We recently connected with Anastasia Alexandrin and have shared our conversation below.

Anastasia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I remember the exact moment I knew I would be an artist. I was 11 years old, stepping into Barnstone Studios for the first time. The walls were lined with the most breathtaking drawings I had ever seen, and something in me shifted. I wasn’t just looking at art—I was looking at possibility. I decided, right then and there, that one day my work would be on those walls.

By 14, that decision had hardened into something unshakable. While other kids were figuring out what they might want to do, I already knew. I belonged in a studio, lost in the quiet rhythm of creation. I could spend hours—days—just drawing, completely immersed in the process, feeling the deep joy that only art could bring me.

People warned me, of course. It’s too hard. You’ll never make a living. You’ll always struggle. But their words never outweighed the pull I felt toward creating. I never saw failure as an endpoint—because artists don’t fail. We make. We persist. We evolve. And I knew, as long as I kept creating, there would always be another way forward.

I didn’t know how I would make it work. But I knew I would.

So I kept trying. I explored every possible avenue—selling, exhibiting, shifting, adapting—never willing to accept that there wasn’t a way. And through that persistence, through my absolute refusal to give up, I carved my own path.

And the journey isn’t over. I’m still evolving, still creating, still chasing that feeling I had when I first stepped into Barnstone Studios. That feeling that art is more than something you do—it’s something you become.

Anastasia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always been an artist—it wasn’t a decision, but a knowing, something woven into my bones before I even had the words for it. From the moment I stepped into Barnstone Studios as a child and saw the charcoal-stained walls filled with breathtaking drawings, I understood. Art wasn’t just something I wanted to do—it was who I was meant to be.
I’ve spent my life devoted to creation, to the quiet dialogue between paper and charcoal, to the way a single stroke can hold a thousand emotions. Over the years, I’ve not only built a career as an artist but expanded into something bigger—a bridge between creativity and sustainability.
At my core, I’m a charcoal artist and storyteller, exploring themes of transformation, resilience, and the raw beauty of becoming. My work blends intricate charcoal drawings with encaustic wax, gold leaf, and graffiti-inspired oil pastels, creating multidimensional pieces that feel as though they’re suspended between dream and reality.
I offer:
Original Fine Art & Hybrid Originals – Each piece is a reflection of movement, emotion, and metamorphosis.
Limited Edition Prints – High-quality archival prints for collectors who want to bring these works into their homes.
Creative Education – My Dreamscape Drawing Course guides students through unlocking their artistic potential, blending realism with the freedom of expressive mark-making.
The Art Festival Guide – A roadmap for artists who want to sell their work successfully at art festivals, bypassing years of struggle.
One-on-One Mentorship – For artists who want hands-on guidance, direct critiques, and the confidence to push their work further.
For collectors, my work is about connection. My art speaks to those who see themselves in the shifting landscapes of shadows and light, those who find beauty in evolution and imperfection.
For artists, I help solve the puzzle of sustainability. I know what it’s like to be wildly passionate yet burdened by financial instability. I know the weight of creating just to pay the bills, the fear of burnout. That’s why I teach artists how to sell their work, thrive at festivals, and build something lasting—without sacrificing their art.
For aspiring artists, my courses provide the structure, the techniques, and—more importantly—the permission to create without fear. There is no right or wrong. There is only movement, expression, and the deep satisfaction of making something real.
I live what I teach. I’ve built a life around my art—one that has supported me for over a decade. I don’t teach theory; I teach from experience, from mistakes made, and lessons learned the hard way.
I challenge the ‘starving artist’ myth. I believe artists can—and should—make a sustainable living doing what they love. I show them how.
I embrace transformation. Whether in my art or in my business, my work is about evolution, resilience, and the endless process of becoming.
I’m proud of my journey—not just the successes, but the persistence through struggle. I’m proud of every collector who has told me my work moved them. I’m proud of the artists I’ve helped—those who have sold their first piece, landed their first successful festival, or finally believed in their ability to make this work.
Most of all, I’m proud that I never gave up.
If you’re here, reading this, maybe you’re searching for something, too—a connection, an answer, a way forward in your own creative journey. Welcome.
I hope my work speaks to you.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Absolutely—I wish I had known about art festivals much sooner.

For years, I struggled to figure out how to make a living as an artist. The traditional paths—galleries, commissions, online sales—felt slow, unpredictable, and filled with gatekeepers. But when I finally stumbled into the festival circuit, everything changed. Suddenly, I had direct access to thousands of potential collectors, the ability to sell my work on my own terms, and a real, sustainable way to make a living from my art.

But here’s the thing: there was no roadmap for this.

I made every mistake—applying to the wrong shows, setting up my booth in terrible spots, fumbling my pricing, struggling to connect with buyers. It took years of trial and error, learning from other artists, and figuring out what actually works.

That’s why I wrote my Art Festival Guide—because I wish I had something like this when I started. A step-by-step resource that cuts through the confusion, helps artists avoid costly mistakes, and gives them the confidence to step into festivals prepared, knowing exactly what to do.

Art festivals have been one of the greatest gifts in my creative journey, and I want more artists to discover them sooner, without the years of struggle I went through.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It’s hard to put into words, because being an artist isn’t just something I do—it’s who I am.

But if I had to name it, the most rewarding part is the connection.

It’s that moment when someone stands in front of my work, eyes filled with something unspoken, and I know they see it—not just the lines and shadows, but the story, the emotion, the heartbeat inside the piece. That moment when a stranger becomes a collector because something I created moved them, resonated with something inside them. That exchange—silent, powerful, raw—is worth everything.

It’s also the act of creation itself. The solitude of the studio, the feel of charcoal under my fingers, the quiet rhythm of mark-making, getting lost in a piece until time disappears. There’s nothing quite like it. No matter what happens in life, I can always return to that space, to the pure and simple joy of making.

And then there’s the thrill of teaching, of watching another artist unlock their own potential. Seeing them take a technique, an insight, a shift in perspective, and suddenly—they get it. Their work transforms, their confidence grows, and I know I’ve helped open a door for them the way others once did for me.

Being an artist means living in constant transformation, always evolving, always pushing, always reaching for something just beyond my fingertips. And that journey—the endless discovery, the deep connection, the magic of creating something out of nothing—is what makes it all worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anastasiafinearts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aalexandrin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnastasiaAlexandrinArtist/

Image Credits

i have all the rights to these images