SoGoPro Street Team Sunday Interview: Anna

Name: Anya

Age: 20

SoGoPro.com member for 38 weeks

Profile: http://www.sogopro.com/user/4472

About me: Currently I am not working or studying. I began to study Linguistics at South Ural State University, but later I decided to postpone my education. I spend this year trying to discover what I really like, my true interests and passions. I do a lot of reading, thinking, walking, crafting, gardening... I am only young once and I don't want to spend the rest of my life having regrets, because I've listened to other people's opinions and didn't have my own.

My main passion is reading. I began to read when I was about three years old and I loved it ever since. I can't even survive a week without a book ;) I also love watching movies, tv shows and bonus materials for them. I was always curious about process of film-making - that's why I love SoGoPro Industry Interviews. My other hobbies are photography, cross-stitching, making beaded jewelry, listening to music, travelling, playing with my cat, learning new things...

Favorite Music: Phantom Planet, Tyler Hilton, Florence and The Machine, Kate Voegele, Rogue Wave, The Avett Brothers, Gavin DeGraw, Billy Currington, James Taylor, Matthew West, Bryan Greenberg, Everly, Wakey!Wakey!

Favorite Books: "The Catcher In The Rye" by J.D. Salinger, "This Side Of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Mediator" & “1-800-where-are-you” series by Meg Cabot, Nicholas Sparks, Sarah Dessen...

Favorite Movies: Anna and The King; Gone With The Wind; Legends Of The Fall; In The Land Of Women; Just Like Heaven; Ten Inch Hero; St. Trinian's; Extreme Ops

One Tree Hill; Friday Night Lights; The Vampire Diaries; The O.C.; O Clone

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The interview:

Miryam: Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed! Tell us, how did you discover SoGoPro? And what makes you come back?

Anna: Thank you for interviewing me :)

Well, like many others I discovered SoGoPro because of One Tree Hill. I began to watch it about a year ago and I liked it a lot. So I decided to check cast and crew on Twitter and found a link to SoGoPro there.

First things I noticed were those awesome t-shirts and bracelets (that I still can’t get because of payment methods :( ), then I started to read blogs and listen to podcasts. They were really interesting and made me come back again and again, Later I paid attention to the c-box. The first person I’ve talked to was Anneliese. She was very nice and I felt welcome there. I think one of the main reasons why I continue to come back is people who became my friends :)

Miryam: Oh that’s lovely. And how has SoGoPro inspired you? Did it impact your life at all?

Anna: For me SoGoPro is an endless source of inspiration. Podcasts, vlogs, blogs, and works of other SoGoPro Street Team members – I can find inspiration everywhere.

I spent a lot of time choosing pictures for Flickr challenges (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anyazhukova/galleries/) and I was surprised how many beautiful photographs were there (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anyazhukova/favorites/). I’ve learned that you can see beauty and magic in very unexpected places.

Last year I had so much fun participating in SGP Secret Santa! It was quite challenging, but also very exciting ;)

SoGoPro makes my life much more interesting. I’ve become friends with people who I would never have a chance to meet in “real life”. I’ve learned about new singers and bands, new books and movies. SoGoPro brings a lot in my life.

Miryam: At the moment you’re taking some time off of your studies to find out what you want to do in your future. First of all congratulations for that. I think it is a very courageous thing to do and not everyone is brave enough to do so. What made you decide to do so and do you feel you have gained anything from that time already?

Anna: Thank you, Miryam. It wasn’t easy and sometimes I have doubts about it, but I’m glad that I decided to take some time off my studies.

When I applied to university I hadn’t much time to think what I want to study before I had to choose a major. I was under pressure of other people’s opinions: my relatives’, my former classmates’ and teachers’. Eventually I began to feel that if I won’t stop, I’ll live a life of another person and not my own one.

Now I spend time doing things I really like and it makes me very happy. I have a more clear sight on my life. I can’t say that I am completely ready to make important decisions, but I’m getting closer to it.

