One year captured in 52 weekly drawings by Julia Zass

One year of my life captured in 52 weekly drawings

In 2021, after five years of regular practice, I stopped drawing every day. In March 2022, I decided to start drawing my life again but to do it weekly. Each drawing captures my thoughts, impressions, and significant moments of my life. Making one drawing per week is a great opportunity to highlight the most memorable things but, at the same time, not to spend too much time on drawing, so it would be enjoyable and, what's important, manageable when having a hectic schedule.

This 'Stranger Things' TV series moment

My dad's cat. He was staying at my place for a few days

A remarkable door in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic.

of my life's moments depicted in 52 weekly drawings

1 year

of drawing and 3 styles changed during the project

380 hours

visited and many ups and downs experienced during this year

9 countries

spent to design and layout this project on my website

Endless time

Working on a new landing page for Backer.

Being devastated and paranoid about the possibility of atomic war, considering the current political situation.

Watching a Batman movie in bed while eating pizza at home.

I spent a nice weekend at my friends' country house, which included watching 'Fantastic Beasts', petting cats, and taking long walks in the forest.

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Trying my hand at ceramics for the first time, crafting a small bowl with a tiger on the bottom.

Working on a video storyboard for Farfetch Platform Solutions.

Having a weekend out of the city for my boyfriend's 30th birthday.

Enjoyed a refreshing post-lunch walk while listening to a fascinating podcast about the life of an average peasant at the beginning of the 20th century. What fascinated me the most was that they didn't have tooth decay at all because they simply didn't eat sugar. It was a silly moment because, at the same time, I was eating my favorite green tea ice cream.

Shortening the sleeves on my new hoodie because I'm short, so all long sleeves are typically too long for me.

Having a cozy swap party with girlfriends and their friends, exchanging unwanted belongings with each other. The star of the evening was this distinguished fluffy cat of the hostess.

The first time I successfully cooked a poached egg that didn't fall apart!

Started watching the long-awaited fourth season of 'Stranger Things'.

Participated in a birthday celebration for an acquaintance of mine. The event took place in a park where we grilled, played table tennis, and had a nice time.

One of the illustrations I made for the Farfetch Platform Solutions website. You can see this set of my illustrations on the second screen of the website's main home page.

In my drawing journals, I always distinguish my friends with some characteristic elements so I could recognize them in my drawings after a while.

Tanya's curly hair and her labradoodle, Phenix

Masha's new distinctive tattoo

Having lunch in the park near my apartment on a warm, sunny day.

Got a fresh haircut and hair styling.

Spent a long, heartwarming day with my friends and their adorable dog, Phenix. We took a long walk in the park, had lunch, participated in activities at a pet fair, and won oranges as a prize.

Watched another episode of Stranger Things. I feel like the fourth season is much stronger, scarier, and more intriguing than the previous ones. I really enjoyed watching it.

Having my friends over at my place.

These two elements also symbolize two friends of mine. The small house is a gift from my friend Anya; she brought me this souvenir from her trip. The second one is a small umbrella brooch that my friend Masha gave me when our friendship began.

Meeting with girlfriends and taking Polaroid pictures to depict this memory because I'll be leaving Russia in a couple of weeks. I took photos with all my close friends before leaving and brought the photos with me.

Here our friend was approaching the place where we gathered, and we were greeting her through the window.

Celebrating with my boyfriend the 1st anniversary of our relationship.

Pet-sitting with my dad's cat, Tihon. He was stressed and yelled every night.

Packing my memorable belongings into boxes, unsure if I'll ever see them again.

Spending a day with my friends and their dog, Cooper. I gave them some of my belongings, including my Dracaena Marginata. I was really attached to this plant.

I enjoyed the established pencil-like drawing style, but at this point, I realized that it takes a lot of time to finish one drawing.

So, I simplified it even further by removing all the halftones and keeping only lines, occasionally using filling in some cases.

Moving out from the apartment where I made numerous repairs, including painting walls, removing black mold, and fixing various issues, and where I eventually lived for only 1.5 years.

Leaving Russia, where I had lived since the age of 8 when my family moved to Moscow from Ukraine. My boyfriend and I packed our stuff and set off to an uncertain future without a particular place to live.

Our first stop was Yerevan, Armenia, where we spent several wonderful days. A colleague of mine, together with his dad (they are locals), showed us around the city and its surroundings. They were extremely hospitable and welcoming, it was so heartwarming!

We arrived in Moldova, my boyfriend's homeland, and planned to spend some time there while while figuring out what to do next.

This is a local delicacy, young walnuts. They have a unique fresh, crisp taste, unlike regular walnuts. They are harvested and sold only in August and September. We couldn't get enough of them!

