We were lucky to catch up with Phoenix recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Phoenix, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I picked up my first camera at the age of 11, when I was just a child living in a small town in Ukraine. Back then there were only film cameras and I found them to be incredibly exciting, it felt like I was creating magic when I was shooting. As I grew older I kept refining my skills because in my head I would imagine all sorts of beautiful imagery that I wanted to capture with my camera. At 18, when everyone goes through the path of making a choice what to do with their lives, I decided that I wanted to be a full time artist. Needless to say, my parents weren’t exactly thrilled with that idea. As I grew older I would do photoshoots and create different costumes as my passion and work art-related jobs to make a living. Finally, when I was 27 I was able to switch to doing art full time. It was a difficult journey but a very rewarding one thus far.

Phoenix, 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 an a Seattle-based creative photographer specializing in fine art imagery that I print on canvas. I have a stand at Pike Place Market where you can purchase my work. I mostly photograph nature and cityscapes, but I also really love doing photo shoots with people where I dress them up in fantastical costumes making them look like goddesses and mystical creatures full of grace, power and beauty. I’ve always preferred creating photos that look better than reality, something that elevates the mood and gives a sense of mystery and surreal allure.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Nowadays more than ever artists need support from the society to make a living. We live in the digital era where an enormous amount of fantastic art is posted on social media every day, and people get to see it for free, hence they assume that art should just be free, and that artists are supposed to create merely out of pure inspiration. However, artists live in the capitalist world just like everyone else, and we also need money to pay for all the living expenses. If you have the opportunity to, go out and buy the handmade prints, jewelry, sculptures and all sorts of art media which makes our work’s existence possible.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to make daily life more enjoyable, I want to bring a sense of wonder to the viewer. I want them to feel elevated, happier, more confident.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: seattle_royalphoenix