Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tatyana Kogan/Nemirovsky. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tatyana, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in a creative career or as an entrepreneur is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

For most of my life, I have identified myself with my job – being a Social Worker and later, Social Work Supervisor. My sole purpose was to attend to my impoverished, mentally challenged clients who lived in a constant state of poverty, self-neglect, and deprivation. I had to connect them with psychiatric and other medically necessary services, to prevent them from losing their home (if they had it) and if not, to find an affordable one. Besides housing issues, I had to present my client’s cases in Court, trying to undo the troubles they managed to put themselves into before I stepped in. Nothing could make me happier and more self-fulfilled than watching those abandoned by society, get stabilized and live in comfort with all the services they need. One of the most treasured moments during my 25 years of being a Social Worker, was a relationship with an elderly lady, who, at first, was throwing her walker at me during my home visits (having no family, no support, and seeing everybody as a potential enemy), cursing me out and screaming to leave her alone! After the transition to having medical help and a comfortable life, once, she hugged me and whispered: ” I am sorry, I called you “a whore”, you are not “a whore” – you are my sister!

Tatyana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

While in my mid-fifties, dealing with an everlasting crisis situation at work, taking care of my family with three of my children, a husband, and a couple of cats, plus helping my aging parents, I suddenly came to the realization, that my life is more than half gone, and I never had time to take a step back, take a deep breath and think about what I wanted for myself, What would make me happy.

Growing up in a family of creative people: my father was a published writer, my mother his editor and a school teacher, and the rest of my family -were actors and theater directors (back in my native land), I used to perform in theater since the age of five, writing short stories and poems as a teenager before our immigration to the US in 1979. This was when I had to learn an entirely new language, become employed, and learn to survive in this new American world.

My creativity went dormant in such a deep state, I thought, it would never resurface. That’s when I made the decision to leave my job and start my creative journey.
The desire to write my memoirs came to me suddenly, after the untimely passing of my father. He always encouraged me to write and kept repeating that “this is your destiny!” I felt his presence and spiritual guidance when I sat on his old weathered leather chair…and my journey as a writer began.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I thought I wrote my book mostly for my children and future grandchildren. I felt that my family had a limited understanding of who I really am and where I came from, about my inner motivational forces, besides being their mother and caretaker. I wanted to expand their vision of me as one overworked and stressed beyond-the-limits woman, the caretaker running to the kitchen to cook dinner right after a crazy day at work, a Social Worker, who always had an interesting story to tell about another “crisis” at work. A passionate historian who tried to broaden their horizons in ancient and medieval history besides the boring lessons they were getting in school. However, after I finished my project, I realized that it was written for me and me alone. In my memoirs, I traced back to my maternal great-grandmother, three generations of visibly strong mothers and daughters who kept hurting or distancing each other, in the background of historical cataclysms of the 20th Century: the Russian Revolution, WWI, and WWII, Stalin’s repressions, the stagnant atmosphere during the past decade before our final “Exit” from the USSR. Telling the story of those mother-daughter relationships, I tried to understand their origins and, as a mother myself, hoped to break the vicious pattern.
It was a story about my family but mostly about me, taking steps towards my new life, new image, new identity, and newly discovered Jewish roots.
I left Baku, my hometown, and started “My Exodus”, freeing myself from false taboos, stigmas, fears, and Socialist dogmas of the USSR on its deathbed.
My “creative journey” enabled me to re-live my past, address many unresolved issues, and write about people whom I deeply loved and who shaped me into the strong and resilient woman I became.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

After I wrote my memoir “Reliving my Exodus” and published it on Amazon, I felt that I fulfilled my father’s vision, while, overcoming many obstacles on my way. I was an amateur, I had never written before, besides a few poems and I had a vague idea of how to create a storyline, to make the images of my protagonist alive and vivid, to make sure that the historical background is accurate (I’ve conducted extensive research into the past of my ancient hometown). I always consider myself a “writer’s daughter”. Only after I wrote THE END, I realized that I became a writer myself. I finally owned it! That feeling was invigorating! I realized (in my mid-fifties) that besides being a caretaker for my family and being immersed in Social work, there was a hidden part of me that finally made itself known to the world! That sheer force of creation! After publishing my novel, I felt the urge to write more. I wrote a few short stories: “My mother’s Golgotha”, “About my son”, “Basia” and “9/11”. I know, that I will write more, maybe a novel about my tragic and funny experiences being a Social Worker, for example. The world is a limit!

Contact Info:

• Other: Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Reliving-My-Exodus-Tatyana-Nemirovsky/dp/B0989M53CC Email [email protected]

Image Credits
Mark Kogan