Alexandr Korol

but then we look at the clock and seven hours have passed. I know what that is now, if we go deeper into it — but in the first volume of “Alternative History” I didn’t fully understand it. Now, of course, I can describe it differently, but that’s for later. Without the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth volumes, it’s impossible to grasp how I perceive it now. And how does the Spirit leave? Honestly, very quickly. But again, in the first volume, we call it the Spirit. Later on, it all unfolds differently, which is why I say it’s like connecting to Wi-Fi, to a certain sphere — that’s another fitting description. But in the first volume, I call it the Spirit, and that already feels like a “wow,” a good explanation for that stage. Later, it turns out the Spirit is something else entirely — not just the Spirit — but that comes later. And so how does the Spirit leave? Let’s say I start discussing with you what time we need to be at work tomorrow, or whether we need to bring some form or document. The moment we start talking about that — boom — all the magic fades, the vacuum disappears. We immediately begin to hear sounds outside the window, and our attention becomes scattered. It’s like we’re returning to another rhythm. This whole apartment, you and I, we all shift back into the world where the focus is on daily life, routine, the human realm. That’s how it works. I’ve noticed that I like to capture that state — to trust myself when I’m in the Spirit, of course — and every person should trust themselves when they’re in that state. That’s the moment to make a list of what you want, what catches your attention: music, films, people, clothing, objects in your apartment — what resonates and what doesn’t. That is, whenever I catch that state of being in the Spirit, I always try to immediately materialize and realize it. That’s why I always, for example, keep a canvas on an easel ready, so that if I suddenly enter the Spirit, I can at least scribble something, and because I create that painting in that world, it then radiates energy. So to capture it, when I’m in the Spirit, I like to take a photograph — of myself or of the apartment — or create a painting. Or, of course, I write books. But most often, the Spirit, in 99% of cases, only activates when the topics of “Alternative History” are touched. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in a conversation with someone or when I’m reading my own book “Alternative History,” or when I’m writing about it — only then does the Spirit come. And after that, while I’m still in that Spirit, I can do anything — sit down and paint the right kind of pictures while the Spirit is still within me. But it’s not like I’m always in this Spirit — it turns on and off, on and off. That’s how it happens.