{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"I Love Your Stories- Conversations with Artists and Creatives with Hava Gurevich","title":"Episode #10 Butterflies in My Stomach: The Surreal Worlds of Anya Anti","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/8cb5a413\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3275,"description":"\nWhat happens when you follow your creative vision without knowing where it will lead? In this episode of I Love Your Stories, host Hava Gurevich speaks with Ukrainian-born conceptual portrait artist Anya Anti. Known for her surreal, meticulously crafted images of women, Anya shares her artistic journey—from discovering Photoshop before picking up her first DSLR, to moving to New York with nothing but two suitcases and a dream. She opens up about the viral self-portrait that emerged during her darkest times, the painstaking process behind her photographs, and how she is navigating the challenges posed by AI-generated art.\nDiscover Anya online:\nwebsite: https://anya-anti.com/         \nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anya_anti_art\nShow Notes\nGuest: Anya Anti – Ukrainian-born conceptual photographer specialising in surreal female portraiture.\nEarly Creativity: Began with painting and crafts, later discovering Photoshop and digital photography around 2008–2009.\nArtistic Breakthrough: A pivotal manipulated portrait posted in 2011 defined her genre of surreal, storytelling portraiture.\nMoving to the U.S.: In 2014, Anya moved to New York with her husband, no job, no apartment, and faced cultural and language challenges.\nSelf-Portraiture: Began exploring self-portraits after struggling to find models, leading to her viral piece “Butterflies in My Stomach”\n, symbolising anxiety and rebirth.\nSignature Style: Real-world locations, handcrafted props, and hours of digital\ncompositing—avoiding background swaps to keep the surreal believable.\nCreative Milestones: Speaking at events like WMAX and creating the climate change\nproject “Two and a Half Seconds” in Iceland.\nAI Challenges: Anya discusses the frustration of having her work mistaken for AI-generated images and reflects on how technology is reshaping art.\nStaying Creative: Despite doubts and obstacles, Anya remains dedicated to her craft,\nembracing select AI tools as complements—not replacements—for her process.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/BzVr4HUpBAARweHVFCWb1fF9reodKaJYUPicJmCMya8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kMGY1/ODMyNTU0OThkYzQw/MGFlMGYwMWNmYmU5/ZjVjMS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}