Capturing the quiet, radical beauty of love through color, tenderness, and authenticity.
For Bulgarian artist [url=https://www.domestika.org/en/evstatieva_monika
Id_user: 6474802]Monika Evstatieva, her third-place entry in the Design with Pride contest was more than a visual statement—it was a heartfelt tribute to the everyday courage of living authentically. Her piece, Pride Month, portrays two people simply existing together in love, without performance or pretense, bathed in the optimism of a bright yellow background.
“I wanted to capture the tenderness of love as something beautifully ordinary yet profoundly powerful,” Monika shares. The work was deeply inspired by her best friend, whose openness and vulnerability reshaped her understanding of love and freedom. “This artwork became a quiet tribute to him, and to everyone who has ever fought for the simple right to love and be loved.”
Blending traditional materials like watercolor pencils with the flexibility of digital tools in Procreate, Monika’s process is intuitive and playful, guided by mood boards, sketches, and even poetic phrases. Her goal is never perfection, but presence—a visual language that speaks honestly to the soul.
Read the full interview with Monika Evstatieva here to discover how she keeps her work authentic, overcomes creative self-doubt, and finds inspiration in the unfiltered creativity of children.
1. Can you tell us what inspired you to create the winning project? What story or emotion did you want to convey?
My inspiration came from a deep desire to celebrate love as something beautifully ordinary yet profoundly powerful. Pride Month isn’t just about bold statements - it’s also about quiet truths, about being seen without pretense. I wanted to capture the tenderness of two people simply existing together in love, free from performance, free to follow their happiness. To me, that quiet authenticity is a radical act in itself. The yellow background reflects optimism and the joy of living truthfully, a reminder that love, in its gentlest form, is a source of strength and resistance and everyone has the right to be happy and free to be. While creating this piece, I often thought of one of the people dearest to me - my best male friend, who is gay. His openness, his vulnerability, and the way he chooses to live authentically have touched me deeply. He showed me a new way of seeing love and freedom - through eyes that have longed for acceptance and found it within. This artwork became a quiet tribute to him, and to everyone who has ever fought for the simple right to love and be loved.
2. What is your process for developing original ideas from scratch?
My process begins with the intention to play and have fun, it may sound childish, but this is what works for me, it liberates me and ignites my mojo flow. I am more of a spontaneous and intuitive person and I allow what needs to come through me to come without really thinking what I am doing.
3. Do you start with a sketch, an inspiration board, or something else?
I have the problem that my mind lights up like a Christmas tree with all sort of ideas almost simultaneously. Associations, colors, forms, textures, words, music lyrics my brain becomes a crazy vibrant amusement park. It can be quite overwhelming, so what I do in order to ground myself is - I pour myself a cup of tea (+ something sweet) and I put everything in an inspiration board, combined with quick, loose sketches. The board helps me create a mood - colors, shapes, visual metaphors - while sketching keeps my ideas flowing without judgment. Sometimes I even write short poetic lines or phrases that set the tone for the piece before I touch the canvas.
4. How would you define your style, and how has it evolved?
My style is rough, intuitive, playful and spontaneous. It blends softness and boldness - simple forms with layers of meaning. Over time, I’ve moved away from trying to “impress” with complexity, and instead, I focus on creating honest visuals that speak to the soul. My style is now less about perfection and more about presence and feeling.
