Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadia Nephthys Velev.
Nadia Nephthys , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story is both simple and complicated at the same time. Like many artists, I have faced numerous challenges in order to continue pursuing my dreams.
I started drawing and painting at a very young age. While my mother was not always supportive of my artwork, which often focused on the female figure and character, my father encouraged me to continue creating and developing my artistic voice. So I did.
Throughout my life, I have experienced many ups and downs. There were times when I questioned whether art was worth pursuing because it could not provide financial stability. Yet I eventually realized that I was not creating for money—I was creating because art made my soul feel alive. That realization kept me going.
My artistic education includes studies in Fine Arts and Decorative Arts, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy. I also worked as an art teacher and collaborated with nonprofit organizations to create exhibition opportunities for students and emerging artists.
In 2017, I moved to the United States. For a period of time, I stepped away from painting while navigating a difficult chapter in my life. Eventually, I found my way back to my creative roots—fine arts, music, singing, poetry, and painting—and began creating again with renewed purpose.
Since then, I have participated in several exhibitions in Clarksville, Tennessee, showcasing both my paintings and photography through local galleries, including solo and group exhibitions.
Today, my work primarily focuses on the female warrior archetype. I explore the strength, resilience, vulnerability, and determination that women carry within themselves. Most of my work is surreal in nature, allowing me to create symbolic worlds where emotion, imagination, and storytelling come together.
For me, art is more than a profession or a hobby—it is a lifelong journey of self-discovery, healing, and expression.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It is never a smooth journey for an artist to fully express themselves. The path is often filled with challenges, doubts, and obstacles. However, as long as we stay strong and continue creating, we eventually reach a place where our soul feels fulfilled—and that is what truly matters.
The difficult moments are part of the journey. They teach us resilience, perseverance, and the courage to keep moving forward. Throughout my life, I have experienced many ups and downs, but I never stopped painting, creating, or dreaming in color.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work in both painting and photography, using each medium as a way to explore imagination, symbolism, and human experience.
In my paintings, I focus on the surreal side of existence—the worlds we cannot see but can feel. I create realities where dragons exist, where women see through their third eye, where mythical beings and transformations become possible. My work often explores inner battles, personal growth, and the unseen demons we face every day without realizing it. Through symbolism and fantasy, I build worlds that allow me to express emotions, ideas, and experiences beyond the limits of reality.
Photography offers me a different way of telling stories. Working with both film and digital photography, I am especially drawn to double exposures. This technique allows me to merge two separate moments, places, or ideas into a single image, creating an entirely new reality. I love the ambiguity it creates, giving each viewer the freedom to interpret the work through their own experiences, memories, and perspective. In many ways, my photography, like my paintings, is an invitation to discover meaning within a world that exists somewhere between reality and imagination.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Like many artists, my dream is to one day make art my full-time profession—not to become wealthy, but simply to have a life that is more than survival. I want to create, explore, and contribute to the world through my work rather than spend my entire life clocking in and out of a job that leaves little room for creativity and personal growth.
I believe that people are not meant to dedicate their entire existence to work they do not enjoy simply for the sake of financial stability. We all deserve the opportunity to pursue what makes us feel alive. For me, that is art.
I do not need much. I only hope to earn enough to live comfortably, continue creating, and avoid becoming another disconnected participant in a routine that leaves little space for passion and purpose. That is why I continue to work hard, create consistently, and believe in the value of my work.
My hope is that one day my art will allow me to make a living doing what I love most—creating worlds, telling stories, and connecting with others through imagination and expression.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nephthys49
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nephthys49
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nephthys49
