“You have to hang out, otherwise it won’t work out”: a Russian-speaking girl accidentally moved to New York and was successful

An architect by training, Anastasia Komarova came to New York to support her friend. But in the end, fell in love with this city and decided to stay. Here she developed a unique drawing technique and held an exhibition of her works, as well as created her own collection of leather bags. About how she did it, says the video report of the publication Voice of America.

Anastasia Komarova arrived in New York by accident. Here she found inspiration and recognition in several areas at once. Now she feels herself in this city in her place, claiming that he did not change her, but added youth. “I can absolutely sincerely walk and, like a child, rejoice in this city, rejoice in the fact that I exist, rejoice in these buildings and people,” the immigrant notes.

At the same time, the girl says, the price is high. “Because it’s very difficult to survive in this city,” she says, but immediately notes that this does not diminish the excitement that surrounds, events and the bustle of the Big Apple evoke.

Moving to the USA

Anastasia admits that she never planned to move to America, in particular to New York. On the contrary, she was embarrassed by the fact that "everyone wants to come here and everyone is constantly talking about this city."

“I came here quite by accident - to cheer up my friend who was trying to settle here. As a non-native speaker, I wanted to have an open dialogue with people. I started painting, started making installations, ”she recalls how it all began.

First steps

Then Komarova developed a unique drawing technique by pressing dry pigment. Her first 11:11 exhibition was held in New York at El Bario Art Space.

To become successful in the USA, you must be able to sell yourself.

Komarova notes that this is a minus of the education she received, "because it is not customary to brag." Here, according to the architect, on the contrary - “you have to stick your head out”, otherwise nothing will work out. “You are given a chance: if you do it successfully, and you are one hundred percent involved, burn with it, think that this is the most important thing that you have now, then you will succeed,” she emphasizes.

In addition, Anastasia has created a brand of bags. In one of the collections I used the poems of Joseph Brodsky, displaced in Braille. “They wrote to me from the Union of the Blind. They said that they are very grateful to me, because this is the first time in the design format they think about the blind, ”said the craftswoman. Her works were bought by shops at art museums in New York and Chicago.

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She decided to try creating a bag. First I made a press, then I conducted lengthy experiments and a year later I created my first leather bag. “And I thought: this is it,” notes Anastasia. In a month, she created a whole collection of bags.

Their peculiarity is that they are made by hand, and an idea is hidden behind each one. “I don't approach this as a commercial, but as an artistic project,” she says.

A city that inspires

Anastasia is sure that the variety of what she does is “such a crazy reaction to the city”. “There is no age here. Here people are always young and active at heart. And it doesn't matter, 40, 50 or 30 years old - everyone is burning with ideas, everyone has desires and dreams, everyone is open in this and expresses it. And this is very inspiring, ”the master summed up.