Author: Viktoriia Osypiak

The paradox of attention in the digital age vs. genuine connection.

Dear Reader,

I hope you’re all enjoying these cold and spooky days. Something has been on my mind lately, and it just won’t leave.
Have you ever felt completely elsewhere while surrounded by friends — or even thousands of strangers?

Isn’t it strange how humans, the most social creatures on the planet, often leave others out of the circle? It feels like it’s never enough for us. Just a few days ago, I found myself wondering: how can the most sociable species also be the loneliest?

I’ve often been that person — present, but not really there. But why? Am I boring? I don’t think so. Maybe, for once, it’s not me. Maybe it’s actually them.

That feeling of being left out both scares me and doesn’t.
You know that moment when you try to say something in a group or at home, and someone cuts you off mid-sentence? You just stand there, unsure whether to keep talking or to walk away — maybe then they’ll notice.
And I hate that sometimes it takes your absence for people to finally see that something’s changed.

They start talking, arrogantly, about how they “don’t know why you left” or how they “were so welcoming.” I’ve been around enough people to tell who’s genuinely kind and who’s just being polite. If you have to keep reminding people you exist, those are not your people. Do yourself a favour — walk away, and don’t come back once they notice.

In Ginny & Georgia, there’s a character named Max who used to be the centre of attention. Slowly, everyone grew colder — her friends forgot to invite her, and her family stopped noticing her because her twin brother’s mental health took priority. Her best friend Ginny ignored her feelings and said, “Maybe we just grew apart.” When Max said she didn’t want it to be okay, Ginny simply replied, “I don’t know what to tell you.”

Even when you watch the show, you don’t notice these moments right away — but they say so much about where we are now. Since when did ignoring each other’s feelings become normal? When did talking about what hurts become “uncool”?
Maybe people should take one step back to take two forward.

Something is happening in our society that I can’t quite understand.
Take care of your feelings — and of yourselves.

Yours truly,
Viktoriia❤️

Alice In Wonderland by The Folio Society

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve all had a great and productive summer. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to feel “stuck.” Even when life is full — new projects, new roles, new ideas — sometimes the mind refuses to move forward.

This summer, I joined a charity organisation as a Trustee, helping shape their content and sound. I also started working on new music. On paper, everything looks busy. Yet inside, I often feel motionless. After such a hectic year, I gave myself permission to rest and recharge, but the feeling of something being “off” still lingers.

A gift from a friend — Alice in Wonderland illustrated by The Folio Society — made me pause. Reading it with my favourite soundtracks playing in the background, I began to notice how much I share with Alice. Every challenge in life, like every peculiar character she meets, feels stranger and more complicated than the last. Does it ever stop? Sadly, no. Can I control it? Not always. But what I can do is adjust.

Alice loses herself in curiosity but eventually comes back to her senses. Life isn’t a fairytale, and it doesn’t slow down — but perhaps it becomes lighter when we share it. Maybe our stories won’t change the weight of life, but they might remind someone they’re not alone. And you’ll never know the impact until you try.

Love,

Viktoriia❤️

Dear Reader,

In my last post, I talked about burning out — and how important it is to give yourself credit for all that you do. Today, I want to speak about fear.
One fear in particular: silence.

Silence has always unsettled me. It’s something I was taught to obey, and maybe you were too. From childhood, I remember being told to stay quiet, to behave, to not say or do the wrong thing. I never really understood why. In fact, when I was little, I used to do the opposite. I spoke up. I asked questions. I pushed boundaries. I was loud with my heart.

But over time, something shifted.
The more I was told to shut up, the more I actually did.

I stopped talking about my personal life.
I stopped sharing the things I struggled with.
Because—God forbid—a girl dares to be emotional, open, or honest.

“Be this.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Just grow up.”

Okay — but then… what am I supposed to be?
What am I supposed to do when all I have are feelings I don’t know how to carry?
When I’m not okay, and no one around me seems to notice — or care?

I was just a child.
No, I couldn’t “suck it up.”
No, I couldn’t “grow up” when I was surrounded by grown-ups who were just kids in disguise.

So what do you do when there’s no one to support you?
When you’re bursting with emotions and no safe place to put them?

I don’t have a perfect answer. I wish I did.
There’s no guidebook for life. No step-by-step instructions for how to carry the weight we feel.

When I couldn’t turn to my family for advice, I searched for answers in places I probably shouldn’t have. But still—I survived.
And here’s what I now believe:

At the end of the day, it’s just me.
No one will care for me as deeply as I can care for myself.
So I might as well try. I might as well be the person I needed back then.

And now… silence isn’t just a fear. It’s also a place I go to heal.
Because when the world gets loud and cruel, silence becomes the only place where my voice can echo back to me — clearly, honestly, safely.

Maybe silence doesn’t mean emptiness.
Maybe it means listening—to yourself—for the first time in a long time.

Love,
Yours Viktoriia 🕊️

📸: Niko Lucian

Dear Reader,

I know it’s been a while since I last posted. After releasing my album, I felt completely burnt out. I was so focused on finishing and putting it out into the world that I forgot to take care of myself. On top of that, I was overwhelmed with college exams.

For almost two months after the release, I barely wrote anything. That silence reminded me of a song I wrote a year ago but never had the chance to record. I’d like to share a few lines from it:

“It feels like a prison
A prison you put me in
It feels like a prison to me
It feels like a prison
A prison of crazy guilt
But some other day I’m free”

Reading those lyrics again, I realised I’d been building my own sort of “prison” — where I could barely move, barely create. My mood was low, and days blurred into each other. Deep down, I knew something wasn’t right.

But here’s what I’ve learned: it’s okay to take a break after pouring your whole self into something — even if it’s the thing you love. Especially if you’re juggling it with things you don’t love. Sometimes you just need time to detox, to feel nothing, to rest without guilt.

Now, I finally feel ready to return to life. To get involved again. To create again.

If this feels like you right now, please know: you’re not alone. Let yourself rest. Reboot. You are loved. You are heard. You are seen.

Sincere,

Yours Viktoriia ❤

Dear reader,

If you’ve found your way here, welcome. This is my small corner of the world—a place where I gather my thoughts, my music, my memories, and the quiet moments in between. I don’t have all the answers, and I’m still learning how to turn feelings into words, sounds, stories. But I wanted a space to be honest, to be curious, to be real.

Here, you’ll find fragments of who I am—sometimes messy, sometimes soft, always sincere. I don’t know exactly where this journey will lead, but I’m glad you’re here to wander with me.

Thank you for listening, for reading, for feeling. I hope you find a little piece of yourself here, too.

Sincere,

Yours Viktoriia ❤