By Dasha Rychkova When we sat down to talk on the terrace of the freshly opened Obj?cty, in Antwerp, Kateryna puts her phone to record our conversation – a time lapse to post later on her Insta story. Kateryna was born in Uzhgorod but lived most of her life in Dnipro, Ukraine. She graduated with…
When we sat down to talk on the terrace of the freshly opened Obj?cty, in Antwerp, Kateryna puts her phone to record our conversation – a time lapse to post later on her Insta story. Kateryna was born in Uzhgorod but lived most of her life in Dnipro, Ukraine. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international economic relations, but her heart always belonged to creativity.
«I’m sure that you can find creativity everywhere, but it’s hard to find it in that field and that’s why I thought that I was made for something more creative.»
A big part of her life was dancing which later enabled her to get a job as a dancer, which led to videography. «I never thought that the creative part of life could be the main one. It was always a hobby because I was taught that way.»
Kateryna completed video and editing courses, but it didn’t become her main job until the full-scale invasion started in February of 2022. Kateryna was forced to move to Belgium, and reconsider her art, as well as her life. «I’m on a gap year now, so I decided that I should do whatever I like. I decided to focus on self-development as a person, because now, at the age of 22, in my opinion, it’s important to gain experience in various fields. So I started working more as a content creator», she says when I asked her about video and content creation.
«I started making videos somewhere in the second or third year of my studies. The videos I made back then felt like magic to me. We all watch movies, but we don’t think about how much work was put into it. We judge by the result. Now, I look at those videos and feel ashamed, but at the time I was very happy that I tried. I think that I have a certain style in my work, and clients now feel and appreciate it. I think that dancing and teamwork taught me this. I can understand a person’s preferences, I try to please them because that’s my job, but I won’t do something I don’t like. As soon as it’s not my cup of tea, I immediately stop.»
«I understand that creativity cannot continue when you force yourself.»
While talking about moving to Belgium, she says «When I came here, I thought I was a traitor, because I left. What can I do? I haven’t finished university, I can’t work, I only know English. I grew up very quickly. I’m like ‘okay, what can I do, how can I help‘, because I can’t just sit here.»
Every Sunday there are public demonstrations ‘Stand With Ukraine’ in Antwerp, created by a scouting organization called ‘Plast Belgium’. They help spread awareness and remind the world about the on-going war in Ukraine. This is where Kateryna found a way to use videos and media as a way to help. «I went to the weekly demonstrations and one guy who was a speaker once said: ‘You can help with what you know how to do and what you like to do‘, and I thought: ‘I can make videos’. I started filming the demonstrations so that more people would come. In the first months, there was such chaos that I stopped asking what to do, I just made videos. And people just started to know me. Then I began to film various events that were held, I started to actively post on Instagram. All this activity is creative, but it was and is aimed at spreading Ukrainian culture here, among Ukrainians, among Belgians, to the whole world.»
«How do you see the role of Ukrainian creators and artists in shaping the narrative about Ukraine on the global stage?», I ask Kateryna. She answers without missing a beat.
«I think the role is very big. We do not realize it, both us and the whole world, what we can give to the society. But also, we ourselves do not know what Ukraine has already given to the world. And only with the war, unfortunately at such a price, but we’re starting to understand that.» She goes on to give an example of the grain and oil crisis because of the disrupted export capability and destroyed goods productions due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
«The whole world stops when Ukraine stops. And this is the point. Our artists and creators, despite the constant oppression from the Soviet, tsarist, and Russian authorities, are known in the world. Maybe due to the influence of propaganda, they don’t know that it is Ukrainian, but we have to shout about it. And that’s why I believe that Ukrainians create these trends, they create a certain style and a certain bar, below which we do not fall. We go only higher and higher.»
«I’m not saying that I do anything that impressive, but I’m [talking about] about other artists», she adds humbly. I interrupt her, «But you are also a part of it. You are a small part of this big puzzle.»
«Undoubtedly, and I am sure that I will become it in a bigger way, but the role of artists is leading. These are leaders, trendsetters. Even if you take the Eurovision Song Contest now, if you look at the production, directed by Tanu Muiño (Ukrainian director, known by her work on music videos of Harry Styles, Lil Nas X, Cardi B, Dua Lipa, etc), we have symbolism everywhere, this is our trick. The high-quality costumes that we make, the high-quality music we have. Obviously, maybe I’m biased, but I can see the level we’re at.» We keep on talking about this year’s Eurovision, discussing the production and the themes of the songs. «You just see a slightly different mentality as well. Because every performance ended with ‘Thank you Europe, we love you’. From us, Jerry Heil said ‘Thank you for supporting Ukraine’.»
«We say love saves the world, but actually, we have real people saving the world. We have a different perception.»
«How did the beginning of a full-scale invasion affect your art, creativity and business?»
«When I was still in the Dnipro, I wrote a diary», she explains that she understood that she should document the events for her kids to read. «I remember clearly that I wrote, ‘The war killed my creativity’.» At first, she didn’t understand what she can do with her video skills. «It was a pause to rethink that videos are not always entertaining content, just like photos, and that we can use social media differently. In the beginning it was like my creativity was killed, but I think it was due to stress. After that I thought, ‘Okay, this is the only thing I have, I’m not going to let that be taken away too’. Actually, that’s how it started.»
Kateryna tells me how she felt guilty about posting anything except for news online. «I can’t constantly post about the war but sometimes you feel guilty. There are missiles flying there, and I’m drinking coffee here, who needs it now. But that is my life.» With time, the realization came,
«If I ended up here, didn’t die while fleeting the country, I must have some task that I need to carry. If I was given a chance to live, then I have to live my life. I do not put Ukraine in the background, but I also show that it is now the life of Ukrainians.»
«Ukrainians in Ukraine also go for coffee, simply because they are there cause they had the opportunity to stay, or they did not have the opportunity to leave. So it happened, I’m here.»
«What was or is the hardest thing you’ve had to learn since the start of the full-scale invasion?»
She’s silent for a moment, «I think that patience, endurance, and sometimes, not to assign emotions to the events. It’s difficult to do your work (make videos with injured or deceased people) when you are emotionally engaged. It seems to me that people who work with the wounded, people on the front, they are the same (emotionally disconnected). When you abstract, it’s your job, you have to do it. The first nights you don’t sleep,» she smiles bitterly, «but then you get used to it. I learned to look at everything without color. It’s easier that way, sometimes.»
«What do you dream about?»
She smiles and repeats the question, trying to find an answer. I tell her to say what’s the first thing that comes to mind. «Obviously, for the war to end. I dream of returning», she sighs and pauses before explaining that when she was little, her dad has always told her to go live abroad but always come back to develop the country. Now, that’s a belief she truly resonates with. «I definitely want to travel the world, I definitely want to work somewhere, but then I want to return to Ukraine, create my family there, have my home there.»
Except for that, she says that her dream is to work at Netflix. «It’s interesting to see how a large team works, how everyone has their role, everyone fulfills it. Maybe not Netflix, but I really like their values.»
«What would you like people from other countries to know about Ukraine?»
«Not that they need to know, but I’d like that there would be more interest in Ukraine as a single state without a Russian point of view. Our artists are known all over the world, but foreigners do not know that they are Ukrainians. We have to raise this curiosity. I would like us to continue talking about Ukraine, and [the world] would continue to actively listen and hear us. To know about Ukraine as a whole, what kind of people we are, what traditions there are, but we ourselves also need to know what kind of country it is. We must continue to talk about it, and the world must listen and be interested.»
Photographed, written and translated by Dasha Rychkova.
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