Helen Polishuk, Author at Helen Polishuk Blog

I hasten to meet you again, my readers.

December 6, 2022December 29, 2022 Helen Polishuk

The year flew by quickly and intensely, and now it’s December. Last month of the year. As always, let’s sum up the history of plans for the next year.

Summing up the results of the year, I confess that the year had everything – losses, failures, new trials, rest and travel, and of course awards.

Of the losses associated with this terrible year, these are the losses of people close to me. I was left without my mother, and although she died after a long illness, but I miss her so much. I left my parents very early and began to live on my own. Therefore, my parents were a place for me to hurry back to, like in childhood. However, everything changes. The loss of loved ones is always painful.

The war that is now on the territory of my country also affects. At the beginning, I couldn’t get used to it, I suffered from insomnia, called my friends a lot, tried to help, volunteer. Later I tried to create conditions when my real help would be useful. But you can’t get used to the war and I, like many people, dream that the war ends.

I spent three months of spring in the international project “Children War Ukraine”. This is an online project that connected children and is aimed at developing their abilities and desire for creativity. I created videos for poems written by children. The project helped popularize the creativity of Ukrainian children.

In the spring, a significant event was the organization of the performance “Mazeppa” at the Zahrava Theater in Toronto. I am glad that the theatre, despite many difficulties, has released a performance and I am doubly glad that several strong participants have been added to its group. I wish them further growth and success in their difficult work.

Throughout the year I drew a lot and this could not but affect my work.
As quarantine restrictions eased and galleries began to open, I became a participant of many with great enthusiasm.
Pictures created by me over the past year can be viewed on social networks.
There is a page on facebook created by me

https://www.facebook.com/helenpolishukart

Please, subscribe to it so that you are always aware of my new work.

From the latest news related to galleries, I am participating in the exhibition, which will be held from December 6 to December 24 2022 at Cloverdale Mall Etobicoke Ontario.This is an exhibition of works that have passed the competitive selection of the jury of Art Etobicoke. It is a pleasure for me to present two works there, which are very dear to me. I publish them here with a little descriptions about:

I exhibited as the best work of this year my painting POPPIES, created in the spring of 2022 and dedicated to all the soldiers who died in the war. This is the grief of mothers, this is the pain of wives and children, this is the groan of the land on which the war is going on. The picture was created in memory of the dead soldiers, whose names will remain in our memory.

Poppies (2022)

Materials: acrylic on canvas

The second painting presented at the exhibition is a painting MY DREAM created in 2017 and this is my calling card.This painting from her creation and during gallery life, the painting has an interesting history.
For the first time it was exhibited at an online gallery in the UK. Six months later, I stopped working with the gallery and the painting moved online to France, to an online gallery(she is lucky, she moved without problems and payment in the Internet space).

Materials:oil on canvas

The painting was created very quickly ,like it was drawn by itself. I don’t remember exactly, but the idea came instantly: a couple of strokes, oil sketches, then quickly quickly and by nightfall it was almost created. After drying I just tweaked the shadows a little. It felt like she wanted to be created by me. This happens with artists. Going back to 2017, like this 2022, it was very creative year and a lot of paintings were created.

Having got to the selection of the jury, the picture had to be framed and organized for the exhibition. And here is the story again. I looked for many frames, but none of them matched the color or size. Already tired of searching and giving up ready-made frames, I decided to order at the store, but it was closed there. I returned to the search for ready-made ones and an hour before submitting paintings to the exhibition. I found a frame that not only displayed the depth of the picture in golden color, but also decorated it and added value to it. The picture came to life. This is a real miracle.

And last painting with award:

Materials: acrylic on canvas

Describing the last awards of the year, I want to note another victory in the selection of banners by the jury for the city of Pickering. This painting is especially dear to me, as it is a symbol of the unity of Ukrainian and Canadian art.
In this picture, which I specially created for this competition, the element of water is in its design.

The city of Pickering is located on the coast of Ontario and has a nuclear power plant. It depends on the element of water. Water is a symbol of the life of this city. Therefore, it is depicted in the center of the painting.

