OCA MAGAZINE #41 PEOPLE by Hertfordshire press

PEOPLE

BUILDING THE LANDBRIDGE WITH EURASIA

[ EURASIA 2021]

BAKHTYGUL MAKHANBETOVA - NEVER GIVE UP!

3 PUBLIC FIGURES 4 PERFORMING ARTISTS 9 ARTISTS 24 WRITERS

ISSN 2053-1036 RRP: £20.00 / $25.00 WWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM ESTABLISHED 2009

OCA

IF YOU ARE A CREATIVE PERSON, and you have something to share with the creative elite of England, then THIS IS A UNIQUE CHANCE for you!

EURASIAN CULTURE WEEK 1–7 OCTOBER 2021 LONDON UK

For detailed information, please contact the following email: lari@ocamagazine.com

EURASIAN DIALOGUE

IAN FILM F ES RAS EU

OCA MAGAZINE ECG CREATIVE FORUM

AL TIV

ECG

IX - OPEN EURASIAN BOOK FORUM & LITERATURE FESTIVAL

FROM THE EDITOR

WELCOME WORD Welcome to the 2021 edition of OCA People! It has given me the greatest pleasure to read about the lives and achievements of the forty selected people for this magazine and even find out interesting and surprising things about some old friends too! The creative world always amazes me but it also frustrates me that more people around the world (in authority mainly!) don’t value the arts in all their forms! For many people creativity has enabled them to get through the last two years - I know it has been by bedrock! I wish people could see beyond the finished work in an art gallery or on a stage or screen and delve deeper into the process, the soul searching and the strength that creative people have to draw on to just complete their works. It is not just about funding - although that helps! - it is about ‘valuing’. If humans have learnt anything from the global pandemic it should be to value - people, ideas, creativity and to value ‘values’ themselves. This magazine gives me great hope and encouragement that the creativity and positivity is still out there even in these difficult times and I am grateful to OCA for providing a platform for that positive future.There is something about OCA people that makes each one of them unique - it is not just the varied age range or geographical spread. They are often writing for the pleasure of it, illustrating because they can or using their creativity as a force for good.

It is also the technical and physical supporters of the arts too and I am particularly pleased to see a number of the Silk Road Media, Hertfordshire Press and Eurasian Creative Guild team members represented here. Their hard work, all too often, goes unrecognised behind the scenes but without them and others the books would never get edited, translated and published and the wonderful events organised by ECG would never happen. I hope you enjoy the articles as much as I have and that they inspire you to find out more about the work of the individuals. I also hope that this edition will inspire your own creativity and to join the Euraisn Creative Guild - who knows next year your own inspirational story could be told here for all to see? I have been inspired and I am off to do a painting plein air while I still have the wonderful summer light! Stay safe and keep creating!

Yours,

Gareth Stamp Guest Editor WWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM

PUBLIC FIGURE had to fight like real men, and when you have been doing a man’s business for a long time, the soul begins to demand tenderness, so that something warms up and motivates for further actions. Therefore, I needed something alive and ambitious for my soul. OCA: What is your direction in creativity? AM: I love Hokku. Why? These 3 lines contain both the beauty of the verse and the great thought. And the choice of style was influenced by my life and all the meetings that I had with wonderful, strong and powerful people in all aspects. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? AM: My soul is touched by the work of Bakytzhan Kanapyanov. He is a very talented poet, even during the pandemic he published several books abroad. I like his works, although he has a very different style. I also enjoy the work of poet Olzhas Suleimenov. He worked for us at the State Film Agency in the Kazakh SSR and since that time I have not lost touch with him. His movement «Nevada-Semipalatinsk» played a big role in the closure of the nuclear test site. These are the people with whom I’ve talked, worked and I respect them. I am very impressed by the strong and at the same time soft and gentle soul of these personalities.

AIYA MAKSUTOVA FROM THE HARDWORKING BREADWINNER TO THE POET OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about your creative activity / work. Aiya Maksutova: I have a lot of activities. Such life for all people from the former USSR.We went through a lot of changes, so we had to adapt to survive. Many people fed not only their families. For example, I had to support 4 families with the help of my business. I was a breadwinner in the family and always solved all the problems. OCA: How did your work turn into creativity? AM: 80s, 90s, noughties - this is the period when we

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OCA: What kind of creative work do you prefer, maybe there are favourite poems or paintings? AM: My favourite genre is portrait, as it reveals personality. I also love monumental painting. We have artists in the Guild, Igor Gushchin and his wife Lidiya Drozdova. They are a really creative family, including their son. They paint monumental pictures, and Drozdova is also a portraitist, who conveys body parts and movements very similarly. Also there is one artist from Kyrgyzstan, Larisa Pak. Once, I saw her painting with flowers at an exhibition in London. I stopped and held my gaze, because it was so picturesque, so I just wanted to breathe the air and smell those flowers. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? AM: I participate in almost all events and always recommend everyone to attend Guild events. If there

am engaged in many activities. My life is very busy and therefore it is important to make up the daily routine in order to do everything well. In addition, I have many friends, including members of the Guild, living in different countries, latitudes, time zones. And to keep in touch with them, I have to schedule everything by the hour. OCA: When and where have you heard about I always advise people to write their plans in order to succeed in life and reach new heights. ECG for the first time? AM: I came to the Guild in 2019. I attended a literary I want to thank the Eurasian Creative Guild, and our festival in London and personally met outstanding dear Marat Akhmedjanov. He has been leading the personalities and talents. After all, I’d grown up on Guild for a very long time, which is not easy, because classical works, and then I met modern creators, people there are a lot of Guild members. Therefore, I want to who, as it turned out, are also very bright personalities. thank him with all my heart for the efforts that he puts This was the biggest discovery for me at the festival. into our development! It was also important for me that people of different professions, different creative views are united by one idea. is an opportunity to come to an event in Almaty, please come. If there is an opportunity to come to an event in London, what is the obstacle to not doing this? Go to London, or Brussels, Madrid and so on. This first of all enriches you and creates conditions for the interpenetration of cultures.

OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, who are just starting their career? AM: I want to say that creativity is work, and you need to work every day and very hard. For example, I

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PUBLIC FIGURE rection demands mostly promotion work. Mission is to let the world enjoy the good thoughts of talented authors. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative sphere of your art? BM: I like all possible ideas worth spreading and I am certain, good creative thoughts make people happy. Now among young people from Kazakhstan - Dimash (singer), Imanbek (DJ), Samal (actress) and Torgyn (writer) are the ones whom I adore and they really deserve big respects for their achievements.

BAKHTYGUL MAKHANBETOVA

OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? BM: Being a teacher of English, and functioning as a coach, trainer, tutor and entrepreneur has let me realize many successful education projects. My manual for language learners was published in 2007 by the sponsorship of AGIP ENI Group thanks to my efforts to improve English language skills of the employees of the international oil and gas companies in Kazakhstan. The most serious projects I worked on were with the professors’ staff of the Kazakh National Agrarian University in 2009 and the Kazakh National Technical University named after Satpayev in 2010-2012 and many others. As a literary agent, I have opened some new names of writers from Kazakhstan to the world. I am proud of Saule Doszhan who is very hard working and her latest books connected with the real historic events in the country are becoming bestsellers in present days.

OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? BM: I heard about the existence of ECG in 2015, then I NEVER GIVE UP immediately decided to be involved in the events of this wonderful project. A very interesting fact, one republic OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself paper presented the interviews of Marat Akhmedjanov and your creative activity / work and mine in one page even before we started to colBakhtygul Makhanbetova: I was born in a village laborate. It is not a coincidence, I think. By the way, I of Kyzylorda region where you could meet not only passed the copy of the paper to the future museum of Kazakhs, but also other representatives of different ECG to Marat Akhmedjanov in 2017. Since 2013, I have nationalities. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, invested a lot of time and energy to let my new literamost of them moved to their motherlands. I have had a ture business project have a go. Gradually my plans are deep interest in learning something new and interesting being realized, though they have taken my energies and from different cultures since my childhood. I have a lot most time since my active involvement in ECG life. of teaching experience as a teacher of English. While teaching foreign languages we usually read and discuss OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the many world bestsellers, books that let learners get so Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects many benefits from them. Literature as my chosen di-

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that you have already taken part in. BM: I am glad to say that, I have taken part several times in some important events of ECG in Almaty and Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan), London (UK), Stockholm (Sweden), Brussels (Belgium), Lille (France), and Moscow (Russia) since 2016. I like them very much and they help creative people from different countries, and they talk to each other and find their future business partners in promotion work of culture and art. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? BM: Frankly speaking, the involvement into ECG influenced my activities very well, because of it, I have found out there many good friends. I am not only a literary agent now; I am a literary critic, and a literary translator. One more fact, I am a constant contributor to OCA magazine too. I recommended entering the membership of ECG to many talented people from Kazakhstan in order to let them share ideas, get knowledge, gain experience and find new collaborators from other countries. Most of the authors whom I promoted to literature contests of ECG, found as the finalists and winners of OEBF. Several authors published their books with Hertfordshire Press in London under my guidance. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate?

BM: I am thinking of promoting the best members of ECG, talented authors to the most prestigious world literature and art contests. We tried once to nominate one author from Kazakhstan to the Booker Man International Prize together with Hertfordshire Press and it was a very good experience. Thanks to it, later we joined the meeting of the administration staff of the Booker Man Prize Foundation in June 2019 and I suggested there the idea of Booker Turkic Speaking World. It made them interested in it. The founder and chief executive of FOUR CULTURE (FOUR COMMUNICATIONS GROUP – UK), Dotty Irving invited me to the personal meeting with her and partner to her office first, later on, it continued in a café where we had a very pleasant talk about my ideas. OCA:What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career? BM: To people, beginning creative careers! Never give up and be more confident about your big goal if you are full of creative thoughts! OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? BM: ECG is the platform that gives a good start to strong ideas!

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PUBLIC FIGURE published in China; the novel «Guardians of the Way» was published in France. I am also an author of publicistic works. This is a series of books - “transcendental” and “selected”, created according to my TV-show. The show has existed for about 8 years and is one of the most beloved by the people in Kazakhstan. I am the founder of the “KS production” and the theater of experimental musical and drama performances “Triumph”. I am the founder of the art school and the head of Caspian University, founder of an international creative union, organiser and president of the jury of the international Eurasian prize for special achievements in various areas of human life (science, culture, social activities, sports and politics). I have many awards, such as «Honoured Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan» and in Russia, in 2018, I was awarded by the State Duma of the Russian Federation for “a special contribution to the development of Russian culture”.

KARINA SARSENOVA FOR ME EVERYTHING IS BUILT AROUND THE WORD OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work. Karina Sarsenova: I am a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a practical hypno-therapist, as well as a professional simultaneous interpreter from French. I received education in Moscow, worked there for a certain time, then went into creativity. I am a writer, poet, author of 59 books and a creator of a new literary genre in the opinion of the organizing committee of the international festival of fiction «Constellation Ayu-Dag». Most of my books were published in Moscow; one book “Despair as a Chance”, a collection of short stories

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OCA: How did your work turn into creativity? KS: The creative path, probably, chose me by itself. As a child, I wrote stories about the animal world. Pavel Ustinovich Moryakovsky was my teacher - an outstanding Soviet scientist, biologist, entomologist, and also a writer. Reading his stories about animals and insects, I’ve got a desire to write too. I wrote something in newspapers for children, published short poems. Then I felt an irresistible craving for literature. It all started from the “word”. A prosaic word, a poetic word in a TV show, a dramatic word. I am the artistic director and playwright of our Triumph Theater. That is why for me everything is built around the word. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space of your art? KS: Maybe I’ll be a little categoric now, but there are no role models for me. Therefore, I am a pioneer with our wonderful team in the cultural field of Kazakhstan. Moreover, I know people who are trying to plagiarize something and steal my ideas. I am very lucky with my team, because they are professionals, without them, of course, I would not have achieved anything, and I can probably say that I am inspired by the talents, resources, and achievements of each member of my team.

OCA: What is your direction in creativity? KS: Me and my team are very good at promoting the culture of Kazakhstan on the world stage. KS Production is the largest production centre in Kazakhstan. Even the President, Kassym Zhomart Tokayev is watching my program. He likes it and for me these are really important words, since I really respect him. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? KS: All projects that I’ve mentioned are already ongoing projects. I invite everyone to pay attention to each of them. For example, in our art school you can study at any time, at any age, for any budget. We also have 3 colleges for children and the Caspian University where you can get an excellent education.

and I really respect this wonderful representative of international culture. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and what would you wish for the members of the Guild, who are just starting their career? KS: The Eurasian Creative Guild for me is a wonderful educational project, and it is all Marat Akhmedjanov and his entire team. Their hard work inspires and I think this is a necessary organisation for the world community. I see its growth and wish both the Guild and all the participants health and prosperity. The life of each of us is priceless. The proof of this is not your salary, not your income, but the fact that you live on this planet. You live here because the Almighty sent us here, he created us. He is the highest person who created all of this, and fills your every breath.

OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? KS: Once, my late literary agent Bashayanny Alexander, I really look forward to your feedback. Come to my who left us 2 years ago, introduced me to Marat show and tell me about good things which happened Akhmedjanov. Marat and I productively cooperate in your life.

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LITERATURE in Lugansk.The second time was when I moved to Germany. From a distance everything is always seen and compared better. OCA: How did you choose your path? AG: I got up on the path of creativity without noticing it. Friends remembered my joke: “When I retire I will write my memoirs about my life” - they gave me a laptop and the children have taught me how to use it. I decided that while my mother is still alive to write the story of our family, I’ve got the story of a hundred years. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? AG: It’s hard to answer the question of what achievements I could single out in my work. My friends and I were glad when the magazine “Novye Zemlyaki” published my sketches about the life of immigrants in Quackenbrück, the leader of the Russian choir, in which I myself have participated for 25 years. Also my book “History of Russian Germans” was published in the same magazine.

ADOLINA GORDON WHEN I RETIRE I WILL WRITE MY MEMOIRS ABOUT MY LIFE Member of the Eurasian Creative Guild since 2019. In Germany, works with the magazine “New countrymen”. In 2018-2020, she wrote a book about her family and the life of Russian Germans. She has three children, four grandchildren. Full of energy and optimism for further creativity.

OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? AG: I work actively in the International Friends of Crimea Club - I prepare essays about it. I also like working in the “Women of the Crimea” society. There are a lot of bright characters, whom I fell in love with and want to tell the world about them. OCA: What makes you different from other representatives of your field? AG: Nothing makes me stand out. I do not flatter myself. I have met many people on the world wide web and I always learn something from them. I write simply - as I say, I can’t do it any other way.

OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? AG: I first heard about ECG from Khalida Akhmedjanova in April 2019. I was at the “Almond Blossom” festival held by the Women of Crimea. Khalida read my book and told me to keep writing. She also told me OCA Magazine:Tell us, please, about yourself about the Eurasian Creative Guild and helped me to Adolina Gordon: , I was born in the Omsk region, join it. Moskalensky district, the village of Neufeld and consider Siberia as my homeland. I realized it for the first OCA:Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurtime when I was eighteen years old and went to study asian Creative Guild (London) and projects that

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you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? AG: Over time, I got to know Marat Akhmetjanov and other staff members on the Guild’s board. Thanks to ZOOM conferences, I got acquainted with Aldona Grupas, Sagyn Berkinalieva, Gumer Karimov, Anatoly Lobov, Murat Uali and many others. I was fascinated and captivated by the interesting lives of these people. I had no idea that such a powerful cultural and creative life was going on in parallel to my life, my time. The electronic magazine “EastWest” introduces interesting works of the Guild members to the global Internet space. And the competitions poetry translators hold: one is better than another. Young artists and filmmakers can submit their works to the magazine, where my two works were also published. Now I am preparing some more essays about interesting people living in my time for publication in the magazine. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? AG: The Eurasian Creative Guild means a lot to me. All my life I’ve been organizing people’s work and leading a very active lifestyle. When I retired, I found salvation in writing my family’s history. When I became a member of the Guild, I felt a desire to create, to communicate with interesting people. Filled the world around me with future heroes of my books. I like writing and I prolonged my active life with it.

OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? AG: I can wish creative people success. One piece of advice is not to be afraid if you feel like your thoughts have stopped. Step aside, think and look at your work from the side, like your child. In the meantime, do something with your hands. It is helpful to do some physical labor, and your head will give you ideas on its own. Do not be afraid that someone will not like your work. Listen, think, and you don’t have to agree with everyone. There are a lot of successful writers on the Internet who teach writing courses, but the main thing is not to lose your style-it’s yours and your only one.

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LITERATURE space/ sphere of your art? AP: Writing style of Françoise Sagan and the way she approaches the prose along with the spiritual experience that Paolo Coelho shared throughout their works were inspiring me in my own creation. I love as well the philosophy of Anselm Kiefer as an artist.The techniques that he is using are so much linked to the collaboration with nature. Such as, leaving his freshly painted works to soak under the rain and then get dried by the wind and sun. There is also always a reflection regarding the duality of existence as we know it. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? AP: “Get high above the life” is my first novel, where telling a love story, I am trying to balance spiritual and material realities in the turbulence that sentiments can actually create. It is a story mainly about the “femme fatale” of our days that invites readers to place emotions into philosophical context.

ALI PANTER THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS NO BOUNDARIES OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Ali Panter: I was born in Central Asia, but brought up in an international environment. That is why, I have a feeling that the entire world has no boundaries. My quest for expression of inner creativity has been present in my reality since the age of ten. Paintings were my first trials to let out the artist inside of me. Only after some life experiences, I dared to write. A few people around me suggested that I try. My mum influenced me the most in this direction. And when I actually got into the process itself, writing became an emergency to accomplish, which if I don’t, would make me suffer. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative

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OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? AP: Accidentally... I was looking for an editor, when I finished my manuscript. My aunt introduced me to Marat, vice-president of ECG. After our first conversation together, it became evident to be a part of the Guild. Primarily because he explained to me all the milestones to be accomplished and most importantly I was impressed by the professional support and guidance of the entire team. Being a part of this organisation gave me confidence as a newcomer in the literary environment. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? AP: ECG makes things really happen for you. Any question in terms of development of your talent at any stage of your creative path, is seriously taken care of. They definitely make the artist grow in any direction that he wishes to undertake. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? AP: I would like to take part in one of the events organized by ECG, such as the Open Eurasian Literary Festival & Book Forum. I guess it is an opportunity to be surrounded by individuals who dared sharing their talents with the world. It is also an occasion to communicate with all those who actually are working to

deliver your personal art projects. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career? AP: I think new members can trust that they are guided and taken care of in a most professional way by the team of ECG. It is probably important to be able to answer mainly what are your goals and ambitions as an artist. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? AP: I see ECG as an intersection where the artists of all kinds of domains, whether it is singing, painting or writing, meet the right audience. The one that helps you to evolve and to be recognized.

“Взлететь над жизнью”- это фрагмент жизни молодых людей. Участники любовного треугольника, влюбленные в жизнь, в себя и в мистическую мать маленького сына, переживут непредсказуемый водоворот событий, переживаний и чувств. Это история, основанная на реальных событиях, действия которой происходят в Париже, Женеве и на юге Франции. Она эхом донесет до каждого участника игры под названием «жизнь» урок судьбы, проведя через болезненно опьяняющую страсть, сопровождающуюся духовным ростом. Герои будут вынуждены переоценить понятие любви, ощутив ее многогранность.

Hertfordshire Press

Взлететь над жизнью автор: Али Пантер RRP: £17.50 www.hertfordshirepress.com

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LITERATURE larus, Belgium, Bulgaria and Germany, as well as in the magazines “Russian Literary Echo”, Israel; “Light of the Capital city” and “Union of Writers”, Russia. I am a laureate of the international festival “Open Eurasia” - 3rd place in the category “prose” in 2018. Prize-winner of the literary contests “Mginsk bridges” St. Petersburg; “In one language” - competition named after Sasha Cherny, international competition “Kaliningrad - Amber Coast”. Laureate of the international festival “Slovenian Field”. Finalist of the poetry competition “My Rus”, finalist of the international poetry festivals “Harp of David”, Israel, 2019, as well as “Emigrant Lyre”, Belgium, 2019 and 2020. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative sphere of your art? AK: The writer Veniamin Aleksandrovich Kaverin, an author of the famous novel “Two Captains”, presented at the celebration of our school’s one hundred and eightieth anniversary when I was a school student. He talked about how he wrote his novels, how ideas came to him and his new plan - the book “Before the Mirror”. Under his influence, I tried to compose my own stories, but didn’t show them to anyone. I am still trying to follow some of his advice.

ALLA KRECHMER PROSE-STORIES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HEART OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity. Alla Krechmer: My name is Alla Krechmer. I was born in Russia. My Dad, an army officer, frequently moved to different cities, so, due to his work, I managed to live both in Siberia and the Baikal region. I was greatly influenced by two Russian cities - Pskov and St. Petersburg. In Pskov, I graduated from one of the oldest secondary schools in Russia, and in St. Petersburg I got an MD diploma. I am the author of 5 novels and 4 books of poetry. My poems were published in almanacs in Russia, Israel, Be-

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? AK: I’ve discovered the world of translation and tried myself in this field. My translations from Polish and Bulgarian will be published in the next almanac. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? AK: I learned about ECG from social networks - I was interested in the Open Eurasia contest, which seemed to be one of few contests which accept prose-stories and novels. I ventured to send my first novel to the festival and, to my great joy, became one of the laureates. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. AK: An unforgettable impression remained from the international festival organized in Thailand at the end of November 2018. As a beginner, I was strongly impressed by the atmosphere and thanks to the organizer of the festival, Marat Akhmedjanov, I easily got to know the participants of the festival and with many of them

in the possibility of publishing in a collective almanac produced by the Guild. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, who are just starting their career? AK: I wish the members of the guild that they never lose the inspiration, as well as health and patience. I dream of new meetings with old friends, as well as finding new ones.

I still keep in touch. Despite the fact that the program was quite busy, we had enough time to explore the country. On the first evening, we took part in the amazing holiday of Loi Krathong, literally “a floating boat of leaves” at the riverside of Bangkok. Also, I got a wonderful experience of a cruise on the Gulf of Siam to one of the many uninhabited islands, along the coastline.

ECG for me is a union which connects creative people who are divided by borders, politics, religion or customs reasons. It is symbolic that the competition is called “Open Eurasia”, indicating the unity of the geographical space of Europe and Asia, which serves as a prerequisite for the consolidation of cultures of different countries located on its territory, mutual penetration and mutual enrichment of the traditions of different people.

OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? AK: Participation in the festival helped me to believe in myself. Inspired by the success of my first novel “Prolonged Vernissage”, I began to collect materials for the next book. In the last competition, I presented a novel about a turning point in the history of Russia - the beginning of the First World War and all subsequent revolutions that ended in a bloody massacre of the Civil War. The novel is based on real family memories of my grandfather from this tragic time - letters and diaries. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? AK: If the epidemic situation allows the planned festival “Open Eurasia” to be held, then I suppose I will participate in it. I am also interested

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LITERATURE OCA: What is “Eurasianism” for you? AK: Of course, this is a union. The first word that comes to my mind is “family”. Since I’m from Belarus and have already visited many countries of the Eurasian region, I can confidently say that in every country you really feel like you’re home, it gives you new experiences, emotions and, most importantly, the chance to meet new people and their culture. There’s value to it. OCA: What are your favorite artists? AK: There are a lot of them, this is actually a huge list of outstanding personalities ranging from Western writers and actors to scientists and designers of fashion brands. But all these people have common reasons for my admiration for them - this is a sincere love for their work, complete dedication, and strong persistence in pursuing their goals even though they had countless obstacles. OCA: Have you taken part in the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London)? AK: Absolutely! I have organized over a hundred guild meetings, festivals, award ceremonies, presentations, and various events in London. I love this process with all my heart.

ANGELINA KRASNOGIR MEN’S ACTIONS AND LEGACY SPEAK VOLUMES OCA Magazine: Tell us about yourself and your creative activity. Angelina Krasnogir: “Men’s actions and legacy speak volumes”. This quote applies to my activity as well - the number of published books under my guidance. My name is Angelina Krasnogir - I am a deputy director at the Hertfordshire Press (UK). My activity reflects how multifaceted my work is since all the projects that I have been working on for three years can’t undoubtedly be confined to creative activities.

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OCA: What does the Eurasian Creative Guild mean to you, and how did it affect your creativity? AK: I’m afraid that 800 characters will not be enough for this answer, but in a nutshell - this is an incomparable experience and tremendous opportunities. I realized that nothing is impossible: you can organize any event, publish and distribute any book, travel to any country, meet famous people and start absolutely any new project that will have an international outlet. There are no borders or restrictions in the implementation of creativity in the guild - and this is perhaps the most important thing. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? AK: Of course, all my projects intersect with the activities of the Guild and the publishing house.The book series, the poetic almanac “Voices of Friends”, the poetry collection “Thread”, the Academic Series, the Eurasian Culture Week in London, the Top 25 works of Eurasia, crowdfunding projects - I have been doing all this and much more since the first day of work in the

publishing house. OCA: What projects have you participated in and in which do you plan to participate? AK: Usually, I organize presentations of books and give each published author in the Hertfordshire Press the opportunity to come personally to London or Borovoe to take part in festivals for a personal presentation of the book. It is very important. I’m this person who is behind the scenes. This year a new festival “Voices of Friends” will be held, perhaps I will take part in that. OCA: What would you advise to the members of the Guild, who are just starting their career? AK: Never be afraid or give up. There will be hundreds of people who will try to suppress your talent, dissuade and criticize - be prepared for this. It has always been and will be. This is human nature. Remember - only the strongest and truly loving their work will achieve high results.

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LITERATURE ality with a bright light and inspires, is also characteristic of us. Books, works of my father in all genres of literature, a blooming Garden with medicinal plants that mother created with great efforts is a great heritage, the property of the whole people. By their example we chose our profession, me and my sister - Lena Gogoleva, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Studying at the M. Gorky Literary Institute, also in post-graduate school at the Institute of World Literature in Moscow helped me a lot. I am glad that I can do what I love. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? AG: Many different writers: N. Gogol, A. Platonov, Paolo Coelia, A. Gerasimov and others.

ANNA GOGOLEVA A POETIC PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work. Anna Gogoleva: My homeland is Yakutia. We grew up among nature, books, interesting people who often came to us to meet our beloved writer, poet of Yakutia, Ivan Gogolev and his wife, the famous scientist, Mari Chertkova, my parents. They were distinguished by love for their work, people and the ability to charge others with this. They knew how to see in small things - big things, in ordinary phenomena - poetry, in beauty - the essence of things. Such a poetic perception of the world, which illuminates re-

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? AG: It seems that now we need projects that have a positive impact on people. So, in P.A. Oyunsky Literary Museum, where I work, we have a project called “The Healing Power of Words and Art.” Since ancient times, folk wisdom has attached great importance to the word, it can heal or harm. Now, when the world is under the threat of destruction - diseases, wars - images in literature and art that would evoke positive emotions, thoughts and deeds are very important. Words, music, images can affect reality and a person. It has even been proven by science. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? AG: I learned about the Guild from my friends at the presentation of my book “Dear Heart” about the English sister of mercy Kate Marsden. She devoted her life to helping the victims of a fatal ailment and did a lot to improve the lives of patients in our region. She overcame a difficult path in search of a healing herb in the remote Yakutsk region, saw the situation of the suffering sick and, with an appeal to lend a helping hand to them, raised the public in Russia, England, and different countries. This is what my book is about. Also “ArcticFilm” company is filming a documentary about Kate Marsden,

with the support of a grant from the Head of our republic A.S. Nikolaev. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. AG: I took part in the Guild contests, in the collection “Thread”, where my stories in 2018 and 2020 were among the top three winners in short prose. I managed to visit one festival in Thailand, the impressions were good, especially from meetings with interesting people who are passionate about creativity, telling about life in its various aspects and phenomena. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? AG: Yes, I plan to take part in various events, literary and film festivals. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, who are just starting their career? AG: With youthful energy, say your word in affirming eternal values, thanks to which the world is kept - this is truth, goodness and beauty. This is necessary at all times, especially now, when the world is faced with new threats, wars, which, with the current accumulation of weapons, can lead to disaster, cause irreparable damage to nature, the environment, even the destruction of our planet Earth. It is in vain to think that this can affect only one country or another, because we are all interconnected by the waters of rivers, seas, lands, various ties and relationships. We all dream of a life in prosperity - a blooming Garden! To accomplish this, it takes a lot of effort from each of us to change the world for the better. No wonder the great Pushkin asserted: “The best changes are those that lead only to the improvement of morals”. In this, a creative person can play a positive role with the support of the public, various organizations, including the Eurasian Creative Guild, which unites people from different countries, based on the realities of the modern world.

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LITERATURE AL: Since childhood, I was into reading books and I have always been interested in questions of literature. Also I have a creative family. I can say that several generations of my ancestors are associated with the sphere of culture and art. I think it was incorrect to talk about a role model, but I endlessly admire Alienora of Aquitaine and Ursula Leguin.And, not only by their activities, but also by their personal characteristics, individuality, and their balance of creativity and private life. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? AL: The first thing I am proud of is that I started working while studying at school. I’ve had different jobs, but of course my favourite one is my job at the Silk Road Media (better known as the ECG). I am not shy to say that I provided input into many projects, working as an organizer of creative meetings, journalist, book manager, festival coordinator and a copywriter. It’s nice to see that my past projects still live on and keep a trace of my involvement. I am proud to have developed a brand building it from scratch. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? AL: My biggest project is ECG and I’m sure readers already know about it.

ANNA LARI CREATIVITY MOVES FORWARD AND BRINGS US SATISFACTION OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Anna Lari: My name is Anna Lari. For 7 years I have been working in the Silk Road Media group, I am one of the founders of the ECG and at the moment I am director of such projects as Open Eurasian Literary Festival & Book Forum, ECG film Festival, Eurasian Culture Week, and Internship ECG. OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art?

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OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? AL: As I said earlier, I stood at the origins of the Guild. This organization developed and grew out of the Open Eurasian Literary Festival & Book Forum. We first talked about it in December 2015. But in particular, I got into the Silk Road Media thanks to the book of the Kazakh poetess Zhulduz Baizakova, she attracted my attention and opened the world of Central Asian literature to me. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? AL: The Eurasian Creative Guild naturally affects my way of thinking and my perception of the world, changing my life, quite drastically. In addition, I have mastered new things in related professions. I can tell a lot about the Guild’s influence: there are

many aspects, but I will only touch on a few. Working in the Eurasian Creative Guild teaches me to focus on the smallest details, develop patience, be in different linguistic environments and absorb different points of view. I pump the ability to come to agreement, look at various problems from different angles, and even my sense of optimism - to find positive moments in difficult situations. I want to say that working in ECG and OEBF has a huge impact on my habits and thinking, including how I began to perceive people! OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? AL: ECG is my second family. 7 years in the Guild is a huge part of my life. Together we went through difficulties, rejoiced at victories, created something new and important for society. An important motivating factor is comfortable and wonderful warm positive relationships with colleagues. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? AL: I believe that activity always develops a person, but only creativity moves forward and brings satisfaction. When there is a remarkable result, it is often more than money. But it’s good when several goals coincide: satisfaction, performance, self-development, money. Therefore, I would like to wish you to always be in search of new ideas, never part with inspiration, constantly feel that there is happiness and joy in life, and fill this world every day with your wonderful, interesting, amazing works. And, of course, successful implementation of all creative ideas with the help and support of ECG.

