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

Hi Milo, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
Something that really helped me realize my potential as an artist was when I stopped making my work for others. Not in the sense that I won’t work for other people or collaborate with my peers, but that the most important opinion I want on my work is my own. I want to make stuff that I would enjoy if someone else had done it first. I want to create things that my eye would naturally be drawn to. That way, I can find other likeminded artists to share my ideas with.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I fell in love with photography early on in my life. I used to use this old iPod app called Hipstamatic that would mimic old film photograhpy styles. I loved shooting in black and white, sepia, and feux-daguerreotype photos while on road trips with my family. Nothing about my creative journey has been necessarily easy. I’ve always struggled with feeling confident about my work and still have to navigate self doubt and frustration when I find myself in creative ruts. While confidence is key in any practice, I’ve learned that it’s unrealistic to always be 100 percent confident in somethibg. I find artists that are over confident with their work to lack a certain humility that gives art relevancy in the first place.

I would describe my art as diaristic. I want to capture moments through photo or illustration that can visually describe how I feel. It can be simple, like a drawing of a lanky giant holding a flower. Sometimes it runs a little deeper, like a dark photo of my childhood bedroom or a beam of light shining onto an old stone Buddha statue. I’m interested in making things that can be enjoyed by both a child or a mathematician. I want to create art that can be enjoyed by anyone. The art world today is very exclusive and hard to break into. I want try and change that narrative through my own creative practices

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Canyon Country Store is a gem among gems. My first summer job in highschool was working as the cashier at this dingy little deli tucked away in Laurel Canyon. Artists and musicians are constantly cruising through due to the building having a long and rich history of rock and roll. To me, it feels like the most LA place you can go in LA. I have a lot of friends that I still run tinto there sometimes. Ideally we’d grab some sandwiches and enjoy an iced coffee from Lily’s Café on the patio of the deli. I think that Los Feliz is pretty cool too. The best burgers in Cali are in that neighborhood, in a little hut called Yuca’s on Hillhurst Ave.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family will always be the foundation of my efforts and my successes. My parents have put so much time and effort and resources into getting me to where I am today that I can’t imagine where I’d be without them. I wouldn’t have started shooting photos if it werent for my dad. He gave me his old Yashica FX-2 that he shot with when he was a student. After that, I was hooked on 35mm. My mom is my heart, she always will be. Everything I do is for her. My twin sister is someone who drives me forward more than anyone. She is a STEM kid studying Bio Technology, while I am a Liberal Arts Student with a passion for art. I find the contrast in our academic and personal endeavors to be inspiring somehow. I always want my sister to be the first to know what I’m doing.

Website: https://milove.myportfolio.com/work

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@milovalentino3990

Image Credits
Milo Evashchen

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