Sofya cannot remember a time when she wasn’t drawing.
Her favorite early art memory is of being five years old, sitting in a studio with her mother, painting a deer in a forest. She had drawn before that, of course, but this was her very first painting on a canvas, and she was very proud of herself. It was the very first time that the child realized that art was something she could do, and the young woman she has become lives the child’s dream every single day.
Before I could hold a spoon properly in my hand, I learned to hold a pencil and draw with it.
“My favorite shoes no longer fit me”
As an artist who creates paintings that work on multiple levels – both visually and between the lines – many of Sofya’s pieces contain personal themes linked to growing up and outgrowing childhood things.
“My favorite shoes no longer fit me” is an acrylic painting that is deeply personal and meaningful.
The painting focuses on a rendition of a pair of princess boots for children, in the style that was very popular in the 2010s, when Sofya was little. They were all the rage back then, and she remembers that almost all the kids had a pair; they were even sold with magazines for children. They were everywhere.
For some reason that Sofya can’t even remember now, she never had a pair of her favorite shoes, and she does remember how much she wanted them at the time. Recently, she realized that, even if she could get her hands on (or feet in) a pair of those boots now, they would definitely not fit her.
And that is where the painting connects to universal themes like growing up, of the loss of childhood innocence, of the moment of transition when things that meant everything to us when we were little lose their earth-shattering importance overnight. When Sofya looks at the painting now, she sees it as symbolizing letting go of her childhood, of moving on, while still cherishing the things she loved back then. Even if they do not (literally) fit her any more, or (metaphorically) play any significant role in her life now.
“My favorite shoes no longer fit me” is full of bittersweet meaning, and both the visual aspect and the title allow the viewer who knows nothing about its personal context to tap into its well of themes, and muse on how the passage of time changes our perspective on so many things.
As with her other pieces, the creation of this painting was spontaneous; the actual process took only about 6 hours, spread across two days. She sketched out the rough outline before painting with acrylics; Sofya still remembers the intensity with which she worked on it. Even though she did not spend time in planning, she knows that it is a theme that her subconscious and conscious mind had spent time thinking about, the final painting was truly a passion project, and the canvas revealed what she could not put into words.
Bringing Meaning to Art
When she was little, Sofya initially thought that her paintings and drawings were just meant to be pretty, to be a visual treat. She did not realize that art could have even greater importance in terms of its meaning, and the first time she really remembers being blown away by the deeper significance of a painting was on a trip to Madrid.
Sofya was 13 then, and she went to the Museo Nacional del Prado with her father. They walked around the art gallery and spent time looking at the hundreds of drawings and paintings by Francisco Goya exhibited there. Her father, who knows a lot about the history of art, explained the meaning of each painting to Sofya, and established the historical context of each.
This experience truly opened her eyes to the power of art, and Sofya was able to appreciate the way in which Goya’s life experiences transferred themselves to his canvases – for example, during the Peninsular War, his paintings were notably darker than in any other period, as he documented atrocities and a popular uprising.
It was then that Sofya decided that she wanted her paintings to impact people in a similar way, and she resolved to include deeper meanings and the possibility of realization, of eye-opening insight for future viewers of her paintings.
Another pivotal moment was during her fine art IGCSE in 2024. She was tasked with making a series of artworks based on a connecting theme, and chose to make her theme very personal, full of meaning not only to herself, but to anyone who might see fragments of their own life experiences reflected in her art.
“European self-care xx”, 2025
The centerpiece of Sofya’s series titled “The experience of a young woman in the 21st century” is “European self-care xx”, an elaborate painting that uses acrylics, oil paint, and chalk pastels.
It represents everything that Sofya wants to incorporate in her art: striking visuals, relatable themes, and a deep meaning that makes the viewing of the painting a transformative experience; not just one that ends after looking at it. “European self-care xx” explores how self-destructive practices and actions detrimental to mental health have become glamorized and normalized among most young people in the Western World.
It’s basically about this quiet self-destruction that’s become part of how a lot of people live. Stuff that used to be taboo: addiction, disconnection – now gets wrapped into glam, aesthetic lifestyles that we see everywhere. It has come to the point where it’s become a sort of ‘self-care’ routine for many.
