We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olga Ziminska. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olga below.

Olga, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Growing up, I always knew I was meant to tell stories. I dabbled in poetry, short stories, and even completed my first manuscript in high school, but I knew that wasn’t the right time for me to push this as a career. I attended community college before transferring to a university where I achieved my Bachelor’s in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Though I still did not pursue a career as an author, I used that degree as a stepping stone and a reminder to myself to never forget what truly makes me happy. So, while it took me some time to get here, I’m glad that I waited, because I feel like I have more life experience now to write what I want to write versus what people expect from me.

If I decided to pursue publishing (self or traditional) before my 30’s, I feel I wouldn’t be as thick-skinned as I am now. Putting your work out there is terrifying, but it’s the best thing I’ve done. I couldn’t be happier that I took a chance on myself.

Olga, 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’ve been crafting stories for a very long time, but it’s only recently that I decided to pursue publishing my works. My need to create and share stories is ultimately what pushed me to hit the “publish” button. Plus, it was time that I took a chance on myself and what made my soul happy.

Within my stories, you’ll find romance–yes, but also storylines that are deeply rooted in a reality we all recognize. Outside of the actual writing, you’ll see me collaborating with real human artists and editing professionals to help breathe more human life into my projects.

I have a very firm stance on the use of AI in creative spaces, and you can rest assured you will always have a human-created product when you pick up my books.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Stop pirating books and using AI. The first part hits extra hard for self-published authors since when we first start out–we’re a nobody, really. We’re trying to get our books in front of readers at a price that is both accessible, but also reasonable enough to allow us to keep putting these books out. I’ve had my work pirated the day it was released, and it really does feel like a slap in the face. As for AI? AI will never be able to recreate and/or mimic the human capacity for emotion and care when it comes to creating something, whether it’s art, music, books–it’ll never do it well enough to move us the way a human can. If you’re using AI to create trailers, fan art, fan fiction, all of that–that’s so incredibly insulting to the human creatives who poured their heart and soul into their creations.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative would absolutely have to be seeing readers experience the stories and characters who have lived inside my head for so long. It’s such a surreal experience to hear people talking about the words that I wrote. Absolute dream come true for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://authorolgaziminska.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/olgaziminskaauthor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GreyEyesReviews
• Other: http://tiktok.com/@greyeyesreads

Image Credits

Brittany Coleman
Catriona Bryne