Envelops its flowers, painted in the Petrykivka style.

In the style that I paint, continuing the old Ukrainian traditions. And it is so well combined. It was noticed by the jury and selected for a banner.

Now my work in the coming year will hang on the main street of the city and decorate and delight.

That’s all news for today.
Don’t leave, there’s more to come soon

Helen

Dec 5 2022

Moving on to the next month

October 30, 2022December 29, 2022 Helen Polishuk

slow thoughts

Is frequent change in life good or bad?
It kills the strong, it kills the weak

What’s better? Peace or War?
Strong side – it expresses its thought, its reality and
the achievement of its goal is not based on a peaceful settlement.
The weak side will blame everyone, but will never take responsibility, will drive around and drag out some conditions for many many years, not directly answering the question, not making open steps, but saving itself, its goals by compromises.

What is the most popular in the world in 2022 – psychology, astrology and predictions or tiktok?

here I will leave you the answer.
I’m interested in your answers.

And here it is interesting – have you changed in 2022?

Now there are big changes and it is felt even in nature. In my life I have never seen such a beautiful September, such a warm October and such a dry, endangered forest in the outskirts of Toronto.
Changes in cities and in entire countries.
People take other forms.
Everything is changing around

I have noticed that we have become cautiously doubtful, truthful pessimists, uncertain about the future.
The slogan of 2022 is live now

The world has become wary:
-put on a mask – you’re indoors
-it’s not a fact that the one who is a socially active presenter in reality gives out reliable facts and he must be trusted
-image, image people – minute puppets, changing one after another
-children play war, pour stones on the head of one and shoot their peers with a toy

this is scary
children have not yet grown up, but have already changed

Over the past three years, the inferiority of the old people has been very noticeable. They stand out for their worsened appearance, worsened condition and survival, the struggle for life. I stopped seeing their smiles.

And in conclusion
The connection, to which they were in such a hurry, so jumped and created the last decade, collapsed and disintegrated.
It’s like a plate falling to the floor and breaking into a thousand little pieces.

It’s a pity that all this is happening today

My creative terror

June 30, 2022December 29, 2022 Helen Polishuk

You will understand the full feeling by reading this post in full.
I want to ask you, give me likes so that I can see and feel you on the other side.
Lets begin.
Well, for four or more months, since everything went topsy-turvy for me, and after the absolute loss of work and the impossibility of creating or doing anything planned, I didn’t sit without work for a long time.
The first I was to decide to continue writing scripts and be sure to release a book.

For me, this year is my new project, which I have to create before the end of the year.
Of the plans for this year, the completion of two short films did not come true.

There is quite enough material for both films, it remains to collect and add special effects, but as with all creative people, it has stopped.
The reason is these two products are both comedies. And although I am a person who likes to joke and always have an easy attitude to life, but the environment and events in my country, the news put pressure on me and prevent me from completing these projects.
It’s not about comedies, although comedies are to blame for this.of course, you will immediately note that I am not a commercial person, and you will be mistaken. On the contrary. Who needs these stupid comedies now?

In what aspect have I been able to work and continue to do so?
It is imperative to sell very large paintings. They are difficult to store and preserve, they are gallery works and they need a large open space.
Unfortunately, there is not enough room for them in my house.

I have already turned to some galleries and said that I sell my big works.
If you are also interested, please go to the section of my works there in this page and look at the paintings for 2016-2019 – you will find a dozen large paintings.
The sizes of the paintings are indicated there.

Panno( two+ years work/Mix techique: oil&acryl) Very bright painting

You can buy through this web site use PayPal.

Each painting is accompanied by a Certificate Authenticity and sign on painting.

A pair of paintings?inspired by the war in Ukraine(We will win and Survive)

If you like any of the works,do not hesitate to contact me by email : helen.polishuk@gmail.com

Instagram: astra_production

Fb: Helenpolishuk.com

Worldwide shipping via Canadian Post with tracking and well packaging.

