Artist Feature — Natasha V.
A fun little commission of me and my partner by @kotoriidesu and gifted to me by my sister Kat.
What led you to BTS?
My obsession with BTS began in March 2020 — do you remember that time? How could we forget? Finding myself with more free time than I knew what to do with and through the curated guidance of my best friend Kat and my teenage mini-me Annie, I found myself in a deep, DEEP BTS hole. And to my own surprise, and the surprise and my closest circle... I kinda liked it here.
And isn't that how it starts? You start to follow BTS on Twitter and IG for passive updates. Maybe you start to follow a funny stan account or two. Then, that somehow turns into 400 followed accounts and you find yourself running to the tone of your phone with a new notification like Pavlov's dogs — "V JUST COMMENTED ON SOMEONE'S POST!!!" was a cry not unfamiliar in my home. There was BTS music playing on my headphones, in my car, on the TV — I was completely immersed.
A picture of me and my kitty Leia on the night of my first comeback (Dynamite) in front of our BTS decorated fridge.
Who/what sparked your interest in art/tarot?
One account I started following that I grew to love was @bangtanastrology on Instagram. Vicki’s stories were so funny that I genuinely looked forward to her posts. It’s like she knew the exact way into my heart through her humor and 90s Hip Hop & RnB beats. I was completely enthralled by the idea of this intersectionality of BTS and astrology memes. For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in my own astrology. Every Sunday after church, my family and I would eat at the same Chinese restaurant for lunch. Framing my favorite pork chops and noodles, a paper place mat with the 12 Chinese Zodiac characters. And what was my sign? A badass '88 Earth Dragon, a fact I've always loved about myself.
Credit: @bangtanastrology
Through @bangtanastrology, I began to follow Mara @magicshoptarot. I learned through her profile that she was a Filipina tarot reader, yogi and reiki healer. She was offering tarot readings to ARMY for a nominal fee. I figured, what was the harm in getting my cards read? And as an added bonus I had the chance to support a fellow Filipinx and ARMY. What I got back in return was pretty phenomenal. Not only did she hit the nail on the head with all my questions, her spread for me was SUGA themed without knowing he was my bias. I was so impressed by her reading that I started gifting readings to many of my friends, ARMY and not.
Credit: @magicshoptarot
Around the same time I started following @lizeok on Instagram. At the time she was focusing on these large scale BTS art collages that were blowing my mind. There was something to me that was so new and raw about her art, but at the same time something all too familiar and nostalgic. I bought several pieces from her Etsy shop, with one that proudly hangs framed in my living room. She was an inspiration for me to start using art as a way to express myself using BTS.
Credit: @lizeok
How did you start the BTS tarot project?
In July 2021 I was gifted a Tarot deck by my best friend Kristal, Tarot Del Fuego. As beautiful as the cards are, I found it difficult to learn off this deck. It has a unique interpretation of the cards and the guides that I used weren’t aligning with the specific imagery of this deck. So I started shopping for another deck. I saw a few that I liked, but something wasn’t resonating. And then something clicked -- What if I made my own BTS Tarot Deck?
Could I do it? I didn’t know enough about Tarot and I couldn’t possibly design 78 cards on my own. I messaged a friend and ARMY Tarot reader to see if she would be interested in helping me create this deck. She said yes. She referred me to another ARMY Tarot reader and she too was interested. And 4 months later, here we are. 12 artists and Tarot readers together from 6 different countries, ready to create a BTS inspired Tarot deck for ARMY. The divine and whole number 12, signifying creativity, artistic expression and harmony. 12 zodiac signs, 12 astrological houses, 12 stations of the moon and sun. 12 friends that I am forever grateful for and indebted to. It has all come together so beautifully.
In sharing my story, I hope to help people find that there is a place for you at the BTS Tarot Project. We’re a group of people that want to learn how to use Tarot to tap into our intuition, to help us find clarity in our subconscious, and to use BTS as a vessel to help others do the same. This project emerged out of a need to be a part of a collaborative effort, and to bring together a community within ARMY. Intuition led us here, and BTS will keep us together.