The art style of “European self-care xx” creates an immediate impact: bright colors, recognizable cultural icons and brands, and the main subject staring right into the viewer’s soul all combine to make it unforgettable. Sofya’s artistic decision to use freehand lines and slightly distorted dimensions work well: the painting is the very opposite of something sterile and geometric. It is gloriously messy and organic and vibrant and alive, just like young people in general. This makes its subject matter even more relevant, because western culture has consumerized pain and reduced the value of the very life and energy that is youth’s biggest asset.
The painting explodes at the viewer, like looking down a hallway. It fills the field of view of both your eyes and your mind, and you cannot look away.
The Union Jack is not a symbol of nationalism but rather of exported ideals in the western world such as aestheticized mess, polished identity, and emotional distress disguised as freedom.
As a European, I’m not critiquing a specific country, I’m reflecting on a larger societal system that romanticizes burnout, presents breakdowns as empowerment, and sells us suffering in a pretty packaging.
The titles of Sofya’s pieces are especially noteworthy; they’re always rooted in the social and linguistic context of the world they talk about. The irony is strong in this particular title; burnout, substance abuse, and breakdowns are the very antithesis of self-care. The kisses at the end of the title put the exclamation point on the piece; Gen Z has started handwaving away their most serious problems with a smile.
It’s a piece about contradictions, about how we keep consuming things that hurt us, and how we’re told it’s normal or even beautiful. But also I didn’t want it to feel heavy or preachy, it’s still fun to look at, just like the aesthetics it’s talking about.
“European self-care xx” is a snapshot of a cultural phenomenon at a very specific point in time. It is a critique, and it does not necessarily judge, but it does showcase – in sometimes uncomfortable detail – a visceral truth that affects the lives of tens of millions of young women and men in dozens of countries.
Process
Sofya follows a roughly similar process for all her paintings; for example, in the case of “European self-care xx”, she went through the following steps:
1. Canvas – Selection and Preparation: “European self-care xx” is a relatively large canvas, Sofya needed more than a square meter to tell the whole story that she wanted to, and was able to fit in everything that made the meaning more powerful and the impact more direct without having the painting feel cluttered in any way.
2. Collecting Painting Elements: After Sofya decided on the theme of the painting, she looked through her phone gallery for reference images. She uses reference images very differently; rather than using them as visual inspiration, she uses them as mental markers to add components to her paintings that fit the overall theme, and she just knows when an element fits.
3. Sketching: Even though “European self-care xx” is an elaborate painting with dozens of elements, Sofya did not make preliminary rough sketches. She created all her sketches directly on the canvas in multiple stages, as and when she finalized each object she wanted to feature.
4. Painting: “European self-care xx” has multiple layers; Sofya started with acrylics, and used a layer of oil paints on top.
5. The Finer Details: “European self-care xx” feels real because of the intricate light and shade effects, and because every tiny element is created with care and made special. Sofya used Posca markers to add details after she had completed her paint layers, and used pastels on top for highlights and shadows.
The last step took the longest time because it also involved redrawing faces and objects; this is a recurring theme in her work as she looks back at aspects of a piece and decides to fix dimensions or aesthetics, and she repainted and re-drew elements of “European self-care xx” 3 or 4 times until she was completely happy with the painting.
Given that she is completely self-taught, Sofya usually iterates on her characters and aspects of her paintings until something clicks. She knows the end goal, the meaning she wants to convey, but the route she takes to get there is a blend of intuition and inspiration.
Even if a piece looks like it’s finished to someone else, I keep painting till my brain says: Oh it’s good now, that’s done!
Over time, Sofya has become more confident in her art, and she now regularly documents every step of the process – from preparing the canvas to the last brushstroke – both for herself and for social media. The initial insecurity that all artists experience was replaced by assurance, particularly as she realized that she was creating art with meaning, and that people were able to connect with her paintings at a deeper level.
What art means to Sofya
Sofya’s art journey is different from that of most artists; as of 2025, she is 17 years old, and is working towards her A-Level in Fine Art. Other than that, and her GCSE art paper, she hasn’t studied art formally, and is self-taught in her current painting practice. She also does not have an elaborate preparation ritual for her art; the themes are always important to her, and they have spent months or years slowly taking shape in her conscious and subconscious mind. But once the work of transferring those themes onto the canvas starts, the process is relatively quick and largely intuitive.
To me, art is a language to communicate my thoughts and feelings.
Sofya has struggled with anxiety, and creating art helps her calm down and collect her thoughts. When she is painting, she never feels overwhelmed. Of course, there is also a bonus: that her art becomes a different dimension to connect with others, and that her paintings resonate powerfully with people all over the world.
