What is the best thing that I love about my work? It’s the ability to make my own worlds, all their tiny details and build places nobody have ever been to before. To create an emotional experience through visuals and communicate feelings.

What is my idea of perfect happiness? The happiness concept is confusing for me because seems to leave the inherent aspects of the world such as pain and death out. The idea of living a good, purposeful and pleasant life is more familiar and is about being in peace with everything that cannot be eliminated, feeling able to overcome the challenges I face, love and being loved, using the short time I have to feel alive and sharing my energy with others.

What is my greatest fear? Being alone. The idea of being a person without a “tribe” with whose members I can share my passion and create together.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? Being hesitant too often about what I know I have to do and what is right, especially when it contradicts the usual way of doing things or others’ opinion.

Which living persons in my profession do I most admire? There are a lot of outstanding artists in the world yet the ones I admire the most are my closer colleagues, the ones with whom I can share my passion in person and who support me and give valuable feedback.

What is my greatest extravagance? I try to feel normal about all the things in myself yet a lot of people say that drawing at the party while everybody is dancing and having their fun is weird.

On what occasion would I lie? I realized that every time I have ever lied in my life was when I was afraid to be punished, physically or emotionally. Sometimes, I feel very tired and unable to endure a harsh emotional response to what I want to say. And that’s the moment I hesitate and think about being silent or lying. But the idea of doing the right thing gives me courage. I hate lying and long ago decided not to do things I will have to lie about. 

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? Sometimes unpredictability of the outcome feels depressing. No matter how high the skills are, the chance to fail is always high. Sitting for hours in front of the computer is also not a good thing which forces me to make additional efforts to keep fit.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work? When the commercial work leaves space in it for something very personal to me and the result is satisfying for both me and the client.

If I could, what would I change about myself? I’d like to get rid of the fears that don’t allow me to evolve and find a constructive and creative way out for all my hidden needs and passions. Also, I wish I started doing more physical activities when I was young.

What is my greatest achievement in work? I hope it is all in the future. I’m not an “achiever” type of person and my greatest love is doing what I do now and slowly getting good in it while also evolving as a human.

Where would I most like to live? Moderately warm climate with a lot of fresh food, sea or ocean and mountains would be a perfect fit.

What is my most treasured possession? I find ownership of things restrictive and inextricably linked to the fear of a loss. So, I try not to be attached to things and focus on the value they bring to me, which will stay when these things are long gone.

What is my most marked characteristic? Responsible.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? Naming one thing before the others would undermine the idea that each and everyone gave me something exclusive. Yet I like the quiet places above the others, the ones that are cozy and away from the traffic such as cafe terraces by the river and big parks that keep away the city noize.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city? There is a restaurant in Minsk called “Animal farm”. They have amazingly delicious and fresh food, couture for a pret-a-porter price as the owner says. And they have my favorite licorice cocktail.

What books influenced my life and how? “Mastery” by Robert Greene and “Good to great” by James C. Collins helped me to understand how to organize my work in a long perspective for stable growth and also how to approach any long-term task. “The power of the myth” and “The hero with a thousand faces” by Joseph Campbell gave me an insight on the purpose of religion and myth and my own place in this world. Books of Milorad Pavic and my favorite childhood book, Mary Poppins, helped me to discover my passion for finding whimsical in mundane.

Who are my favorite writers? Besides the ones I mentioned above, I love Terry Pratchett,  A. A. Milne, Mike Mignola and I love various myths (which have collective authorship).

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? I guess it wouldn’t be a specific track. I would love to get to a quiet place and listen to the sounds of nature.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? Fa Mulan is actually a real woman but her Disney movie character became my biggest inspiration.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? There were a couple of people, one was my boss and the other was my colleague, who inspired me greatly and whose positive influence I experience even we’re no longer in touch. Also, my parents, for their unconditional love and teaching me to follow my heart.

Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? That’s a tough one. Again, so many of them gave me something important to think about. Strangely enough, I took Harry Potter from the top of my head. I have a sweet spot for the magic worlds which are strongly based on mundane and it seems that this could happen with any of us. And for me, it’s a story about the importance of teamwork and a celebration of real heroes who live in shadow, often unknown or even despised.

What role plays art in my life and work? It is my profession and my hobby. And it influences everything I do and the way I perceive the world around me. I see things and think: “Oh, this one is a nice plot for an illustration”. Or: “This group of people standing looks like a nice pattern”.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, a partner in crime? My mom is my biggest fan. She puts likes under my artwork posts in social media with such speed that it feels creepy. My boyfriend is my biggest support now. I am so grateful to him for the opportunity to have more time for drawing and studies and not having to worry about financial instabilities.

Whom would I like to work with in 2019? I am quite open to any opportunity which helps me to improve and bring value to the project and be proud of the result. But working on story-driven short films and feature animation is my dream.

Which people in my profession would I love to meet in 2019? I plan to go to Annecy the next year and I am looking forward to meeting more interesting people from the animation industry.

What project, in 2019, am I looking forward to work on?  I am looking forward to all the new projects with the studio I work in. We spend a significant amount of time developing our own ideas and it’s a wonderful opportunity to express myself.

Where can you see me or my work in 2019? I use Instagram for both my personal and professional work https://www.instagram.com/cvadratnaya/ And Behance contains some of my older work https://www.behance.net/e_p

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? I guess, it’s about being always on, acknowledging the beauty around. And also that being an artist is about not just a job but a lifestyle.

Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?I would suggest

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenia-s-537a2457/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgakachalina/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiya-bitsko-69ab2a108/

How can you contact me? Drop me a direct message on Instagram or Behance.