Hello! First of all, could you start by introducing yourself? Can you give us a brief information about your name, the type of your art and your various interests in the art world?

Hi everyone, my name is Alexandra Saula, I'm 29 years old and I'm a digital artist from the Baltic Sea. As you can see the sea and its inhabitants mostly inspire me to create my stories. Like any creative person I am constantly learning, modernizing my style and concept in my paintings. Nowadays, art does not stand still and develops by leaps and bounds, but I believe that the task of every artist is to preserve his own self in his creative world. Trends change daily and I don't see the point in chasing it, I would rather spend my time developing my own current.

I love to "see with my eyes". Paintings, photos, movies are a huge part of my life that fuels my inspiration. I am an absolute music lover and love listening to music while painting.
 

When did you start making art? What was the first time you met art or what attracted you to it?

I have been interested in art in general since childhood, because no one but a child can really notice the "imperceptible" and appreciate the "simple". Unfortunately, I couldn't get into art school and ended up not getting any creative development. In our society there is an opinion that artist is not a profession and it is not possible to earn a "decent" life and I fell under this influence too. That is why I am an ecologist by education and to be honest, I have never worked a day in my specialty.

Back in high school I started studying art on my own and just loved learning about the life path of already famous artists. At this time, I singled out a few favorites for myself in the form of the great Van Gogh, William-Adolphe Bouguereau and John Waterhouse. The feelings, goosebumps and excitement in my chest caused by looking at paintings or listening to classical music is what hooked my mind forever.

I decided that I owed it to myself to touch it and self taught myself how to paint. Around 2019, the active phase of my digital painting began. Even though my family was skeptical of my employment, I kept working and started to grow. I started to earn money steadily by doing various commissions. There was also a time when I made money hand embroidering custom orders, now it remains my favorite hobby.
 

What does art mean to you? How do you see the impact of art on people?

Since ancient times, people have been drawn to creativity because they realized that it is an opportunity to become something more. It is also an opportunity to leave your mark on this planet and try to communicate your thoughts and feelings to the world. When you are sincere in your creativity, you are sure to find like-minded people and perhaps even good friends.

When you come across true art, you can literally touch it with your heart and art is sure to touch you back.
 

How long have you been active in NFT and how did you get started? Can you tell us a bit about creating and marketing your first NFT piece?

I entered the world of NFT at the end of 2021 (December). Up until that point, I had been doing commercial custom drawings for several years. Exploring the space and its crazy possibilities really amazed and inspired me. There was very little information at that time and I was jumping from one site to another on the vastness of the internet. At first I did not understand absolutely nothing, all these complex terms "blockchain", "listing" and others seemed to me something crazy and at one point I even gave up. However, I watched other artists and realized that this is not a hoax and they are actually sharing their work and getting tremendous support and sales.

Btw , I didn't know much about marketing at NFT, and I still have trouble with it now. My first works for NFT were drawn with a lot of enthusiasm. I found like-minded people and we explored this web3 world together and helped each other. My first sale was after almost 3 months of daily tweeting. I was familiarizing myself with the rules, other artists and collectors. I was trying to catch patterns so I could try to apply that knowledge to my development later on. At that point, the big artists were already well established in the space and looking at them kept me working and believing in myself.
 

What inspires you to experiment with various art styles? How do you decide to explore and develop different styles?

To be honest, before I entered the world of NFT I was developing very slowly. I was doing ordinary commissions, while still studying the world of real art. Often I didn't have enough time to paint "for myself". So when I came here and set myself a goal I started to create really "my" art. NFT gave me the freedom to think, I could draw what I wanted and how I wanted, there were no technical specifications and restrictions, which I was constantly guided by before. Coming to NFT was really a breath of fresh air and a powerful impetus for the development of my creativity.

I used to be mostly interested in classical styles of art, but in the space I met a lot of contemporary artists who were mastering modern "cyber" drawing styles. I was surrounded by crazy cool kids who create their art literally out of improvised materials. I got to know artists who have settled into modern 3D modeling and AI techniques. I became even more convinced that art is limitless.

Nevertheless, I was eager for more down-to-earth art and put a lot of thought into the stories and concept of my work in general. I'm a very melancholic person by nature, and anyone who has observed my work has probably noticed that, haha. I try to work through the problem that my paintings are often sad and perhaps too droopy, but nevertheless I realize that these are my real self.
 

What does it mean for you to use art as a social or political platform? How do you approach social or political issues through your art?

Art, in my opinion, can exist in any aspect of our lives. Everywhere we look nowadays - advertising, the internet, any surrounding spaces - there is creativity everywhere. Art helps us to develop our own senses and helps us to understand a particular issue more deeply. Different types of creativity can vividly depict contemporary environmental issues, clashes of different social views and politics.

Some of my concepts also deal with environmental issues, human socialization and the search for the inner self.
 

Can you explain how you progress from the concept of a piece to a finished artwork?