“Keep Your Soul”, 2025
“Keep your soul”, an acrylic painting with chalk pastel highlights, is a piece that is both personally meaningful to Sofya, and relevant to hundreds of millions of young women worldwide.
Growing up, I’ve felt how easy it is to lose pieces of who I was to beauty standards, to the way men looked at me, to the pressure of being what everyone else expected me to be. It’s almost like you wake up one day and realize your innocence, your softness has been traded away without you even noticing.
The eyes of the protagonist of “Keep your soul” are everything. It is almost like they’re in transition between being young and innocent and being tired and jaded. In them, we see both the soul that the young woman is trying to keep untarnished by the cynicism and expectations of the world, and a hint of that same cynicism that creeps into all of us every time we play the game that the world forces us to play.
The lamb for me is a sign of innocence; fragile, pure, but worth protecting. The face shows how much we hide behind our looks, behind what the world wants us to be. But underneath all of that, the only thing that really matters is keeping your soul, keeping your dignity.
“Keep your soul” was created in a whirlwind, over the course of a two hour speed painting session. Sofya wasn’t completely satisfied with the first version, and spent some time touching it up to make sure that the theme was completely realized in the final artwork.
This painting acts as a promise to myself. A reminder not to ever give myself away. To stay whole, no matter what society demands.
Reflecting both the Inner and Outer Worlds
Sofya’s art has a unique quality by which it can be deeply personal (for example, “My favorite shoes no longer fit me”) where you appreciate it even more when you understand the story behind it. It can also be relevant to a very broad section of society, as with “European self-care xx”. Art that has meaning at both the micro- and macro- levels is rare, and this property of her paintings reflects one of Sofya’s core beliefs.
She believes strongly that art should not only reflect personal experiences but also societal issues. She loves it when people see her art and relate to it, and her ability to go deep into not only her own soul but those of other people allows her art to say something, to stand for something.
If this has happened to me, it happened because of something that society is experiencing.
Relief and Calm: What creating art feels like
For Sofya, the process of creating art is therapeutic in many ways. She feels relief and calm when painting, and it helps her release pent-up emotions in a safe, controlled manner. All of us make bad decisions in the heat of the moment, and art is a valve that Sofya can turn when she needs to decompress, her own world in which she can dissociate for a while.
Sofya is also only truly alone with herself when she is creating art. As a very social person, she is usually with other people most of the day, and she can be in silence and think deeply only when she paints. She often doesn’t even play music while she paints; it’s just her, her mind, and the canvas, as the work of art takes shape as a witness to that which goes through her mind.
Thoughts About Art
I believe that anything can be art if it has meaning to it.
To Sofya, art is a language that helps people connect with each other and with the artwork; anything (in any form) can be a work of art if it has meaning. Even pieces of contemporary art which mystify, shock, or even anger people do have meaning, and she has seen artworks which just consist of a single brushstroke that take on deeper significance when the accompanying story is made clear, with every atom of the brushstroke reflecting the lived experiences of the artist.
She is also confident that AI will never be able to replace the human element in paintings, given that the essential ingredient that makes a work of art special is the soul of the person who created it. As AI art becomes more prevalent, and as it becomes less visually distinguishable from the real thing, Sofya feels that human-created art will gain more value, as a raw depiction of the soul of its creator.
Art is a reflection of the human soul. Life is art.
Future Goals
Sofya would like art to be a career element that is always part of her life. She does not want to study it at University, but she wants to create art professionally for the rest of her life. She only started showing her paintings to other people in the second half of 2025, and she has seen that many of them relate to the meanings behind her art, which is exactly what she aims for.
Specifically, she would like to start selling more paintings and collaborate with brands, while creating custom paintings for collectors worldwide. She would also like to make a difference to society through the medium of her art, with people thinking deeply about the themes she portrays.
Sofya would like to thank…
…her mother, who has played a pivotal role in her journey as an artist. She was herself a body painter for the longest time, creating elaborate compositions on human canvases, and won multiple awards for her work. After Sofya’s younger brother was born, her mother stopped her formal art career, but she has always supported her daughter’s painting aspirations.
Even when Sofya had to battle through discouragement at home, with strong opinions indicating that art could never be a financially viable career option, her mother was always a rock of support, and battled alongside Sofya to allow her to keep creating art, to prove her worth as an artist.
Links
Sofya V: Art Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/sofyalikestopaint/.