What she does today: Iva Damjanovski, pianist and poet

IVA Damjanovski
Iva Damjanovski / Photo: Maja Argakijeva and Igor Avramoski

Iva Damjanovski is a graduate pianist and poet. She graduated from the University "Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje and is currently working on his master studies at the University of Bolzano at the Department of Musicology, as well as the Department of Music Interpretation and Composition at the Faculty of Music within UKIM in Skopje.

He already has two collections of poetry entitled "They" and "Hesitation", as well as two scientific articles in the field of musicology. In 2020 he received the prestigious poetry award for poetry "Miladinov Brothers". Iva is also part of the band "Alembik" together with Viktor Tanaskovski.

Iva Damjanovski
Iva Damjanovski / Photo: Maja Argakijeva

We asked Iva what one of her days looked like, so here is what she revealed to us.

"My day starts with panic and guilt, because I probably get up again two hours later than I planned. If I have to go to a rehearsal or a lecture early, then I run without drinking coffee and the adrenaline from being terribly late somehow keeps me from surviving the first few hours of work until I have a chance to drink coffee. Otherwise it takes me at least half an hour to get out of bed (I will not say how much it is).

For the last two years, every day has seemed absolutely different to me, starting and ending at completely different times without rules, and that is actually very hard mentally. Because of that I started obsessively writing lists for every day, which in reality I do not stick to at all, in a desperate attempt to at least repeat something and in the name of the illusion that I have something under control.

Iva Damjanovski
Iva Damjanovski / Photo: Igor Avramoski

My task is a bit difficult to describe an average day because this year I rotate constantly between Trento, Belgrade and Skopje and the day everywhere looks completely different. In Italy, lectures create a certain order in the day, so I organize the piano practice, which lasts at least 4 hours a day, and the obligations accordingly.

The rest of the day is work for college, which means a lot of reading and writing essays and whatever the current project I am working on and for which the deadline is usually next week if I am lucky. I do not have many opportunities for that in Italy, but in principle I do not want to be at home in the evening.

I feel the worst when after a lot of work during the day I can not go out for something or somewhere and that is why I like Skopje and Belgrade more than the night silence in Trento. The days there are and most of them are spent on the phone, because my loved ones are far away and that is how the time I spend with them otherwise looks like. As for work, I'm especially happy when there are rehearsals, because they are probably the most exhausting of all kinds of work, but they always mean working with other people and that's my favorite kind of work. The noise and chaos of rehearsals is something I have loved since I was a child. When the day has a fast rhythm it is nice, when it is slow it is difficult for me to adjust, but the slow days are also nice when I can afford not to work at all.

Iva Damjanovski
Iva Damjanovski / Photo: Maja Argakijeva

Such days are very, very rare, but that's why they are so beautiful. It's hard not to have a weekend on the one hand, but I do not know how I could complain when I have the greatest privilege in the world, to do what I love and I just hope I work at least close enough to deserve it .

Most of the time I can not afford it, but I wish I could be out before sunset every day, it's my favorite part of the day - if I have to work I want to take a cigarette break and stare out the window and be sorry that I'm not out.

Iva Damjanovski
Iva Damjanovski / Photo: Maja Argakijeva

As for the creative part of the day, it happens after 2 o'clock at night. Then I write poetry, and now I write music. On uninspiring nights in Italy, I watch movies, often with Victor in the distance. "Mubi" is a great investment that I highly recommend. If that also fails - I read, and if that also fails I stay awake and connect for two days (this has been happening to me a lot more often lately than I should), hoping that I will go to bed earlier the next day, but it usually does not work that way . At least it is wonderful to watch the sun rise.

I'm sorry about the chaos of this text, but I guess it's just inevitable. As for what I do literally today: I travel 8 hours by bus to Belgrade, I try to read, but I do not succeed, I am writing this text, there is a beautiful sunset outside, the faces of the people traveling with me are already dark, they changed the bus, we will be two hours late, I will miss Skopje, there are three workers digging along the road, I wonder what they are doing today. "

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