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LITERATURE time I work in charitable organisations - caring for the elderly. I was a member of the authors of the Anthology of Russian Poetry for 2019-2021. In 2020 published the book “Before ... and after ...”, which has been translated into eight European languages. In 2021, my collection of poetry “Contralto to Gd” was published. My works were also published in the almanac of the magazine “Russian Bell”, newspapers and magazines in Israel, Literaturnaya Gazeta. Finalist of the London International Prize Competition, George Noel Byron Competition, Open Eurasia 2020. I participated in the Silk Road Poetry Award, 800 years to Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, Heritage 2021, Diamond Duke, Amber Nugget, Lanterns 2021, Russian style 2021 and others. I am a ISP candidate, member of the SRPI, the Eurasian Creative Guild, the International Creative Guild, chairman of the Israeli branch of the Union of Right Forces, academician MARLI.

ANNA PODGORNAYA ART HUMANIST AND PACIFIST

OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? AP: Anna Akhmatova is an example for me. Her poetry is undoubtedly a classic. The grace of the syllable, every word is verified and precise. Akhmatova is an example of perseverance, dedicated work and outstanding talent. An example to follow in Prose for me is M.A. Bulgakov and P. Coelho. Both writers have won world fame, in my opinion, thanks to the most interesting view of the world, the ability to see the great in the simple, to reveal reality from an unexpected side, its versatility and ambiguity.

OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself AP: In addition to my books, I, as the chairman of the and your creative activity / work? Israel branch of the Writers’ Union of North America, Anna Podgornaya: I was born in 1981 in the city of together with its chairman - Gennady Nord and the Dnepropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR (now Dnepr, Ukraine). chairman of the Union of Russian-speaking writers of Humanist and pacifist. Loving and beloved daughter, Israel - Leonid Finkel and his deputy Grigory Freidberg, wife of a Russian biker and mother of a wonderful boy. are working on the creation of the Galilee InternationI graduated from Dnepropetrovsk Transport and Eco- al Festival of Arts. The project promises to be interestnomics college and received my higher education at the ing for people of art and their fans from all over the Institute for Advanced Studies at the Dnepropetrovsk planet. The festival is planned to be held in the city of Metallurgical Academy. Now I live in Israel, in the city Nof haGalil - Nazareth Illit, Israel.The biblical Nazareth of Nof ha-Galil and work as an accountant. In my free is located nearby, this will give the guests of the festi-

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AP: Thanks to the Guild, I met outstanding writers and poets of Eurasia. It enriches me. I became a finalist of the Open Eurasia 2020 competition. It helped me in promotion, the publishers drew attention to me. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? AP: Within my capacities, I try to take an active part in the life and projects of the Guild. This year I am participating in the Open Eurasia 2021 competition in the Poetry and Prose nominations. I am happy to communicate in zoom with the members of the Guild within the framework of events. I support projects to fight cancer in children and children with autism. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, who are just starting their career? AP: I would like to wish you inspiration, strength and health, purposefulness in creativity and life, goodness and peace.

val the opportunity to touch the history and shrine of Christianity - the church of St. Gabriel, over the source of the Virgin Mary, as well as see our amazing and legendary country.

OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? AP: This is an opportunity to interact with writers and readers of the Eurasian continent, interesting meetings and events, support and assistance in the implementation of creativity, pleasant communication and meeting with interesting people. The guild received me warmly.

OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? AP: I learned about ECG in 2020. I was interested in the activities and projects of the organization. It unites people from all over the continent, it is large-scale and beautiful - to provide an opportunity to communicate, make friends and cooperate. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. AP: Guild events are exciting and interesting. Every meeting is special. People share their creativity, thoughts, mood. I look forward to meetings and pleasant communication. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work?

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LITERATURE bility, and inspire personnel to achieve the set goals. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space of your art? EU: From the poetry of the 20th century, I like poems of Joseph Brodsky, who definitely was a man of unconventional mind and a difficult fate. As a representative of creative dissidence, having gone through exile and living in a foreign land almost all his life, he loved Russia with all his soul. One of my favorite works by Brodsky is “Christmas Romantic Song” and here is my favorite piece that shows the unique romantic appeal and philosophy of life: “As if life would begin again, as if there will be light and glory, good day and plenty of bread, as if life is swinging to the right, swinging to the left ... “

ELENA USTIUGOVA LINGUISTIC CULTURE, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity Elena Ustiugova: Over the past ten years, I have been professionally engaged into the development of international cooperation in the petroleum industry and academic environment. The university where I work is involved in the global challenges of export and import of education, implementing joint and international educational programs. My duties at work are not based on boring routine affairs, since I have to constantly show a creative approach, expand the scope of academic mo-

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? EU: The first field of work is the publication of a series of Russian-English poetry collections “From Siberia to London”. My second area of activities is the creation of an English-speaking environment and the launch of “Family English” Course. In summer, I am planning to hold a series of workshops called “Summer English”, where families with children will have the opportunity to enjoy language communication in the fresh air and spend their leisure time with benefits. My third arena is self-perception and the perception of the world around through the writings of foreign authors on tarology. It is very vital for me to get to know the global picture through the art of tarot cards, through those symbols and signs that the artist puts into card images. And the last but not the least drive in my life is that I am writing a monograph on the national cultural code, where I conduct a comparative analysis of the values that make up this concept, depending on belonging to a particular nationality. In my work, I touch upon such topics as the linguistics of the text (discourse), linguistic culture, social and cultural context. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? EU: I first learned about the Eurasian Creative Guild from Instagram. I was attracted by the name of the community - the Guild. The last Guilds in Russia existed at the beginning of the 20th century. That time in Siberia there were Merchant Guilds, which members

were engaged, in addition to trade, also in philanthropy. So, it happened a few months ago when the manager of the European Creative Guild sent me a letter with an offer to cooperate, and I gladly agreed. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. EU: At the moment I am taking part in the project “Open Eurasian Literary Festival and Book Forum 2021”. I am very pleased with the opportunity provided, and hope to win recognition from readers. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? EU: I believe that the Guild has become for me a window to Europe, a platform where minds and worldviews from different parts of our planet meet in order to create beauty. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? EU: Looking to the future heart and hand, I would really like to try my skills in the project for the best literary translation. In addition to translation, I am keen on the project of design and street fashion. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? EU: First of all, this is a chance for self-expression, an opportunity to share with the world community my beliefs and gained experience by means of poems. Secondly, this is a great option to extend the number of like-minded people and find someone with whom, perhaps, my creative career will be added up. I do hope to make new friends or even have mentors. Thirdly, with the Guild I acquire a sense of the significance of my activities in terms of collective cooperation in the field of goodness and peace.

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LITERATURE I studied coaching, since it’s one of the greatest systems to get to your Happiness. It’s all about love, trust, and helping people to get better. Thanks to coaching I started writing about my interesting life and challenges and found myself in the Greatest City of my mentality Moscow- receiving the title “Writer of the year”. Since that moment I have felt myself the happiest person. During different periods in my life I’ve been working with cancer patients, handicapped children and people, and can understand almost everyone. People just want to live and be happy. It’s much easier to find something good in everybody. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? GG: There are plenty of role models, but the biggest one’s are Vladimir Vyssotsky and Alexander Rozenbaum. The best inspiration I can give my dear readers - just listen to their songs.You don’t have to know Russian in order to understand the power of songs and personalities. Alexander Rozenbaum used to be an Ambulance doctor, but even now, many years later, he heals our lives with great songs and gives concerts on Dvortsovaya and Krasnaya Squares for 300000 people at once. You can just imagine the energy.

GENNADY GOROVOY YOUR PROSE CAN BE LIFE-SAVING TREATMENT OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Gennady Gorovoy: My name is Gennady. I was born 46 years ago in Minsk (Belarus). Since my childhood I always wanted to live my life to the fullest. When I was almost 16 we moved to Israel, but I never felt like home there. It was not the place of my Dreams. After school, Army and College I flew to Miami - paradise on Earth, where I had a privilege to enjoy life for 6 years. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay there and had to come back to Israel. After a period of depression

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? GG: We used to organize concerts and parties in a Georgian restaurant in Moscow. At the beginning people just come, but at the end of evening there is a feeling of warm community- we talk, drink, ask questions. Different personalities and one thing in common - desire to help a Hero of the evening to get the best of himself and for people to have a wonderful evening, full of meaning. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? GG: From great person and poet Artyom Dudnikov who passed away just two months ago. We all cried when we heard about his death. Just 31 yo. young man… Artyom and Grisha Movshits - positive men and poets who organize evenings where everyone can read poetry and sing songs. Main thing is a totally positive attitude and applause for everyone. I adore this way of thinking- giving each and everyone a chance with-

out criticizing him or her. These people brought me to ECG, where I met Marat and the rest is history. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. GG: I prefer to live real life, not virtual. Unfortunately, because of pandemia it’s not so easy to move from country to country. During this time, Elena Bezrukova, a very clever and energetic woman and President of the business training Committee in our Guild, and I, her deputy, with the help of Marat and girls, organized some interesting meetings and lectures. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? GG: Last year was a virtual year, so I listened to Guild members and their lectures. With some of them we read each other’s poetry, and it’s great. Different visions broaden our horizons. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? GG: Yes! Especially I want to visit Kazakhstan, where the Art Residence was opened. How great it is to have a place where every member is welcome and plenty of creative people getting together. And in Kazakhstan people dream big and follow their dreams. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? GG: A warm place where you can grow, be heard and help others. And, hopefully, soon we’ll get together and I’ll be able to feel much closer to poets and writers. OCA:What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career? GG: You can always write an email to a writer or poet and ask for his advice. Most of them will be happy to answer. Someone can criticize your prose or poetry, but for another person it’ll be a life-saving treatment. Maybe it’s your meaning of life: just to save one person’s life with your song.

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LITERATURE member of different international poetry competitions. I translated several books of poetry and prose into English and Hebrew and was a compiler and editor of a few collections of poetry and prose, among them a collection of works by Israeli authors “New Voices” which was translated by me from Russian into English. My works have been published in periodicals of different countries. I am a Board member of the Union of Russian-speaking Writers of Israel. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? IY:I try not to copy or imitate anyone,nevertheless,there are some poets and writers whose works I really love and appreciate. I enjoy translating works that were written by the poets I love.These are, for example, Russian poets: Marina Tsvetaeva, Joseph Brodsky,Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Alexander Blok, Sergei Yesenin and some others. I also love English and American literature. I translated into Russian the poems by Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Frost,William Butler Yeats,Wistan Hugh Auden, Sara Teasdale and many other poetry works by British, American and Israeli authors.

IRENE YAVCHUNOVSKY WITHOUT LANGUAGE BORDERS OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work. Irene Yavchunovsky: I was born in the Crimea in the city of Simferopol, graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages at Taurida National V.I. Vernadsky University and the Faculty of Arts at the University of Liverpool. Now I live in Haifa (Israel), write poetry for adults and children and make literary translations. I am the author of eleven books of poems and translations and have become a participant, laureate and jury

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? IY: In the near future I am going to prepare a collection of poetry for children for publication. There are also some more projects and ideas which I think about. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? IY: I learned about ECG from facebook. Later I joined ECG ZOOM meetings and gladly took part in The Diary Almanac “Voices of Friends”. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. IY: I am a comparatively new ECG member, however, I had a chance to take part in several Zoom conferences, which are regularly held by the Eurasian Creative Guild, a selection of my poems was published in the «EastWest» Journal and my translation was published in The Poetry Almanac «Voices of Friends». This year my own author page has appeared on the ECG website, and I look forward to further fruitful cooperation with ECG and hope that some of my colleagues will also join the Guild.

OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? IY: I hope that participation in various activities of ECG will expand my creative possibilities and push me to new interesting projects. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? IY: I constantly monitor the activities of ECG. I will gladly take part in the new edition of The Almanac «Voices of Friends», perhaps I will take part in the collection «Thread», and if there are any other interesting projects for me I will be happy to participate in them. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? IY: Eurasian Creative Guild is a unique creative organization covering a very wide range of activities. I am glad to be a member of the Guild and I wish ECG further success in all endeavors.

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LITERATURE is to help people find their treasure box - to reveal their inner potential, to learn to build relationships with themselves in such a way that it is joyful, easy to create relationships with others and with life itself. In other words, I help people find the happiness of being themselves. I also write poetry and prose miniatures. I work in the genres of love, philosophical and landscape lyrics. I take an active part in projects of the city art-club “Creative Environment”, I perform at festivals and poetry evenings. My works were published in poetry collections “The Modern Spirit of Poetry” (1st Book edition), Poets of the XXI century (LitKult Publishing project), “Classics of the genre”, “Literary Eurasia” (publishing house of Maxim Burdin), collection “Poet of the Year/ Debut” 2017, «Anthology of Russian poetry» 2018, 2020, collection “Poet of the Year. Lyrics” 2019,. Awarded the jubilee Pushkin medal and the “Anna Akhmatova 130 years” medal by the Russia Writers’ Union.

MARINA ALYASSOVA PURITY OF LANGUAGE, WISDOM OF WORD AND IMPORTANCE OF ART OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Marina Alyassova: I am the one who loves this life - a happy woman, mother, daughter, grandmother of two wonderful grandchildren! In terms of professional activity, I am a coach-expert in relationships, a professional trainer of coaching and NLP of the International Association of Coaches and Trainers ICTA, a certified The Inner Game® Methodology facilitator, a practical psychologist, a Spiral Dynamics specialist, a consultant on international protocol and etiquette. And my task

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At the present time I live in Karaganda, Republic of Kazakhstan. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? MA: I would not speak about imitation, but about immense respect for art and its figures. And here, of course, the creativity of Marina Tsvetaeva, M.Yu. Lermontov, Joseph Brodsky, A.P. Chekhov, M.F. Dostoevsky is very valuable to me. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? MA: Yes, my book “Don’t go, girls, get married! or “The story of how to wake up happy one day” was recently published in the genre of nonfiction. This is my story, the stories of my clients, my professional experience and my poetry. As noted by experts, a new mixed genre has emerged. In the project, the next book looks like it will be a psychological novel. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? MA: I saw a message on Vkontakte social site about the 9th Open Eurasia contest 2020 competition and decided to try my hand. This was the beginning of my close collaboration with ECG. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the

ECG Chairman Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. MA: Although I did not become the winner of the competition, the organization of the project itself, participation in zoom-meetings, making new acquaintances in the creative environment of ECG inspire me and help me in my creative activity. New horizons and opportunities are opening up, which I am endlessly happy about! OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? MA: Thanks to ECG membership, I had the opportunity to place my works in interesting creative projects, including the American Almanac of Russian Literature Dovlatoff, where my poetry was first sung in English. Various publishing houses began to invite me, many friends appeared - companions in art! OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? MA: I think yes. Unfortunately, this year I did not sit down to apply for participation in the 9th international literary festival “Open Eurasian Literary Festival & Book Forum”, but I will definitely take part in the Xth. And I hope I will become a full-time participant. This is my dream! OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career? MA: Believe in yourself, and just create, getting inspiration and pleasure. It should not imitate someone, it is important to find your own flavor, open your heart, realize your style, which is unique for everyone in their own way. And, of course, remember about the purity of language, about the wisdom of Word, about the importance of art for preserving the human mind. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? MA: A community of creative people who help humanity to develop in our turbulent times and maintain an interest in high art in its various forms. And this is really important. And I am glad that I am a part of this great, I am not afraid of this word, deed - to serve people, discovering for them the beauty of the world, the beauty of art, the beauty of the word.

