Milda ended up in Amsterdam, one of the most beautiful and pleasant cities in Europe, not because of money or even because of any features of this city. The Dutch capital attracted Lithuania because a profession that few have heard of in our country is extremely popular here.
This is called storytelling, and the people who do it are storytellers. They are professionals who can speak on any topic in front of a large audience. The better the storyteller, the more viewers he attracts to his events. Some of them boldly organize world tours, gathering arenas full of fans; others, less famous, are limited to nightclubs, cafes or cultural centers.
The art of storytelling has been popular in Holland for many years. This craft is even passed down from generation to generation. Famous storytellers here are big stars like TV presenters or actors.
Every storyteller wants to become popular and then earn huge money from it. After all, this profession does not require large investments, you do not need to organize spectacular shows, hire dancers, musicians or anything else. You can just stand on stage alone and start telling. Only that story must be special, attention-grabbing, sometimes even shocking.
"It's the art of storytelling. He didn't appear yesterday. It has been around since ancient times, thousands of years. Everything was told, only later it was written down. And over the ages, all that, shall we say, performance art has filtered through. Now attracted some modern features. It is sound, lights, and music. Media can also be included. There is a very strong tradition in England, in Belgium and here in Holland," Milda tells the LRT Television program "Emigrantai".
There are no famous Lithuanians in this field yet. But only for now, because that's exactly what Milda is aiming for. She is in Holland to learn how to be an unsurpassed storyteller, to become popular not only in this country, but also far beyond its borders.
While living in Lithuania, Milda worked as a science administrator Vilnius University. After working at the university for three years, as she says - "dry work on papers", she decided that this field was not for her. Sitting in the office for eight hours a day and hardly communicating with anyone became too boring for the girl, there were not enough people around.
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She went to Estonia, where she completed her master's studies, then to England and Ireland, whose nature made a great impression on the Lithuanian. Having tried herself in the field of service, Milda quickly realized that this kind of work was not for her. "I wanted something more intellectual," she explains now. That's when she first thought that she should go on stage and become a storyteller.
Milda is convinced that until the age of 30, every person has the right to try as many areas as possible in order to understand what exactly they want from their life. "There is nothing worse than those who do a job they don't love," she says, fearing the same fate.
"I really like public speaking. I have always loved to give toasts and tell stories. I just like to tell stories, that's all. And I just wanted to try something. I started this with the introductory workshop weekend. I came to Amsterdam in 2015. the end of August. And I was hooked," the emigrant recalls.
Milda says that she was never attracted to go live abroad and now she would love to live in Lithuania, but there is not a single "storyteller" school in our country. This was the only and most important reason why she is currently an expatriate.
"I was looking for a place to study here, and I found a school in England and here. And still in India. I thought that I would not go to India, it was too expensive in England, so it turned out that I went to Amsterdam. But I am very satisfied", says the interviewer of the show "Emigrantai".
In order to become a professional storyteller, it is not enough to learn in courses lasting a few days or a week, and you cannot be self-taught either. "There are certain rules that every artist must follow," warns Milda.
The Lithuanian, infected with the dream of shining on stage, explains that this field is very complex and deep, some things are similar to acting, but it is not the same. "Not every actor is a good storyteller," explains the Lithuanian.
Merely studying is not enough, says Milda. Every storyteller must have an inner charisma that draws the audience to listen to him. In a job like this, it's important to look good or interesting, and you also need to not be afraid to make fun of yourself.
In order to become a professional storyteller, Milda is ready to spend all her savings. She believes that by pursuing her dream, she will earn a lot more money from this field later. "This introduction cost 300 euros, the middle one cost 900 euros, and now it costs 1800 euros for three months," says the Lithuanian.
Those people who have never heard of the profession of storytellers often criticize Milda, saying that she chose a completely unprofitable field. There are even those who paint a sad future for the girl and always advise her to look for a more mundane job.
Amsterdam is an expensive city, it would be practically impossible to survive here without working. However, Milda does not want to take up work in the field of service, which she has already tried while living in England. She says it would interfere with her concentration to "bewitch". Currently, she takes on odd jobs related to the art of speaking to make some money.
Living in Amsterdam, the most important thing for Milda is to earn money for renting an apartment and for food. Transport does not cost her anything here, because she rides a bicycle everywhere, and she also tries not to have other expenses.
While the Lithuanian learns to become a professional storyteller, she works at a cultural center that trains specialists in this field. This is not only a way to earn, but also a great opportunity to make important contacts.
After inviting us to visit the cultural center where she works, Milda says that it is a cozy environment that is extremely important for storytellers. She cannot imagine this art in a simple beer bar among drunkards.
Having organized more than one storytelling evening, Lithuania received huge support from the Dutch. Milda is called a promising storyteller, and more than one professional in this field predicts an international career for her.
Milda tries to use the fact that she has read a lot of books when she stands in front of the audience. He often recreates the stories he has read or shares the most impressive quotes. However, personal confessions and stories about various experiences attract far more attention from the audience.
The most important thing for a storyteller is to leave an indelible impression. When you get on stage, you must speak in such a way that people laugh or cry. Faces must show vivid emotions.
Milda's most successful narrative was her own life story. People are amazed that a girl from Lithuania decided to take on the adventure of a rather rare profession.
The Lithuanian, who is climbing the career ladder, managed to make a mark in the local Dutch press as well. True, not for the work done in Amsterdam yet, but for what she did while living in Vilnius. The Dutch media was interested in her project bibliotekėlė.lt.
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In her performances, Milda always tries to promote our country. They say that they do it not only because of patriotism, but also because the audience is very interested in this topic. The Dutch are not familiar with Lithuania, so they have many questions about our nation.
Milda has no plans to return to live in Vilnius yet. For the next few years, she wants to live and work in Amsterdam, become popular here, and then gradually start promoting the art of storytelling in Lithuania, so that professionals in this field appear in our country.
Orijs Gasanov, LRT TELEVISION show "Emigrants", LRT.lt
