Meet the co-founders: Alexandra Todorova

Today we’ll be introducing Ali – one of our co-founders and writers.

What inspired you to co-found Creatosphere, and what do you hope to achieve through this organization?

My ultimate inspiration through all of my almost 20 years on that planet is my big-sister-like figure Toni Lyubenova. We’ve known each other our whole life and I cannot think of a more creative, motivated, energetic, and good person than her. Ever since we were kids, I was dedicated to copying her every move and becoming her shadow. Of course, that became harder when we grew up because I’m way taller than her now, not so shadow-like, and definitely more noticeable than I used to be. But we’ve grown up, we do our own things. Luckily, we haven’t changed that much, because otherwise, she wouldn’t have ambushed me on one business simulation to become co-founder of something she called “Creatosphere”. And here we are today. Don’t get me wrong, I am a pretty creative person myself, but Toni has always been the one to make things happen. And I am extremely honoured to have a seat on the front row, watching her thrive and together doing what we love more than anything else in the world – creating art.

How do you live through art in your daily life?

I am one to believe that art lives in us, runs through our veins, pumps in our hearts, and tingles our fingers, reminding us to set it free every once in a while. My form of art is dancing, under the moonlight on the beach or on the wooden floor at a dance hall, as it holds the same magic; but it’s also painting, nothing else can give me such peace of mind and clear-headedness from everything that’s happening both internally and externally; I love cooking too, there is seldom something more satisfying than making a great piece of art in the form of a warm meal for your family and friends and watching their faces light up when they smell the food; acting is a passion of mine as well. When you’re up on the stage, pretending you are someone else, letting that persona touch you somehow, letting it be a part of you, nothing gives you a better perspective on your own life or in my case – nothing can make my soul dance so wildly; and of course, the cherry on top is my passion for expressing my thoughts through written text, along with poetry, which is and always will be my one and true love in the writing world. I’ve done it my whole life and I intend to keep on doing it for a long while. One of the great things we’ve achieved, Toni and I, is that we have a published novel, which we wrote with the help of some of the coolest people I know – our co-authors. Ultimately art is what I’m built from and what I live for. Art is the act of creating something bigger than yourself and leaving a piece of yourself behind with it.

How do you see Creatosphere making an impact in the community here in Sofia, Bulgaria, and beyond?

I believe that there are hundreds and thousands of people here in Sofia who share our perspective on creating and inspiring others to express themselves via art. Most of them just need a little nudge or a place to use as a playground for the creative person inside of them to blossom. I say that because I was one of these people too, not knowing what I could do until I found the right community and a place that felt just like home. That’s what I dream of giving others – the tools with which they can explore their creative side. I believe that organising workshops and classes on topics we are truly passionate about is the first step of the process of changing the whole perception of the word “art”.

Can you share a moment when you witnessed the transformative power of art in someone’s life, and how it impacted you personally?

All I can say here is that art leaves its mark internally, but the whole energy of the person switches from neutral to vibrant and lively. I’ve noticed that flicker in the eyes of every artist I’ve ever met when they talk about their passion. More specifically, I can remember one little girl that once walked through the doors of our theatre club hall. Her face was pale, her eyes – glued to the ground and she was scared by the sound of her own voice. In fact, she was scared of a lot of things, a few of them being saying hi to new people, calling on the phone to order pizza, or raising her hand and asking the teacher a question if she hadn’t understood something in school. Everyone in the big hall was amazed, including her, when on the night of her first big debut in front of a live public, her voice was heard even by the people in the back of the theatre. I think it’s a bit redundant to say that nowadays I can proudly order pizza all by myself, even if I do have to make a phone call.

As a founder of Creatosphere, what’s the most unexpected skill or talent you bring to the team?

In my opinion, there are no two identical human beings on that planet – with the same interests, same opinions, or the same backgrounds, etc. So, I believe that every single person on the team will pull something unique and useful out of their basket and will surprise us in the best way possible. I personally don’t think that I have one specific thing that no one else has. Still, the mixture of my whole personality in addition to my motivation to make a positive change in our community and to create something with an impact big enough to help more people than I can count, is all I can offer. I hope that when we take the same determination from 5 more amazing people and combine it, something miraculous will be born.

Finally, if you could sum up the mission of Creatosphere in one sentence to inspire others, what would it be?

We want to create something beautiful today, so we can have one better tomorrow. The first step is the hardest, but it’s also the most important one because there is nothing else that can prevent success better than the lack of attempt. Life is for living, not blindly walking through. Believe in yourself that you can do more, be more, just like we believe in you. After all, you are the reason Creatosphere exists, let’s help each other out, shall we?