Miryam: That sounds great. Now, you said you have learned to read at age 3! That somehow reminds me of Scout Finch in to Kill A Mockingbird. Any similarities here? Or how did you learn?

Anna: My grandmother taught me. We played with alphabet blocks and cards, made words and sentences out of them, read an alphabet books. It was such an easy and interesting way to learn, and I loved to read ever since.

Can’t answer your question about Scout Finch, because I haven’t read “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Though I heard that it’s a great book and I will definitely read it later.

Miryam: Haha, no worries. But really do read it, I think you’ll enjoy it. Which books make you think about SoGoPro?

Anna: “We Have Always Lived in the Castle”, “ The Secret Life of Bees”, “Bloodroot”.

Miryam: What was your favorite children’s book? If you have children of your own, which books would you definitely MUST read to them?

Anna: I liked to read fairy tales. Russian folk stories, Brothers Grimm, H. C. Anderson, Selma Lagerlof, Astrid Lindgren… My favorite book was “The Wizard of the Emerald City” by Alexander Volkov. Basically it’s a translation of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, but characters and storylines are a little bit different. I would definitely read this book to my children. I would also read them stories about Peter Pan and children’s book written by Russian and Soviet writers.

Miryam: So glad you’ve mentioned Astrid Lindgren...I love her books! I’ll have to come back to you on the Russian and Soviet authors another time, but for now-you’re someone who can’t survive without the written word, do you write yourself?

Anna: Not much, actually. I like to create different stories in my mind, but I rarely write them down. I try to write them, but I am so easily distracted. I suppose I have to learn to concentrate on writing. And maybe one day I’ll learn to do it, but for now I can only keep my diary.

Miryam: Who knows, maybe its a hidden talent you got there ;) And some of the greatest authors began with diaries. If you could meet anybody in the world (alive, dead, fictional character), who would it be, why, what topic would you like to discuss with that character?

Anna: My grandfather. He passed away five years ago and I miss him a lot. He was the most important person in my life and I would love to know his opinion about everything that’s going on with me now.

Miryam: I’m very sorry for your loss. I think that’s a fantastic choice you made there, and I’m sure he watches over you every second! SoGoPro has such a wide range of things to offer, obviously you enjoy the book club, right? Is that also your favorite category? Or what would that be?

Anna: I don’t think I can pick just one - I like all of them :)

Miryam: You were always interested in the film process. If you could be part of it, which movie/tv show would you like to work on and what which job would you like to do there (act, direct, costume design, etc, etc)?

Anna: “The Vampire Diaries” Love this show and I would be really interested in acting and maybe also in writing.

Miryam: Oh, that sounds interesting! See, I’m telling you, maybe you have a hidden talent for writing ;) As which character would you come into the show (can be also a not-yet-existing character, but tell us what you would like to play :) )?

Anna: I would like to play Lexi. She’s a 350-year-old vampire and Stefan’s best friend. It would be awesome to play a character who is so much fun and full of life even though she’s a vampire. Lexi was killed in the first season, but later she appeared in flashbacks. I guess it would be very interesting to see her in different centuries and decades :)

Miryam: If you would have to make a music mix for SoGoPro, which songs would you include?

Anna:

1. Tom Petty – Wildflowers

2. Patrick Park – Life is a Song

3. Van Morrison – Into the Mystic

4. Chantal Kreviazuk – These Days

5. Neil Young – Heart of Gold

6. Billy Currington – People Are Crazy

7. Creedence Clearwater Revival –

Up Around The Bend

8. Gonzaguinha – E Vamos A Luta

9. Simon & Garfunkel – Sound of Silence

10. White Lies – Death

11. James Taylor – Carolina in My Mind

12. Phantom Planet – Anthem

Miryam: Oh, very nice choices...although I don’t know all of them! Now I have some new songs to listen to :) Thank you so much for this great interview Anna, I wish you all the best for your future- may your path clear up even more!