Introduction. How I became a fashion illustrator.

Many people believe that great artists are born with innate talent, as if they were destined for their creative pursuits from the start. This often leads us to think that if we're not already skilled or from a creative background, we're out of luck. However, the truth is that talent emerges within us when we allow ourselves to pursue what we truly love, regardless of age or educational background.

It seems to us that all great people were born with a violin/brush/club in their hands. We

have the impression that they were born talented. And if you are a simple salesman in the

grocery department or an elementary school teacher, then you are just out of luck. But, in

fact, talent is born within us the moment we allow ourselves to do what we love. And it

doesn't matter how old you are. And it doesn't matter what boring university you graduated

from.

I have always loved to draw, but I never attached much importance to this activity. I

thought: to become an artist, you need to study for many, many years, first at an art school,

then at an academy. And the parents would not support the choice of a creative profession.

Like many others, I decided to pursue a logical and useful career path and became an

accountant. But my inner artist rebelled. I didn't want to be an accountant, I wanted to be an

artist. At some point, I listened to myself and realized that I would never go back to an office

job. I started with preparatory classes where I learned how to draw almost completely from

scratch, before moving on to the Department of Graphic Design at the Academy of Arts. But

the inner artist was still rebelling, because I was so strongly drawn towards fashion. With

bated breath, I looked at these bewitching illustrations in glossy magazines and was even

afraid to dream that I could do the same. "Will I succeed?"I asked. “I don’t know,” answered

my inner artist, and then added: “But it’s worth a try.”

I have been looking for courses in fashion illustration for a long time, but I found only

remote ones. Of course, this is not the same as being face-to-face with a teacher. But today I

don’t regret at all that I started my way in fashion illustration with online training, especially

when I studied with a very cool illustrator Alena Lavdovskaya. I constantly searched for

something on the Internet, read articles, and watched videos - I absorbed it like a sponge and

tried to repeat it on paper. Then fashion illustration courses appeared in Minsk, and I

managed to master some skills. All these little things add up to what I can do now. And if I

hadn’t decided then to try to start small, I would never have answered my question: “Will I

succeed?”

Thus began my arduous quest to discover who I am, and I am still on it now. Creativity is

not the destination; it is a lifelong journey. True, we live in a wonderful time where anything

is possible. when your most fantastical dreams come true. The most important thing is to

understand what you want and to follow your heart without fear.

I still have a lot to learn ahead of me. But here's what I know for sure:

● In the beginning, your drawings will be terrible. And that's okay.

● The talent is already in you, you need to see it and help it grow.

● Your abilities are neither worse nor better, they are just different and they form your

unique style.

● We must find our hero. But to find it, you need to pick up a pencil and make the first

stroke.

● Show your works as they are, even if they are far from ideal.

● No criticism will break you if you sincerely enjoy your work.

● You will succeed.