About her childhood, education, the authority on the talent, and how hard to be successful modern artists will tell Daria Shytikova, the initiator of the art-project "Outsider-Art", the press-secretary of the Union of Artists "Master Peacemaker".
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Daria, do you remember which occupation you’ve wanted to choose in childhood and how have your dreams been changed?
There was no clear direction in occupation as I was interested in many topics: reading, dancing, painting, singing, cooking, and communicating in order to know people better. I could spend hours watching birds and animals. Besides we have always had pets at home: cats, dogs, parrots, ferrets, and aquarium fish. Even a water snake lived in our house at one time, until we got tired of catching frogs for it, so we released the snake.
I remember when being in the sixth or seventh form we got a home task to write the topic “Whom I want to become” and I wrote that I want to become a forester. At that moment I was under the impression of the works by Vitaly Bianki, Viktor Astafyev, Pavel Bazhov, Georgy Skrebitsky and others. A little bit later I realized that the "romanticism" of living in the wilderness alone, walking with a gun and shooting if you have to, catching poachers, etc. - this is not for me. But the love to nature has remained with me for all my life. Now I have a pet – this is a dog named Bianca, yes, she is named after the above mentioned writer. Also it turned out that this word in Italian means "white." She really looks like this: white, small, fluffy and beloved by all my family members.
Also I really like to take care of my flower garden, where there are mostly decorative perennials. And last year I began to grow medicinal plants. That is, so to say, one of my resources of the spring-summer period of the year.
In about tenth form I wanted to be a cosmetologist, probably because I knew biology as a discipline quite well. Also I wanted, like every woman, to save youth and health for longer time. And again the aid of nature came to help: I studied medicinal plants following the encyclopedia; my grandmother who lived in a village told and showed me a lot in practice. It somehow harmoniously happened in high school that I began to make face tonics using various infusions and decoctions of herbs. Now I produce creams, soaps, shampoos of natural ingredients for personal use, because the cosmetics from the store cause my chemical allergy. Fortunately, making all this today is more accessible - many of the ingredients are sold in pharmacies, special stores, besides I have more knowledge at the moment.
During my final school year I wanted to become a teacher and even admitted after leaving from high school in the Pedagogical University for the Faculty of Natural Sciences, but I did not have passing scores in order to learn using the budget form. I refused flatly from paid education.
While studying at school I began to write poetry. My first works were written inspired by the exploits of the literary hero Conan- the Cimmerian of American science fiction writer Robert E. Howard. The school psychologist came to our home after reading them to find out what was going on in our family once a child had been written such things! But it was easy - my father had brought a collection of books of this author that I read it "in one breath" (I have always liked science fiction). And imagine what means giving a teenager’s fantasy such a fertile ground! After that I realized that my literary works should be shown selectively and not to everyone.
Then there was a literary circle, poetry publications in a local newspaper, literary competitions at school. For example, when entering the Pedagogical University, I gave all my literary diplomas and certificates to the enrolment board and they said to me - "You are entering a wrong place!" and in the end lost all my documents. A year later I entered the Faculty of Journalism of the BSU.
I worked many years in media: print, web publications, television. I started as a correspondent, and then - as a copywriter, columnist, editor, managing editor, chief editor, script writer, editor in chief. All my ambitions in journalism were satisfied completely by the age of 28. Besides I’ve not just worked a lot and hard - journalism involves 24 hours work – I’ve loved my job. For example, I even forgot to eat while working on an article or writing a script, participating in the filming or splicing of a program. And it was all right for me because it is real happiness to love what you're doing.
I painted well in a childhood. My parents even received an offer from an art teacher to send me to a specialized art school. But since it was a closed-type training school and I would come home only on weekends my father said "No". Now I am grateful for that, because I would not see and know much in my life - journalism has expanded my abilities as of a human being and a person.
But one day I acknowledged that working all the time only in this path is already boring for me. But I had no idea what to do next. I did not draw since school and did not even think about how to re-pick up at least a pencil - I was a first-rate journalist but not an artist. But life had other plans for me.
It was winter when during a walk I felt a great desire to paint - no matter what and how. However, I ignored it. After some time the urge to be creative repeated with such a force that I couldn’t stand against it. I took a pencil, a sheet of paper and this started...
Of course I remember - it was the work on an A4 sheet of paper, executed in pencils of varying graphite hardness in zendoodling style. This word has two components: "zen" means "concentration” in Japanese and “doodle" is the English word for a “meaningless figure". It happened as a result of to styles mixing - Zentangle and Doodling. «Tangle» is an English word. But in general it is mechanical intuitive drawing of lay figures, hooks which does not require special skills.
