let go of what you do not have

(english version is available below) 

на прошлой неделе в мире отмечали день отца. моя лента в инстаграме наполнилась фотографиями отцов и детей, а также словами о том, какую роль первые сыграли в жизни вторых. какие-то посты были воспоминаниями о детстве, какие-то - благодарностью тем мужчинам, с которыми автор воспитывает своих детей. я смотрела на все эти кадры и читала тексты под ними, ощущая радость и тепло внутри, а потом задумалась о том, что когда-то давно я бы отреагировала на все это совершенно иначе.

last week, people from all around the world celebrated father`s day. my instagram feed mostly consisted of phots of fathers and children as well as words about the roles that those fathers played in their children`s lives. some posts included recollections from childhood, others were expressions of gratitude to the men that their authors were raising their children with. i was observing these photographs and reading those texts, while joy and warm were filling me. and then i realized that i would react differently several years earlier. 

meet nastya kalkatyn

(english version is available below)

я узнала про настю калкатын года два назад, когда оля котрус опубликовала фото открыток с иллюстрациями насти. это было то ли поздней осенью, то ли ранней зимой, когда я как раз искала новогодние открытки, чтобы разослать их своим друзьям и поздравить их с предстоящими праздниками. а в прошлом году оля анонсировала выход своей первой книги "город, который меня съел", иллюстрации для которой готовила именно настя. в результате, книга не только написана волшебным уникальным олиным языком, но еще и красиво оформлена. благодаря работе насти! я очень рада тому, что настя согласилась ответить на мои вопросы, а теперь я могу познакомить тебя с ней. открывай полную версию этого поста, чтобы узнать чуть больше о насте калкатын и ее истории.

i think i discovered nastya kalkatyn two years ago, when olya kotrus shared postcards with nastya`s illustrations. it was some time in late autumn or early winter, and i was looking for new postcards to send out to my friends and greet them with the upcoming christmas & new year. fast-forward to last year, when olya announced that her first book was ready, and nastya would be the one creating illustrations for it. in the end, the book is not only written in a magical way, it is also really beautiful thanks to nastya`s work! i am very glad that nastya agreed to answer my questions, and i am now able to introduce her to you. open the post to find out more about nastya kalkatyn and her story.

meet dasha ptitsami

(english version is available below)

в прошлом году я подписалась на профиль даши птицами в instagram, и с тех пор мне хочется купить все, что она создает. даша занимается гончарным делом. и как оказалось, работает с керамикой с две тысячи одиннадцатого года. за это время она успела закончить колледж, поработать в студии своего преподавателя и наловчиться настолько, чтобы теперь делает в десять-двенадцать раз больше, чем в самом начале этого пути, за то же количество времени. как говорит сама даша, она всегда мечтала заниматься тем, что ей нравится, создавать что-то своими руками, поэтому все происходящее сейчас - огромная радость, но и трудный путь, на котором возникает много сложностей, так как заниматься только гончарным делом пока недостаточно. открывай полную версию этого поста, чтобы узнать о даше чуть больше.

last year i started following dasha ptitsami on instagram, and my wishlist has been constantly getting longer ever since. i want to buy everything she makes. dasha is a potter. she has been working with ceramics since two thousand eleven. at first, she studied at college, then worked at a studio of her teacher and in the end she managed to become so good that she can do ten or even twelve times more than she used to in the same amount of time. dasha says that she has always dreamt of doing something she enjoyed and creating something with her hands, which is why she is very satisfied with her current reality. however, this path is not an easy one, and there a lot of challenges on the way, because doing pottery only is not enough yet. open the full version of this post to find out a bit more about dasha.

on valentine`s day

(english version is available below)

два года назад в предверии дня святого валентина я опубликовала короткий и очень эмоциональный пост, а сегодня хочу поговорить об этом празднике с более прагматичной точки зрения :).

two years ago, i published a short and very emotional post a few days prior to the saint valentine`s day, whereas this time around i would like to discuss it a bit with a more pragmatic approach :).