It’s absolutely a sale of paintings

Artist with rose/Painting created few days before war.(acrylic&canvas)

Well, their genres, as always, are different.
During this period, I especially managed to replenish my Petrykivka collection.
I’m getting ready to exhibit them in galleries throughout the next year.

It is worth emphasizing that I became interested in acrylic and my work became brighter and richer.
I also liked using acrylic to imitate watercolor painting. That is, such light transparent strokes. Very effective and exciting.

This made me create more than twenty paintings in a short time. Real creative terror))

Such a fountain of emotions and colors splashed out in creativity.
I don’t know how other people experience shocks and events in life, but I separate, dissolve in painting.
When I sit down to draw, I don’t always know what will happen. Here is an idea, for example, draw a poppy. I create a sketch with a pencil, set the shape of a flower, and then the real magic comes. Color selection, graduation, applying shadows – all this magic eventually turns into to such a miracle.

June 29,2022 Toronto

MAY 2022.We will win.

May 27, 2022May 27, 2022 Helen Polishuk

Panno created june 2021-may 2022 mix media

Spring ends and May 2022 comes to an end.

An unusual month, like an unusual spring.

Spring of war, destruction and creation, spring of hopes and victories
What does it take to win? – This is the question most often heard today.
Will we win? Will we win?
Of course. Looking back at everything that happened in the first months of the year, I say that this will go down in the history of the world as a huge change in the world – and this is already an irrevocable phenomenon.

Yes. You ask because you are tired of an incomprehensible state. You are nervous because everything has risen in price all over the world and blame the military conflict in Europe. But the world has changed. There is nothing to blame, we have changed with the world. And changes are not unforeseen – reasons lead to them. Seeking or blaming is the easiest thing you can do to try not to change.
But after all this already will counteraction.
I have been feeling this opposition since February, when I tried to organize a viewing of my friend’s film and stumbled upon the venality of our system in the Diaspora. I retreated, we abandoned the fraudulent scheme, the film was successfully shown in several European countries and raised money to help refugees.
What is happening now and will happen over the course of the year, slowly? This is the realization that there are changes and we need to step over into the new. The old will no longer be, it is being destroyed.

And then victory is realized. Victory over oneself in the first place.
Over the mistaken opinion that the world will never change. Over the mistake of resisting change.

we will win (painting is not finish yet) acryl&canva

In the same way, two years ago we slowly entered two years of life under world quarantine. But we had to live, survive, bury relatives and friends who did not pass those terrible years.
This is an example. Many people still have fear, and now, on the streets, I see mothers with children with masks on their faces. Outside, on a warm sunny day.
It’s like a seal of fear.
The same will happen now. A terrible year. The destruction of my beautiful beloved city of Kyiv, the destruction and barbaric theft of cities and villages, entire regions wiped off the face of the earth. Mariupol. Kharkov. Chernihiv.
In the centre of Europe.
A terrible hell that forced millions of people to leave the destroyed areas and hide from the bombings, flee to Europe and America.
In the eyes of hope.

At first it was hope for a speedy end to the war.
Now it is a hope that this conflict will only be on our soil and will not spread to other European countries, not expand.
Peaceful Ukrainian villages are burning. People are dying.

The world has changed.

Element (this painting from new creations,acryl&canva. 8″x 10″ )

In this post I publish my paintings that were created this month of May 2022

We will win. I believe. The Ukrainian people are suffering a lot. But we will win.
I say this because I have changed. I say this because I realized that there is no past.
We will win

Work with reality

April 19, 2022April 19, 2022 Helen Polishuk

Where to get reality?

A lot passes through the media of any information and people immediately take three positions – not mine, mine and what is nightime,terrible.

Three real human lines of thought.

All three are man’s ordinary response to reality.

And each of these answers is not reality itself. No. This is not reality, this is a system of response to events that has been formed within us.

Someone has this despair and then it forms that everything is lost, there is no way, we are all in the negative.