At first I just drew some lines, strokes. And that's what helped me to get through the fear of "I can not draw" because still it turned out beautiful. Over time I understood that it is necessary to switch to color, what materials to use and what to draw. At the same time I perfected my knowledge, skills.
The first work in color which I especially remember is called "Birches." I remember it because for me it is a shining example of a fact that not always something what we want to do matches the result. The background is the following: there is a birch alley next to my house which is very nice for a walk at any time of the year. And I wanted to depict the path, the birches illuminated by the evening summer sun. But the paint began to lie down as it needed. As the result, it was the painting which combined together the strokes of different colors. Yes, you will not find there birch trees in the conventional sense but you will feel my impression of warmth of the sun rays playing on the cortex through the foliage.
There was a stage in my life during which I was able to devote all my spare time to painting only. I painted several works a day, I was drawing for 8-10 hours a day, and I watched workshops of different artists. Drawing something at that period was easier for me than to write something - words, sentences seemed heavy-weight constructions to me. Nowadays I feel equally comfortable both when writing and painting. Also I go further from the fear that I can not draw, that I have no academic artistic base. In fact, many well-known artists had no specialized education: Van Gogh, Henri Rousseau, T.Zheriko, A.Tuluz-Lautrec, N. Chepokov, etc. Therefore, the main thing, as I think, is to believe in yourself, to go for broke in the working process, and to be happy due to the opportunity of doing things you love, to the process, outcome, and to the fact that the viewer likes the painting.
Could you please tell about your present stage of the creative path?
I fudge on an abstraction to objectification in my works, but I don’t refuse from the first one completely. It just becomes different, more convex, concentrated. I prefer such materials as acrylic, watercolor, oil pastel, and I like to mix techniques - this gives an interesting final result. It may seem at first glance that the picture simply depicts color spots, but after reconfiguring the focal spot, for example, as in the case with a stereo effect, it is possible to see that the image becomes "alive." Also I allot time to photographing, which, by the way, has become my hobby earlier than painting. Also I am planning a solo exhibition - a unique mix of painting, photography, poetry and prose.
Literature has affected my becoming as a whole. I started writing prose after I had read the "Evenings on a Bowery near Dikanka" by Gogol. I have decided that I will manage this too. Not immediately, but I managed ... Nowadays, for example, I work at adult fairy tales with my illustrations.
Have you ever faced with any difficulties while working at a painting?
Anything may happen. For example, in the painting "Golden Hair Angel" which I painted for the art project "Angels of Peace" I couldn’t depict the angel’s eyes for a long time as eyes are the mirror of soul. And how is possible to reflect it? But if you try with diligence, you will manage everything.
Daria, how much difficult is to reach success for a modern artist?
Success - is a multiple component, which includes talent, inspiration, hard work, materials, the environment in which the artist works, his/her network, exhibition, finance, etc. You also need to understand what is the expression of success for you - the number of “likes” for a publication in social networks, exhibitions, admirers, the number of sold works or is it something else. In general, a successful artist - is not just a good artist, he/she should still be able to present himself/herself to the society, to know the English language at least. And there are many other nuances.
to see that the image becomes "alive." Also I allot time to photographing, which, by the way, has become my hobby earlier than painting. Also I am planning a solo exhibition - a unique mix of painting, photography, poetry and prose.
The exhibition "Two Rivers" in 2012 was the first one. I exhibited my paintings together with the works of venerable artists of the International Public Association "Master peacemaker." At the moment I am also a member of this creative Union.
I made my debut in Europe in the collective exhibition of contemporary art «Sainte Shapelle» in Italy, year 2013. If I have an opportunity, of course, I try to participate in exposures which are close to me in spirit because paintings, located directly in front of a viewer "alive", are perceived differently than on a screen. Although a personal web-site also plays a good supporting role.
What advice can you give to young artists? At what should they pay attention more often and what should they try to leave outside their creative vision?
If you can not paint - do not do it! Look for yourself in something that will fill you with joy and happiness, do what you really like, in socially acceptable limits of course. And if you can not live without painting - go and work. Even talent dies without diligence. And those to whom much is given have a higher demand.
I believe that every person should be in constant progress – study. Knowledge not only enriches you, it also makes you a sought-after specialist. For example, I have begun to pay more attention to art-therapy because I often give charitable workshops in intuitive painting at exhibitions.
Daria, what does inspire you?
When I paint, I feel that a huge stream of love is coming through me, lying down with the paints on the canvas or paper. I think that is because my works are filled with certain magic that fascinates my audience. This is what inspires me.
My interview for the magazine "Whom to be"