My pseudonym, “Vesna,” is short, melodic, and translates to Spring in English. To me, it represents freshness, rebirth, and continuous movement forward. My art is always centered around people and human relationships.
My mother’s story and my own birth shaped who I am. She was very young when she found out she was pregnant with me, and initially, she considered an abortion because she was afraid to tell her own mother. She ran from the clinic at the last moment, (I was two months in her womb) and I was born prematurely, after five months. Doctors worried I might not survive or might have developmental issues, yet here I am, and perhaps even a little wise. I am endlessly grateful to my Mother for keeping me safe. She has always supported me in everything, and she remains my most devoted and closest friend.
- About My Last Name, the Church, and the Feeling of God as a Father.
My last name from my father is Bogdanova - meaning “God-given” in Russian. When I would go to church as a child, they wouldn’t let me in - I wasn’t baptized. Old women pushed me out onto the street, saying it was a sin (a strange rule in Belarus, I suppose, since I doubt God ever said: “Bogdanova is forbidden, let her stand outside.” God would never say that). And once, when someone opened the church doors, I caught sight of an image of Jesus behind an icon. My eyes literally widened in awe. I asked my grandmother: “Who is that man in the picture?” She replied: “That is God.” And I thought: “Then that must be my father.” (I associated God with my father’s last name). From that moment, the thought lived inside me: Jesus is my Father. Every time I see Christ, I feel the presence of a father.
*I’m not a religion person, but I’m very faithful. For me, faith is a huge piece of a fairy tale. I feel like I’m a dealer of faith in our time, lol.
When I was ten, I finally met my dad. He returned from his faraway world. At our first meeting, he gave me a rose and a notebook where I began writing down my wishes. Since then, I’ve been in love with pens, filled pages, and words. I keep at least five journals a year - full of thoughts, dreams, and ideas. Since childhood, I’ve believed in the magic that everything written by hand will eventually come true. Some of my friends even tease me, saying I’m like a dealer of the Great Faith. Two years ago in Los Angeles, I got tattoos in my father’s handwriting.
On my arms, they read: “Ты - моя дочка” / You are my daughter” and “My life is my art.”
They are a constant reminder that I am protected, I am not alone. That masculine strength is always beside me, guiding me. Today my father lives his own life, and we stay in touch. But at 27 I finally understood: it is important to forgive myself for not believing in the presence of a man by my side.
I am just a girl from a small town in Belarus, where creative industries were almost non-existent. After finishing school, I worked as a cleaner in a cafeteria, washing dishes and floors, waiting to turn eighteen so I could buy a plane ticket and start earning, saving, and traveling. And it happened - everything I dreamed of began to come true. I started painting at the age of 18, completely on my own, without any formal education. For nearly ten years, I have been learning from the world and from myself. This journey has become my encyclopedia and my gift. At 20, I traveled alone to Bali - I still can’t fully understand how my mother let me go. My life changed completely when I discovered spiritual practice. I have always felt the presence of something higher - what I call Angels and Archangels - who guide and protect me. I am deeply spiritual and I believe in this unseen support.
Belarus - Indonesia - Ukraine - Russia - Europe, and, finally, I’m here, in USA.
*My dream is - Paris, London, Abu-Dhabi, Peru, Japan, Seoul, Maldives and India.
