ABOUT ME

I was born in Moscow in 1984. (How Orwellian, right?)
My childhood was spent reading fantasy books under blankets, quarreling with my sister, going to music classes, and swimming and eating strawberries at our
dacha - summer house.
In 1999, when I was 14 years old, I lost five family members in a terrorist attack - an event that has both traumatized me, and taught me about politics, and the value of human life.
After graduating from high school, I entered the Sociology department at Moscow State University. Those were fun years. I hung out with my group of geeks. We read fantasy and sci-fi novels, dressed weirdly, drank bad instant coffee from the cafeteria, and went to rock concerts in dingy clubs.

That was where my love of photography was born: I took pictures of headbanging fan club members and musicians on stage. Not very good photos, but it got me hooked on the craft.

While still in university, I was offered a job at an advertising agency. (The creative director wanted to take a chance on a brave up-and-comer.) And even though I had zero experience, I was crazy enough to say yes.

I GOT TO CHOOSE WHAT I WANTED TO BE: AN ART DIRECTOR OR A COPYWRITER. YOU'D THINK I PICKED ART DIRECTION, BUT...

I chickened out and went for writing, which I felt more confident in than design. (I still wonder where I would have been today if I'd picked art direction instead.) Now I worked full-time as a creative copywriter and took side gigs as a photographer and videographer.

Some time later, a friend got me into calligraphy, which became my next obsession. I could now add lettering to my list of services for wedding clients, and they loved it...

I eventually met the guy who is now my partner. In 2016, we our son was born, and I couldn't take on wedding clients anymore due to the long hours and travel required.
Two of my friends had gotten a book deal and suggested to the publisher that I do the lettering for the cover. That’s how I got into the publishing industry - a match made in heaven for a bookworm like me.
In-between caring for my son, and doing lettering work for publishing houses, I started drawing and painting. It was something I’d always wanted to do, but had tip-toed around.
In 2019, I started a sketching club in a local café, where me and other artists could hang out and draw together. I even considered becoming a full-time artist...

Then 2020 came, and the pandemic hit. We were stuck in a small apartment, with a 3-year-old son, my partner struggling to do remote work. My art practice saved my sanity during this time. As did sourdough bread baking, birdwatching, reading, gaming, and watching tv shows over Discord with friends. I moved my sketching club online and have continued to host it ever since.
When lockdowns eased, daycare resumed. Freelance gigs started coming in again. I started a YouTube channel to share my mundane life in Moscow. We moved to a bigger place and celebrated our 10th anniversary.
And then Russia invaded Ukraine.
My PayPal account got blocked, my bank cards stopped working. I had to close my Patreon, press pause on my YouTube channel, and forget my dreams of working with
international clients.

Luckily, amidst all the turmoil, I got offered a job at a publishing house. Working in-house after 10 years of freelancing was very refreshing. And challenging.

I LEARNED NEW THINGS ABOUT MYSELF, THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY, AND WORKING IN A TEAM.

I art directed book covers and layouts, and did a lot of lettering. I loved the job. But I was also heavily overworked and approaching burnout.

Less than a year into my employment, Russia rolled out military mobilization, and added more homophobic amendments to their laws. I felt anxious, and started having PTSD reactions. Images of my family being blown up in our sleep. I knew we couldn't stay.

So I quit my job, and we left Russia.

After a brief stay in the small, beautiful village of Turunç, Turkey, we moved on to Spain, where we now reside, an hour away from Barcelona. My life is starting anew. I can finally take on clients all over Europe. And I can write, make art, and publish videos.

These 40 years have been quite adventurous. If you want to see where the story goes next, subscribe to my newsletter “Chronicles from afar”. I call it my observation journal, where I share thoughts on life, nature, and art, as well as photography and book recommendations.