For some, this is optimism, and then there is a system of actions aimed at optimism or a solution and a search for a way out of the problem.

Someone has an absolute denial, not mine. This is not mine, and another and third. And in general, it’s not mine. Rejection. Not acceptance.

Why am I writing this today? A very relevant topic touched me as well as everyone who reads.

I am writing to show these three paths. To discuss each of them and show the effects of each of these paths on each person. It’s up to you to decide who makes what choice,think about it.

And I’m not writing here about my path. No. and do not advertise what is best or how to choose the best. No.

I describe and you act. So again I return to three different reactions to an event, or, as I explain it, to irritation.,think about it.

One person, after watching something on TV, runs to scream that everything is lost, that we are in the worst situation, that we are dying and everything is collapsing.

A person creates panic for himself, surrounding panic and suffers greatly from this. groups of alarmists. there are people who ease their insides by sowing panic among the people. These people live off optimists, at the expense of sedatives, these people kill themselves with panic and even have poor health from this with a thyroid gland, allergies, constipation, etc.

Others are complete optimists. No, now we will think more, come up with something and crawl out or get out of this situation.

This group of people try to get out of this situation, the lack of information throws them into various false turns, they get confused, they are on adrenaline, they often stumble upon people who do not understand them and fail, they see anger and even betrayal. They close up, stop trusting.
But again they optimistically rush to save the world, so they are laid down and born, there is not a drop of harmfulness, war and destruction inside them. A big heart, open eyes and a smile on the face even on the verge of death.

Of course, of these two opposites, there is a third one. These are those who, when they meet with you, are scoundrels.
Not something that is inserted into the TV, as there is an invented story.
Not my war on TV, because sitting on the couch I will not do better or worse, but only ruin my day and waste my nerves.
Not something that public opinion bothers me – it is always artificially created or creates my state and often leads to a dead end.

Three types of people’s reactions to events.
In general, these are three different types of people.
if throughout life, a person chooses only one of the three reactions and constantly repeats it, then his thinking, his way of acting, his character is formed.

That’s what I wanted to talk to you today and nothing else.

Easter is coming soon

April 12, 2022April 12, 2022 Helen Polishuk

I wrote in previous posts that I like to celebrate Easter in Ukraine. It differs sharply in mood from celebrating it in other countries.
For those who do not know what Easter is, a short excursion into antiquity and history.

This majestic action is worth looking for even in pre-Christian times, when our ancestors celebrated the most important day of spring – Easter. Solemnly celebrating the victory of the spring season over the winter season, each family baked Easter cakes and dyed eggs, which later transformed into paska and krashenka, familiar to our ears.

Easter-a great day – and means the arrival of spring, the sun, all the best, the rebirth of nature. So, Great Day, in its fundamental principle, is the celebration of the resurrection of the earth and nature to a new life.

The word “Easter” comes from the name of the Old Testament holiday Pesach (from Hebrew – “transition”), which was celebrated by the Jews in memory of the liberation from Egyptian captivity. Therefore, for the Israelis, this holiday symbolizes the transition from slavery to freedom.

This is the transition from death to life, the liberation of us from the burden of sins, this is the transition of a person from the slavery of sin, evil to the freedom of love, goodness and associated with the person of Jesus Christ as the feast of the Resurrection of Christ.The date of Easter changes every year, but it is always calculated according to the same rule: it is the Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. According to the biblical scriptures, it was on this day that Jesus Christ resurrected after the execution.Today, the Easter holiday in Ukraine also symbolizes the general revival and renewal of the world. Indeed, in the memory of Ukrainians, many customs and rituals have been preserved, which are still carried out, but do not have a direct connection with Christianity.

It is impossible to imagine Ukrainian Easter without pysanky, whose unique ornaments and variety of colors fascinate the eye. Almost all peoples of the world revered the egg for a long time and became a symbol of life and birth, since it contains life as such.

