Why a clown nose? I grew up in post-Soviet Russia and went through the first 28 years of my life fulfilling everything I was told I should be, which involved a lot of looking good and making money. It also involved feeling depressed and lonely. In 2016 I left a career in teaching and a Master's in graphic design and went looking for cities where strangers look each other in the eyes and wild sceneries where I could be alone with my self. My journey took a sharp turn in France when chance and magic lead me to my first clown workshop. The way clown was described to me, was as a "being with no skin". Meaning that when we are in the clown-state, we do not have the invisible walls of protection that all of us build between ourselves and the outside world. That way, anything that happens to us has the ability to touch us deeply, stir things up and let them rise to the surface for everyone to see. Clowning was my first experience of being seen without any filters or masks and experiencing the world from moment to moment as if it was new. Since then uninhibited self-expression has become my passion which I strive to embody in my life and work.