Most of my paintings contain a story. It can be visual or hidden. I always try to give clues to the viewer and often worry that I will not be able to portray exactly what I want. I would like everyone who observes my art to see my message. On the other hand, each person is so unique, with their own personality traits, life story and pain, and so they will see what they want to see and can see. You must have noticed how differently people can treat the same work of art.

Mostly my paintings depict sea creatures - mermaids, nymphs, undines. Even though they literally have legs and not a tail, I still consider them sea souls. I create and tell real stories through the lens of mermaid life. I love the beauty, femininity, and a certain magical allure of these creatures. Modern ideas of femininity have changed too much, but I try to preserve it in my works. Long fingers, thin necks and delicate faces are what is important and beautiful to me.

I usually start with an idea when creating a painting. I always think about the subjects I care about and try to visualize a complete picture in my head. I am a perfectionist and so I work very slowly (which is very sad haha), trying to put every stroke and every detail in its place. As for the technical part, I'm currently working on an ipad in procreate app. Love the ipad for its mobility and great creative possibilities.
 

How do you find motivation and inspiration in your creative work?

I can call myself exactly a "night" artist. In my daily routine it is difficult for me to gather all my thoughts into a pile, so it is at night that my mind finds peace. It is in the silence of the night that I am full of energy and inspiration. I am pleased to realize that through my art I find like-minded people, I am among creative people and maybe even participate in the creation of the history of modern art. I can also monetize my art and be truly free. It is important for me to feel that what I love to do is my work. As I mentioned above, the sea is most often the source of my inspiration. The world's oceans are only 5% explored, what crazy things can it hide from us? These thoughts make me dizzy and give me goosebumps, how about you? 
 

Are there any artists or artworks that have influenced or inspired you the most in your career? Can you describe these influences and sources of inspiration?

I won't name a specific person or artist who has absolutely influenced me and my art. It's a complex influence of my own interests and the people who create what I like. But I can say that I am obsessed with the paintings of my favorites: Bouguereau and Waterhouse. I am fascinated by how clearly they depict stories and emotions on people's faces.
 

Do you have any notable achievements or sales in your career?

I consider my most important achievements so far to be that I have found really good friends in the space, with whom we are looking in the same direction. I can say that I am an active participant in the space and I am developing intensively in all directions. I also completely sold out my collection on KnownOrigin, most of my works on Foundation, OpenSea and Objkt are also sold out.

In my career as an artist before joining NFT, I worked with local small brands and bloggers. As for exhibitions, this year my work "Reincarnation" was featured in the NFT NYC 2023 exhibition. Also a week ago, a few of my other works were featured in the first international exhibition in Vladivostok, Russia.

And also, I can now proudly say that this is my first extended interview. 
 

What were the challenges you faced as a NFT artist and how did you overcome them?

The first difficulties were at the beginning of the journey, learning the rules and guides on how to properly create and sell NFTs. Over time it became easy enough and now I am more than happy to float here. At the moment the market is going through bad times and many artists and collectors are leaving the space. I've been having a hard time as well, sales are down significantly. I can say I'm a bad marketer, but I absolutely love painting, which is why I'm still here. I continue to create paintings and am willing to accept private offers from collectors as many of my works remain unminted.

So... and blisters on my fingers from the pencil, is this a serious NFT artist problem, haha?
 

What are your long-term goals as an artist? What do you want to achieve in your career?

I am constantly practicing and trying to catch every opportunity I see on my creative path. I plan to continue to participate in various exhibitions and build a strong chain of like-minded people.

Most of all, I wish to continue creating my world while being completely financially independent, just through my art.

I'm not sure if I want to become a world famous artist in the future, I'm a pretty closed-minded person (I'm struggling with that!). But I am definitely sure that the support of the people around me gives me boundless confidence. Deep down I crave recognition, I know I am worthy of it.
 

Can you give us some hints about upcoming projects or exhibitions? Can you share what the audience should expect in the future?

Now I am even more passionate about the artworks of the past and especially Renaissance art. I think I am ready to create my own masterpieces in the classical sense.

I would not say that my style is fully formed, as I am still searching for myself and trying new things. However, I can say with certainty that my paintings will never be empty. I don't like "a picture for the sake of a picture". I love a picture for the sake of the inner state that appears inside.
 

How do you think the value and appreciation of NFT art will develop in the future? How do you assess the changes and trends in this field?

I think the NFT space will only grow and prosper. Despite the frequent downs, there are also a lot of ups. The NFT world is something completely new in the history of mankind. In addition, these modern technologies are backed by art, and people will always be drawn to it. I am sure that everyone who stays here will definitely achieve their goals.
 

As a parting note, is there anything else you would like to share?

Thank you for your attention, this is my first, such an extensive interview. Many thanks to my dear and talented Oya for this opportunity. I encourage every creative person to stay strong even in the darkest of times, for it is art that saves creators and audiences alike. Our creativity is our pain, our creativity is our cure!