tell me they like my art. That cheers me up a lot. There were dark times in my art when a few times I was about to give up on art forever. I thought I’m not talented enough and there are artists better than me and my paintings are worthless. But when I hear from different people that they really enjoy looking at my art, it motivates me a lot. And also I realize that yes there are better artists but I am the only one. There is no other me, and my art is different in its own way!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I do watercolor paintings, they are mostly portraits, animals, nature, cities. I paint on watercolor paper, sometimes on watercolor canvas. Also I can paint acrylic, draw by pencil and I can do digital art but watercolor is my favorite. Upon request I can do any painting as a customer wishes. I’m always happy to paint for anyone! So please contact me if you’d like to get a painting from me!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I think for me it is inspiration. When I’m inspired I do my work faster and better. Also it is discipline. It is very important to discipline yourself, to make yourself work when you’re lazy and also to find time for rest when you need.
Pricing:
- $100-200
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iuliia_watercolor/
Image Credits
Iuliia Pozdina
