Meet the co-founders: Toni Lyubenova

Today we’ll be introducing Toni – one of our co-founders and representative of the board.

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

I’m really passionate about education. So passionate that I wanted to convince my mother to let me leave school at 15. Luckily, I had great mentors in my life – those who assured me that being an artist doesn’t necessarily have to be separate from education – in fact, it can enhance it, it can serve as a tool for professional and personal growth.

And this is how I realised that after 12 years of theatre, I’ve become a good public speaker. After writing a novel, I learned how to write grants for European projects. Somehow all those artistic skills translated into useful life skills. And, of course, sometimes I love creating art just for the sake of it.

Creatosphere, to me, was the natural next step. I’ve been missing a joined community of artists in Sofia, and instead of spending my time looking, I began working on creating it!

How do you live through art in your daily life?

I consider myself a walking contradiction. When I was little, relatives would often try and encourage me to choose one career path to take in life. Back in the day, I was doing theatre classes on Monday and Wednesday, guitar lessons on Wednesday noon, writing short stories and poems in the local book club on Thursdays, and taking pictures/creating short videos whenever I had the time. I can still see why this can be confusing to people – but it was my way of living. As a matter of fact, it still is.

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

I’d love to see it grow beyond hypothesis. I want to make it very practical, in a way that every person who wants to be involved can join, either as a volunteer, or as a participant to some of our local events or international projects. My goal is to establish Creatosphere as a community hub, where artists from all around can gather, learn and create together. Establish a Sphere of Creation, in a way.

I’m missing this community way of living, especially here, in the bigger city. Coming from a small town in Bulgaria, I’d love to create a reality where people support each other for their personal and professional growth, can meet and talk and develop ideas greater than life.

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

One of the more recent experiences happened while leading a training course on the topic of Nonviolent communication through puppet theatre. Some of the participants have never previously held scissors in their life, yet they managed to create some of the most beautiful hand puppets ever! Then, we worked on creating several performances related to the topic of nonviolent communication for young people, and I saw how easy it was to explain the value and principles behind it when you’re using theatre. I’ve never seen conflicts end so quickly – and with people happy on all sides – as I’ve seen in this theatrical approach.

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

Speaking (sometimes too much, sometimes too little), bringing visions to life (having a visual brain helps when you’re a filmmaker), and listening to everyone’s opinion, accommodating different people’s needs. “All needs can be met” is one of the principles of nonviolent communication.

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

I will quote Charles Bukowski from one of my favorite poems of his, called “so you want to be a writer?”: