Maria Ilnitskaya is an artist and illustrator from Almaty. She told how she came to creativity, where she finds inspiration and what difficulties artists in Kazakhstan face.
About myself
I am an artist, illustrator and owner of a small brand Mimi Ilnitskaya.
I am engaged in the fact that I express all my thoughts in pictures and animation. Thus, I find people who are consonant with me.
Since childhood, I was prophesied a creative path. Therefore, I began to study as an artist from the seventh grade. A long way of studying at KazNAI, and then at KazGASA led me to the advertising business. In this industry, I tried myself as a commercial illustrator. And I am still doing this to this day.
About creativity
My work is a diary of life! Everything that I experience at every moment, all my reactions, loves, change of residence — are reflected in the illustrations. If book illustrators depict a paragraph from a work in a picture, then I transfer my life into an artistic format.
You can catch inspiration from everything: a song, a conversation, an acquaintance, nature, a movie or an anime. Once you have caught the response within yourself, as soon as you feel your interpretation or reaction, it's time to sit down and create.
About activities
I have many projects — and I adore them! For my brand, I am launching a capsule clothing drop for the January events, where there will be only 100 units. But if we add up all the things in the collection, we get one picture. This is an interpretation of one event that affected many at once.
For clients, my team and I are preparing participation in three events. These are three good holidays that will stretch over the entire warm period, over several cities and will remind everyone how wonderful it is when we have each other, filled with art, music and communication.
There is one peculiarity in the post-Soviet space: not everyone wants to pay for works of art. But it is even more interesting that in Kazakhstan they do not want to pay for the most important thing - an idea! The idea, concept, invention of the creator is not evaluated, but is accepted as an application to something material, realized after the announcement of the thought. It makes me sad. I would like to change the situation. After all, an idea is the basis for the success of any project or drawing.
About plans
My plans for the future are wonderful. Mostly it will be trainings.
It's time to share the accumulated and proven knowledge in practice, to inspire and transfer skills to the next growing illustrators and creative entrepreneurs in our country.
