Meet Salavat Fidai

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Salavat Fidai. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Salavat below.

Salavat , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

They are developed in various ways over a long period. However, I can share some things that helped me personally.

First of all, the support of my wife and family. They have always believed in me and my success. During the most challenging times in my life,

when I lost hope and doubted myself, my wife and children convinced me that I could achieve what I had planned.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Support and positive feedback from my followers and fans on social media are also crucial. The attention of the media and critics,

as well as the opinions of others in the art world, are important. If what I create resonates with many people, it greatly helps me gain confidence that I’m on the right path.

Of course, the financial aspect is significant too! If my work sells, it gives me strength and confidence as well.

Overall, there are a few principles I have followed. For instance, it’s highly desirable not to have debts or financial difficulties and,

ideally, to have a financial cushion (savings). This allows you not to worry about money and remain independent,

at least at the beginning of your creative journey. Debts and unpaid bills literally suffocate your freedom and ability to think creatively.

Adding to this are the moments when your work might not be in demand, and your creations don’t sell.

These situations inevitably affect your confidence and energy negatively.

It’s also essential that you genuinely enjoy what you do—you need to be inspired by your work! Not just the rewards for your labor,

but most importantly, the creative process itself should excite and bring you joy.

I’ve been creating miniature sculptures from graphite for over 10 years now. I love this art form for its complexity and uniqueness.

I’m inspired and thrilled by the opportunity to create intricate works of art that few people in the world can replicate.

The process of creating micro-sculptures is like meditation—it requires constant focus on the tip of the pencil while simultaneously detaching from the outside world and immersing myself in a macro-cosmos.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

This art teaches me patience, perseverance, and self-control. Despite the apparent complexity,

all I need to create my micro-sculptures is a sharp craft knife, a pencil, and a microscope—that’s it.

I think Tibetan monks would highly appreciate the impact this art has on the mind and psyche.

Currently, my dream is to establish a Museum of Graphite Micro-Sculptures.

I want these fragile works of art to have a place for proper, careful preservation,

where countless fans from around the world could see them in person, not just on their smartphone screens via social media.

To aspiring artists and creators, I would advise not being afraid to constantly experiment with materials, techniques,

and different types of art. I advocate for versatile development and changing fields of activity every 7–10 years!

Who knows what other talents are hidden within you? And how else can you discover them if you don’t try something new?

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I would suggest cultivating three key qualities:

1. Constant learning of something new and unfamiliar.
2. The ability to finish anything you start.
3. Striving to do everything you do with the highest possible quality and an aim for perfection.

The last one might sound like perfectionism, but I insist on it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.salavatfidai.art

Image Credits

Salavat Fidai