meet nastia sleptsova

(english version is available below)

в августе я провела несколько дней во львове и вернулась в местный магазин "щось цікаве", наполненный маленькими чудесами, которые хочется увезти с собой и раздарить всем самым близким. из него я ушла с открытками и стикерами иллюстратора насти слепцовой, за которой можно следить на instagram и tumblr. три года назад она переехала из крыма во львов, где теперь живет и работает. ее иллюстрации кажутся мне очень теплыми и уютными. мне хочется сохранять их, ставить на рабочий стол и покупать все, что делает настя. с августа я наклеиваю ее стикеры на все используемые мною блокноты и отправляемые мною открытки, а вскоре планирую покупать новую порцию. к счастью, для этого не нужно ехать во львов. у насти есть свой онлайн-магазин на etsy, где можно легко и быстро сделать заказ. я очень рада тому, что настя ответила на мой вопросник, а теперь я могу рассказать тебе о ней и дать возможность узнать ее немного лучше.

in august, i spent a few days in lvov, when i came back to a local store "shchos_cikave", which is full of little wonders that you want to bring with you and give to those whom you appreciate the most. i left that charming place with postcards and stickers created by an illustrator nastia sleptsova. you can follow her on instagram and tumblr. she moved from crimea to lvov three years ago, and that is where she currently lives and works. i find her illustrations to be warm and very cozy. i want to save them all, use them on all of my screens and buy anything nastia creates. i have been using her stickers all over my notebooks and postcards since august. they are almost over, so i am going to order a new portion in the nearest future. luckily, it is possible to do it without going to lvov. nastia has an online-store on etsy, where you can order her creations quickly and easily. i am very glad that nastia agreed to answer my questionnaire, and that i am now able to introduce you to her, as well as enable you to get to know her a bit better.

meet yuliya evseeva

(english version is available below)

раз в месяц я публикую опросник с человеком, который вдохновляет меня тем, каким он есть и тем, что он в своей жизни делает. эту серию постов я начала вскоре после того, как завела блог, но регулярной сделала не сразу. были месяцы, когда опросники не выходили вообще, а потом такие, когда их было по три штуки за четыре недели. с две тысячи семнадцатого я определилась с желаемой регулярностью и стараюсь придерживаться этого  плана. сегодня - знакомство с графическим дизайнером, иллюстратором и каллиграфом юлией евсеевой.

a day in paris / edition three

(текст на русском - ниже)

yes, i have one more perfect day in paris to tell you about, and the photograph of anya that you can see above is the best possible embodiment of what this day felt like. it was warm and light, joyful and simply great. i cherish these memories and the opportunity to share them with you!

five movies to watch / part two

i have recently had a couple of extra challenging weeks, and as a result, my mind has been concentrated on dealing with one particular issue and nothing else. as i am getting back into my regular routine, i started wondering - what was i looking forward to or what could i look forward to? there were a few answers, and watching a new movie was one of the first ones to come to mind. everything good is better when shared, right? this is why today i would like to tell you about five movies that i cannot wait to watch in the nearest future. 

мудрость ван гога

в своем июльском списке хорошего я упоминала о том, что взялась за перечитывание уже прочтенных мною книг. теперь я просто подхожу к своему книжному царству и рассматриваю полки так, словно нахожусь в магазине и выбираю что-нибудь новенькое. я уже перечитала автобиографию моррисси, а также немного кундеры. теперь же мои руки дошли до писем винсента ван гога. кажется, практически никто не знает о том, что это издание существует, а сегодня когда я "отправилась" в онлайн-магазин, чтоб его купить и отправить по почте нескольким дорогим мне людям, оказалось, что его везде раскупили. и это неудивительно, так как в текстах ван гог раскрывается как невероятный мыслитель. 

five movies to watch

(текст на русском - ниже)

i love watching movies and i love going to the cinema. for me it is not only one of the most enjoyable reasons to leave home, not only one of the best ways to spend free time, but also a huge source of inspiration. i have previously written about watching movies at the cinema here and here, and probably in most of my "good things" lists, because this process makes me very excited and very happy. basically, any day can become a great one just because of going to the cinema, and i am glad that it is this way, because i have been learning to create my own happiness. naturally, finding things that make you happy and then doing them is important.