After intense search, we finally found a decent apartment in Chisinau. It had a great view of the entire city.

This ellipse marks my very first workout in a gym. Since then, I've managed to establish a fairly regular gym routine, except during periods of relocation and settling in a new country, which has been frequent since then.

Visiting the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History in Chisinau. It has a gorgeous stained glass ceiling and quite an interesting and diverse exposition.

On Friday evening, we decided to take a stroll in the park and stumbled upon a lively fair in full swing. Live music, cozy lighting, and numerous food trucks offering a variety of delicious meals filled the air with enticing aromas. It was a shame that we had already eaten at McDonald's just 30 minutes before, and that meal wasn't tasty at all.

Visiting a local site, Old Orhei. It's a historical and archaeological complex in Moldova. It has a unique landscape, ancient cave monasteries, remnants of fortress walls, and a traditional Moldovan village.

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I accidentally hit a mole on my back against a door frame, cutting the mole in half, so eventually, I had to have it removed. It was a pity because I liked how it looked.

Moldova is famous for its wineries. This week, we had an excursion and wine tasting at the Purcari Winery.

This week, we left Moldova and went to Turkey for an all-inclusive vacation with our friends. Before that, we had to balance our work hours with travel, apartment search, and other tasks, so it was quite exhausting, and we wanted to recharge a bit before our next moves.

Another week, another winery excursion. This time it was the Milestii Mici winery, renowned as the largest underground wine cellar in the world. Another fascinating fact is that its vast network of underground tunnels stretches for over 200 kilometers and houses millions of bottles of wine.

Visiting the top of Tahtali Mountain at sunset. Its height is approximately 2,365 meters above sea level, and the view is breathtaking.

After an accident involving a huge cup of hot tea spilled on my new laptop, I tried to repair it for a few months. When we arrived in Moldova, I took it for repairs and waited for the replacement parts for a long time. Finally, one day before our departure from Chisinau, the laptop was finally ready.

Arriving in Istanbul for two weeks. The first week we will spend on vacation, and during the second week, we'll start working. The main impression for me was the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, a place I had dreamed of visiting since learning about its existence in my university History of Art lectures.

Istanbul is known as the city of cats. One day, we decided to count all the cats we saw on our way, and that day we counted 73. To be fair, half of this number was counted on one square where dozens of cats were chilling at the same time.

Visiting Myra, an ancient Greek town in Turkey. There are carved rock tombs that once housed the remains of Myra's most prominent citizens.

The apartment we lived in Istanbul was pretty shabby but had a unique layout under the roof and an authentic vibe.

This moment of the year was exceptionally special for me

On October 15th, I flew to Europe to see my mom for the first time since she left Ukraine at the beginning of March 2022. She fled from Nikopol, our hometown in Ukraine, to Poland. It was a long and painful journey she endured, and I was terrified that I might never see her again. Fortunately, she arrived safely in Poland. We decided to meet in Vienna and travel together back to Poland. This reunion was especially emotional and long-awaited for both of us.

Visited a few galleries and exhibitions in Wroclaw with Mom. This is 'Winter Landscape with Skaters and a Bird-Trap' by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, from the National Museum of Wroclaw.

Exploring downtown Wroclaw with mom <3

This week, my parents and I had a road trip from Austria to Poland, and I managed to mix in some work during our travels. After spending a day in Vienna, we headed to Český Krumlov, an adorable small town in the Czech Republic. We then stayed in Prague for a couple more days before finally arriving in Wroclaw, Poland, where my mom and stepdad were living at the time.

Lastly, we spent a day in Berlin before I flew to Istanbul back to my boyfriend.

Learning an HTML course to expand my skills in web design and enhance my communication with engineers.

This week, we flew to Bali. It was our first time in Asia, our first time changing so many time zones, and many other firsts. Everything felt different, unusual, and a bit surreal. At some point, we even questioned if coming here was a bad idea and if this island life would suit us. But we didn't have a place to return to.

This week, we struggled to find a decent place to live, desperately searching around the island, often in pouring rain. Eventually, we found a temporary apartment and lived there for 1.5 months. It was too expensive for its quality. November and December are the worst times to arrive on the island.

Finally, I completed the HTML course I started a couple of months earlier!

A remarkable door in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic.

It's a traditional Balinese offering called "canang sari." Typically, it's a floral arrangement crafted with palm leaves and filled with flowers, rice, and other symbolic items (sometimes including cigarettes or candies). Offerings are placed twice daily in temples, homes, and other sacred spaces as a way to express gratitude, respect, and devotion to the gods and spirits in Balinese Hindu culture.

