Meet Eva Vyhovska | Creative Director & Digital Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eva Vyhovska and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eva, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve known I wanted to be an artist since very early childhood. My mom was something of an artist herself. She never had the chance to pursue that career path, but she’s always had an eye for good music, she designed the apartment we lived in, and right now she’s designing a house entirely on her own. You should see the things she draws “for fun” — she’d never admit it, but she’s a genuinely talented artist. I believe I got my talent and inspiration from her. As a child, I was always drawing something, and my favorite classes were always painting and music. I’d find a way to create art wherever I could. For example, I’d make incredibly detailed, artistic drawings of cells in biology class simply because I loved doing it, and it genuinely helped me learn — I don’t think I would have absorbed any biology at all if I hadn’t been able to draw my way through it. Creating art just makes me happy, and I believe it’s the purpose of my life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
These days, I’m doing visuals and branding for the event collective Shatterproof NYC and for the DJs we work with — video, photography, content planning, and writing scripts. My style is still evolving. I’m working across multiple directions on purpose, because I think the most interesting artists are the ones who stay curious and keep experimenting rather than locking into one look too early.

The path to get here hasn’t been the easiest one. In my culture, being creative wasn’t considered a real job when I was growing up, so at first I took a pretty boring, non-creative direction and studied business management at a maritime university. But that didn’t stop me from chasing creative work on the side. Two years into the degree, I landed a job as a graphic designer at .monks, a pretty big agency, where I got to work with major brands and a lot of incredibly creative people. That job is really what shaped me as a digital artist and kicked off the journey that eventually led me into film.

The second big challenge came a month after I got my diploma, just as I was finally free to do whatever I wanted — the war started in Ukraine, my home country. So I ended up moving a lot. I’ve lived in Bulgaria, Belgium, and now in the US. You might ask why I ended up staying here. Honestly, it felt closer culture-wise, my English was good enough, and in NYC specifically I found so many creative people from so many different backgrounds that I just fell in love with the city.

Changing where and how I lived was a huge challenge, but not the only one. After moving to NYC, I realized I didn’t know anything or anyone. I had to adjust to a completely new life with no friends or family nearby, find a way to keep working in art, and somehow afford to live in the most expensive city in the world. I’ve definitely become more responsible because of it, but I’ve also learned that taking a big risk is sometimes the most useful thing you can do.

I’m still shaping my creative vision, still working across multiple directions and styles, but one thing I’m certain about: I’ve never once regretted moving to NYC or choosing a creative career.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I work closely with nightlife, I’d start by showing them my favorite music venues in Brooklyn — Elsewhere and Silo. I’d definitely also take them to Music For A While in Chelsea, where we host a lot of our Shatterproof events.

Next stop: art galleries. Chelsea is full of them, and there’s always something new on view, so you never really know what you’ll find. The Met is a must, easily a full day on its own, and the same goes for the MoMA and the Natural History Museum.

For food, we’d hit one (or several) of the 300 spots on my Google Maps “to go” list — yes, I love a list. But two we’d definitely stop at: Midnight Blue, a Japanese-style jazz bar, and Bar Orai, a speakeasy record bar.

I’d also walk them through all the different neighborhoods — Soho, Chelsea, West Village, Bushwick, Greenpoint. Each one has its own personality, and they’re all worth wandering through.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many incredible people have shaped my path to where I am now.

First, Khrystyna Komarovska, the director of the film Nina’s Files, where I worked on color, VFX, and all the graphics. It was my first relatively big project since moving to NYC, and she gave me that chance.

I’m also deeply grateful to my best friend Mila Pominova, who is an amazing artist and has been a huge source of support and inspiration. She was also my very first friend in the US, and we’ve collaborated on multiple projects together, including Love and Near-Death and I Hope It Finds You Well.

A massive thank you to my partner in both business and life, Matthew Fox — the owner of the event collective Shatterproof NYC, where I lead the creative and visual side of the brand.

And finally, I have to mention the film Anora, which somewhat randomly turned out to be my first paid gig in NYC. I was only there as a background actor, but watching Sean Baker and his crew work made me realize I’m genuinely in love with every part of the film indusrtry. That experience is a big part of why I want to keep growing and working in this direction.

Website: https://yevaska.cargo.site/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yevaska/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evavyhovsky/

Other: IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm17471615/?ref_=nmbio_ov_bk
Shatterproof NYC Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shatterproofnyc

Image Credits
Milana Pominova
Zion Reid