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LITERATURE liked by children for their light syllable and colorful pictures, and by their parents for useful information that they convey to our young readers. OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? OZ: I have no role model. I believe that it is impossible to imitate someone in literature. Each author has his own path, his own life experience, his own thoughts, about which the author wants to tell his readers. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? OZ: My main achievements are my books. The Doctor Zubik series warms my heart, as it brings great benefits to others. This is not only a literary project with pictures. These are tips for parents and their children on how to maintain dental health for a long time. Quite recently I got my first serious prize. Laureate of the first degree in the category «Poems for children» in the I International Festival of Russian-language poetry «Poet of the Year».

OLESYA ZAYTSEVA PLEASURE IS NOT PRINTING YOUR OWN BOOKS, BUT FIRST OF ALL WRITING THEM OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Olesya Zaytseva: I am a writer and dentist from Moscow. I successfully combine the profession of a doctor and my favorite business - writing books. I write in the style of «romantic fantasy» Saga «Lords of Dreams», as well as children’s books about the adventures of Dr. Zubik.This unique project combines two of my favorite professions: writing and healing. Books are invariably

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? OZ: I run a volunteer project - Dental Patient Portal Zub-Zub.ru. I am the chief editor and the consultant of this project. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? OZ: I really enjoy the meetings with the Eurasian Creative Guild. An incredible creative atmosphere reigns there. When writers, artists, directors and actresses are sitting around you and everyone shares their projects. It fills you with creative energy. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? OZ: Necessarily! I am participating in the Open Eurasia - 2021 competition as an author and illustrator. I look forward to the results. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership?

OZ: First of all, it is a creative place for all talented people. A community where a new book, picture, film is born everyday.... It is great that we have such projects, especially when they are led by wonderful people who are passionate about their work. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? OZ: Do not stop! Whatever happens on the way, go only forward. And believe in your talent and enjoy the process. After all, pleasure should be not only from printing your own books, but also from writing them. Love your job means doing it well, with pleasure and joy.

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LITERATURE “Thread” collection and «Voices of friends: Poetry and Art» Almanac. I work with the authors and help them to create and compose these books, so I can’t say I’m a creative person. My type of activity is mainly kind of analytical. OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space of your art? OM: Actually, each person is a writer or a poet. As I remember, all my friends at school were able to write poems for the special days. And it’s not a secret that a person becomes a poet in the moments of high stress level or when he is happy. When I read the works of our authors sent to me for ECG collections I have thoughts like “That is just the author’s own experience, I also have my life experience, why not write something like this?”. And I admire the way they find such beautiful and creative ways to express their feelings to attract the interest of the reader. Or If I get an interesting story with an extraordinary subject I’m always fascinated by the author’s fantasy. So I would say, our authors are definitely my role models.

OLGA MITAKOVICH BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, YOU ARE TALENTED AND EVEN GENIUS! OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity Olga Mitakovich: I am an economist, but my current profession is ecologist. I work in the sphere of road construction and assess the impact on the environment of new designing automobile roads.We evaluate the air emissions, wastes volume and impact on surface and groundwater and on biodiversity from the process of sandpit or gravel deposit development. Also I’m an administrator of the ECG book projects such as the

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OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? OM: Our collection of literary works “Thread” is an annual project which has been existing since 2018. And now I can say that it has become more professional. The professional level of literary works is rising year after year. Of course it is not my personal achievement but I am proud to be involved in this process. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? OM: I communicated with our participants during the last years and heard many brilliant ideas. For instance, the last great proposal is to make our ECG collections recorded like audiobooks. Also a collection of publicistic or scientific articles could be considered as well. Of course works should be united by one topic, subject or idea, and will need the number of editors, but why not… OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? OM:It was in February 2018,I participated in one cultural ceremonial event in Minsk organized by Association for Intellectual Property Protection “BelBrand” where ECG was also invited as their partner. Later I asked

for cooperation with “BelBrand” Association and was proposed to work as administrator for ECG. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? OM: Cooperation with ECG and work with literature and poetry brings the colorful and spiritual diversity to my life and to my technical and analytical professional activity. Sometimes when I get the story or poem for our books or read something interesting in the framework of the Open Eurasia contest I share it with my family, I say “You definitely should read this, look, it is genius!”. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? OM: Well, I would like to submit my poem to «Voices of friends: Poetry and Art» Almanac. Maybe I finally also can create something if I catch the inspiration, after all, I wrote poetry in my youth…. OCA: What is ECG for you and how do you see your future partnership? OM: After almost four years of cooperation I would say ECG, all our team and Guild members, became family for me, I would continue my work here while the opportunity allows. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? OM: Don’t be afraid of submitting the results of creative work to us or to other different associations or publishing houses. Believe in yourself, you are so talented! The last real example: one young author sent me a story with the comment that he would like to publish it in “Thread” but considered the idea not suitable for the book and asked for advice. The story was brilliant and it won the right to be published for free as the result of the Expert Council assessment with the top result marks! So don’t hesitate to come to us and we will do all our best to promote your works using all our available possibilities.

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LITERATURE PL: In my life there have been many unusual meetings with very interesting people. One such important person was Lady Ursula d’Abo. I met her while living in London, and after that we were friends for many years, despite the age difference. When we met I was twenty and Lady Ursula was 84. This unique person was and still is an example to me in many ways. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? PL: I hope that all my main achievements are still ahead. I have been involved in activity for many years, I am a member of the Russian Union of Writers, I have many literary awards, I have released many books of my poetry, I paint pictures. And I’m not going to stop at this point. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? PL: As I said, at the moment I have several books of my poetry, but all my personal projects are still ahead! OCA: What makes you different from other representatives of your field? PL: I live in the world of a bi-lingual poetry, I write both in English and in Russian. I must confess that I quite often I think both in Russian and in English.

POLINA LAKHTINA A MULTICULTURAL PERSON OPEN TO THE WORLD OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Polina Lakhtina: I’ve always been an all-rounder. As a teenager I was interested in foreign languages, so I became a linguist. I studied in London and graduated from Elite College. But on the other hand, I was attracted to art. At first I started painting, and then I became a poet and received a literary education. Now I read lectures on General English, write poetry and create paintings OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space or life?

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OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? PL: I learned about the Guild from my fellow poets. They invited me to take part in one of the poetry competitions organized by ECG. Having read about this organization, I set my mind on connecting my future creative life with the Guild, since this is exactly what I have been looking for for so long. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? PL: I have become a part of the Poetry Almanac “Voices of Friends 2021” and this has given me a chance for my poetry in English to be published outside Russia! OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? PL: Becoming a member of ECG was a turning point in my life and work. It has given me a unique experience

and broadened my creative horizons. I have always been a multicultural person, open to the world, and as a part of the Guild I am able to fulfill my dream - to become a member of a large international creative family. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? PL: Yes, I am taking part in the Diary Almanac «Voices of friends: Poetry and Art» — 2023. This time the almanac will present not only my poetry, but also my painting, which is great! OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? PL: Believe in yourself, look for different opportunities for selfrealisation and move forward despite all the difficulties!

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LITERATURE Sultan was developing and re-built as the new capital. In 2005 became one of the founders and to date is still the chairman of the Kyrgyz Ethnocultural Association in Kazakhstan named, “Kyrgyzstan-Astana.” As the chair of the Association, I represent the organization as a member of the Council of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan (APK, constitutional body), where I also serve as a member of the editorial board of the magazine «Dostyk-Druzhba» (Friendship). OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? SI: I am the author of a number of articles and publications. Speaks Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Russian and English. In my work I focus on issues of inter-ethnic relations in society. A special focus of my research is the interlinkages between spirituality and harmony of peoples and cultures, peace and security, the shrinking humanitarian space and human development in harmony with Mother Earth.

SHAVKAT ISMAILOV STEP ASIDE FROM YOUR COMFORT ZONE OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Shavkat Ismailov: I was born in 1954 in the Kyrgyz Republic in the town of Karakol, located on the shores of lake Issyk Kul. Graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Polytechnic Institute in Kyrgyzstan. My career focused mainly in the fields of transportation and civil engineering. In 1997, when the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan was relocated to the city currently known as NurSultan (former Astana), I moved there with my family. I participated in the construction projects when Nur-

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I have published in newspapers and journals of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, a winner of the competition on ethnic journalism, “Shanyrak” (2013), established by the Ministry of Culture and Information (currently known as the Ministry of Culture and Sport) of the Republic of Kazakhstan. I have been a recipient of a number of Kyrgyz and Kazakh governmental, as well as international, awards. I also wrote the essay “MAN, BOW DOWN TO EARTH!” After publications in the media of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, the essay caused a great resonance among readers. I assisted with organizing filming of three documentaries from the series “The Road of the People”, produced by the KazakhFilm JSC. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? SI: Since 2007, I have been actively engaged in writing and other creative activities, and since 2018, in public projects. In December 2019 I was nominated as a Certified Ambassador of the Eurasian Creative Guild, London and now I am a member of the ECG’s Advisory Board.

OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? SI: Now everybody faces difficulties. It is said that after a pandemic, the world will be different. Maybe. Maybe purification awaits us when we shake off everything non-human that we have put on. The meaningless “show-offs”, the elections incomprehensible to the people, tenders, which have become the business of officials today, will go into oblivion, and corruption will remain only in dictionaries. Honour, effort, intelligence, respect will be held in high regard, and our mountains and steppes will spawn new artists, writers, heroes and new ECG projects.

And achievements of humanity begin to work for humanity.The situation equated oligarchs and officials of all ranks with ordinary people in the face of danger, death. Man, bow down to Earth, bow down to the Almighty, who created you!

OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? SI: The only way to understand, evaluate the situation, make decisions for the good, without infringing on anyone, is to step aside from your comfort zone.

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LITERATURE L.N. Gumilyov. I graduated from the Guryev State Pedagogical Institute in 1988 with a degree in Biology and Chemistry. Received the second higher education in the field of jurisprudence at the Kostanay State University named after A. Baitursynov in 2002. I also received a postgraduate degree and have a PhD of legal sciences. I have 30 years of experience, during which I took part in scientific research in the implementation of legal, criminological and anti-corruption expertise of draft resolutions of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, regulatory legal acts of the Central executive bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan. I’m living a very active academic life, periodically participating in international symposiums, conferences and forums. I participate in events not only in the field of jurisprudence, but also in social and cultural ones. As for my own creative life, I often write articles in the field of art and have an interest in visual art and poetry.

SVETLANA BAYMOLDINA ACADEMICIAN AND THE CREATIVITY Member of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) since 2017. Also a member of the editorial board of the journal “Russian criminological view”, of the trade union of the ENU named after L.N. Gumilyov, of the Russian Criminological Association, of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and of the European Academy of Natural Sciences. OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Svetlana Baymoldina: I am Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Law Disciplines of the Eurasian National University named after

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OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? SB: I am a multiple laureate of the Shabyt International Creative Competition in the Literature nomination, as well as the winner of the Astana City Day creative competition. Throughout the history of my active creative work I managed to publish about 200 articles on the topics of intellectual property rights, drug trafficking, crime prevention and much more. Many of my works have been published in the Scopus, which is the largest single database of world scientific literature. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? SB: I am the author of a monograph on the topic “Criminal and criminological problems of combating violations of intellectual property rights”, and here I associate my future activities with the Guild and, first of all, Hertfordshire Press, as they jointly publish books by authors from all over the world in the UK and operate under the Legal Deposit system. Also, under my authorship was published a textbook “Actual problems of combating corruption and organized crimes: a textbook”.

OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? SB: The first time I heard about ECG was in 2017, and then I joined the Guild. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? SB: I actively participate in all meetings and events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) with creative people which take place in Astana. I also participate in the international literary competition “Open Eurasia” in the categories “Illustration” and “Poetry”.

OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? SB: The Guild for me is a platform for sharing unique experiences, ideas and establishing new partnerships. Also, as I said above, I am interested in collaborating with the Guild in writing scientific papers about intellectual property. I am also very interested in publishing articles in OCA Magazine.

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LITERATURE me to listen to Vishnevskaya and distinguish her voice among other singers. She taught me good manners, read to me a lot, and at the age of four I could already read myself. I am an engineer and social worker by training. By vocation - a writer, singer, actress. For many years I worked with people in leadership positions, often going on business trips. How many interesting and difficult destinies I had a chance to meet and everyone wanted to help in some way. In America I’d graduated from college, worked and sang in concerts for the first few years. Accidentally, I found out about a recording studio at the American Institute Braille, and this place became my home for several years. I have recorded audiobooks for blind and visually impaired people.This gave a powerful boost of courage both to me and to my listeners. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? TE: My fate was not easy: betrayal, complete collapse of illusions after fifteen years of marriage - all this filled my soul with feelings that needed to be thrown out. And in one of the dreary, heartbreaking evenings, I took a pen and the lines rushed, overtaking my thoughts.

TATIANA EDEL

When the story was finished, I ventured to show it to my colleague, a great book lover. “You have to write!” - she said. This is how my journey into the world of letters and lines began.

A WOMAN OF THE WORLD: BORN IN SIBERIA, GROWN IN TASHKENT, LIVING IN AMERICA

I think that I have accomplished a lot in these 10 years. Eight published books, an author’s soft toy, and audio CDs with romances and fairy tales. In the nomination “Children’s literature” my first book of fairy tales won two competitions: “Sergei Lukyanenko presents the author” and the German International Literary Competition.

OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and how did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative sphere of your art? Tatiana Edel: I was born in Siberia, lived in Tashkent for 18 years, 20 years in the Middle Volga and have been living in America for 15 years. I was brought up by an intelligent nanny, as my mother worked in the hospital until late at night. At the age of five, the nanny taught

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The next “New Adventures of the Cat Baton” became a laureate of the International Competition “Russian Style 2018” and received a diploma and a medal. The book “Drops of Life”,Varna, Bulgaria, took 2nd place in the competition “Slavic Word 2019”. And now, the 2nd place in the Open Eurasia-2020 competition. My romantic prose also has a number of awards, including the short-list of the Moscow International

Prize, the short-list of the German International Prize “Best Book of the Year 2019” and the long-list of the London Prize 2015-2019. At my age, when many are already going on a welldeserved rest, I set myself new goals, and I am happy to go to achieve them. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? TE: A four-part melodrama and 10 episodes of animated adventures of the cat Baton are ready. This character is loved not only by children, but also by their parents. In 2019, Baton was the symbol of the Washington DC Children’s Arts Festival. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? TE: I’ve learned about the Guild from Facebook and was very happy to become a member. I entered a large family of educated and caring people who really bring light to each other and “show what is reasonable, kind, eternal.”

OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. TE: Due to the pandemic I was only able to take part in absentia in the IX Literary Festival OEBF-2020. If the conditions are favorable, I will certainly be present personally at the main events of the Guild. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career? TE: It’s so good that I was not afraid to set foot on this difficult path even in my far from young years. Many novice authors are afraid of showing their texts, writing for themselves and participating in contests. In vain, I tell you. Go for it! It’s not the gods who burn our pots. Maybe a new Remarque or Leo Tolstoy lives in you. Who knows…

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LITERATURE OCA: How did you choose your path? VS: Literature was my favorite subject. In the sixth grade I wrote sketches for the local newspaper. I started writing in China, when I was immersed in a linguistic and social vacuum, when nothing distracted from the creative process of writing. Motherland nostalgia coupled with new experiences produced a grotesque novel “Citizen GR” – a story of a good-fornothing fellow searching for his dream. And a short love story cycle “Cicadas”, which bears resemblance to Bunin’s “Dark Alleys”. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? VS: I believe that literature is not a domain where pursuit of achievements is beneficial for the creative process. I don’t strive for specific achievements, but when they come (as prize-winning places) I rejoice. Literary competition is a positive shake-up of the creative routine. I have participated in several international collective work publications. Among my dearest literary accolades are the Special Prize from the Publishing House of the Russian Orthodox Church for the short novel “Soul filled with Grace” (literary festival “Golden Knight” 2018), Golden Certificates for the collections of children stories (“Golden Knight” 2018-2020), and the award from Open Eurasia 2020 in the best critique nomination.

VERA SYTNIK FROM THE POETIC HEART OF CHINA OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity. Vera Sytnik: I was born in Russia, spent my childhood in Zabaikalsk, and my youth in Siberia. I’ve also lived in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and now live in China. I’ve worked in newspapers, kindergarten, school and museum. In Kazakhstan I taught World Art. There were no textbooks on this subject, so I created one, later it became the curriculum and the textbook our gymnasium of arts followed. Now I teach Russian to Chinese students, and I am a member of the “Society of Friendship of Chinese People with Foreign Countries”.

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? VS: I’ve worked as an editor-compiler for several years in the electronic newspaper “Fairy Appraisal” for the online portal “UW” (Union of Writers). The project “Extracurricular Reading” - also my initiative. I’ve been compiling and editing children stories collections for many years. I’ve been a member of the jury in fairy tale contests (“UW” Novokuznetsk) and on the CUCHAR online portal (Creative Union of Children Authors of Russia). It helped me to keep abreast of modern literature developments and its tendencies. OCA: What makes you different from other representatives of your field? VS: Probably the fact that I live in China. Many Russianspeaking authors live in Europe, America, Israel, Australia... – this is quite common. China on the other hand is still exotic, because Asia is far from us in all senses. It is very different from everything we’re used

to. In all other respects, I see no reason to distinguish myself from the circle of writers. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? VS: I was approached by Angelina Krasnogir through Facebook and got invited to take part in the Open Eurasia, which I was excited about. It resulted in my winning the best critique nomination, and becoming part of the Golden Ten in the Short Prose category. I made a lot of new acquaintances, all interesting, impressive, memorable. I am grateful to Angelina and to the whole team. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? VS: I took part in the Open Eurasia Competition in several nominations. And I was able to experience and understand the harmony and coherence of the organisers’ work. I feel that ECG has become a milestone in my creative career. A milestone that has broadened my literary horizons. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? VS: Plans must be spoken of with great caution.Yet my desire to collaborate with ECG is growing strong. I am drawn to Marat Akhmedjanov’s publishing principles, based on awareness of the literary processes and modern technologies. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? VS: ECG represents the authors’ love for their native languages and respect for other cultures, it is a doorway to the European literary world. The manner in which the organisers interact with the authors is inspiring. Frequent meetings, trips to Russian cities and neighboring counties, new events, new names – all this is an exciting action that everyone wants to join. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? VS: Choose the genre closest to your heart and practice it. Learn from the world classics because no real writer can do without it. You cannot become a writer without reading good, time-tested books. Be curious about life. Be patient and relentless. And good luck!

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LITERATURE In 2005, I received a doctorate in economics and began teaching at the Russian University of Economics under the name of Plekhanov. Currently I am a member of the “Scientific School of Management” of this university. OCA Magazine: Could you please tell us about your sphere and activities? VK: In 1990, when I became the head of Atom Energy Export (AEE), the Russian nuclear power industry was in decline, there were no orders for the construction of nuclear power plants. The industry was in a deep crisis. After the accidents at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant (USA) in 1979 and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (USSR) in 1986, a kind of time-out occurred in the world nuclear power industry. In the next 20 years in North America in Europe, one new nuclear power plant was not announced. In the USSR, the construction and design of new power plants was mothballed or stopped. The construction of dozens of new power units at operating nuclear power plants was frozen.

VIKTOR KOZLOV AFTER 30 YEARS OF LIFE IN THE FIELD OF NUCLEAR ENERGY OCA Magazine: Please tell us a little about yourself Viktor Kozlov: At the beginning of my career, I received a higher technical and higher economic education. After that, I worked for over 30 years in the field of nuclear energy, including 15 years as the general director of Atomenergi Export from 1990 to 1998. and its successor, Atomstroyexport, from 1998 to 2004.

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In the early 1990’s practically all machine-building enterprises were left without orders for the nuclear power industry. At first, nuclear power engineering in the former CMEA countries turned out to be a threat to the disappearance of equipment, and in the end, most of it was lost to the technological chain for the production and components for nuclear power plants. A similar picture was observed in Russia and in the newly independent states that emerged in the USSR. In addition to these countries of Eastern Europe, which are long-term traditional partners of the USSR in the field of nuclear energy, they turned out to be the objects of a fierce struggle by Western companies for the redistribution of the nuclear energy market. The traditionally Soviet market began to be invaded by Westinghouse (USA), Simmens (Germany), Framatom (France) and others. Realizing that in the current conditions one has to hope only on its own strength, the AEE organization has developed an active non-core foreign economic activity. Using the business contacts established during previous years with foreign companies, as well as the knowledge and experience of employees in the field

of foreign trade, JSC Atomenergoproekt, in order to retain qualified specialists, managed in a short time to find a new niche in international trade and carry out quite profitable export-import operations on a wide range of goods. In those years, practically only three countries - India, Iran and China - continued to seriously study the possibility of developing nuclear energy. With their specialists, JSC Atomenergoproekt, together with other organizations, negotiated the Russian framework for possible cooperation. It was with the organizations of these countries that Atomenergi Export and its successor, Atomstroyexport, signed contracts for the construction of 5 power units in the late 90s.

After a kind of activity with business for scientific and teaching work, I have published more than 50 scientific works, including monographs, articles, textbooks and tutorials, on the topic of “Management”. I taught not only in Moscow, but also at three Chinese and one university in Finland.

OCA Magazine: Do you have any projects that you would like to share with your readers? What are the prospects for your cooperation with the European Creative Guild. VK: This year, Hertfordshire Press has already published my book: “The Russian mentality as a basic factor of Russian methods of management”. Also I was asked to write an article on Russia’s activities in Central Asia for the development of nuclear energy. This is, first of In 2004,when I left the management ofAtomstroyexport, all, about Russia’s cooperation with Kazakhstan and the construction of five new power units in China, India Uzbekistan. Considering that today nuclear energy is and Iran was nearing completion. The portfolio of the classified as a “clean” energy source, along with solar orders was about $ 10 billion. Today this company energy and wind energy, this topic should be of interest occupies about 30% of the world market for the to the European Creative Guild. construction of nuclear power plants, with a portfolio of orders of about $ 100 billion. I believe that my We also discussed the possibility of republishing in modest contribution to this is also there. London in English my book: “Russian nuclear energy abroad - development, crisis, revival.”, Previously published in Russia.

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LITERATURE VM: Sometimes it seems that creativity has chosen me. I began to write at the age of 14, it all started at school with essays, and then I started to write small stories. But I am still ashamed to share my work with the world. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? VM: I’m not used to highlighting any achievements of mine. It seems that I am only at the beginning of the path and it is worth developing in the chosen direction. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? VM: My dream is to write and publish my own book, which will appeal to the world audience and attract by the fact that it is “real.” Now the thought that I am happy to work for the benefit of art and creativity, literature does not leave me. Perhaps thanks to the work of the Guild and its managers, more than one talent will be revealed.

VIKTORIYA MALYUSHITSKAYA

OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? VM: I learned about the Guild from the Internet. I applied for an internship in Minsk (2018) and for the sake of this opportunity, I moved from my small town to Minsk. Having successfully completed the internship, at the end I received the position of manager of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London). So here I would like to assure you not to be afraid to change your life and take risks. It can lead to the better and your life will change in a second, as it happened to me.

OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects TAKE RISKS that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE! in your work? OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself VM: The events are important and very valuable. At the meetings, people share their creative successes, find and your creative activity / work Viktoriya Malyushitskaya: I am an environmentalist like-minded people and even create new collaborations. by education. From adolescence I was always It is always interesting to listen to writers, musicians, interested in literature, music, cinematography and arts. poets, art historians and artists. Everyone’s experience At the moment, I am a manager of the international is valuable, and all of the told stories make you smile, and thanks to this, an atmosphere of trust, warmth, competition Open Eurasia. friendship and understanding is created at the Guild’s OCA: How did you choose your path and who events. is your role model in the creative space of your art?

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OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? VM: I plan to help other creative people develop by participating in the Guild projects. And what about me, it’s hard to say about myself. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? VM: The Eurasian Creative Guild (London) is a large united family for me. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? VM: Never give up, for sure! Create and create masterpieces! Creativity, the very saving thread that everyone needs.

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LITERATURE with support of my mother Zulfiya Birzhanova I made a bold decision and tried myself as a creative writer. It was risky albeit a good decision because I was blessed to meet interesting people, who enriched my life and gave me new insights. My grandfather Moldagali Birzhanov was a book addicted person, he gathered a big home library so while everybody watched TV series and movies, I read books. I can say that my grandfather was my role model and inspired me. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? ZT: When I wrote the first 8 chapters of my debut Fantasy-Romance for teenagers Amina Turan in the Nomad World, I decided to participate in Altyn Kalam because it was anonymous and surprisingly I won in a category ‘The best Children’s literature of the year’. Later one of the biggest publishing houses of Kazakhstan noticed me and offered me to write an educational book about Almaty and Nur-Sultan. These books became extremely popular, so the publisher decided to buy the manuscript of Amina Turan and it was published in 2018, and it gained readers’ attention and became successful.

ZAURE TUREKHAN I DIDN’T CHOOSE TO BE A WRITER, DESTINY OR GOD OPENED ME A DOOR OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity. Zaure Turekhan: I used to be a banker and worked in the International relations department of Kazakh commercial bank but in 2014 I decided to step aside from the profession and develop my writing skills. OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space of your art? ZT: Actually I can’t say that I chose to be a writer, destiny or God opened me a door to a new sphere and

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In 2017 my novel My Aisha and Invisible Neighbors was awarded first place in a national book contest of The First President Foundation and Writers Union of Kazakhstan. I was also awarded the 3rd place in the Open Eurasian Literature Festival and Book Forum in 2019 in Brussels, Belgium and my debut screenplay The House of Silkworms was noticed at the ECG Film Festival in London and I won in a category ‘The Best Screenplay’ in 2020. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? ZT: I have many dreams and plans. One of those projects is my new screenplay about detective Alec Roderick investigating mysterious murders in central London. It is written in a mystical detective genre based on Japanese folklore. I hope that this story will be noticed and we’ll be able to watch it on a big screen. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? ZT: I heard about ECG in 2014, when ECG held a big cultural event in Kazakhstan. Mr. Marat Akhmedjanov

Looking back I think ECG’s constant meetings, projects and events helped me to be in a literature flow and trends. I developed confidence, became an author of several books and a couple of screenplays. Recently I was invited as a jury member of ECG Film Festival for a screenplays written in Russian. It was a new experience to me and at the same time a big responsibility. OCA:What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? ZT: I advise them not to be scared and frustrated, open up for new opportunities, be bold and active. If you want to be in an atmosphere of creativity then collaborate with other creative people, that will inspire and support you on a difficult path. No one will understand your concerns and hopes better than another creative person like you. Unite, create and present!

and his team arranged the Open Eurasian Literary Festival and Book Forum in Almaty. I wasn’t able to participate in the festival because it was time when I just started my life path as a creative writer. However I was really impressed by the idea, mission and goals of ECG, so two years later I participated in the OEBF in London. OCA:Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in? ZT: When I joined the OEBF in London my main aim was networking and self-presentation. I wanted to get acquainted with professionals from different parts of the world and learn their experience since ECG is the only platform that promotes writers and poets from remote and unknown Central Asian regions. I also decided to present my debut Fantasy-Romance and find out what they think about the book. I held a talk in the Turkish cultural center Yunus Emre and presented my book before its publication.

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LITERATURE original attitude, “I am a good one”. (Decalogue «Gravity of Life») OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? ZS: The paperwork of feelings and thoughts helped me to survive. This is how autobiographical stories, chapters and books became the decalogue “Gravity of Life”.“The Faceting» is the first book of the decalogy. It is about childhood, personality formation and the eternal conflict of generations. The lessons of childhood are comprehended by a person all their life, and the values inherent in childhood become guiding beacons of our conscience. The second book «The Metamorphosis» is about a person at the turn of the ages and about those personal metamorphoses through which the heroine searches for her place in the world. These books are based on real autobiographical situations. The books became finalists and laureates of literary competitions in London, Germany, Russia and received hundreds of positive reviews.

ZHANNA SHVYDKAYA

OCA: What makes you different from other representatives of your field? ZS: Author’s Yandex Zen channel «Zhanna Shvydkaya”. My stories, essays, publicistic articles and video clips about the beautiful places of our planet are being regularly published there. First I published my parable «How Vice and Conscience Argued against a Man», which received many good reviews from readers. It even took 2nd place in the Open Eurasia 2020 competition. When the pandemic started, I launched a new direction of my channel, where I publish articles about the natural factors of the body’s recovery. This is a series of interviews with scientists and doctors about herbal medicine, aromatherapy and others. I can proudly say that the channel has already reached quite good ratings, and the next stage in its development is to become a platform for other authors, giving them the opportunity to publish their interesting works. In this regard, I see interesting opportunities for cooperation with the Eurasian Creative Guild.

OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity. Zhanna Shvydkaya: Our romance with the printed word has been going on for over 20 years. I am a journalist and PR-specialist, my journey to professional literature began with a personality crisis. Success in my career inflamed professional ambitions, but conquering another peak brought only temporary satisfaction. I wanted more every time.This continued until the age of OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the 37 with a complete emotional burnout. To understand Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects the reasons I had to look into myself and it wasn’t easy. that you have already taken part in? ZS: In September 2020 I had a creative tour with the “There is everything in a person, but, as a rule, it’s not being presentation of my book «Metamorphosis» in Crimea, talked about the other side. Not being discussed, because organized with the assistance of Guild Ambassador it’s painful, because it’s scary, because it contradicts the Oksana Zhukova, which resulted in dozens of

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publications in social media and a series of meetings with readers. The Open Eurasia competition held by the Guild is also interesting for me for several reasons. Firstly, it allows you to compare your professional level with the level of colleagues from other countries. Secondly, the competition allows you to learn more about modern literary trends of creativity promotion. At the VIII OEBF in Brussels I learned about the «Video poetry» direction and now I try myself in the direction of «Video prose». And finally, the competition gives the winners an opportunity to convey their creativity to the readers. The winner’s grant allows the book to be published in London, sent to the world’s libraries and presented at all events of the Guild. Acquaintance with the Eurasian Creative Guild is an incredibly interesting and useful life experience. It’s like a staircase when you climb it, and immediately see how new opportunities appear. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? ZS: I would like to wish to strive for their goals despite all difficulties, internal doubts, envious disapproval and sharp criticism of experts. Nobody has to love and patronize you in this way. There would be ups, but there would also be falls. Even if you were pierced by hundreds of poisonous arrows from sharp words breathe, get up and move on. If it seems that you are a genius and created a real masterpiece - it is no longer enough in the modern world. You have to reach out to your reader or viewer, to make them hear you and share a few minutes of their life with your work. And in this regard, the Eurasian Creative Guild provides great opportunities, but how you use them depends on you.

