Image credit: Stephanie Somebody & Bobby & Tide
A photograph, a haircut, a meal – all examples of tit for tatts. If you want to book and pay for one of the extremely delicate and pretty tattoos from the notorious Stanislava Pinchuk aka m-i-s-o the short answer is… well you can’t. Unless you are one of her select inner circle friends or family and you have something awesome to trade – you’re most likely going to have to suffice by ogling her beautiful website or walking around with one of her prints taped to your back – not quite the same.
Stanislava lives the dream that a lot of artists spend their whole lives trying to achieve – working all of the world with amazing profiles such as Chanel, Lorde and La Chambre Graphique, and at only 26, what a dreamboat.
Today she shares with us some of her secrets to success; a lot of hard work, heaps of intuition and a little bit of luck…
Lorde album cover : ‘Team’ 7″ single : made for Secret 7 project, London, 2014
Name: Stanislava Pinchuk
Age: 26
Occupation: Artist
Clicky click: m-i-s-o.com, Big Cartel, Instagram & Tumblr.
What did you study and what was your original intended career path?
I always thought I’d be working designing clothes, but I ended up deciding to get my degree in Philosophy – I got into a really great program at Melbourne University, and it’s something I really loved, and felt like I couldn’t turn that down.
Give us a brief background on your art career to date:
… loads of work, loads of fun.
You have done a lot in such a short amount of time, do you have strong goals or has it all sort of just happened?
I’m really driven and really disciplined with my work, and I have a pretty clear idea of what I’m interested in… but at the same time, I don’t put myself out there too much. I’m lucky to be approached for things, and I really prefer working like that.
How did you go about producing your own book?
I suppose it’s just waiting for the right idea, compiling, editing – then laying out, working through proofs and funding the printing run… and the distribution after. I really love having independence from working with publishers, having full control over content is a really special thing to have, and quite hard to give up.
Home-made tattoos on J & A. | Wildflowers, branches, stars and moons ; for Tessa – traded for whiskey and drawings, Melbourne, 2013-2014
How did you get into tattoos?
I really just love everything about it… and at the time, my best friend bought his first machine and was learning, which is a pretty exciting thing to be around.
Doing tattoos for trades only is such a beautiful concept, how did that philosophy come about?
It’s a really intimate thing for me, and as a result – I’m not really interested in tattooing people I don’t know, or putting a financial value on an experience so personal. It just doesn’t feel right.
Orion’s belt, drawn from memory, for Jessie – traded for dinner, Melbourne, 2013
What are some of the things you have traded in exchange for a tattoo?
All sorts…! Artwork, loads of artwork. Clothes, jewellery, haircuts, dinners, whiskey, house-plants, photography work, assistant work, tailoring, ceramics, website maintenance, all sorts.
You feature a lot of constellations in your work, what draws you to stars so much?
It’s such a nice way to think about mapping something in a more abstract way.
How did your work with Chanel come about?
Well, they sent me an e-mail… and I didn’t quite believe it was real.
Miso : Chanel Commissions : Flinders Lane Boutique : 2014
What is a typical day in the life of MISO like? Is there even such a thing as a typical day?
There’s no such thing as a typical day, or even close… which is a good thing.
Living between Toyko and Melbourne sounds dreamy, how do you juggle that and make it work?
I’m not sure if there’s a lot to juggle, that way of living actually really suits me. I’m not very good at being in one place, and I don’t stay anywhere too often. I really love both cities so much, that it’s really nice to come and go between the two. And I’m lucky that a lot of my work is flexible, and I can make a show anywhere.
How do you define success?
I’m not sure if it’s something I really think about, to be honest. As long as you’re happy with what you’re making in the studio, that’s all it comes down to.
What would you say to your 21 year old self?
… I’m not sure! It’s been 5 years, and I’m not sure I’m that much wiser.
Miso : Moon (Walking to All My Friends’ Houses In The World I), pin-pricks on paper, 2013
Who dead or alive would you invite to a dinner party and why?
Vali Myers, I’m so sorry that we never met. That would be so nice.
