We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anastasiya Arvest. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anastasiya below.

Alright, Anastasiya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Since I was a child, I have always loved art and drawing. I graduated from art school, where I studied drawing, painting, composition and art history. It was a very interesting experience, but I felt like Im just doing faceless repeating of classic things, that million artists already have done years before. And I missing something special, really important for my creative growth as an artist with own unique style.

I started work as art-teacher for over 9 years and all this time I never stopped looking for better ways to express myself in creativity. In 2014 I began to study botanical illustration and I really fell in love with this type of artistic expression. I can say that I am a self-taught artist in this creative field. In my home country, the style of botanical illustration was forgotten for many years. And only about 10 years ago this creative field began to revive. There was very little information about botany and I collected it literally bit by bit.

Communication with other artists helped me a lot in my creative searches; we exchanged interesting techniques, life hacks, books by European authors and information about foreign exhibitions. Since I was teenager, I’ve been hunting for interesting art books.

As a conсlusion, any professional training is just a kindergarten for a professional. The most important part of creative growth comes after. The searches, communication with like-minded people also is very important and help save time, to become a unique and mature professional in your field.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hello, my name is Anastasiya Arvest and I botanical artist and illustrator!

As long as I can remember, I have always loved expressing myself through creativity. Sometimes I can’t convey my thoughts in words, only in watercolor paints. I worked as ornament and tableware designer and art-teacher for over 9 years.

In 2014 I began to study botanical illustration and I really fell in love with this type of artistic expression. I collaborate with illustration agencies and private clients. I really love to reflect the beauty of nature in commercial labeling, packaging and stationery design. All my paintings are created with love, using high quality watercolor paper and paints.
Current member of American Assotiation of Botanical Artists.

My artworks can be found in private collections in the USA, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Spain and other countries.

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

For me, the most important and rewarding aspect of creativity is personal growth. There is nothing better than admiring the artist’s talent, setting a goal for yourself and looking back, feel delighted at how you and your art have changed.

There was one rewarding moment in my life connected with this. When I was teenager I bought a book by one of the American botanical artists with incredibly beautiful illustrations. I often turned to this book, looking at the wonderful illustrations, trying to understand how it was done. I really wanted to do something with the same masterpiece.

A few years later, I participated together with author of this book in a major botanical exhibition in New York. I was very happy at that moment, looking back, especially when I saw how much I had grown and changed as creative person during that time. It was a special joy to discover that my work from that exhibition found a good buyer.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

It must be the art of the future. For now, I am cautiously watching it. My illustration style is a refined watercolor in the technique of the masters of the past. Perhaps, with time, I will find a way to combine the past and the future in my work.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arvest_watercolors/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArvestWatercolors?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

Image Credits

Photographer Yana Ivanova