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LITERATURE translation. My Postdoctoral paper is connected with the translation problems of the Kyrgyz epic “Manas”. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? ZK: As an actress Tattybubu Tursunbaeva, Suimonkul Chokmorov, as a bard Elmirbek Imanaliev, as a poetess Baktygul Choturova and Jypar Isabaeva. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? ZK: Yes.We are working together with my postgraduate students on translating all of the Kyrgyz small epics from Kyrgyz into English. We have already translated such small epics like “Ak Moor” by A. Toktomatova, “Janysh Baiysh” by M. Omurkanov, “Kyz Daryika” by G. Japarova, “Kyz Saikal” and “Semetey” by Z. Karaeva, “Sarynjy Bokoy” by A. Asylbekova and K.Kalieva. Kyrgyz people have amazing values of the nation that should be known by all the peoples of the world. We have translated about six small epics now. On the other hand I would like to write a comparative textbook about the history of British/American and Kyrgyz Literature for the students of the foreign languages faculty and philologists and then publish it.

ZINA KARAEVA KYRGYZ PEOPLE HAVE AMAZING NATIONAL VALUES THAT SHOULD BE KNOWN BY THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD Translator of the Kyrgyz small epics, director of the Foreign Languages Institute of the International University of Kyrgyzstan. (Institute of Foreign languages)

OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Zina Karaeva: I have been an English teacher of Higher Education since 1971 till nowadays, but my hobby is

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OCA: When and where have you heard about the ECG for the first time? ZK: It was in 2012. People’s actress Jamal Seidahmatova invited me and my students to her play “Weeping of the Queen” written by Sultan Raev and I loved the creation and began to translate it straightway and finished the translation after three months. It was about 5 p.m. an unknown woman’s voice called me and asked me if I had ready translated materials to send to the ECG’s competition. I told her that I had just finished Sultan Raev’s “Weeping of the Queen” and she sent me the contacts of the competition’s organisers. I didn’t even know what it was and in order to test my knowledge on translation I sent it without any editing. It was the last day of the contest. I learned about the ECG for the first time when I was invited to the Awards Ceremony organized by ECG in the American University of Central Asia. I was sure that I wouldn’t be awarded anything. The presenters announced the third place at first, then the second place and when they announced the first place, they called me by my name and invited me to the stage. I was in

seventh heaven and I was shocked by the unexpected success. At that very moment I called my husband and told him about it.When I came home I read about ECG in detail and got introduced to it completely. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? ZK: Of course positively. I began to translate verses and compose for them. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career? ZK: The same unexpected success as I had in 2012. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? ZK: It is the best motivation in your creative activities and to see the new world and to meet new creative people .

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LITERATURE career as a translator. Later we moved to Moscow and I worked there as a translator and Head of Middle East zone. In 2016 I graduated from the Faculty of Management of the State Economic University named after G.Plekhanov. We came back to Tajikistan in 2017 and returning to the Motherland inspired me to write new poems. My first book “Pandname” was published in March 2019, other books “Pandnoma”, “Revelations of the Muse”, “Adventures of Firuz” were published in Tajik, English and Russian in 2020 and now are available on Amazon and LitRes. My poems and prose help readers to discover the magic world of eastern fairy tales and legends and provide them opportunities to dive deep into the Tajik and Persian wisdom, ethics and history. Through the legends and fairytales, I try to show how it is important to feel responsibility for the environment, nature, society, each other and themselves.

ZEBUNISO RASULZADE WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, NATURE, SOCIETY, EACH OTHER AND THEMSELVES OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity. Zebuniso Rasulzade: I was born in Dushanbe. My father is a teacher of mathematics and my mother is a teacher of Russian for foreigners. In 1992, we moved to Khujand because of the civil war and I grew up there. I graduated from the faculty of Oriental languages of Khujand State University in 2005 and started my

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OCA Magazine: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space of your art? ZR: My parents had a big home library and my sister taught me to read when I was only 4 year old. I discovered the magic world of the fairytales, legends, and poems. I used to read fairytales in poetic form. Maybe this factor had a significant influence on my choices. From early childhood, I loved A.S. Pushkin and Rudyard Kipling fairytales. Nevertheless, I think that every creative person has its own style and features, which underline their originality. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? ZR: I was awarded the state sign “Excellence in culture of Tajikistan” and TOP-50 of TRC Vatan in 2019. Recently I have become the winner of IX OEBF & LF in category Short Prose. Now I have several ideas for projects and work on their realisation. Also I want to tell my readers that I am working on the final part of my poem “A swan fate” and hope that this book will be published in 2022.

OCA: What makes you different from other representatives of your field? ZR: I am a young poet and writer in Tajikistan who writes in Tajik, Russian and English. My creativity highlights social matters, life stories of ordinary people. I hope that my books help people in finding answers for their questions. I was very happy when one of my readers wrote to me that my poems and stories helped her to pass the complicated period of her life. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? ZR: I have heard about ECG from my reader. He sent me information about the IX Open Eurasia contest and recommended me to participate in it. I learned information about ECG and understood that it is really a wonderful opportunity for creative people. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? ZR: I took part in the IX Open Eurasia contest and my victory is a big step forward on my path. My participation in the final was supported by The Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation - Tajikistan. Now I have already submitted part of the stories from my book “Revelations of the Muse: look to the world through the prism of love” for “The Thread” collection in London. My victory attracted the attention of the mass media of Tajikistan to my creativity and the number of my readers have increased. It is a very important step and I hope that my further steps in this direction will be successful. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? ZR: It is experience and ideas exchange, it is a platform for creative people. I hope to be a member of this union and participate in other projects in future. I would like to wish creative people success, prosperity, inspiration and most of all I wish you to find your readers. Be patient, do not give up, continue your learning and development and read a lot, because it is very important for a creative person.

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PERFORMING ARTS it can buy. They drew inspiration and energy from the irresistible desire to create. Like the artists of the Turkestan avant-garde. They are my role models and the highest authority for me. My collection “Turkestan avant-garde” is dedicated to this artistic phenomenon. While being modern and devoid of any ethnographic traits this collection embodies the architectonics, colour and shape plasticity of the Central Asian women’s clothing. Dome-shaped “helmet” headpieces are inspired by the look of mosque cupolas and geometric ornaments - by eastern ornamental traditions. Translucent and floaty silks in ragged edge kaftans put over simplified sweat suits capture the dynamic modern lifestyle coupled with timeless oriental traditions. My collection is based upon elegant simplicity and ergonomics, a play of geometric forms and colorful shapes. Boldly tied headpieces that look like turbans, dresses over pants maintain ethnic identity and modern multi-culture trends. My career began with the Fashion theatre where collections were not meant to be pieces of clothing but rather pieces of art. It wasn’t haute couture as we know it. Those wearable art-objects were supposed to be treated as paintings or sculptures. This in its turn demanded total reassessment of a viewer’s comprehension of what a costume is for we are accustomed to perceive it from a pragmatic point of view.

NATALIA NAFTALIEVA ARTISTIC SPIRIT ABOVE THE MATERIAL BENEFITS Russian fashion designer and film director. Author and creator of The Fashion Theatre. As a costume designer she worked on multiple theatre, cinema, and television projects and even became the author of several fashion projects on TV and on stage. OCA Magazine: Who is your role model in the creative space of your art? Natalia Naftalieva: I tend not to imitate anybody’s art for every artist is unique and every person’s destiny is inimitable. Speaking of great artists, most of them lived quite a modest life. Their exuberant inner world has been a fair substitute for money and everything

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That’s why my avant-garde collections such as “Egypt”, “Corrida”, “Madonna” are created on the principle of theatrical conventionalism and have symbolic nature. I can refer to myself as a confirmed experimenter in a constant search of new meanings for an artistic form. This is the only way to evade recurrence in fashion as well as stereotypes and tropes in art. The same avant-garde principles I used in my experimental no-dialogue montage cinema film “Materia”. It is a story of civilization’s life and death told by the means of visual language and music. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? NN: I am currently fascinated by Central Asian avantgarde art of the 1930-1950s. When you can keep true to yourself amidst a violent official narrative, when you put your artistic spirit above the material benefits – this is what I call self-sacrifice. I would like to make a film

on how Malevich and Tatlin successors’ “grew” into this new “soil”, on humanism, mutual help and collaboration between artistic people of different cultures. I’ve also got another idea for a film about a Russian prima ballet-dancer who struggles through her existential crisis in Tuscany. And I’ve written a screenplay for a dystopian film about the autocratic society of the notso-distant future. As well as a screenplay for a series about friendship and rivalry between a young woman and AI. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? NN: I’ve heard about ECG from my friends from the diplomatic environment. It was good to know that there is a group of people who help artists and writers promote their works in Great Britain. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. NN: I was thrilled to know that my film “Materia” has won the Grand-prix of the ECG Film festival last year. This might have been due to the fact that my film employs only visual language which is universal. Thus it had been interpreted and highly praised by the British audience. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? NN: It’s been a pleasure adding the ECG’s prize to my shelf with international prizes from USA and Canada.

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PERFORMING ARTS someone. When I am working on the new collection I try to isolate myself from TV and the Internet in order to avoid inadvertently copying someone’s ideas. But my fashion idols are Coco Chanel and Karl Legerfeld. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? SZ: This year, the Nizami Art Fest organized by Arts Consul deserves special attention, since this year was declared the year of our great writer Nizami Ganjavi. I took part in this project both as a costume designer and as one of the media personalities in the role of one of the princesses from a great poem of Nizami Ganjavi “The Seven beauties”. This video was (will) be presented at The Heartbeat of Eurasia competition. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? SZ: I was recommended to the Guild by a beautiful woman, a talented writer and a friend of my family Sariya Mammadova. After that we had a great conversation with Tatyana, I was pleased. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. SZ: As a recent member of the Guild, this is the first time I will participate in projects and would be happy to share my impressions next time.

SABINA ZULALOVA WE NEED ART TO MAKE OUR LIFE MORE BEAUTIFUL

OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? SZ: ECG activities provide opportunities for art people to present their works to the public in other countries. I would love to be a part of many projects like these.

OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity Sabina Zulalova: I am Sabina Zulalova designer and cultural figure. I take part in many art projects and join the international community to promote the culture of Azerbaijan abroad.

OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? SZ: I will participate in the design competition «The Heartbeat of Eurasia», and in autumn, there will be an out-of-competition fashion show in London, timed to coincide with the ECG Film Festival, in which I will have to participate online. I really hope I can visit London on October 5th for the “Beautiful Peri” Gala Fashion Show.

OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? SZ: A lot of creative people deserve worldwide recognition. I can’t say that I’m trying to imitate

OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career? SZ: I wish all the members of the Guild great creative success. To make our life more beautiful, we need art.

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OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? SZ: Even before the pandemic, I actively participated in international projects, congresses and competitions, representing my country. Today I am a young member of the Guild and I hope that the projects in which I take part will bring me moral satisfaction and creativity, expand the boundaries of my capabilities and I will contribute to the development of ECG.

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PERFORMING ARTS My first work experience in the former-Soviet countries was as an English teacher in Belarus in the 1990s, and then in Azerbaijan in 2003. Later, I changed directions in my career and managed and conducted monitoring and evaluation on a wide range of developmental and humanitarian assistance projects in projects in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan... My main creative interest is documentary film, which I think I always wanted to do. In the book ‘The Alchemist’ by Paolo Coelho it says that a person knows early in his life what his vocation in life will be, and this was certainly the case with me. I remember watching documentaries on UK television when I was a teenager, enjoying them, and thinking that through documentaries, it is possible to explore a wide range of themes and stories in different ways. I completed my first film ‘A Week in the Life of a Humanitarian Assistance Organization’ in 2010, which was about the work of the UN Refugee Agency in Azerbaijan, for whom I had worked.The film did well at festivals at the time, and even came close to broadcast.

SYMON LORD PEOPLE KNOW EARLY IN THEIR LIFE WHAT THEIR VOCATION IN LIFE WILL BE OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity Symon Lord: I am originally from the city of York, which is a historic city in the North of England. My academic background is in Russian, Slavonic and Post-Soviet Studies, and I have had an interest in the countries of the former Soviet Union since the late 1980s.

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Currently, I am preparing a project plan and pitch for a feature documentary with the working title ‘A Week in the Life of Refugee Camp’, which would likely be filmed somewhere in Asia or Africa. For obvious reasons, progress on this project has in general been slowed down by the Covid-19 crisis. On the other hand, since Spring 2020, I have attended many online events on different aspects of documentary that have allowed me to expand my knowledge of the documentary world, develop my project and network. The majority of sessions have been run by ‘ScreenSkills’, to whom I am very much appreciative. Now, as of Autumn 2021, I have what I feel is a realistic strategy to successfully realize my documentary project. In order to develop as a documentary filmmaker, I have applied to a couple of mentoring programmes, which aim to develop talent for the UK screen industries. Inclusion on one of these programmes, and the support of a suitable, experienced mentor, I consider would help me to develop as an artist, and successfully realize my current project OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? SL: I consider that it is too early for me to speak of

any concrete achievements yet in the creative sphere. If things go according to plan, I will have something to celebrate before too long. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in? SL: I first heard about ECG in Kyrgyzstan in 2016, and went to a lot of it’s meetings in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan between 2016 and 2018. I found the meetings to be interesting, as well as a good way to hear about creative projects in the region, and meet fellow creative people. I also wrote an article about the potential for developing the tourist industry in Kyrgyzstan that was published in OCA in 2018. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? SL: A film festival in which ECG takes part could be of interest as an opportunity for me to showcase some of my work. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? SL: For me, ECG is a forum for different types of creatives from, or with an interest in the Eurasia region. It can be used by creatives for presenting their work, learning about other creatives’ works, for networking, for promotion/distribution of work, and for discussion of topics of mutual interest. In the future, when I have more of a proven track record than now, perhaps I could write an article about documentary making, which might be of interest and help to those interested in documentary from the Eurasian region. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? SL: Just go ahead, and do what you want to do creatively. Put together a strategy for the best way to achieve your aims, and then put your strategy into practice. Always be prepared to learn lessons, adapt and change along the way as necessary. Always network, be a team player, and be a good friend. Do not be frightened of disappointments along the way, but learn useful lessons from them, and then use the lessons for your benefit.

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PERFORMING ARTS Writing stories and poetry is my hobby. Recently I started publishing my first book with my best short stories. My texts are fiction based on my experience as a long-lasting migrant, a forty-years old woman, a mother and now, also as a person, who lived in complete silence for ten months. The main character of my stories is a strong, hard-working woman, looking for her place under the sun.

YULIA GUTKOVICH IF YOU CANNOT TRAVEL, WRITE ABOUT YOUR TRIPS, IF YOU CANNOT HEAR, TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU HAVE ALREADY HEARD OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Yulia Gutkovich: I am a lawyer, was born in Rostovon-Don, Russia. When I was twenty-four-years old I moved to Israel, lived there for seven years and in 2011 moved to the UK where I live now.

OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space of your art? YG: I fell ill three years ago and lost all my hearing within three weeks. I did not know what to do and how to cope with living as a deaf person. I thought my life was over and then my wise mom told me: “If you cannot travel, write about your trips; if you cannot hear, tell people what you have already heard”. Following her advice, I started to publish short memories and jokes on Facebook. I did not expect people to enjoy reading them and ask me for more. Later, one night, I could not sleep. All of a sudden, a short fiction story crossed my mind: within an hour I wrote it down and put it on my Facebook page. It was my first short story “A Province Girl”. As my stories have become well-known not only among my friends, I received an offer to present them at my personal Zoom story-telling evening.That was my first experience: I read my own stories to the audience of sixty people, who purposefully gathered to listen to me. Following the successful concert, I repeated it several times. The main choices in my life have been knowingly or unconsciously determined by my mother and uncle. It’s common in Russia to start planning your career at the age of fifteen or sixteen. I had two options in mind: to be an English teacher like my mom or a lawyer like my grandfather and uncle. The latter told me: “If you plan to live in Russia, go to Law School’’. I was absolutely sure that I would never ever move abroad and chose that profession. Since then I have relocated twice and started a career as a lawyer from scratch three times. I have never planned to become a writer or an artist. On the other hand, I evidenced how my mother and uncle published their own books as a side-line of their main occupation. I believe both are my role models.

OCA: Which achievements of yours would you I work as an immigration solicitor at Redfern Legal, a like to emphasize? boutique London law firm located at Covent Garden. YG: Before my deafness, I sincerely assumed that my

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main accomplishments are three legal qualifications in Russia, Israel and the UK. After starting to cope with my disability, I have come to a conclusion that the main achievement of mine is the ability to laugh at myself. If you ask about formal certificates in the creative area, there are just several of them: I am a finalist of Pushkin in Britain poetry competition in 2019 and a finalist of ECG short prose competition in 2020 with my story “Showstopper”. Also I took part in several stand-up shows and organised my solo story-telling evenings. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? YG: I would like to translate my stories into English and publish my first book before my 42nd birthday. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? YG: In 2020 my good friend forwarded me a link to the ECD prose competition, and it was for the first time I learned about the guild. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? YG: This year I would like to take part in the poetry competition. I faced a lot of changes in my life during the last months and this has led to a new wave of poems. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? YG: I would wish them not to be afraid of being deaf to others’ opinions, believe in themselves and believe that their text or a piece of art will find their admirer.

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ART Relying on all the artistic heritage of mankind and gazing intently at his own classical folk Kazakh art, Armat Bektas builds his “steppe philosophy”, the philosophy of linearity of its structure, which is dictated by a complex of reasons, including the space of the steppe itself. The steppe landscape is primarily flat and majestic, with rounded chains of hills and the shape of yurt along with the legacy of cult architecture blending seamlessly into them are the genetic codes of the environment. The artist interprets these phenomena in search of a new stylistic expression of his thought. In the works of the master, there is almost meditative flexibility in the smoothness of flowing lines of movement of forms interpenetrating or intersecting from one direction to another but always striving for stability and inner integrity. As a person who has long been looking for the foundations of spirituality in the modern globalized space, Armat Bektas takes seriously the idea of Jacques Attali (the French economist, banker, writer and politician, who describes the future as a nomadic world) about tolerance in matters of faith and religion. Bektas in his work tries to visualize the theory of Jacques Attali through the pictorial language.

ARMAT BEKTAS STEPPE PHILOSOPHY The world of space of Armat Bektas is mostly linear, at the subconscious level he structures everything according to the principle of harmonizing reality of the surrounding world which is “nonlinear” that is to say unharmonized by consciousness. The artist is absorbed by the idea of creating a new philosophy of the Great Steppe in art and creating another plastic language of expression in it. The idea was born on the basis of the study of Kazakh art, the work of P. Picasso, P. Klee and other masters of the avant-garde world.

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He seeks to create an image of a single divine spirit, because he is convinced: God is one; he seeks to express the idea of a new synthesis of everything divine in the mind of humankind, but he perfectly understands that this is one of the most delicate strings of his soul and can in no way be imposed let alone infringed upon anyone’s interests.

By inventing a new language of expression, a new style in art; A. Bektas is not afraid to combine symbols of different confessional affiliation; since they were “born” from a once single source. Universal symbols and signs are the basis of all religious symbols, and their vertical structure is another return at a new stage and level of development to the once lost unity. The predominantly vertical development of the elements of the cosmic structure of our universe is taken by the artist from the past cultural experience of mankind: the entire past history of its development sought to build the harmony of this world from the depths of the universe, the information field of which relied on the “divine vertical”. “I seriously thought about these questions – demand of time, and energy along with potential are given to the artist for realisation of creative programmes originally bestowed by nature, and of course, the author’s personal position in the modern art world is mandatory”. Bektas believes that the time has come for a mind reboot, for a deep understanding of realities of our time and our own contribution to the general world art history.

Nurai Medeuova

To create a new style in art, the artist works at the Sal Seri Gallery, which is located in Nur-Sultan city, Kazakhstan. A creative group of like-minded people was created to promote this idea including Nurai Medeuova, Arystan Smagulov and Armat Bektas. To implement its projects, the Sal Seri Gallery collaborates with the Eurasian Creative Guild, under the leadership of Marat Akhmedjanov, who organizes events dedicated to the development of art among young artists and writers in different countries.

Arystan Smagulov

Sal Seri Gallery expresses its deep gratitude to the Eurasian Creative Guild and looks forward to further fruitful cooperation! Khalima Truspekova, (an Art History PhD, Docent, Associate Professor at KazLAACE) Asya Tsurkina, (an Art-Manager of Sal Seri Art Gallery) Armat Bektas

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ART In 2013, I founded the KORU studio, where I can fully realize my vision in matters of art education. It is very important for me to do what I love. After all, education is a great responsibility both to the child and his parents and to society as a whole. OCA: What is the main sense of your studio? DS: At the beginning, I managed to assemble a team of like-minded people who happily supported my idea of realizing a unique place for creativity. All the teachers of the studio are practicing artists, teachers who are passionate about their work and have extensive experience in this field. The main areas of the studio are academic drawing, painting, sketching and graphics. OCA: Why did you choose this particular activity? DS: Currently, there is a certain turning point in art education. Time, living conditions and goals have changed. Modern children are completely different. They perceive information differently and old methods no longer work. I try to look far ahead and develop new teaching methods in this area, keeping the experience of the past.

DARIA SADYGALIEVA IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about your creative activity / work. Daria Sadygalieva: My name is Daria, I am an architect, graphic artist, member of the Association of Artists of Botanical Art of Russia (AHBI) and member of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London). My activity has always been connected with architecture and design, but at the same time I had a great desire to do something really important. Having a lot of practical experience and constantly developing my knowledge in the field of architecture, I teach graduate students of the Faculty of Architecture at KRSU.

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OCA:What is special about your training program? DS: Our main aim is to instill love for art, develop a sense of taste and the ability to think creatively. The programs are designed in such a way that in an unobtrusive form they give the necessary material consistently and arouse the students’ interest in creative self-development. It is important to take into account not only the child’s age, but also their hobbies in everyday life, how they perceive the surrounding reality. Each child is unique and you need to be able to get right with anyone. A studio is not a school. Unfortunately, we are faced with the problem of limited time for classes, However, despite this, we see positive dynamics and results of our activities. We are proud of the achievements of our students who successfully enter local and foreign universities, win competitions and participate in exhibitions in the visual arts.

OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? DS: Both masters of the past and contemporary artists have presented the world with a huge amount of their works. I cannot single out one artist who would be an example to follow. We all learn from other people’s works and I respect the work of any artist. But it is very important not to imitate someone and find your own ways of self-expression. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? DS: One year ago I was lucky to meet Marat Akhmedjanov and Tatiana Shevchenko (Executive Director of ECG (London)). We had a meeting where they talked about the plans of the Guild. It was very pleasant that there are people like that who are concerned about the development of art in Central Asia. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? DS: It is very pleasant that ECG helps many creative people to express themselves far beyond the borders of Kyrgyzstan.

On the basis of our studio, we held a face-to-face meeting of the members of the Guild, where we shared with each other the results of our activities. Personally, such meetings inspire me and give me confidence that we are doing important and necessary work. OCA: What is the Guild for you? DS: I am very happy to be a part of this community.We are promoting art and I am always glad to take part in projects and exhibitions of the Guild. Perhaps in the future we will see the students of our studio among the participants of ECG exhibitions and competitions OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, who are just starting their career? DS: I wish everyone who is engaged in creativity not to be afraid to express themselves, to work hard, to study, to find strength and inspiration for creativity in any situation. Do not give up when you fail, believe in yourself and do not betray your ideas!

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ART paint portraits, nature, and everything that inspires and cheers people up. Favourite techniques are digital illustration, watercolor and acrylic painting. What I like about my work is that everyday I try new ways and directions. I don’t work in one style, although this thought upset me before. But it’s more interesting to develop yourself, to learn new things, isn’t it? I also love taking part in art marathons! It is a great opportunity to get acquainted with works of other different artists and illustrators. Get new skills and experience in a short time. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? DZ: Since childhood, I liked the bright paintings of Van Gogh, and also love the works of Serov. From contemporary artists, I really enjoy the style of my mother Elena Bezrukova - projective graphics, I like its lightness and expression! Also I follow the works of an insanely creative blogger - Aisulu Nurtayeva and am inspired by the watercolor works of Oksana Viktorova.

DARYA ZALESSKAYA PAINTER FROM THE BIRTH OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work. Darya Zalesskaya: My name is Zalesskaya Daria and I am 28 years old. I was born in Almaty and now live with my family in Issyk. All my life I have been doing creative work. I first took a pen in my hands when I was 1 year old. Since then, I have never been bored, because drawing was my main pastime and entertainment. I tried different techniques, types of art and creativity, for example wood burning, airbrushing, decoupage, worked with a hand jigsaw, baked and painted cookies with food paints, was fond of nail design, and painted walls. At the moment, I am practicing digital illustration, trying different styles in this multifaceted direction. I

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? DZ: In the fall of 2019, I took part in the Super Kyz project. I was one of the illustrators of children’s books about outstanding women of Kazakhstan and painted a portrait of the legendary Bibigul Tulegenova. In the same year, there was a big project to decorate the walls in a family cafe. In 2020, I took part in a competition from the Carlsberg company, came up with a poster on a given topic and took third place. And I am incredibly proud of being a participant in the exhibition “100 years of Komsomol”, from ECG. I am also the illustrator for several training courses on the restaurant business topic, and the illustrator of books on speed reading. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? DZ: From its founder, Marat Ismailovich Akhmetjanov. Marat Ismailovich is an old and good friend of our family! During one of his visits to Almaty, he told me about his new project, where he wanted to unite creative people and help them to develop. I believed in this project, because Marat is a great enthusiast and a

real ideological inspirer! And he has brought his project to life. Now I am a member of the Eurasian Creative Guild! OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. DZ: All activities of the Guild make a great contribution to the cultural development of our country.They unite, inspire and support people of all creative professions. The meetings are very sincere, warm with really wonderful people. I really enjoyed taking part in an art exhibition dedicated to the work of the writer Chingiz Aitmatov. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? DZ: ECG taught me to not be afraid to show my works and to accept the idea that I can be on a par with other talented artists of the Guild. I also like that the exhibitions held by the Guild are all different, interesting, allowing you to show your work as you see it and feel comfortable at the same time. OCA: What would you wish for members of the Guild, just starting their career? DZ: I wish everyone to go forward, to work and grow in their field. And be open to people! OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? DZ: We are all friends with the same interests. They are cool, positive people from whom you can get a sea filled with emotions. The Guild is a great and magical resource that helps to develop yourself and your business. It inspires, supports, guides and gives an opportunity to show yourself to the world. Thank you very much for that! And thanks to Marat, because he embodied his idea in a large, global and cool community!

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ART OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? EZ: It’s a difficult question since I work in various spheres of art. But I have some role models in general, such as skater Alexey Yagudin, coach Alexey Mishin, naturalist Nikolay Drozdov. All of them are famous thanks to their true passion for their work, and to their professional achievements, not to the scandals and offensive speeches. As for art, the main influencer for me is Pavel Orinyansky, the artist and illustrator - his works were one of the reasons for me to become an artist. Besides, I can add Alphonse Mucha and Boris Vallejo. As a writer, I try to measure up to maestros like Walter Scott, Roger Zelazny, and Bram Stoker. As for Russian writers, it’s Alexey Tolstoy, Mikhail Uspensky, and Natalya Ignatova. For my dolls, I have no exact role model, but try to learn from various doll-makers. I really admire Florence Jenkins and her phenomenal self-belief. Sometimes we all need to be like her.

EKATERINA ZGURSKAYA NOT EASY BUT BREATHTAKING CREATIVITY OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Ekaterina Zgurskaya: My name is Ekaterina Zgurskaya aka Katerina Zver (rus. “The Animal”) - it’s a moniker based on one of my projects, a short animation video about various fantasy creatures. One of the main characters was a strange three-tailed animal with blue fur. It became my profile picture on social media and later transformed into a personal brand. I’m an artist and graphic designer, writer, teacher, and doll-maker, and have a hand in theatre projects and creative management.

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? EZ: The main one of my current personal projects “Nanny Glennfire’s tales”, a fairy tale book based on British folklore.We are working on it together with my co-author Olga Gotalskaya from Minsk. Also I published three fairy tale books and am currently working on the fourth one. I also take part in exhibitions both local and international. You can see some of my dolls at “The Puppet Lane” gallery in Izmailovsky Kremlin, Moscow. Some of my tales are already available for reading online, and one of them titled “The Ugly Tim” took 2nd place at the “Russian Hoffmann” literary contest. I’m planning to translate this book into English in the future and try to publish it in London. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? EZ: If I can recall clearly, it was in 2018. I was leading an online magazine “The Modern Bestiary” and made a special issue for Natalia Anikina and her fantasy project “Enhiarg”. After learning that one of her books participated in the OEBF, I’ve decided to look closer at this contest. At first, I was planning to participate

And you may prove useful for someone just because you have the right phone number. Sometimes it’s all about some small details. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? EZ: Since I’m an Ambassador of ECG, the projects of ECG are my duty. I have a few projects at work, aiming to strengthen the cultural links between the countries and popularize the Guild’s activities. Sure it will take a lot of time and effort, but nobody said it’d be easy. Interesting? Yes. Easy? Surely not. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild, who are just starting their career? EZ: First and foremost, you should ask yourself, what did you join the Guild for? You shouldn’t take the ECG as some kind of fairy with a magical wand, who’ll make you famous and talented in one day with no effort.Then you should decide, do you want to add your piece into the common pot, or you came only to eat from it? As with any other union, ECG is people in the first place. People are different and surely not everyone is ready to be active, but if you join the group just to sit in the corner and feel like a “part of something”, perhaps you should try those unions, where you will pay some money and receive a glossy certificate. only as an author, but then I got a letter about Expert Councils. That’s how one project led me to another one.

But if you join the group, whose mission is to create cultural and social links, you should take an active part in it. Thankfully, there are a lot of projects and opportunities here.

OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. EZ: The first one is OEBF - I tried my luck as a writer and took part in the jury in art nomination.The second one is “TOP 25 Artworks of Eurasia”, where I was just a participant. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? EZ: The ECG, being the large web of connections, is a very fertile ground for creative things. You may meet the right person, who knows two other right persons and they all may have exactly what you need for your projects.

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ART as Transcendental Art (Lat. transcendens - going beyond sensory experience). Kant defined this as what precedes sensory experience and makes experience possible (for example, space and time).

