Our Little Military trick
Written & Photographed by Pavel Kuljuk
Journalist Pavel Kuljuk, who lives in Kramatorsk, shares with The Saint his experiences in the midst of war.
We can't live in a war without a guaranteed outcome. Therefore, every action has multiple goals, which increases the likelihood of success. Usually when we do something, we strive for three things: self-improvement, money and moral support.
"Do you have a 23-inch long blue concealed clasp?" I asked the owner of the "Beloshveyka" shop at the Kramatorsk market.
"Yes, there is. I'll find it now. You haven't visited in a while," she answered me.
"My wife isn't knitting clothes right now. That's why I don't come to buy yarn. She's decided to sew dresses for herself now," I replied.
"Look at this zipper. It costs 40 cents," the saleswoman took the zipper out of the box.
"Thank you. If we live, we'll see each other again." I paid and left the store.
That day, despite the constant shelling, I went into town again to do some shopping. These short trips are like extreme tourism. But this is what I need to do to save money and ease the boredom of military life. Yes! Living in a war zone for a long time is terribly boring. For the last five years, living in a war zone, we've tried to entertain ourselves in our own unique family style.
The foundation of our entertainment is creation and self-improvement, and sometimes, if possible, to make money. So, since February 2022, I've written four books, planted a garden, founded a company in the U.S. and secured a Pulitzer Prize nomination. My wife has made us a cozy home, provides frank conversations on any topic and has learned to cook delicious food even when there's almost no food available. She's also learned to grow vegetables and do different types of manicures. But most of her time, especially in winter, she devotes to perfecting her clothing manufacturing skills. This is a particularly sensitive topic for our family and here’s why.
My wife's knitting and sewing skills are both a hobby and a way to earn money. As a hobby, it's a success. During the tedium of wartime life, knitting needles and a sewing machine replaced all other distractions. Over the past five years, Svetlana has knitted countless swimsuits, underwear, summer dresses and skirts, and winter sweaters. These items have enriched our family wardrobe. But we haven't been able to utilize these skills as a source of income. The main problems are imperfect financial instruments, overly expensive logistics and our lack of experience.
I tried to open an online store several times, but, due to various technical issues, well-known and effective marketplaces couldn't take us on board. For example, one well-known Canadian marketplace refused to register me because I didn't have a mobile phone number registered in the U.S. The fact that I had a company registered in the U.S. didn't matter. The store's administration demanded that I purchase a phone number in the U.S. because my company was registered there. I found this requirement too silly, and I didn't want to incur the additional costs of purchasing a phone number.
Another problem is the prohibitively expensive logistics. Shipping a parcel from Ukraine to the U.S. costs between $12 and $25 per 2.2 pounds (1 kg). This almost doubles the cost of a small garment, such as underwear or a skirt. This reduces the competitiveness of our handcrafted clothing. Without shipping costs, men's knitted swimming trunks would cost around $10. But due to expensive international shipping, the price almost doubles to over $20. For this price, a buyer could buy five synthetic swimming trunks.
Of course, hand-knitted swimwear is a niche product for people who understand the difference between hand-knitted items, which exist in single copies, and swimwear produced in factories by the millions. But such people are very few and finding them is very difficult. Ultimately, the family business died before it was even born. But other people are achieving success in this field. This haunts me. I'm used to achieving the best possible results, but in this case, I feel like a failure. What's wrong with me?
I suddenly found the answer to this question while looking through the Car Show Eye Candy story in The Saint Magazine. I'm worth how I value myself. The beautiful photographs of exquisite cars in the report gave me this idea. My problem is that I value myself too cheaply to sell expensive things. That's why the family business failed. I need to change my worldview and look 100% like those beautiful and expensive cars in the report. Then selling exclusive clothing won't be a difficult business. To succeed in selling clothing, I need to adjust my self-esteem.
Thus, our humble clothing business turned into a path to personal growth. I decided to get involved not only to make money, but also to improve myself. Frankly, it wasn't just for the sake of business or self-improvement, but also to survive a little longer in the war zone. Three reasons for one action. This is necessary to ensure that at least one of the three goals is achieved. If you do something in war, you need a guaranteed result. It's a military trick.
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