Interview with the architect Elizaveta Movchan
As many of our clients know, GoPillar is a community of over 60,000 architects, engineers, and designers from all over the world. Our community includes professionals who are from Ukraine, currently experiencing great hardships and living in a humanitarian crisis.
Today we want to discuss the story of Elizaveta Movchan, a member of our community who is from Karkiev, Ukraine and who has been registered with us for over 5 years.
Before reporting our interview with Elizaveta, a brief introduction should be made. Elizaveta is from Karkiev, one of the cities most battered by the current war in Ukraine. It was not easy to get in touch with her. In recent weeks she has had to flee to Poland, during which she lost her computer.
You might be wondering why we chose to talk about Elizaveta today and what inspired us to conduct an interview with her during this time. Elizaveta recently contacted our assistance service because she was participating in a contest and had already created all the necessary; however, she has had difficulty uploading her work due to poor connection as well as losing access to the work she had already completed. Fortunately, our team here at GoPillar was able to gain access to her work and upload everything that was needed for the contest.
Elizaveta’s motivation and determination despite the hardships she is experiencing caught our attention and inspired us to ask for an interview. Unfortunately, we were unable to complete this interview over a conference call due to weather conditions that have caused Elizaveta to lose her voice. However, she was more than happy to answer our questions via email, which we greatly appreciated.
Below is our interview with Elizaveta:
Hi Elizaveta, before beginning the interview, we want to let you know that the whole team here at GoPillar is thinking of you and is close to you during this time. We are so sorry for what you are going through and cannot begin to imagine your recent experiences. We are always on the side of human rights and are so grateful for your willingness to have us interview you. To begin with our first question, how did you get to know GoPillar and what motivated you to sign up?
Honestly, I don’t even remember what initially caused me to sign up. It’s been over 5 years since I initially joined, but it was certainly a good idea to register and has provided positivity, even in this current difficult time.
How has GoPillar helped you to grow your work and how has your career changed thanks to the platform?
I have ranked in first and second place several times, maybe 5 or 6, and this has certainly given me a great boost as a designer. I began to believe in myself a lot more and it gave me more confidence in my work as well. Receiving positive feedback from clients made me realize that I am very talented.
How long does it take to participate in a contest?
It depends on the project, some take up to 3 months, while others I submit the requested material and can complete the project in less than a month. There are many different types of contests on GoPillar so there is no average time.
How do you organize your work?
Obviously I work as a designer in my city (editor’s note: she uses the present tense) and I never put that aside, but when the work is less intense, I also dedicate my time and energy to the platform.
How did winning GoPillar contests help you?
I like to work alone; however, I collaborate with many Ukrainian designers as well as some from London, but not for GoPillar. On the platform, I can grow as a professional.
How do you choose the contests to participate in?
It depends on the customer’s requests as well as on the amount of time I can devote. A very important part is the contest’s description because it allows me to understand which is the right contest for me to participate in. I hear their wants and get straight to the point.
Is there a type of client or brief that you are most passionate about?
Actually, no, probably as I wrote before, the contest description helps me a lot in the choice. Another important aspect is the participation of the customer. We designers often ask questions to better understand what the customer expects; however, it’s always a four-handed job, so I choose the contests where I see customers who are willing to deepen their ideas and information.
If you had to give a suggestion to your colleagues who are reading this, what would you tell them?
Working on GoPillar is a platform that allows you to evolve and grow as a professional.
Thank you for your availability, and we hope that everything currently happening with the war will end soon
Thank you for the moral support, it’s very important to me. Without GoPillar, I would not be able to work in my current conditions.
