Both last year and the year before, with a heavy heart she had to postpone this huge cultural festival, and this year she was finally back in her element. Colours of Ostrava director Zlata Holušová lives and breathes for the festival, something that’s evident from every answer. And as much as she likes being part of this musical whirlwind, she likes to return to where there’s peace and quiet and life flows with a more subtle rhythm. Read another issue of the Insider with an inspiring personality from Rockaway’s portfolio.
One learns from one’s mistakes. What mistake taught you the most, and what, specifically?
I don’t think in these terms at all, and I’m not aware of any fatal mistakes. One is always making corrections, updates, and is constantly transforming what one does. I don’t worry about mistakes, because I’d cause myself unnecessary distress and grief. I don’t think anyone makes them on purpose. Mistakes are a natural and normal part of life. When you make a mistake, you try to correct it right away, and the next day you don’t remember it any more. At the time you immediately do everything to fix the situation. There’s no need to carry mistakes around inside you. And there’s no need to carry a mistake within you.
Which work-related decision got you where you are today?
It’s an entire lifestyle: that one does things with joy and passion, that one likes one’s work, doesn’t leave anything for later, and that – like in my case – one does everything one hundred percent. I always put each festival together as if it were to be the last. Always full on and always without reservations. As a result the festival keeps moving forward even without sophistry like: “We can’t do that this year, maybe next year,” or “The time isn’t right for that yet.” I don’t do that.
What inspiring book influenced you most, and should we read it?
There are many inspiring books and I’m a voracious reader. I’ve been influenced by lots of books, but currently I’d probably emphasize David Sinclair and his book LIFESPAN: The Revolutionary Science of Why We Age—and Why We Don’t Have To, or Oxygen Therapy by Patrick McKeown.
What was your best investment in life?
That I moved to the Beskyda Mountains a couple of years ago. I live in a beautiful place in the mountains, where I can take it easy and breathe fresh air. For my windpipes, it’s definitely the best thing I could have done. I like life in the Beskydas and I don’t mind driving an hour to Ostrava every day, because it’s very important to me. Moving here was probably the best investment.
How can one stay calm when the company is having a crisis?
I’m the type of person that doesn’t stay very calm when things get hectic. But at the same time, when things get hectic at the festival, you tend to get a dose of adrenaline and try to solve these situations, and actually start enjoying it again. And even crises can in the end be very positive – you enjoy overcoming unexpected obstacles and dealing with them, because these are the situations during which you really find out what excellent people you have around you.
What is the number-one rule that you follow every day at work?
The one that says that there’s no rule. Every day can be unique, every day can be a source of inspiration. I don’t make rules, I don’t like having a packed schedule, I tend to proceed intuitively and mainly use logic on things that catch my attention at the given moment, and sometimes even provoke me. Because I’m a programme director, I’ve perhaps got it a bit easier than if I was a manager working with numbers. I work with emotions and with the passion that’s contained in art. So the rule is actually: Go after what creates the beautiful, positive aroma and magic of art.
What life hack helps you most in your work?
When I’m working, what helps me, for example, is when I get a new fresh programming idea that at first might even seem risky. I usually devote most of my energy to it, because I’m the one who first has to prove that it makes sense. Creating something new is a very exciting detective story, because at that point you can’t see around the corner and so you’re swimming in unknown waters and have slight chills running down your spine, you even have to hack your habits, because new things require something new from you too. I’m extremely happy when it turns out that it was the right direction to take, even though nobody else would have even taken it. These are real challenges. But otherwise, a life hack – if that’s what we have to call it – is always taking off to Sri Lanka after the festival, and then relaxing, meditating in an Ayurveda centre or in nature. And that always gives me the desire to create new things again.
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