Name: Nadiia Kushnir
Age: 25
Education: Ukrainian Academy of Printing in Lviv
Profession: Illustrator
Did you know? Kushnir illustrates children’s books and also writes them. She has written two books so far — they are called “Tooth” and “Belly Button.”
Nadiia Kushnir hit the headlines after she created a cynical cartoon character with a typical Ukrainian mentality — the Goose.
Kushnir first came up with the Goose two years ago, when she started placing him in various life situations as a comical character, and it became a ubiquitous internet meme. The character’s virtual behavior resonated with Ukrainians, and it has become a big hit.
The Goose character talks about everyday problems in a mix of the Ukrainian and Russian languages, often using profanities.
“The Goose is like a free psychologist. People see how he copes with problems similar to their own ones,” Kushnir told the Kyiv Post. “But mainly, I guess, I’m just doing what I love, and so people love it, too.”
Due to public affection, the Goose has become a commodity: two books about the Goose have been published, the character has appeared on credit cards, t-shirts, mugs, and even on safety posters in the Kyiv underground.
Today the Goose is the centerpiece of Kushnir’s creative work. However, although she loves the character, she thinks its success relies on the way it expresses emotions and handles controversial topics, rather than simply Kushnir’s own skills as an illustrator.
Her other accomplishments at just 25 are impressive: she has illustrated over 50 children’s books. But what really makes Kushnir proud is her own children’s books, which she not only illustrated, but wrote too.
Kushnir has published two children’s books written and illustrated by her, called “Tooth” and “Belly Button.”
“When the text is mine, it feels like I can do absolutely anything I want,” she said. “When the text is someone else’s, it might be hard to feel what the author wants to say.”
Despite her success as an illustrator, she says her royalties are not large and it’s hard for her to earn decent money without working all the time, at nights and weekends, while caring for her newborn baby.
“I just want to live normally,” she said. “In our country, you’d have to work a lot to achieve that.”
Kushnir has worked with clients from the United States and Poland, but she likes living in Ukraine more. She said she understands what Ukrainian children need when growing up here.
“Abroad, the mentality differs. I could draw all sorts of things, but people wouldn’t understand,” she said. “Here… I grew up here myself. I can understand what a kid needs, how to bring children up; I know what to show them and how to teach them with my illustrations.”
