…Create your art for yourself, not for your teacher, the jury, relatives, or buyers. There is no ultimate judge who can properly evaluate your creativity. Only you! For me, it was difficult to let go of the desire to please everyone in order to earn approval and a good rating from my mom, friends, aunt, etc. But it’s important to remember that art is not an exact science, and there is no single, universal evaluation…
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Yana Dmitrieva, a contemporary artist exploring emotions, fears, and the human struggle for self-identity and self-expression.
A graduate of the New Altai State School of Art and the Altai State Institute of Culture, she dedicated over 20 years to the career in furniture, interior and object design. In 2022, after relocating to Europe, she delved into the art world, making a long-held dream come true. Yana’s practice spans a variety of mediums, including oil on canvas, colored pencils and graphite, techniques that encourage introspection and are well-suited for exploring complex ideas. Currently, she is developing a new series that investigates the intricate relationship between the self and its inner contradictions, and aims to debut a solo exhibition soon.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in a small town in Siberia. When I was around 12 years old, I started immersing myself into creative pursuits — constantly painting and reading books. I loved dreaming and creating a world of my own, and this culminated in two pivotal decisions that shaped my adolescent life. First, I decided to dedicate myself to art and design. Second, I chose to never work for someone else.
As a result, I graduated from the Novo Altai State School of Art with a degree in art and design, and shortly after, I began my career in the furniture industry. Later down the road, in 2009, I transitioned to freelancing and gradually assembled my own team. Together, we built a highly-successful business, completing ambitious projects for global clients and curating artworks for interior spaces. It is a journey I feel really proud of.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
In 2022, I relocated to Europe. A personal crisis, coupled with the exacerbating global uncertainty, led me to a period of deep reflection. Creativity became my therapy, helping me to rebuild myself. I tried to reconnect with myself, with my family, the environment, and the society around me.
After developing a deeper understanding of myself, my curiosity and newly-gained insights led me to start studying other people. I have always had a strong interest in human nature, and so I wanted to better comprehend people’s emotions, desires, strengths, and weaknesses. Looking for similarities, differences, and patterns in the way we act, I discovered an impressive inner conflict arising between external circumstances and our authentic desires, i.e. our soul, and I wanted to illustrate it to others.
Thus, I started charting my path as an artist, which led me to complete the ART BOOST residency at the GET ART FIT School and to participate in several art fairs and group exhibitions in Montenegro, where I’m currently based.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I first moved to Herceg Novi, I had nothing here: I knew very little about the city, its people, and its traditions. Naturally, the first thing I did was get acquainted with a small local community of Russian-speaking artists. I wanted to learn how they worked, where they exhibited, and how they interacted with local artists and institutions. Back then, I was convinced that the local art community was very closed off; supposedly, they didn’t even want to meet foreigners, let alone collaborate with them.
Despite this, after some time, I attended an exhibition by local artist Mile Albijanić at the city gallery. I was so impressed by his work that I posted an enthusiastic review on Instagram and tagged him. To my great surprise, he responded to the post that same day and asked if I’d like to have coffee with him. At first, I thought it was a joke: “How could such a well-known artist in Montenegro invite me for coffee?” I thought it was some sort of prank and didn’t reply for about a day. But eventually, I answered, saying I’d be happy to meet him at the gallery.
Still half-convinced I was being tricked, I went to the gallery the next day — and we actually met! Mile gave me a tour of his exhibition, talked about some of his pieces, and then took me on a small tour of the city, sharing stories about other artists and key landmarks. Since then, we’ve occasionally run into each other at galleries and exhibitions, he’s introduced me to artists and gallery owners, and now, he’s even helping me organize my own exhibition at a local gallery.
The most amazing part of this story is that when we first met, I didn’t speak Serbian, and Mile didn’t speak either English or Russian!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am currently working on my new series of artworks, which explore human beings and their struggles with self-identity and self-expression. This series is particularly special to me because it wasn’t intentionally planned — it grew organically as part of my self-healing process and became a form of therapy.
This series of work reflects on the period when I found myself in forced emigration. Over the past three years, I’ve come to realize how, on one hand, it can be incredibly challenging for people to remain true to themselves in a new environment, while on the other hand, some people must leave their homeland to feel free to be themselves.