the last weeks have been challenging and the last couple of days have been especially disappointing, this is why i wanted to write about something that brings me joy. i am not one of those people, who claim that you should always smile, every problem is an adventure etc. no, i believe that it is totally fine to be upset. moreover, i think that when you feel that way, you must let yourself be in that state for some time and take care of yourself without putting any pressure, but then shape up and do something special, create reasons to feel better. today i am going to the cinema and there are a couple of other movies that i cannot wait to watch when they come out, so i decided to share five of them with you.

how you see it

it is not about your day, it is about how you see it. attitude is an essential thing, if you want to lead a happy life, and who does not, right? i doubted, whether there was a point of telling this simple short story, but in the end i think it is. it really is! why? because on a daily basis something goes wrong. sometimes we can do something about it, we can somehow change the situation, but sometimes - we cannot. what is left? our attitude, of course! the day i want to tell you about was meant to be bad - i had to do what i was afraid to do and there was a lot of work and the weather was horrible, but it worked out well, because i laughed through it all. it is a great life lesson for me, and this is why i find it worthy of sharing with you.

on love for cinema

have you been reading my posts for some time? well, then you are most probably aware of me being a fan of cinema. i love going there. the whole process of actually comitting and watching a whole movie at home is not that easy for me, bu-u-ut going to the cinema is different. if there were options, i would go to the cinema way more often than i do now (and that is a couple of times a month). i mention cinema here, here and here. do not be lazy and check out those posts too. what if you missed one of them? ;)

i decided to write this post because in the last two days i went to the cinema twice and i was so happy about it. i did not like old cinemas in kiev before and i preferred going to the modern ones, but i changed my mind this weekend. on sunday i watched "life" - a movie about dennis stock and james dean. it was shown in a small room with about five rows and six-eight seats in each of them. although it was not that comfortable, it felt special and cosy, so i came back there yesterday to watch a movie, that i have been trying to see for more than a month now, - 'les deux amis". both of the movies were exactly what i was expecting them to be and what i hoped for. the only thing i was sorry about - not being able to watch them in original.

celebrating women

o-o-oh my! i was on a subway train yesterday in the morning and opened twitter to find out about #LEMONADE - a visual album by beyonce, which does not really need a presentation, as you have already listened to it, i am sure. i had to listen to it, i had to see it, i had to experience it myself. the day in my thoughts was all about it. in the evening i watched it and emotions overflowed me. this is art - raw and real, real and raw. fascinating, spectacular, unforgettable. for me, as a person, for whom "words are essential" every single word on that album is as valuable as a song or a whole album itself. watching the album is so much more than just listening to the songs separately. everything you see, everything you hear is genial.

what i love about beyonce, and there is not doubt that i am not alone here, is that she celebrates women; she reminds you about the power you have and gently pushes you to celebrate yo-self. i love it, i admire it. you listen to a song and you are as excited to be a woman as one could be. you are happy and proud. you are bold. there are three phases of thinking afterwards: i am powerful, i can do anything > uhm, yeah, maybe, but i won`t be ever like her > wait, this is not what she wants me to feel like, this is not what she thinks herself. she is sure that she is number one (despite all insecurities and reasons that may appear worthy to see yourself as worthless) and she works hard as hell to be as good as one could only be. this is exactly what she wants me to do too. she wants to empower me, she shares her experience and knowledge with me to make me realize we are all in the same position, so it depends on us only what happens next.