All the symbols that were important for people in different periods and were considered amulets were written on the eggs: the sun, the moon, the stars, fire, water, earth, etc. Of course, in those days when people were just starting to make Easter eggs, they were not as perfect as they are today: they were elementary images of objects, phenomena, patterns, and over the years, painting Easter eggs has become an art.
In the Easter cycle of holidays, there are still Easter games, of which there are a huge number. During these games, young people built various towers, rode on a swing, danced round dances and rolled eggs. Some games were purely entertaining, others showed masculine strength and endurance, and most of the games had a courtship character. However, they all symbolized something in one way or another: for example, if someone managed to build a high tower, it meant that wheat would definitely give birth this year, it would be as tall as the tower. But by beating Easter eggs, people probably wanted to speed up the emergence of a new life, and young people measured who had a more beautiful and stronger Easter egg.


The last week before Easter called Holy Week and especially held every day.Tuesday clothes were chosen forcelebration of the holiday and cleaning og the house began,thought over whar dishes would be cooked and how much,prepared them.On Wednesday,a general cleaning of the house was started and continued on Thursday.On this day people bathed,washed and cooked Easter cakes and dyed eggs.Friday was called Good Friday,fasting was especially performed,a day with thoughts about God and the earthly sufferings of the son of God.
On Saturday evening,an all-night service began at which people took baskets of food .Sunday came with a prayer for coming of the holiday and families gathered at a common table/The fast ended.
Great Sunday symbolizes the cleansing of the soul and deliverance from sins.people celebrate it three days and the first day is dedicated to the family,the second to friends and the third to acquaintances.

Mimmis Adventures Interview

April 11, 2022April 11, 2022 Helen Polishuk

https://intothewildfest.wixsite.com/home/mimmisadventure

First of all we would like you to introduce yourself so that we can introduce you to our audience. Who are you? How long have you been making films?

Over 15 years in film production, last 4 years filmmaking, scriptwriting and producing

And now we talk about your project Mimmis Adventures. What the audience will find?

I wanted to create a film through the eyes of a small clumsy dog. Exactly a comedy , becouse to show the world how it seen dog, animal perception of the surroundings of the city and nature.

Mimmi is 1.5 kg mini chihwahwa and absolutely not trained for filming. I had to adapt to him. He is afraid of street filming and therefore trembling ears are often visible.
IBy shooting in different locations, the film turned out to be rich and I have reached my goal to show the beauty of nature.

A special place is given to Mimmi in nature, where he smells flowers and grass, where bees fly and the sun shines.

Were you inspired by any other movie to make Mimmis Adventures?

Absolutely my idea.
If you see this little mischievous dog, the first thing you will do is smile.
That’s why when he appeared, I created the film with a smile.
And this is just the beginning. There is already a continuation. Not yet mounted ,videos already in the files. I would like to complicate the topic and add more adventures.

And now we would like to know about your cinematographic preferences:

I came to the cinema already as an artist, therefore the image is important for me. I constantly fill my eye by creating video filming.
I like editing shots to create the images you see onscreen, creates shot lists, floor plans, and lighting diagrams

I study techniques and try different cameras, study cinematic elements such as lenses, filters, lights, and other camera/lighting requirements.

I have my own three cameras and they are different. I continue to draw

What does cinema mean to you?

This is my life. I came to the cinema in love with work and gradually improved. Now a lot is behind me and I understand. It’s difficult to achieve everything at once.

Apparently I am one of the difficult creators. Shooting a couple of scenes, dialogues, saturating them with special effects is too easy for me. Creating a very vivid script and implementing it in a film is my goal before starting a film.

Therefore, science fiction and horror remains one of the main genres for me because it is necessary to realize the meaning of the script in the frame

Which movie is the best for you?

Metropolis by Fritz Lang and now DUNE by Denis Villeneuve .

I think it’s the best movie in recent years.

What do you think a movie must have as an essential ingredient?

The main thing is an excellent SCRIPT.

Thoughtful, calculated and laid back a little to remove the excess.

Your favorite actor or actress?

The most difficult question of all.

