We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marina V a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Marina, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
It is perhaps serendipitous that this interview and the very first question both fit so well with the timing of the release of my new song, Symphony & Metal, because it is a song all about resilience.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, it only matters if you get back up” is one of the lines in the song, and I feel I have lived it many times, but it all began when I was a kid.
I grew up in Russia in the midst of the Soviet Union collapse (1991), where things were changing rapidly and drastically.
In almost an instant, the whole country went from a very restricted society to democracy.
Our school books were obsolete in a week. School teachers didn’t even know what to teach or what to say. It is just crazy, but it happened.
At times we didn’t have sufficient nutrients (but never starved, thankfully), and for a while schoolkids like me even received humanitarian aid (cans of spam) from the US.
People lost their jobs, and often still had jobs, but no salary for months and months. Almost everyone lost all of their savings practically overnight because the whole financial system collapsed as well as the political one. At some point we had tanks in the streets, and martial law in place, and it was scary.
So I have seen people react to this insane situation quite differently, from total despair to viewing it as an opportunity to change their lives.
I was only 13, but I have felt everyone’s pain and feeling lost.
My dad still had his job as a nuclear physicist, but wasn’t getting paid (like millions of others), and had to get 3 other jobs (like selling cakes at a fleemarket, or working as an unlicensed taxi driver, which was dangerous as someone tried to jump him a few times, etc). My mom worked nonstop. Everyone I knew was scared and confused but they fought for survival. My family took care of me and my brother.
So maybe growing up during such severe instability all around me, I felt that resilience necessary for survival. You can’t lay down and give up.
You have to keep going.
Only now, many years later, thinking about the world where I was raised, I realize just how much it has influenced me. And the way I see it, resilience is life.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a recording artist, singer and songwriter. I play piano, guitar and a ukulele. I’ve toured around the world, have recorded 12 albums, written hundreds of songs (for myself, for TV, for ads such as PEPSI, for kids) and have won some awards (and learned a lot) along the way.
I live in Southern California, but I grew up in Moscow, Russia.
I was singing and making up songs in my head for as long as I can remember.
My parents were academics (my mom a phycologist, and my dad a nuclear physicist) and I was the only musically-inclined person in the family.
I ended up going to (and graduating from) a school of classical music, but since there was nobody to help or guide me in my songwriting, I just wrote songs for myself for many years, and didn’t even dare to think I could pursue music as a career.
When I was 15, I applied for and won a prestigious scholarship (provided by the USA’s FLEX program), later learning that over 100,000 kids competed for just a few spots.
The year as an exchange student changed my life, as coming to the US for a year as a teenager has opened my eyes and allowed me to bloom in many ways.
I started realizing that I could have many options in life, where as in Moscow back then my options were quite limited.
People were too overwhelmed by survival to dream big (like being a musician), because a practical thing to do was attend university and get a job.
At 19, at my university in Jacksonville, Illinois (shout out to Illinois College!) I entered a talent contest and (to my own astonishment) won the first prize. But the reaction from fellow students was what truly inspired me to pursue a career in music. Because this was the first time people said that my music moved them to tears (in a good way, haha). Soon after, with the support of my university, and with my now husband/co-writer, Nick, I started touring, recorded my first album and moved to Los Angeles.
I have come a long way since that shy and overwhelmed exchange student who barely spoke English, and who didn’t even dare to dream of becoming a professional musician. But I keep doing the same things I was doing then: I am staying focused on doing what I love, I work hard and I try my best.
My songs are usually about self-reflection and finding light and beauty in life, in spite of the obstacles we face.
My newest song, Symphony & Metal, is definitely about that.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, I have realized how much time I have wasted trying to be like someone else, and suffering while comparing myself to others, both of which are very unhealthy ways of being. But I have always worked hard (including on my own self awareness), and I have always tried to be kind and polite towards others.
So my advice would be to embrace who you are (or doing your best to), your quirks and all. As a matter of fact, your quicks are the ones that usually people are attracted to, so double down on them! You are special, so own it! Perhaps you will inspire others to be who they are. Everyone (and mostly you!) will be happier for it.
Work as hard as you can. At the end of the day, that’s all you can do – work hard and know that you yourself have done everything in your personal power to try to make something happen. The rest is up to the universe and out of your control.
And, very importantly, be nice while doing it all. Treat others the way you want to be treated – with respect and appreciation. Nobody owes you anything. But if you have a chance to make someone’s day better/easier/nicer – do it. It feels good, and is good karma!
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I start with the basics: I breathe. I breathe and try to find the time I need (from seconds to hours) to be on my own and hopefully anywhere near nature. Stepping on the grass with your bare feet, walking in a park, touching a tree, listening to the wind or birds singing all may sound simple, but these actions are effective, and have been known to be helpful for centuries/millennia. It helps you recharge, get out of your own way, and let nature heal your mind/soul.
Any sort of exercise is very helpful afterwards. Talking (to yourself) out loud and voicing your worries (with your actual voice) help tremendously. And then there is cleaning / organizing your space, which works wonders for me too! 🙂
I have read many books and have listened to podcasts on mindfulness, meditation and mental health. Over the years I have picked the things that work for me, but many of them are rather universal. I hope you find the things that work for you, because our modern world is certainly overwhelming.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://MarinaV.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/MarinaVmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/marinavmusic
- Other: Music links: https://MarinaV.com/links