This is a deeply emotional project for me because it tells a very personal, intimate story. It’s always daunting to share your vulnerabilities and doubts with the world, but I expect it will heal others as it did with me.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I’m surrounded by so many fascinating people that it’s hard to single out anyone in particular to talk about.
Ever since I stopped holding on to relationships that felt burdensome or brought no joy, I haven’t been left alone — quite the opposite! Almost as if by magic, only vibrant, inspiring individuals seem to come into my life now, and each new connection brings fresh perspectives and opportunities.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
My main sources of inspiration are, without a doubt, people, constant movement, and diversity.
I deeply dislike stagnation. Over the past 20 years, I’ve changed homes 10 times, moving between different cities and countries. I also travel a lot around the world. What I love most is immersing myself in the history and character of the places I visit. I always explore the region through its iconic films, study its history, and read extensively about the people who shaped it.
For example, during my recent trip to Key West, I visited The Hemingway Home & Museum and picked up a few books. One of them, The Railroad That Died at Sea, tells the story of the construction of the railway that once connected the islands to the mainland. It’s a small book, but it vividly and poignantly narrates the tragic journey from the initial idea, hope, and triumph to eventual disaster. The storytelling was incredibly gripping and felt even more emotional because I was reading it right where the events unfolded.
By the time I made my way back across the islands to the mainland, I felt completely different. It was as if I had physically touched history — seen the people, talked to them, and lived through their victories and failures. The remnants of the old railway no longer felt like mere architectural structures; they became living pieces of history, infused with human hopes and the pain of tragedy. It was an incredibly profound and inspiring experience!
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I try to do this whenever I get the chance!
I love inspiring others, helping them overcome doubts and fears, and encouraging them to do things they’ve hesitated to try. For example, I recently took an emerging artist to a gallery with one of her paintings so she could propose it for an exhibition. It was her first-ever exhibition, and she was so afraid of being rejected. In the end, her painting was accepted!
Interestingly, this is also a source of inspiration for me. I truly believe that kindness creates more kindness around it.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. The way you create is the right way. It’s just you, your method, your path, and your vision. In my childhood, when I studied academic drawing, the teachers were always very authoritarian. They were all distinguished artists, and most of them were extremely demanding. The only “correct” way to achieve results was their way — down to the choice of pencil for shading. Essentially, they molded their students into miniature versions of themselves. Each teacher had their own vision, and you had to adapt to it. It was incredibly stressful!
2. Don’t be afraid to ruin the canvas — you have unlimited chances to start over. Many artists are afraid of the blank page. I experienced it too, thinking that every new piece had to be better than the last; otherwise, I wasn’t a good artist. This idea is another theorem imposed by teachers without any proof — the myth of the perfectly linear progression of an artist’s development.
3. Create your art for yourself, not for your teacher, the jury, relatives, or buyers. There is no ultimate judge who can properly evaluate your creativity. Only you! For me, it was difficult to let go of the desire to please everyone in order to earn approval and a good rating from my mom, friends, aunt, etc. But it’s important to remember that art is not an exact science, and there is no single, universal evaluation.
4. Nothing is impossible. Success can be achieved in any field and at any age, as long as you are consistent and passionate.
5. You can quit your work at any moment and do something else, and then come back to it later. This is completely normal.
If someone had told me this when I first started creating art, I definitely would have created many more pieces, and explored many fields that I’m passionate about.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I firmly believe that the most valuable works on the art market should belong to living artists, not deceased ones. I think we should encourage those whose blood is still circulating, and whose minds are capable of creating something new. If I had the opportunity to influence things, I would suggest reconsidering how art prices are determined within these two categories.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
Jerry Saltz. This amazing contemporary art critic, with his invaluable knowledge in the field, is truly remarkable. For any emerging artist, having the chance to show their work and discuss modern trends and opportunities with him is a dream. He is so sincere and straightforward — he’s probably one of the few people whose opinion truly would matter to me.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
You can follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn and my website https://yanadmitrieva.art/.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Yana Dmitrieva: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.