A calm workweek in Istanbul. On the weekend, we went to my friend's place for a barbecue on his wonderful terrace atop a hill with a gorgeous view of the entire city.

A couple of our friends arrived on the island, and we spent a lot of time together. We visited Ubud for a weekend, exploring the Monkey Forest, attending a sound healing session, enjoying a nice complex of saunas in the jungle, and visiting a few other locations.

This week, I began working with another startup with which I eventually collaborated for more than a year. It was a great experience, but unfortunately, it shut down in February 2024.

Here, one of the brightest experiences of my life happened: hiking to the Batur volcano at sunrise. We hiked from the non-touristic side of the mountain, which took us 3 hours to reach the top just as the sunrise began. It was a heavenly beautiful view. Despite being exhausted, I was incredibly happy in that moment. After the sunrise, our guides cooked us breakfast using the heat of the volcano between the hot rocks! They prepared boiled eggs, bananas, corn, and sweet potatoes.

At this point, I refreshed my drawing style just a hair by changing the brush that I used to a more graphic one.

I know that the change is barely noticeable to the naked eye, but for me, the difference is huge :)

Watching the new movie, 'Avatar: The Way of Water'.

My grandpa passed away from a painful disease in Ukraine. I wish I could have talked to him before he passed.

Rewatching my favorite animated TV series, 'Gravity Falls'.

We embarked on a cozy warung (a type of local eatery) beside the ocean where we would eat on a regular basis while we were in Bali. The warung has an open terrace just a few meters from the ocean. We would never get bored having breakfast and staring at this timeless view.

On the weekend, we went to Ubud and explored a few local sights. It was also the weekend when I tried my first digital detox day, something I've been doing occasionally since then. It's a very effective way to get real rest and to deal with one's FOMO.

On our way back to Bali from Nusa Penida, we had an accident with the key to our Bali bike. We had left it in the Airbnb we stayed at on Nusa Penida and only realized it while on a boat back to Bali. The boat ride takes around 40 minutes. We contacted the Airbnb's landlord for help, and this saintly man brought the key to the Nusa Penida boat office and asked someone to deliver it to us while we were waiting at a boat office in Bali. Of course, we sent him money for the trouble, but at first he didn’t want to accept it.

Having a call with the girls.

Visiting the Taman Ayun Temple. It's a traditional Balinese temple surrounded by a park with a pond around it.

We went to Nusa Penida for a few days. It's a small, much less touristy island located southeast of Bali. There, we enjoyed Penida's fantastic beaches, landscapes, and peaceful nature.

Visiting Crystal Bay beach on Nusa Penida. It was clean, almost empty, and so beautiful.

Another breakfast beside the ocean at our favorite warung. So many sketches were made there.

This week, we finally found a nice apartment with a small personal garden and all the amenities we needed, and it cost three times less than the previous one.

Visited the Jatiluwih rice terraces, a beautiful non-touristic place with gorgeous landscapes and tracks for walking around the terraces. There aren't many places to walk in Bali, almost none, so we were happy to have this opportunity.

We found a small local fruit market near our new place where we would regularly buy fruits for the next six months. They were of great quality and priced symbolically, around $5-7 for a few kilos. It was one of the greatest joys I experienced on the island.

On February 13th, it was my birthday

We went snorkeling, where we visited some fantastic coral reefs with tiny colorful fish and saw a manta ray. This event would have been perfect if I hadn't gotten seasick in the water. In the evening, we also visited the famous Kelingking Beach with its breathtaking cliffs.

At the time, I was having regular weekly calls with my girlfriends in English to catch up and practice the language.

Spending time on the Nyang Nyang Beach. To get to the beach you should overcome a long staircase (and it's even harder and sweeter to get back) but it's totally worth it because the beach is empty and gorgeous having panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and lush greenery.

I bought sandals from the local Indonesian brand 'Highjack sandals,' which I wore for the next six months in various situations. Remarkably, they still appear brand new.

Visiting Bali Bird Park, a place where many exotic birds from around the world live. Most of them are free to move around without being in cages. Those birds that need to be enclosed have plenty of space to fly in controlled areas.

Another weekend in Ubud was spent exploring the wonderful Neka Art Museum and sleeping under a fancy mosquito net.

We had the opportunity to experience the Balinese Day of Silence, also known as Nyepi, which marks the Balinese New Year. During Nyepi, Balinese Hindus observe a day of silence, fasting, meditation, and self-reflection. On this day, no one is allowed to go outside, make noise, or turn on lights (though lights can be turned on if the curtains are closed). It's a unique day when the entire island remains silent and dark.

I signed a contract with Substack and designed a few pages of their website.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening on the beach, where we lit a bonfire and watched the sunset.