We recently connected with Alexandra Shurun and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexandra, thanks for joining us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

The best investment I have ever made is the time I spent pursuing my teenage dream. When I was 13 or 14, living in my homeland Ukraine, I watched the famous american TV show Twin Peaks. I fell in love with the little town portrayed in the show, it felt so realistic as if it and its characters really existed somewhere. I started to dream about visiting filming locations which were mainly located in North Bend, Washington. I was so far away from there and my dream felt the same. I graduated from school, entered the university, started working, married and had a son, but somewhere in the back of my mind I always had a question “Will I ever get to North Bend or not?” It is worth mentioning that it was close to impossible to get a US visa if you were from Ukraine. Something like 80 pages of questionnaires and plenty more documents had to be provided for a tiny chance of not being denied.

In 2020 when Covid paralyzed the whole world and I lost my job I came back to my childhood hobby – drawing. After almost 25 years of not drawing I felt clumsy and awkward but my dream town Twin Peaks started to appear on the paper. When I had a little series of drawings of locations from “Twin Peaks” I shared my art online. I remember I wrote “as there is no option to visit Twin Peaks I start my little journey drawing in my black sketchbook. My project got noticed and in some time I got a remote job as an illustrator in the documentary feature film “I know Catherine, The Log Lady”, which tells the story of the life and death of Twin Peaks actor Catherine Coulson. Eventually my work on the film, both as an illustrator and art director brought me to Los Angeles and in October 2024 I went to see North Bend with my own eyes. There is a saying that dreams always come true, but I believe it is our determination to remember and pursue them that makes them happen.

Alexandra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, where I spent almost all of my life. After graduating from Kyiv State Linguistic University with a degree in management, I spent eleven years working in the international relations department of Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise. My job was stable and secure, but I have never felt that that is where my true path is. I tried to rethink my way by searching the answers in my interests from childhood, which were drawing, acting, writing and even filmmaking—but none of these seemed realistic and all required a huge change of direction.

In 2013, a business trip to England changed everything. Hoping to take good pictures, I brought our family DSLR camera but quickly realized how challenging it was to use. Intrigued, I began teaching myself photography and soon enrolled in a photography school in Kyiv. Balancing work, family, and my new passion was almost impossible. And more and more I thought about changing my profession. Photography became for me a medium that was able to merge all the things I loved into a single form of expression. As my dissatisfaction with my job grew, a company restructuring provided a chance for change and I asked to be fired. Though many in my life doubted my decision and tried to talk me out of it, I was certain. After going through tons of bureaucracy nine months later, I left my job, bought equipment, and began working as a freelance photographer. My photography journey was never about commercial work alone.

In 2018, I created my first photo project, inspired by a young woman in a wheelchair who pursued her dreams despite falling from a fifth-floor building. This project led to an exhibition in Kyiv’s Underground and series of interviews in the media.

In 2019, after a personal trauma, I explored the idea of need of accepting psychological trauma on the way to recovery, which developed into in a psychological experiment with 22 participants and my first self-published book, Transparent Skin.

During the 2020 lockdown, I returned to drawing, channeling my love for David Lynch’s TV Series Twin Peaks into black sketchbook drawings of its iconic locations. One day, I shared my work in a Twin Peaks facebook community, and was noticed by an American director making a documentary about Twin Peaks actress Catherine Coulson (The Log Lady). He asked to use one of my drawings, and soon I was contributing more art and working remotely on the film. This project became a dream job, combining my love for storytelling and creativity.

In 2022 after full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine I fled my homeland and moved to US. I am currently developing a merchandise line inspired by a series of my drawings, ensuring that every item is of the highest quality and perfectly aligns with my vision. A significant part of this line, including prints and postcards, is carefully printed, stamped, and framed by me in my studio.

I believe it’s important for the work to carry the personal touch of the artist, allowing you to feel the creator’s hand in every piece.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is the personal growth that comes along my artistic journey. When you are a self employed artist, you have all the freedom and all responsibility. There is absolutely nobody to blame in case of failure and there is absolutely no limitations for success. I am fascinated by the idea of making my own choices at every moment of my life, the opportunity to change direction if that does not work for me anymore, even starting from scratch if needed. It is a powerful feeling to be the master of your own life, pursuing authentic experiences and self expression.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Among the books which gave me a lot of insights was Mark Manson’s “The subtle art of not giving a f*ck. A counterintuitive approach to living a good life”. It offers in our fast and often chaotic modern life filled with a lot of worry a guide to choosing what to worry about. Choosing to direct our energy toward values that really matters to us. To choose what to focus on and what not to worry about are the keys to living a good life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alexshurun.com
• Instagram: _inner_empire_

Image Credits

All images copyright Alexandra Shurun 2024