i knew right away i had to write about it, then i had doubts - everyone would too and i did not want to do what the rest was doing. however, the more i listened, the clearer it became that i could not ignore it, i could not just enjoy the album. i had to write about it. i had to once again point out how powerful and strong women are (love is what makes us so), how proud i am to be one of them. i have felt this way since ten or eleven years old when i read "gone with the wind", saw scarlett o`hara as my role model and decided that i wanted to be just like her - i wanted to cope with whatever i had to, i wanted to manage it all despite all the challenges and pain. the older i get, the more i see that women are magical creatures, they are capable of things impossible for men and not only in a big picture kind of thing, on a daily basis too. however some struggle more than others, for some it is harder to find a voice and power inside, some need extra help and nurturing. this is what all of us are here for - to support and inspire each other. this is exactly what beyonce is doing, and i am grateful for it, just like hundreds of thousands of women around the world are. we are lucky to have her, we are lucky to have each other and we are lucky to have ourselves. we are lucky to be women and we should make the best out of it. let`s celebrate women, let`s celebrate each and one of us. 

imma keep on runnin`cause a winner don`t quit on themselves, - let this be the motto of your life, girl.

list of good things number one

(русский текст будет ниже, но фотографии не дублируются :))

so after i decided to start this thing and write and post as much as possible, my laptop broke! YAY! bu-u-ut it does not mean that i cannot use my magical iphone for the same purpose! i love the idea of a "good things" list and i plan to post mine on a regular basis! here goes list number one, it is all about today (do not be surprised about me writing down the simplest things, as they are the best).

• had breakfast and read a great book (joan didion's biography) in bed for quite a while (could not make myself get out of there, so decided to be kind and give myself some time);

•managed to get to the laundry and wash all my things, so now i smell freshness all over my place;

•bought a magazine i expected to enjoy but it turned out i lo-o-ove it;

•had coffee and read the magazine while waiting for my laundry (there is a great genuine interview with kate winslet and an incredibly beautiful shoot + many other worthy materials);

•went to the museum d'orsay to see an exhibition "who's afraid of women photographers?" with a friend. my favourite part was the one with self-portraits (i attach a photo of the one i loved the most);

•went to shakespeare&company cafe and had a great time there;

•had a delicious green lunch (a salad and broccoli with humus);

•enjoying my green tea and my new magazine right now;

•planning my weekend and feeling happy about all the things i will do; 

you may find this ridiculous, but i do suggest you trying this yourself and believe me, you will feel great afterwards! thank you for spending a couple of minutes with me! have a great friday night!

p.s. no, these are not the only things that i did today. it is called a "good things" list, remember? ;)

итак, после того, как я решила завести этот блог, чтобы писать и публиковать свои тексты как можно чаще, у меня сломался ноутбук. ВУ-ХУУ! но это вовсе не значит, что я не могу использовать свой волшебный айфон с той же целью. мне нравится идея списка "хороших вещей" и я планирую регулярно делиться своим. а вот и список номер один, посвящённый сегодня (не удивляйтесь тому, что я записала мелочи, ведь именно они обычно являются самой лучшей частью нашей жизни).

•позавтракала и почитала отличнейшую книгу (биографию джоан дидион) в постели (не могла заставить себя встать и решила быть к себе благосклонной, дав немного дополнительного времени);

•дошла таки до прачечной, так что теперь моя квартира пахнёт свежестью;

•купила журнал, зная, что он мне понравится, но оказалось, что я от него просто в восторге;

•попила кофе и почитала тот самый журнал в ожидании стирки (в нем замечательное интервью с кейт уинслет и потрясающе красивая съёмка + много других стоящих материалов);

•сходила в музей орсэ на выставку "кто боится женщин фотографов?". особенно мне понравилась часть с автопортретами (чуть выше есть фото);

•сходила в кофейню shakespeare&company, где отлично провела время;

•обед был зеленям (салат и брокколи с хумусом);

•сейчас наслаждаюсь зелёным чаем и чтением журнала;

•планирую свои выходные и чувствую себя счастливой от того, что собираюсь делать; 

можете считать, что это абсурдно, но я все же советую составить свой список и гарантирую, что после этого вы почувствуете себя замечательно! спасибо за то, что провели эти пару минут со мной. хорошего вам вечера пятницы!

p.s. нет, это не все, что я делала сегодня, но ведь это список "хороших вещей", помните?;)