IGOR GUSHCHIN TRANSCENDENTAL ART OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Igor Gushchin: The sphere in which I work is not only my job but also my life. I can talk a lot about art, this is a phenomenon and a product of human consciousness.What distinguishes a person from an animal is the ability to express thoughts, experiences, emotions and ideas in the form of images, colors and compositions on canvases, paper and other surfaces, as some messages for the present and future! The style of my author’s painting, which I have defined for myself, is non-standard, philosophical 74 OCA MAGAZINE

OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? IG: I devoted myself a lot to reading philosophical and religious books in search of TRUTH. This is what prompted me to express my thoughts and ideas on canvases, since the language of painting has the ability through the composition of images, symbols, a certain color palette to convey to the viewer a new thinking and a new level of consciousness beyond the conventional threedimensional dimension, and the ability to expand consciousness to a higher level of intelligence, helping to develop the civilization of society along a vertical line into the vastness of the universe. Most of my idols to follow are philosophers who preach cosmism: K.E. Tsiolkovsky, D. Chizhevsky, V. Vernadsky, science fiction writer Alexander Belyaev. as well as mystics of esoteric teachings, such as G.I. Gurdjieff, N.K. Roerich, H.P. Blavatsky, Sri Aurobindo, J. Krishnamurti and many others, but I especially like the architect Antoni Gaudí! OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? IG: In 2012, preparing for one of my exhibitions, I wrote a small book called “The Essence of Transcendental Art”. At the symposium in 2020 in Cyprus, I painted more than 100 works for the Cyprus Museum of Modern Art, on the topic of Micro and Macro Space. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? IG: Yes, but for the implementation of my projects I need a sponsor. In general terms: a large architectural structure in modern style with rounded shapes in white, inside or inside of which there are giant frescoes depicting cosmic constellations and galaxies. I believe that our Creator is our Galaxy, and it should be depicted in

OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? IG: I like that there is such a wonderful society in Almaty! Interesting meetings are often held, and especially the fact that, thanks to ECG, there is an opportunity to participate in the openings of new exhibitions of artists, where you can show your new ideas on canvases and communicate about art with viewers and members of society OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? IG: Of course, I am always glad to participate in the openings of new exhibitions.

the center of this NEW TEMPLE, as well as images on the walls of all saints and enlightened Teachers known throughout the entire life of mankind in cosmic light suits. This will push a new generation of mankind to turn their attention again to the ancient teaching, the wise message of which has been left to mankind for eternity, for all ages. I mean the gospel. OCA:What makes you different from other representatives of your field? IG: It is possible that I stand out from other artists having a non-standard search for self-expression in art.

OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? IG: The Eurasian Creative Guild for me is a WINDOW to Europe and an opportunity to show my creativity and my ideas and thoughts to a wider circle of human society. OCA:What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? IG: To approach art, as a scientific research, seriously and consciously, relying on the old classical school of painting, but then, to look for new non-standard forms of self-expression through the cognition of Oneself in the space of our Being.

OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? IG: I don’t remember exactly when, but I’ve heard about it from Marlan Nyssanbaev, ambassador of the ECG in Almaty.

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ART Union and member of the Northern Cyprus Artists Union. Head and founder of the artists community in Almaty “Apple palette” since 2017. The 2021 year gave me unexpected joy – I received the dignity of “Worker of Kazakh Art” and a medal for special services in the visual arts of Kazakhstan. Also, at the international symposium in North Cyprus, I received the Silver Key Award and entered the list of Europe International Watercolor Masters. I also have my own art workshop. In 2021 will be the tenth anniversary since I decided to open my art studio. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative sphere of your art? LD: I admire the Renaissance period, the art of the sixties in the Soviet years, Contemporary Art. Speaking about favorite artists, there are several of them:Auguste Renoir, Francisco Goya, Ilya Repin, Alexander Ivanov, Konstantin Vasiliev, Evgeny Sidorkin.

LIDIYA DROZDOVA I HAVE AN ARDENT DESIRE TO CREATE AND SHARE MY CREATIVITY OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity. Lidiya Drozdova: I live in Kazakhstan. I create from the beauty around me and give the happiness of creativity to everyone who wants to learn how to paint. I am the worker of Kazakh art, member of the Kazakhstan Designers Union, of the Eurasian Creative Guild, Deputy Chairman of the Expert Council for Fine Arts in the Guild, a member of the French MONDIAL ART Academy in Paris, a member of the Georgia Artists

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OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? LD: Over the past five years, we have held more than thirty exhibitions, six international plein-airs, and more than twenty creative plein-airs. Series of Master-classes “Sea” will start soon. I am going to teach everyone how to paint the sea element in oil on canvas. From global projects, we started preparations for an international symposium for artists in Kazakhstan. Now we are looking for interested structures, businessmen wishing to become financial sponsors in this large-scale project. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? LD: For the first time I’ve heard about the Eurasian Creative Guild from my colleague-artist Marlan Nyssanbaev. It was four years ago, when we first met on FB, then at the exhibition “Art without Borders” from the Eurasian Guild. So we became friends and now we are working in one team: Lidiya Drozdova, Igor Gushchin and Marlan Nyssanbaev. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in. LD: I want to express my gratitude to the ViceChairman of the Guild, Marat Akhmedjanov and his entire team.

Thanks to the support of the ECG and Marlan Nyssanbaev, I held a meeting with international plein airs in Kyrgyzstan. Also, with the support of Marat, in one of our exhibitions dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Komsomol we were able to nominate two Prizes for talented artists. On February 20, a grand opening of the first Gallery of the Eurasian Creative Guild “ZvagWard” in Almaty took place.The opening was presented by the exhibition “The World of Eurasian Colors”, which was attended by 38 artists. OCA: How does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? LD: The opportunities for my personal participation in various projects of artistic creativity in different cities and countries have undoubtedly expanded. Thanks to these exhibitions and plein-airs, I have established cooperation with many people and realized many of my plans.

by the Guild leadership in London to participate in this project as a member of the Expert Council and to take part in the organisational moments of this exhibition in many cities. OCA:What would you wish for the members of the Guild, just starting their career? LD: For all new members of the Guild I want to say that you have found yourself in the excellent union of creative people. In the Guild, you can realize your dreams, since there are friends from all over the world, who can respond and support you in holding an exhibition, presenting your talent. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? LD: The Eurasian Creative Guild is an opportunity to implement creative plans in collaboration and support of the same talented people like you. This is a friendship with poets, writers, artists of European and Asian countries. The guild helps to reveal and show your talent to the world!

OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? LD: In the future I am going to participate as an artist in the art contest. It is a great honour for me to be invited

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ART Just like my father, I am engaged in painting, oil painting and watercolors. My main to paint magnificent native landscapes. OCA: Who is your role model in the creative space/ sphere of your art? MK: I’ve always admired the Russian school of painting, and I would emphasize works of such masters as Shishkin, Levitan,Vasnetsov, etc. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? MK: I have a plot in the mountains, and I would like to equip it for organising plein airs and symposiums at different times of the year for Kazakh and foreign painters. OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? MK: I learned for the first time about the Eurasian Creative Guild in 2018 from Nyssanbaev Marlan, who is an Ambassador of the ECG in Almaty.

MAKSAT KANTARBAYEV PERSEVERANCE LEADS ARTIST TO SUCCESS OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity / work Maksat Kantarbayev: I am from Kazakhstan, come from the village Kulan, whis is placed in Zhambyl region. I am a Member of the Union of Artists of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and became a member of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) in 2018. Grew up in a creative environment: My father Kantarbayev Kirgizbay was an all-round person, and was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR.

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OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? MK: I really like the meetings of the Guild Members where they freely communicate in a creative atmosphere, solve various problems and outline great projects. I also took part in international exhibitions of paintings held by the Guild in London, Nur-sultan, Almaty and other areas. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? MK: For me the Eurasian Creative Guild means being a member of a large positive, creative, ambitious, promising family with great opportunities! Having become a member of the ECG, my creative horizons have expanded, many foreign like-minded people have appeared with whom I can exchange creative plans, ideas, and are more often exhibited at European exhibition galleries. OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? MK: Yes, I want to take part in all of the competitions for artists in the near future.

OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? MK: For members of the Guild who are starting their creative path I would like to wish first of all perseverance, because creativity is a very difficult process, when you need to completely surrender to it in order to have a decent result.

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ART am finding the Eurasian Creative Guild as a great way of showcasing my work among other creatives. OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space of your art? MY: Arts and painting in particular, have always been fascinating for me. I met the vice-chairman of the ECG, Marat Akhmedjanov, back in 1999, when he was a publisher of the first fashion magazine in Uzbekistan, and I worked as a photo model for a bit. His entrepreneurship and the fact that he managed to create the Guild, Hertfordshire Press, and the OCA magazine here in the UK, helped me believe that everything is possible, despite being far away from your motherland. So, in this regard, Marat has been a role model for me. As for the artists, I appreciate many, but Francis Bacon has affected me the most. His rather dark contemporary art, his difficulties, and persistence, have all been a great influence.

MARGARITA YAGUDAEVA EVERYTHING THAT IS IMAGINABLE – IS POSSIBLE OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity Margarita Yagudaeva: I was born in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, grew up there before I went travelling around the world. Recently, I completed my PhD in Linguistics and am now a Doctor of Linguistics. As for my creative side, I have been painting for many years, starting as an amateur in Uzbekistan. Having been living in the UK for about 9 years now, I began associating myself as an artist only a few years ago. I have had some group and solo exhibitions already and

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OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? MY: I could have said that relocating to a different country, writing a thesis in another language, and managing to stay afloat, would be a big part of anyone’s achievement. Nevertheless, I have this dream of becoming a full time artist. OCA: Do you have any personal projects that you would like to talk about? MY: I do have some ideas that I have been nourishing for a while. One of the most adventurous ones would be creating an interactive exhibition, where I would like to touch upon such topics as mental health and inclusivity. An exhibition that would include performances from the audience to create an immersive experience for both, myself as an artist, and the audience as viewers. I am aware that it would even require writing some music, as well as working on lights, space, and dimensions, let alone painting in its usual sense. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work?

MY: In addition to attending various meetings, I participated in the recent Film Festival held in Romford. Presented some of my paintings there, met new people, and watched some films.I think attending such events and taking part in them facilitates exchanging ideas with other creatives and helps you refresh your own views. Also, bringing creative people from all over the world and from different fields is always fruitful, so keep it up, Eurasian Creative Guild! OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you and how do you see your future partnership? MY: ECG for me is a perfect platform to showcase my art, to meet other creatives, and to learn more about the arts movement in my home country as well as in other countries in the region. I would like to see us collaborating in the future on a regular basis.. And finally, being a member of the Guild brings back that feel of home I sometimes miss living far away from my motherland. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? MY: I’d say that being part of such a supportive community is a great environment for anyone who is just starting or has already been creating for a while. I wish the situation with Covid to change soon and the Guild be organising more events to promote our vision further to the world. By our vision I mean Central Asian, and it is the way I identify myself too. Everything that is imaginable – is possible, and with such a bright head of the Guild and us all, I am confident, we will succeed and will unite more creatives to make the magic happen.

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ART maybe among all of my creative hobbies painting is the most stable one since very early childhood.Though I’ve never tried to become professional in any kind of these activities. OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative space of your art? TK: Still I don’t. Maybe that’s why I so admire being a part of the ECG (London) and see the creative industries from the inside. Hope one day I’ll choose something. In the point of the role model I can say that everything started with my father - he’s an artist, and I loved to watch how he drew. OCA: Which achievements of yours would you like to emphasize? TK: For now I can emphasize only my job in the ECG (London). It’s a huge honour to know that I’m the one from dozens of guys who tried to work it out but left because of many different reasons. And It’s even more inspiring to know that all the team members are survivors too!

TAJNA KAUNIS I ALWAYS WAS CREATIVE IN SOME WAY OCA Magazine: Tell us, please, about yourself and your creative activity Tatiana Kaunis: Historically I always was creative in some way. When I was a child I used to compose fairy tales for myself and play it. At school I wrote poems and short stories, several times I won in different competitions and so on (I guess most creative people can tell something like that so let’s be less boring). When I was twenty I got an opportunity to learn script writing at Sverdlovsk Film Studios and still I think it was one of the best decisions in my life. I’ve been a singer in a girls band and it was a great experience. But

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OCA: When and where have you heard about ECG for the first time? TK: I came as an intern in 2020 having been searching for a job in a creative industry. It was a lucky accident for me and I’m glad I wasn’t afraid to use it. It was hard to pass through the internship because it was a totally different world for someone who used to work in one country and play only one game. The ECG (London) becomes the lifetime opportunity to see different cultures and meet new people with a very unique vision. Besides, it’s always a very high speed of life which keeps you in shape permanently. But I like it. OCA: Tell us, please, about the events of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects that you have already taken part in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work? TK: Well, usually I can share my impressions of all ECG events and projects at last for a whole day, but it takes too many words to write it down here. You better come to the ECG official meeting to listen to it. How does ECG influence my creativity and success in my work? It changed my life from top to bottom, opened new horizons to me and now I plan to go to university for the third time.

OCA: Are there any new projects of ECG, in which you plan to participate? TK: Sure! For me personally the most significant one is the first ECG (London) Creative Residence called “Horizons” (Borovoe, Kazakhstan). Very symbolic name, isn’t it? I always dreamed about the house in the mountains near the woods and lake, where I could draw and write and do other things.To be honest, in my childhood I couldn’t think about the residence and this dream came true in a very unexpected way. But now it’s even better. OCA: What is Eurasian Creative Guild for you? TK: Now it’s my life so I will try to live it in the best way possible. OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people, just starting their career? TK: As an executive director I can recommend to use the ECG opportunities as much as possible (a rolling stone gathers no moss). As an individual I can’t give any advice, I’m still learning to live my life in this high creative way. All I can wish for all of us is to be brave, don’t be ashamed of your creativity and… good luck!

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NICK ROWAN PUBLISHER MARAT AKHMEDJANOV GUEST EDITOR GARETH STAMP EDITOR ASSISTANT SABINA ABDYBACHAEVA DESIGN ALEXANDRA REY OPEN CENTRAL ASIA MAGAZINE PEOPLE 2 #41 FALL 2021

Cover: Bakhtygul Makhanbetova (see p.6) MAGAZINE PUBLISHED FOR EURASIAN CREATIVE GUILD

EDITORIAL TEAM ESBOL ABENOV TATIANA SHEVCHENKO VITALINA GOLOVACH ANHELINA KRASNAHIR DISTRIBUTION ANHELINA KRASNAHIR TIMUR AKHMEDJANOV

ECG BOARD JOHN FARNDON - CHAIRMAN MARAT AKHMEDJANOV - VICE CHAIRMAN ADVISORY BOARD MICHAEL ANANOV (GEORGIA) ALDONA GRUPAS (UK) VICTORIA LEVIN (ISRAEL) WARREN WILLS (AUSTRALIA) ELENA BEZRUKOVA (KAZAKHSTAN) YELENA ASLANYAN (ARMENIA) ALINA MOSEYKINA (CYPRUS) AZIM AKMATOV (KYRGYZSTAN) GARETH STAMP (BULGARIA) NATALIE BAYS (UK) ELENA KORNEEVA (RUSSIA) SARIYA MAMMADOVA (AZERBAIJAN) ALBERT TAIPOV (BELARUS) MARINA PODLESNAIA (MOLDOVA) SHAVKAT ISMAILOV (KAZAKHSTAN) OKSANA JUKOVA (CRIMEA)

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