ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank the whole publishing team at Quarto for their excellent and thoughtful hard work and brilliant ideas. Special thanks to my amazing editor Jeannine for being a supportive, intelligent, and creative guide in this new adventure. And to wonderful Marissa, for putting so much precious energy and ideas into the imagery. You’ve made this book possible!

I’m unbelievably grateful for my family, who always cherished personal freedom and celebrated creativity. A very special thank-you to my husband Maxim for years of support, inspiration, ingenious advice, and never-ending inventive discussions of creative ideas, be it walking in the rain in St. Petersburg, Paris, or Berlin.

I’m particularly grateful to my amazing friends for their help with the book and my creative journey. Anya and Nikita, for sincere support, enthusiasm, comprehensive knowledge, humor, and lively minds; Anastasia Dubrovina, for being a constant source of exceptional aesthetic treasures, sharing a sui generis look at things, and always being a secret mage for me; Svetlana Borodina, for expressive interpretations of starry beauty; and Sonja Danowski, for letting me in her mesmerizing world and showing what a talented artist with a unique vision can achieve.

I’m incredibly grateful for my students and fellow creatives who gifted me with their time and trust, the most valuable of all resources. Your support means so much to me. Thank you for every small project and sketch you shared online based on my courses and challenges. Your feedback, discussions, collaborations, and enthusiastic endeavors have impacted me more than you can imagine. Even if you never said or commented on anything, I know we share the same passion, and I hope that my artwork added a tiny sparkle to your starry sky.

We’ve created a lot of magic together, and it’s only the beginning!

Thank you!