I will try to answer. I am a technician. I approach the work technically.
It’s hard for me to name someone I love more than another.
When I watch films, and I do it almost regularly, I see the performance of actors and somewhere better, somewhere weaker. But there are no privileges and preferences.

After all, I am a small segment of a large machine. Success with us is not always possible to predict.
And you will agree that in some genre some actors are more successful, while in others they lose.

By the way, I run Instagram (@astra_production) where I share my opinion about the movie I watched and even try to determine during past years who will win the Oscar. There is a Sunday contest for knowing the name of the movie. I share videos where I show bts of movies.

What qualities do you see in that actor/actress to have such consideration. What do you like most about them?

I am very picky about projects.
On the site, sometimes you have to adapt. I will give an example.
In one films, the main actress was a lthree-year-old girl. Her parents forbade her to use a mobile phone.
Her shooting lasted a long time, she kept the text, was calm and easily recorded, but there was no fire, no spark was felt. I came up with a scene that she was holding a mobile phone and photographing a drawing that she sent to her grandmother.
The girl immediately came to life, I told how to use a mobile phone. In the frame, she herself took a picture. How much joy she had and this is the first time in her life.
This happens.

A good movie has to…

Everything worked out perfectly – make-up, lighting, screenwriter, director, cameraman and producer with advertising.

What genre of cinema do you prefer?

Ski fi/triller/adventures/historical/horror/action

How do you define yourself professionally?

I love my job and am always learning and trying new things.

What movie have you seen most often?

Only one? The last script I did was a historical triller. At the end the producer decided that it was necessary to add a spy movie and I had to watch a lot of spy movies to put together an image.
I can’t remember any one that I look at more than others.

What topics are the most inspiring for you?

My last work is historical triller

What helps you to be more creative? Do you have a writing routine?

Yes, I like to stop myself and somewhere in the notes to write down some statements, thoughts, or if something has affected me in the news, then study it in detail.

When you write a script, are you clear about how it will end or are you building it?

Short films are based on ideas and are easy to anticipate without construction.
But with the film 130 minutes + you have to build. After all, there is a line of a hero or several, plus climaxes and denouement. And this must be built

Thank you for the interview. It is very full and interesting.Thank you very much for your attention and see you again.
I want to note that for me the theme of nature is very relevant and free time, time of relaxation and rest, I actively devote to going out into nature, traveling,hiking.

This interview was given for the Spanish festival Into the wild Film Festival Castelló d’empúries, Girona 17486
Spain april 7,2022

When I write my Pysanka

April 11, 2022April 11, 2022 Helen Polishuk

Fasting has come in February and this time is special, because in fasting you often think about life and the eternal.
This is the time when you realize that I have been given a little time for life and this time between some year and some other. This time will remain on the stone with two dates engraved in memory about me and my life.
And realizing this, you humbly accept earthly life.
Even during fasting, you clean up a lot, get ready for spring, warmth and a new energy time. Therefore, you wash the house, sort out the rubble of things, hide New Year’s utensils. The snow this year was so long that at the end of March I pulled out Christmas attributes and courtyards from the still frozen ground, cleaned and folded until next year.
In fasting, you are preparing for Easter. And this is not only pies and Easter cakes. This is Easter eggs.

The symbols which decorated pysanky underwent a process of adaptation over time. In pre-Christian times these symbols imbued an egg with magical powers to ward off evil spirits, banish winter, guarantee a good harvest and bring a person good luck. After 988, when Christianity became the state religion of Ukraine, the interpretation of many of the symbols began to change, and the pagan motifs were reinterpreted in a Christian light.

A pysanka is a Polish-Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional folk designs using a wax-resist method.

Pysanky are so varied in style that it is difficult to list them all. They are divided by origin – there are Ukrainian, Polish, and Tripilsky. Pysanky are divided into regions – Hutsulsik, Podolsk, Lemkivsky.
They differ in patterns – there are patterns, there are images, there are flowers or geometric shapes.
But recently they even began to decorate them with decorative ornaments, pieces of fabric, beads and fabric.
They also differ in the methods of creation – drapanka, kraska, pysanka and krapanka.
I use a method known in ancient times – waxing.

