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The Photographer
Spasi Sohrani
Milad: Hello Spasi, hope you are well, please briefly tell us about yourself.
Tanya: Hi, my name is Tanya, and I’m probably more of a costume designer, set designer, or art director than a photographer, but since only I know how my photos should look in the end, I had to buy a camera and learn to shoot.
Milad: When did you get acquainted with crypto and NFT?
Tanya: I got to know NFT last September. Everyone suddenly began to tell me that I should try selling my photos as NFT, and I resisted for a long time, but eventually gave in, and for a good reason.
Milad: Tell us about clothes you use in your works; where does the idea of these unique clothes originate?
Tanya: Since I was a timid and inexperienced photographer, I was too shy to use a stylist for my shoot, so I tried to do something on my own. I used to take whatever I could see and put it together, but now I focus more on the costumes and their details. I had to learn how to sew to make them more attractive. I get inspiration from costumes that parents prepare for their kids for school shows or Halloween, costumes made with simple materials a couple of hours before the party. Sometimes I am inspired by animals, plants, and things. I always think people will look ridiculous in these costumes and, therefore, funny and exciting. I love making costumes and masks more than photographing, I like the process of preparing and making them, and after the photo – I throw them away.
Milad: Describe NFT in four words.
Tanya: Community, opportunity, future, and challenge.
Milad: If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?
Tanya: I think my spirit animal is a dog, and I would like to be reborn as one in my next life, but only if I have a loving owner.
Milad: What’s your opinion about the war in Ukraine? And how do you see Ukrainian artists’ circumstances and challenges in post-war?
Tanya: How can I feel about the war in my country? The fact that Russians are killing, raping, looting, stealing children and people… every day I wake up and go to sleep with the news, it is very painful to see what is happening to my country and people. Of course, it affects me and all Ukrainian artists. When you follow the news, you have no desire to create, think, or make as before. I will say that my photos are calmer and more restrained now, I do not want to have fun while Russia is destroying my country, but I am sure many will rethink the war and pour it into the art. There will be many substantial collections that will give you goosebumps.
Very grateful to everyone for their support of Ukrainian artists. You can’t even imagine how important it was then and is now.
Milad: Your parents play an essential role in your photography and art; tell us more about them? Did your parents agree to be models in your frames from the beginning, or did you gradually satisfy them?
Tanya: My parents are my very first models. As I wrote above, I was ashamed as an inexperienced photographer to ask someone to pose for me, especially for weird photos. My parents did not agree to it for a long time, and I persuaded them for almost a year. My mother was the first to agree, and then my father. After they saw that I like what I do and how I enjoy the resulting photos, they began to agree more and more often with my strange ideas to support me. This was all long before NFT. Generally, it’s hard to talk a Soviet person into doing something like this because they are closed-minded adults and afraid of others’ judging. I’m glad my parents are over it, they’ve outgrown it, and they’re not scared of what others think of them. I think that’s partly due to my photos. They know that I sell pictures of them, and I always give them some or all of the money from selling their photos. I am thrilled that they can be a part of NFT, and I can help them financially. And to be honest, thanks to these photos we started to communicate more and understand each other better, it’s precious.
Milad: At this point, the price of Ethereum has decreased to 1100$. Tell us your opinion about it and what’s your prediction of its price by the end of this year?
Tanya: “Crypto Winter” – I was told that’s what it’s called. I also heard that ETH will be in the fall at 5000, and others say that in half a year or a year. I don’t know because I’m new to this. I got into NFT when ether was going up all the time and was very confused and panicked when it went down like that, especially when I was counting on that money. Many people lost their jobs, and NFT is the only income some artists have. Now I’ve let the situation go, taking advantage of this lull, and am preparing a new project with masks, spending more time offline than on Twitter. I hope that ETH will go up soon and everybody will be happy.
Milad: What’s your opinion about the community of NFT and all happenings around it on Twitter?
Tanya: Thanks to NFT, I met many fantastic artists; I have followed some of them on Instagram long before NFT. I’m even more interested in Twitter now compared to other social networks. I wouldn’t say I like how social networking affects the artist’s self-esteem – when there are few likes or a long time with no sales you feel so underestimated …
I’m working on myself so that I would not be affected by social media feedback as much as before; Now I realize that my photos are not for everyone, and my collector is out there looking for me. We have to wait. And if they do not buy, it’s not a problem. NFT gave me much more than just the sale of photographs – it has provided me with a community.
Milad: Tell us about the HoolyGooly collection, the concept, the performance, and the reason for using this name as the collection’s title.
Tanya: Thanks to the worldwide quarantine, and boredom at home, I began to gather a bunch of different things and took pictures of them. So my project, HOOLYGOOLY, was born. It is now a thriving commercial and creative project. I began experimenting a lot with materials, light, and textures. I wanted something different, not like any other out there. The name came naturally, it was just a combination of words that didn’t exist. Last year I started doing creative camps, where creative people gathered and created incredible photo collaboration, and I acted as the organizer and curator and called the project HOOLY CAMP.
Milad: What’s your opinion about the future of photography in the NFT world?
Tanya: Those who are not in NFT say it is a bubble and those who are in NFT say it is the future. I think photography is the future. It was not a trend six months ago, and now there are many DAOs providing a system to buy and sell photos, promote photographers, and set trends … I think that NFT photography is only gaining momentum.
Milad: What are your plans for the future?
Tanya: My goal is to grow as an artist, as a photographer, to promote my art at exhibitions all over the world, and to introduce people to my art. It’s necessary to listen to myself and do what I like.
Milad: Do you have any advice for aspiring NFT photographers?
Tanya: My main advice for beginners is not to go into NFT for selling, because it may be very disappointing. The main thing is the community, and the sales are just like a nice bonus.
Milad: Thank you for your time. If you like to further explain any point to our readers, please go ahead.
Tanya: Thank you.
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One Comment on Spasi Sohrani
Great interview 😍🌿❤️
Tatiana is my favorite artist.