Born in a little country on the east coast of the Black Sea, Anna spent the first three years of her life with her grandparents in sun-drenched Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia). Shortly before turning four, she boarded her first flight to Russia, leaving Georgia behind, only to mischievously return for summer holidays. For the next nine years, Anna lived in Moscow with her parents and two younger sisters, diligently doing her homework, proudly indulging in the praise of her Russian teachers, breaking her arm falling backwards on a skating rink, inventing never-ending games with her friends, and skipping to dance class.
The glory days of childhood came to an end when Anna’s family decided to relocate to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The long winter and fluctuating teenage hormones made this phase of her life challenging and bleak, but Anna’s grandiose imagination flourished nonetheless in the secret playground of her mind. She would stay up late drawing and painting in her room (instead of doing her homework) and would plan her future as a wealthy flaneuse. Once, her high school art teacher bought a piece of her art. Anna felt good about this and imagined what she would wear to her art gallery openings in the years to come. However, matters of consequence left her no time to focus on artistic endeavours, and Anna trudged on with more important things (like working at McDonald’s).
After graduating high school, Anna attended the University of Saskatchewan for one year, dabbling in various classes and perfecting the art of procrastination. She longed to break away from her parents’ home and to throw herself into life outside the confines of the classroom. Doodling extensively while daydreaming in class, Anna enjoyed drawing painstakingly detailed designs that people often offered to tattoo onto their bodies.
In the summer of 2001, she moved to Montreal with her sister, without a plan of action or money in her jean pockets. She spent a year idling about and enjoying life in the world of telemarketing, all the while increasing her collection of drawings and designs. Eventually entering Concordia University, Anna completed her BA in Linguistics in 2007, and is now in the process of writing her Master’s thesis on the syntax-semantics interface of Georgian preverbs (don’t ask!)
Inspired by her love of music and writing, this past summer Anna couchsurfed across the States, attending major music festivals like Bonnaroo and Pitchfork to write show reviews and conduct interviews for online music publications. Anna rode the Greyhound bus for four days from Nashville to San Francisco, arriving with swollen ankles and a seriously flat behind. Staying up every night during her trip to finish her write-ups, Anna discovered that boundless energy bubbles up in the process of completing a passion project. Talking to people she met during her travels, Anna learned that many artists manage to create wonderful work while holding down full-time jobs. She vowed to focus her energies and do whatever is necessary to bring her creative forces to life upon returning to Montreal. Once she returned, she suffered a major blow to the head from the reality of daily life, and doubted her ability to finish her thesis, write for the university paper, attend ballet classes, create poignant works of art, and raise her three year old daughter.
Struggling for a few months with time-management, Anna indulged in fits of uncontrollable hysteria (preferring to refer to these tendencies as “a flair for the dramatic”), as she realized the gargantuan work load that lay before her. Taking things day by day, Anna resolved that sleep is for the dead, and elevated herself to superhuman status by fitting all her interests on one plate. She took part in a couple of community art shows, and will show her art in several other shows this year. She is involved in music journalism, dancing, daily exercise, silly outings with friends, and hopes that her thesis will write itself if she waits long enough. She enjoys the ineffable and uncanny, and one day will wave at you while flying around in a hot air balloon.
Feb 05 > 2009 > 9:06 pm
Well written nothing.
Though it has nothing it is an interesting piece of writing.
I read it in full and felt in the end … I too have ended up a failure in my quest for full time artistic value in writing … that
emptiness when she would wave from a hot air balloon.
As Oscar Wilde had it: We are all in the gutters, but some of us are
staring at the Stars.
Wish you all the best as you deserve the best for your highly imaginative mind.
May God bless you,