I realized that my advertising contracts before the war were something like oil rents for me: I didn't think about how and how much I was spending. Buying posters signed by Salvador Dali for millions of rubles, participating in Japanese art auctions where I raised the bids without even catching the last raise, renovating the entire entranceway at my own expense without the participation of my neighbors – all this was part of my wasteful life. Now I'm learning to earn anew. My main asset has been paintings, and recently added sculptures. This source of income, which once seemed insignificant to me, is now of great importance. The crisis, especially the financial crisis, has been the best way for me to change, to learn new things.

I do have the privilege of having numbers on my instagram account, but for the art market it turned out to be irrelevant. My second account – Instagram.com/sheidlinart has turned out to be a lifeline in many ways, there now seems to be potentially more opportunities there.