Tips for a happy future
"Future for Ukraine" was a month-long cultural initiative that supported Ukrainian illustrators in continuing their artistic practice during wartime. Organized by the LUSTR Festival in collaboration with Pictoric, the residency took place last year and provided a platform for creative growth, professional networking, and the exchange of perspectives on cultural resilience and restoration.
My project, Tips for a Happy Future, is a reflection on the idea that true happiness may require being prepared for anything.
Just a few weeks before the full-scale invasion, I truly believed that nothing bad could ever happen to me. But it did—and many other things could still happen. Looking back, I realize how much easier it might have been to face the first year of the war with a more prepared psychological mindset.
In this project, I’ve gathered a series of tips collected from my generation and offered to the next. Some include: “Be ready to fight” and “Be ready to be betrayed.” These suggestions may not sound optimistic, and neither am I. But they are honest reflections of what we’ve learned and what we wish we had known.
