My name is Hanna, and I am a jeweler from Ukraine. My hometown is Makiivka, which has been occupied by russia for the past 9 years.

For two years of my life, I lived in occupation. Art became my salvation and a world where I escaped from war and occupation.

Now I’ve been living and working in Kyiv for 7 years.

My path as an artist began as a way to cope with the surrounding horrors.

Life in occupation is terrifying -constantly fearing for your life, your family, the destruction of your home, or the confiscation of property.

Back then, I was still attending school. At that time, postal services, bank cards, and store shelves had already ceased to function rapidly in the city.

Finding materials for creativity was challenging. However, my strong desire to create jewelry led me to work with polymer clay and epoxy resin.

I crafted pieces that paid homage to nature. I have a deep love for nature and the forest - a place where I could forget about problems and find solitude in peace.

I worked with dried flowers, leaves, and moss.

Later, I managed to move to Kyiv to enroll in university and continue my work there.

I entered the university to study graphic design. However, I found the education system and level disheartening, deciding not to waste my time on it.

Moreover, the university hindered my creative path, and graphic design turned out to be uninteresting for me.

One day, I woke up with the realization that jewelry-making was my path. It was an absolute certainty and the knowledge that this was exactly what I was meant to do.

It was strange because, although I crafted accessories from epoxy, the idea of pursuing it as a profession jeweller hadn't crossed my mind.

I can't explain it, but it was like knowledge that suddenly appeared in my mind, so loud and all-encompassing that I couldn't think of anything else.

I withdrew from the university, then found a private jewelry workshop.

For 1.5 years, I studied the fundamental jewelry techniques. After that, I began teaching students on my own.

Every day, I continue to learn because the jeweler's path is a lifelong journey. It takes decades to fully grasp the depth and complexity of this craft - that's what excites me!

I have been practicing jewelry for 7 years now - thousands of hours of work, hundreds of clients, and thousands of created pieces.

I love learning and delving into details, and jewelry-making is all about details in their purest form. Since childhood, I have been involved in drawing and sculpting, so I simply continue to do what I've always done - to be an artist and create something new.

Jewelry-making encompasses hundreds of diverse techniques, and this knowledge base can be expanded throughout a lifetime, which is precisely what I intend to do. This, without exaggeration, is the purpose and meaning of my life.

For me, it's more than just ornaments and accessories. They are unique talismans that tell and preserve the stories of entire generations!

I perceive each piece of jewelry as a talisman. It's important for me to imbue each work with meaning and energy; they feel alive to me, and the creation process is like real magic.

My creations express human strength, uniqueness, and individuality. They embody the courage to reveal one's true self - a material representation of your soul and life values.

They are vessels for your story and the stories of generations to come - family relics, precious artifacts filled with significant meanings. And, of course, they represent aesthetics and luxury.

Nature is my primary source of inspiration.

I can endlessly contemplate buds on forest branches, small flowers, autumn leaves swaying in the wind.

I adore the forest; it's my source of strength. Hence, my creative pseudonym is "Lisova," a Ukrainian word translating roughly to "born in the forest."

I'm fascinated by natural textures - mountain surfaces, lava, tree bark, earth, water.

It's the perfect balance and harmony, peace, and connection with something ancient, mighty, and profound. In my work, I use real natural elements - branches and flowers cast in silver, natural textures, and other natural objects.

Another significant inspiration is reptiles. I just love them. Since childhood, I dreamed of an iguana, and instead of a plush bear, I had a plush snake.

I especially love snakes, they are incredibly enchanting and aesthetic creatures. Their grace and fluid movements captivate me.

My husband and I have two children - snake children, to be precise.

They are royal python Freyr (white) and royal Mexican snake Freyja (black). We named them after Norse gods, as both appreciate Norse mythology.

Therefore, among my works, you can also find pieces featuring runes. For example, runes and runic staves made from real forest branches.

I work exclusively by hand, without using 3D techniques.

I enjoy manually processing every millimeter of the piece, constantly refining my technique and feeling the relief of precious metal.

I emphasize detailing in my work, so I almost always work under a microscope.

I also believe that a product created by human hands is filled with soul and strength. Moreover, this method of creating jewelry is considered the most challenging, allowing the craftsman to demonstrate virtuosity in jewelry techniques. Such pieces have special value.

I've always been attracted to complex challenges, so in jewelry-making, it helped me find myself in intricate pieces and techniques.

On 22.02.2022, my husband and I had our wedding. On 24.02.2022, we woke up to explosions - russia was bombing us with missiles.

We stayed in Ukraine. Our honeymoon was spent in the basement, hiding from rockets.

Now I live in Kyiv.

In Kyiv, it's safer than in frontline cities, but russians regularly launch massive attacks with kamikaze drones and missiles, so we often have to go to the bomb shelter.

On my way to the workshop, I pass through a residential building with a hole from a drone.

At night, I often hear explosions. In May 2023, attacks happened almost every night, and the entire Ukraine didn't sleep for a month.

During the winter of 2022-2023, we experienced blackouts - no light, water, electricity, or the internet.

Only darkness and cold. The russians severely damaged our energy infrastructure.

Russian crimes can be discussed at length - mentioning Bucha, the terrorist attack on the Kakhovka reservoir, the murder of war-prisoners in Olenivka, constant nuclear blackmail etc.

Their crimes number in the tens of thousands of episodes, and it can be talked about endlessly.

And I speak about this in my works. Through my creations, I also tell our story. Overall, my works have become more vivid and energetically charged.

I know the value of life, and I appreciate the opportunity to work. I have hands, a workspace, and I'm grateful for that.

I highly value it because I can lose it at any moment.

I can definitely say that my works have become more meaningful and powerful. 

Such a challenging experience tempers one's character. You either become stronger or perish.

I'm alive and I continue my journey.