Anton Yankovyi is a photo-artist, a blogger, a traveler and a philosopher. He is one of the winners of “The best European professional photographer” competition, owner of a lot other different prizes and recognized photography guru, who is cooperating with famous agencies, publishing and companies as Apple, National Geographic, Getty Images, Yahoo, Discovery, BBC, The Gurdian, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, SilverKris Airlines, El Paris, Daily Record, British Digital Photo, Digital SLR Photography Magazine, Photographer, PhotoTravel, PhotoDelo, Himalaya MapHouse, Go Launcher, etc. By the way, he is from Zhytomyr and also a great companion

“In general, I don’t have accommodation. I live at the same place for only several months – Eastern Asia, Hindustan. I come to Zhytomyr for month or two. For the first time in 11 years I’ve come for long.  I haven’t seen our real winter for 7 years so far. In the Himalayas region there are strong winds and much snow, but still it feels not the same.” (Smiles)

Everything lies in psychological factor: person creates obstacles. The only need is to find a switch in your head and flip over

I’m not alpinist and something I do seems difficult at first sight. Quite literally it’s accessible for everybody: either children or an older person, despite it seems impossible. The evidence from practice shows that everything lies in psychological factor: person creates obstacles. The only need is to find a switch in your head and flip over. That’s all” (Laughs)
“The first travel was to Nepal. Even though, since 2007 I’ve already been there 18 times, but I still remember the first. There and then I realized that I must go to the Himalayas. I‘ve started discovering and was very surprised when I found out that the Himalayas are located in a small country Nepal. Since then I’ve decided to collect money for our first travel.”

“Earthquake in Nepal is a common thing. Firstly you feel confusion because of sharp dizziness, head is swimming, and everything is shaking. There’s a feeling that something is wrong with you and then you faint. After some time comes the understanding that you’re not the only one. Earthquake and destroying are not the scariest things but the human factor and panic everywhere are. Western tourists can hardly hide the feelings and emotions, but Nepalese and Indians run through the crowd at the breakneck speed with popped eyes, devouring everything on their path. However, there’s nowhere to run. That is the scariest.”

After tours people become freer, happier and find the sense of life

“People find themselves while travelling. When they come out of the comfort zone, they are extremely happy that they meet themselves. Probably, this is a thing people go to mountains for. When it is silent, you do millions of steps forward, you come to understanding yourself even faster. Everybody changes after such tours. I have the list of almost 100 members who totally changed their lives after a tour, because they realized that there’s a lot of lie towards them. At the certain stage of life they were edged in frames, forced by our upbringing and totally forgot about themselves. After tours people become freer, happier and find the sense of life.”

“I definitely have some values. Unconditionally, these are parents and also social connections, friendship and love. However, I try to look at this aspect from the different angle. I try to listen to myself, to real senses and feelings. Unfortunately, friendship is not always sincere and love as well. I think, gold standards of the most important human values are put in everybody. You have to listen to them.”

Gold standards of the most important human values are put in everybody. You have to listen to them

“I’ve been travelling to regions where Vedic culture and knowledge are honored. There is totally different glance on everything: a successful person is the one who is happy. I’m also sure that a successful person is a happy person. Here must be equals sign. Person who is loved enough, sincerely loved is the most successful and prosperous.”
“Everything in our lives is upon conditions. When you talk to astrologist, you start feeling scared because a stranger tells you about relations which you’ve had almost since your birth. It helps to realize your nature, which can be use to your benefit – discover something you have from the very beginning, covering all problems.”
“It’s scary to understand that you know a lot, you see a lot but it doesn’t make you happy. Empathy appears and it becomes harder to live with it.”

“I graduated from Kiev International Academy of Personnel Management. As representatives of their time, my parents wanted me to be a financier, an economist, an accountant and I applied on economist. I’m delighted that I graduated from Kiev International Academy of Personnel Management, even though I was ready to apply to Mohyla (author’s note – Kiev Mohyla Academy). I didn’t regret at all. We had the best teachers from Mohyla Academy, from Shevchenko University. Moreover, owners of big corporations were constantly invited here, who shared their experience not only theory. There was put a great emphasis not on educational process but communication. We’ve been talking a lot with honored scientists, experts of their spheres. All the people there are unique.”

Parents’ aim is not to spoil little person but to create the best conditions for keeping the experience which is needed for this very soul

“I love small children very much. On my opinion, the community which we know a little about, doesn’t have any tradition, there’s nothing to pass on our children except a small pea of gained experience which is not as true-to-life as it is wanted to be; and it’s really unknown whether it’s worth passing on or sharing because people should gain moral norms and principles themselves. When the certain level is reached and there’s a need to share knowledge as a teacher passes on to student, then it’s the right time to have children. When hormones are pumping and we do all the primitive animal functions as an expansion of biomaterial around us is not the right moment.  Parents’ aim is not to spoil little person but to create the best conditions for keeping the experience which is needed for this very soul.”

“During the last years it’s more interesting to return to Ukraine. All the processes happen in another way. You find out that you gain an experience that is needed to outlast despite being unpleasant or there’s a desire to run away from it, but you still have to overcome this. So there’s a will to work harder.”

How can one dislike native places?

“It’s the first time for a long period that I’ve come home for 9 months. I do different things, plan to prepare photo-stories, master classes but it’s a little bit later.”
“Even though I love Zhytomyr, here I feel stagnation and cultural stuck. Here’s no flowing stream, pouring in art, tourism at last. Generally, how can one dislike native places?”
Photo: Serhii Hryhorchuk
Text: Oksana Davydenko