We recently had the chance to connect with Irina Patterson and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Irina, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
He I am an artist who loves painting live at the stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.
And I wanted to get more gigs for painting perfume bottles for luxury brands.
What did I do? No, I didn’t start posting on social media like a mechanicl monkey.
I did something different this time.
I took my paper flyer and walked over to the Merrick Park Mall. It is next to my home.
And … OMG!
The field executive for The House of Creed was visiting the store right at that time.
She is the one who books painters. How could it be even possible?
The field executives don’t visit the store every day.
Did the Universe arrange for our meeting?
She looked at my work, and said, “I need you.”
That was the easiest sale ever.
Still makes me smile when I think about it.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an artist who has a gazillion art projects going.
Today we will focus on one. Painting live at the luxury retail setting.
I grew up in Soviet Russia, where luxury meant maybe getting a contraband lipstick from Poland.
It most likely be not the shade you needed or wanted but you just like the fact owning one.
Luxury brands perfumes? Please. Those things were like unicorns. Everyone talked about them, but nobody had seen one up close.
And here I am today, painting perfume bottles for Jo Malone and Frederic Malle. Just pinch me!
To me, these bottles are not just pretty packaging — they represent a splash of luxury that once felt completely out of reach.
I love giving these iconic brands my very personal touch, a delicate flower, a Miami skyline or female profile.
After growing up without even a whiff of perfume, I just savor my place in this luxury world.
It is my way of saying, “This is how I see it!” I do feel pretty special.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My ballet teacher, of all people.
I started ballet later in life here in Miami, and my teacher — Cristina Rojo, kept telling me I was the most creative person she had ever met.
More than that, she would say, “You have the look of an aged model and need to sign with a top modeling agency.”
“Yeah, right. Me and a million other beautiful women out there,” I laughed.
I didn’t march off to sign with any modeling agency.
Yet, I gained something — my confidence that I am pretty darn good at this whole elegance thing.
I have my own style, I’m an artist, and these are skills I can turn into cash. That felt pretty good to me.
And that’s how I became an elegant artist for luxury brands.
It’s not nearly as cutthroat as high-end fashion modeling, where you basically have to knock on agency doors and suffer painful humiliation over and over.
I just go and sell myself as an artist to luxury brands, no awkward full body auditions for me.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I started out as a Medical Doctor in Russia—and yeah, that is a useful skill to have. No regrets there.
Yet, I was never cut out to be the proper doctor.
I am the creative type who needs art in my day, every day — not bleak hospital walls and piles of paperwork that always put me to sleep.
If I could give my younger self some advice, I would say: “Hey, you are an artist, and you can make a living by making yourself happy.”
At the time, especially in Soviet Russia, it would have sounded ridiculous and silly.
Only now do I see that when you are genuinely enjoying what you do you transmit joyful energy and other people pick up it from you.
I would advise myself to stop worrying about the ‘right path’ and focus on making my days happy.
I would focus on giving, giving, giving joy — sharing it, not being stingy with it.
It’s really easy to do once you know how things work.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Gurus say you need millions of followers on social media to be successful.
Yeah, sure, that is one way to go about it.
But me? I am taking this scenic route. At least for now.
I only want to work with a handful of luxury brands.
And I don’t need a million followers to make that happen.
Instead, I hop onto LinkedIn and reach out directly to my favorite luxury brands.
It alwas worked for me, talking to real people without shouting into the void.
That kind of “one to one marketing” suits my personality way better.
They either completely ignore me or get blown away by my work.
I don’t mind rejections at all. Everyone has their own preferences.
In the big wide world, I can find a few people who would love to work with me.
They are self-selecting, which works perfectly because I only want to collaborate with people who truly love my style.
Plus, I am just one person with very real physical limits on how much actual work I can handle.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Yes, I’m doing what I was born to do now.
I was born to enjoy life as an elegant artist — pretty great for a deprived Soviet kid like me.
Growing up in Russia, I was all about following society’s “proper” norms.
I went to grade school, crushed every subject, went to Medical School because, well, that’s what you do when you’re a good girl.
God forbid you ran off with the circus or became a free-spirited artist. That would have been so improper back then.
Then I moved to the US, thanks to my handsome American husband and here I figured out a few things.
“Find your own way” has been my motto for over 20 years now.
I enjoy my path, and I try to inspire others to find theirs.
Life is short. Try fun things every day.
If you enjoy something, maybe others will too.
Make yourself happy — share your joy with others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://irinapatterson.my.canva.site/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/irinapatterson
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miamifl
Image Credits
Photos by Irina Patterson