Easter eggs in a basket close-up. Symbol of Christian holidays.

What do the colors of Easter eggs mean?

The red color symbolizes the color of the blood shed at one time by Jesus Christ.
Black color is compared with sadness, crying and death, followed by the birth of a new life.
Yellow symbolizes prosperity in the harvest and wealth, but also this color represents the sign of the sun and fate.
Blue conveys warm feelings for a neighbor, wishing him health and strength.
Green - symbolizes the rebirth of all living things and recovery after a serious illness.
White color implies a heavenly cleansing, symbolizing a new life that is emerging in heaven.
Brown represents the fertility and great power of the earth.
It is best to color them with food coloring: using onion peel, turmeric, spinach, red cabbage, and you can also use cherry juice. There are also ready-made food colorings in the form of powders or tablets.

I am use stylus input wax in.A piece of wax is placed in the stylus and melted over a fire. Wax cools very quickly, there is no time to think, you need to write with wax very quickly.

You apply a pre-selected drawing on the egg with a stylus in which the wax melts, wait a moment and then lower it into a jar of prepared paint.
So you repeat several times – if there are several colors. Then you put the egg over the fire and quickly wipe the vox from the egg – an ornament remains on it.

Pysanka, unlike krashenka, is by all means a raw egg. Easter eggs were intended only for donation.

Pysanka is a talisman

In the old days, it was believed that only the primordial eggs of young hens, laid in March, on the first spring new moon, are suitable for making Easter eggs. Also needed were pure beeswax, pure water, live fire, new wax brushes, new napkins, new clay pots, and a potion (herbs and trees) to extract the colors.

WhenI write my Pysanka,each line is ,,I hope,, and ,,I wish,, and ,,I thought,, and ,,I pray,, my Pysanka for Peace

After February 24 2022

April 9, 2022April 9, 2022 Helen Polishuk

I had everything.

Everything is at my fingertips – my life, the future of my children, my plans and my dreams.

I made plans to move to live in the forest Bucha near Kyiv, where my friend invited me, my children often talked about the same plan, I sat quietly on Klovsky Spusk this summer on the balcony of a French cavern and drank expensive coffee and watched the passers-by, the rebuilt Kiev life.
Then it seemed to me that only the air had not changed – it was compressed and stuffy on a hot day. And the sparrows had not changed.

In general, all the birds are there, in Kiev. They are of the same sizes, always hungry, always watching us from above.
Cappuccino, different types of coffee, hot chocolate – you can choose four or five types. Paris probably does not know this.

Huge tables with food and large groups of friends talking animatedly. I still dual: how good it is for them.
There were so many posters, so many exhibitions and events that in the evening the eyes ran wide : where to go, what to do, what to see. Preferences were given to especially interesting events.

Returning to a rented apartment, trying as much as possible to walk on foot … taking off swollen, buzzing legs, stagnating in silence, absolute silence and the phrase – if only it didn’t disappear anywhere, didn’t change, preserved, remained intact…..

We underestimated these moments.
We did not hug our loved ones.
We didn’t meet especially dear people, we didn’t talk about the most painful with friends, we didn’t pet the dog, we didn’t put on the most beautiful dress, we didn’t open the door …

My life was often changed. Losing everything, I started from the beginning, confident in myself, in my abilities, in overcoming difficulties.

I often left, left … but then returned.

All this was before February 2022, until February 24, 2022

I always believed that life would torment a good person, but then leave him, let him live, end the test and let him go. This is definitely what happens.

It will test, torment, incinerate and weaken, but then leave. You just need to remain human. Difficult, difficult, but necessary.

All this was before February 2022, until February 24, 2022

My faith is also higher than the betrayals and betrayals that are and will be. But seeing this, I did not prove anything to anyone, did not correct or quarrel, I learned to silently go my own way.

We will have everything
So I began to think after February 2022, after February 24, 2022.

