MIKHAIL KUNITSKI: KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE MAKE YOU FREE AND OPEN TO THE WORLD

OCA Magazine: Please tell us the most important things about yourself and your creative work. What is your creative, life credo and motivation for your creativity?

Mikhail Kunitski: I write in Russian and Belarusian for children and adults but I will say… My making rhymes for children looks like for adults and for those adults who are fond of children poetry I write particular like for children. My professional creativity began with competitions but before that there had been still a stage of formation: finding the style, honing the rhyme, learning the rules and a lot of practice. I consider that an expression to be the main function in poetry. I strive for it all the time and try to express my feelings as vividly as possible through expressive means, sometimes even to the detriment of the rules. But there is always a dilemma: in an adult poetry you can disregard many things and because of this there is free aria for experimentation but rules in the children’s literature are especially important. You must follow the rules. Writing for children is a big responsibility and I am not always confident in my works but the road will be mastered by the one who walks it, and time is my main critic.
I am the winner of the International Youth Literary Competition named after the Schnittke Brothers in the nomination “For the Style and Culture of Writing” in 2017. At the competition “National Literary Prize Golden Pen of Rus” I received the title “Silver Pen of Rus” in 2017. In 2018, I took second place in the Open Eurasia competition. I am also the winner of the Poet of the Year Award 2019 and the winner of the “Open Eurasia competition in 2020”. This is about my achievements. I am a member of the Eurasian Creative Guild and the creative association of children’s authors TO DAR. Four of my books of children’s poems have been published, three of which are in Russian and one in English. Now my motivation is an art in all its manifestations, a human himself and his life. This world is not static, it moves, develops. Its seething energy does not disappear anywhere and does not arise spontaneously, but smoothly passes from one sphere to another, one work inspires another. One discovery gives impetus to another discovery. Now the credo is simple: “do what you must and come what may.”

OCA: How did you choose your path and who is your role model in the creative field or in life?

MK: I have wanted to write poetry since my childhood. But I think that the choice was made gradually through self-understanding and development. There was a period of denial. There was a period when I wanted to give up everything and did not write anything anymore. But in the end, I took my will into a fist and continued doing it, because I had understood that no one would write the way I would. Yes, there are other writers, more venerable and writing better than me, but I am the only one and without me the universe would be empty by one grain of sand. And one grain of sand is too much for such a short moment as the existence of the universe, which is finite in time. And I should definitely be in it. Why we should disturb the order?
OCA: What is your main achievement(s) or positive impact on the world in 2024–2025?

MK: This is not related to literature. It is a completely different kind of activity. But by doing everything little by little you begin to understand the world. You are growing up not in terms of human development but on a spiritual level. There comes an understanding that the ability to overcome difficulties is one of the most important qualities.

OCA: What is the main feature that makes you and your art/work unique?

MK: This question is more for critics, any creativity is unique and unrepeatable. Mine also has certain features. You see… openness, laconicism and expression. This is the formula of beauty, as I see it.

OCA: Please tell us about the events or projects of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and projects you have already participated in and how does ECG influence your creativity and success in your work?

MK: This is the best platform for development and promotion. Wherever I take part in, in any country, I feel at home. This is evidence of a good organization and team cohesion.

The guild gathers many creative spheres, different nations, religions, and languages peacefully coexist in it. It’s like you’re throwing yourself into a sea of open art on a global scale. There are presentations, briefings, master classes, all kinds of competitions, creative tours of cities and countries, and exciting excursions. This can be listed endlessly. You simply have no choice but to grow above yourself and develop in the area that is close to you. A whole book can be written about each such type of activity. Each competition is a wealth of experience and knowledge. Maybe someone will say that they did not receive any reward from a competition that they wasted their time, but for me, participating in the guild’s projects is an everyday success. For example, I have a tradition of coming to a country or an unfamiliar city and exploring it on foot. You read a work of a writer, where he talks about some place, and you understand what it is about. You understand the taste, color, smell, mood. In addition, discovering something new for yourself, you are ready to create yourself. I can say that over the years spent in the Guild, it has been influenced my maturation as an author. This is not fear of the audience, communication with children, participation in expert councils … Knowledge and experience make you free and open to the world.

OCA: How do you think the creative professions have changed and how has the role of art in the development of the world changed in the face of modern realities?

MK: Well, look… In the future, the overwhelming majority of professions will be performed by artificial intelligence and the art is no exception. Yes, it will always be able to surprise, it will write no worse than famous artists, it will copy and imitate the style of this or that genius, but this is still only an imitation, though a very skillful one. The living creativity is based not on the material, but on the spiritual. It is a dialogue with higher powers. That is why the living creativity is unique. And when the creativity becomes unique, then it is already an art. The form will change, but not the content. The art is valuable because it is rare. After all, humanity listen to classics, goes to the theater, reads books.

OCA: What would you wish for the members of the Guild and other creative people who are just starting their careers?

MK: The fullness of their life. Life is the most absolute form of creativity. When something is missing, it can be replaced by creativity. So that one complements the other. It is easier to stand on two legs than on one.