Svitlana Martynjuk: Creating a Space for Women Artists
My next interview is with Svitlana Martynjuk, painter and founder of All She Makes - a curated online directory for women creatives worldwide. In this interview, Svitlana shares her creative journey in the realm of abstraction, and discusses what inspired her to launch a digital platform that celebrates and promotes women in the arts.
Hi Svitlana! Tell me a bit about yourself and how you initially became involved in the arts.
I was born and raised in Rivne, Ukraine.I moved to the United States where I completed my education in Fine Art, Psychology, and Strategic Management. Inspired by the human mind and with a fascination for nature, I am a traveler at heart and appreciate experience through interaction and exploring the complexities of diversity in people. I always enjoyed art, always painted, and even wanted to become a fashion designer at some point. I started taking my painting practice seriously around 2016. By allowing myself to paint without limitations, I was able to develop a sense of what my practice meant to me and the ideas I wanted to convey through my work.
I currently work and reside in Michigan, USA. My portfolio includes a wide array of commissioned pieces, published book illustrations, and collaborations with West Elm and Minted, to name a few. My works primarily consist of watercolor and acrylic medium and I draw inspiration from the abstract expressionist movement, regarding the importance of feelings to be of significant creative interest.
I have always looked at my art from a business perspective, and doing so over time has allowed my career to blossom.
In addition to being a painter, you founded All She Makes - a digital platform that celebrates and empowers women artists. What led you to launch this project?
In the past few years I've been learning about the statistics around art made by women. To say that I was unpleasantly shocked by the lack of representation for women artists is an understatement. Because women artists are so underrepresented, it leaves us with no opportunities or places to exist or show our work. The National Museum of Women in the Arts (who we support through donations) has a list of studies on their website, which addresses the gender disparity. One example is: A data survey of the permanent collections of 18 prominent art museums in the U.S. found that out of over 10,000 artists, 87% are male, and 85% are white.
It's 2020, and museums are still doing a terrible job at showing work made by women, and the issue is even more problematic for women of color. I saw proof of this with my own eyes at one of our local museums recently: https://www.allshemakes.org/blog/lack-of-representation-in-museums-today
Where do you hope to see All She Makes in 5 years?
I hope to bridge the gap between women artists, galleries, and art organizations by bringing more awareness to the issue at hand, and highlighting quality work made by women artists. Social change is not easy to implement, but we can do it with our collective efforts. Would love to work with Venice Biennale, Miami Fairs, or Art Basel.
What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?
Diversify your income streams! Lots of artists get stuck in one place due to various social stigmas surrounding creatives, but we have to remember to stick to what is most important to us. If you need to get a job to support your passion project, do that!
Another one: don't be afraid to fail! People don't often discuss their failed attempts, and we don't always see the full picture of what it is to be an entrepreneur. When we see someone's success, most likely there were trials, failures, and months or years of hard work. We, as a society, need to learn to talk about that part of the process more, so it doesn't sound so foreign.
Your abstract paintings are vibrant, colorful, and energetic. What led you to creating abstract work?
Interesting that you ask that, because I feel like my work is in the midst of a big transition. I am actually working with a mentor to help me through this process.
I was naturally drawn to abstracts as a kid and began creating them due to this fascination. Seeing the odd shapes and colors always intrigued me. I wanted to figure out why and how others did it. I painted for a few years with no significant progress, until at one point I decided to let go of all limitations and just paint.
What do you hope the viewer will take away from your work?
I want to communicate my story with my work. When I painted vibrant works, they were my safe space, my happiness, a place I was reaching for. That's what most of the viewers took from them as well. Lots of collectors own those pieces because they evoke feelings of peace.
Currently I am going through a transition in my work. I've been on a deep healing journey for the past year, and I finally progressed enough to be able to find that safe space I've been searching for. I am learning to look back at my past, see all the hurt, and just accept it as a part of my story. Now I need to learn how to tell that story, and what I want for the viewer to take from it.
When did you join instagram, and how has it impacted you as an artist?
I joined instagram as an artist around 2015. I used to be so preoccupied with ways to make my profile more interesting to people, but it just takes so much mental energy, and the reward is not even worth it. It seems like IG operates on gambler's fallacy principle, which creates a false sense of "figuring out" how the algorithm works, and IG profits off that. Likes and follows don't necessarily turn into sales, so I had to remember my main purpose for being on IG - sharing what I make and my thoughts with the world. This platform has been, without a doubt, a wonderful way of meeting new people and creating community.
Follow Svitlana on Instagram at: svitlana.m.fineart and all.she.makes
Website: www.allshemakes.org