Yes, it will. We’ll just take everything away and return it and earn money and build it. For this we live, for this now young guys, men and old people in Ukraine have taken up arms to defend and protect us, our children.
How painful it is now to hear, watch and receive news about the death of one of the acquaintances, about the mutilated shot people of Kramatorsk, who died under the rubble in Borodyanka, and were tortured to death on Yabunevskaya Street in Bucha.
I want silence.
Everything will be different.
It will be. The main thing is to understand that only when it all turns into memories will everything be different.

No, not in February after 24….

I am writing this post as if I am talking to you. I know that the one who reads this post has already read my first posts, which are already more than 5 years old and were the very first steps into the world of meeting you.

I know how much you loved my ellipses – a special style and ellipses.

Today is my first day after February 24, 2022, when I calmly wear a computer and write a post.
behind a lot of work, tomorrow again a new week, volunteering, working with the editing of films and clips, maybe even a return to the pictures.
I remember one thing – when I collect boxes of humanitarian cargo for Ukraine, working with my hands, closing them, transferring them to my hand, I feel a special warmth. Where does so much strength come from?
Remember everything as clearly as possible

Very cold spring this year

Spring after February 24, 2022

February 2022

April 8, 2022April 8, 2022 Helen Polishuk

It was the end of February 2022. The month was coming to an end. I rustled several robots in a row: selection of films for my project on the topic of thriller, historical film, spy thriller.

I looked at the finalist films of the annual Oscar to analyze the best works, which films are now in privilege, what are the trends of recent years. Over the past few years, I have regularly done such analytical reviews. It helps me a lot and I recommend such trainings to directors and producers who want to understand the world of cinema and see the latest changes.

By the way, I post notes on my Instagram and those who are reading this post now will easily find me on Instagram @astra_production

The weather was getting better and I thought with pleasure about those days when all the barriers would be removed and I would go to a fitness club with my body that had become obese for two years.
The temptation pushed me, I planned the workouts ..

Finally, hands will reach the editing of two films to send to the festival.

I read the news, but did not pay attention to any details or changes.
Night of February 23. I open Facebook, as I browse for the night. One of the actresses from Kyiv writes: It has begun…started….
I didn’t understand what. I looked at the comments under her post, people began to unsubscribe to her that they heard explosions and the sound of sirens over Kiev.
Kyiv? The noise of sirens? Is it really … War?
This is the most incredible thing that could come to mind.
Can not be.
I quickly skimmed through the news bulletin. Yes, martial law.
The Russian army invaded the territory of Ukraine and immediately began to attack and launch rocket attacks on all territory, including Kyiv.
Life.Time.Fat point.No comments.

This is where the new vision,new life starts.
A new world. A new reality, which is difficult to believe in, in which one must live. Get used to? No, the brain refuses to get used to. It is taught to exist in the world, seeks balance, is not capable of destruction and perceives such changes hard

Trembling. The whole body was trembling.
I didn’t sleep that night.
I started writing to friends and acquaintances.
They answered me. I asked them again, hoping that this was a mistake.
No. It turned out to be a reality.
My beloved friends who have always supported me are now in great trouble and danger.
I did not fall asleep until the morning, texting with friends, following the news and watching videos that were published by news channels about the first strikes and destruction in the capital of Ukraine.

after a sleepless night with sleepy eyes, with trembling in my body, I went out into the city in the morning.
Like any person living in another hemisphere, in a completely different world, in a Canadian city of millions, reality cut me.
Two realities – the reality of hell, deaths and refugees, the destruction of cities and the danger of movement in Ukraine.
And children peacefully playing with their parents on the playground, young people hurrying to work, people sitting at the bus stop waiting for the bus.

The world has collapsed and there is no past.
The world is divided into before and after.

February 24,2022

This interview was given for the Spanish festival Into the wild Film Festival Castelló d’empúries, Girona 17486Spain april 7,2022

This interview was given for the Spanish festival Into the wild Film Festival Castelló d’empúries, Girona 17486
Spain april 7,2022