Margarita Mikhaylovskaya: The Polymath Behind the Elegance of Numbers and Stitches

Margarita ?came to?listen to?my lecture about home education and?caught my eye by asking smart questions. When we connected on Facebook and?I?got to?know her better, I?was stupefied by the?versatility of?Margarita’s talents and?activities. We later collaborated on a?project and?I?was amazed at?how polymathy was reflected in?everything she did, how creative and?sparkly she was while remaining highly organized and?structured. This stunning woman?with very intelligent eyes turned out to?be a?lot of?things.

Margarita?obtained her masters in?Applied Physics and?Mathematics, and?her PhD in?Computational Mathematics. She is an?innovative teacher of?mathematics, physics, and?statistics for different audiences: from schoolchildren to?students and?curious adults. Imagine, she can?teach anyone the?core concepts of?combinatorics in?just 45 minutes! Her brand?slogan?is “Margarita?can?teach this”, and?it looks like she can?indeed explain?everything. She created amazing workshops and?pop-sci?lectures about using mathematical and?scientific approaches in?everyday life.

Margarita?has worked as a?data?analytics expert for telecom, e-commerce, the?oil-and-gas industry, and?pharmaceutical companies, and?is a?gifted seamstress with 20+ years of?experience in?bespoke tailoring, especially evening and?wedding gowns and?stage costumes.?

She is amazing at?the?didactical approach, exploring learning techniques for STEM subjects and?languages or developing strategies for exam preparation, but she is also a?passionate belly-dance performer! One more aspect that?most amazes me: her brilliant linguistic intelligence. She writes eloquently, and?runs a?page with her own flashy quibbles and?puns.

Her photography and?film-making skills show great?artistic aptitude and?out-of-the-box thinking. Margarita?is particularly interested in?cognitive biases, critical thinking, and?behavioral economics. It’s interesting what?she herself highlights as most important:

“After a?deep reflection on all my hobbies and?passions, I?somehow figured out that?there are 3 big areas of?my interests I?cannot live without: teaching, dressmaking, and?dance.”

I?was intrigued to?find out how this many-sided personality was formed.

Childhood - Nature Over Nurture

"I?cannot think of?a?particular subject I?was not interested in?as a?child. I?did not ask a?lot of?questions, but often expressed a?desire to?study subjects which were odd enough to?puzzle, if not frighten, the?adults around me. For example, from about 5?years of?age I?spent considerable time in?the?children's public library, where I?was always strangely drawn to?a?shelf intended for adults, mostly on parenting and?related subjects. By the?age of?7, I?was granted permission to?also check out those books on an?exceptional basis. Around 10-12, I?got very curious about the?nature of?humor, and?sought to?rationalize the?mechanics of?what?makes people laugh. I?felt that?jokes printed in?children's journals, although fun and?kind-hearted, were somewhat?predictable, making them unsuitable for my purpose. I?had my parents get me compilations of?"grown-up" jokes as well, although at?first they were visibly uneasy about this sort of?research project.

In?primary school, some of?my natural impulses were probably seen as fairly uncool, I?often felt like helping with the?dirty dishes in?the?canteen, or volunteering to?wipe the?blackboards or scrape off obscenities from the?desks. In?general, I?did not perceive making things tidy and?organized as physical labor at?all, or as something undignified, or low-life — it was actually fun. I?would offer assistance to?the?school's cleaning lady, simply because I?enjoyed the?pristine shiny trail left by the?mop.

I?wanted to?wear the?hats and?walk in?the?shoes of?many other people who did all kinds of?stuff around me, and?didn't understand?why some of?them were "not meant" for me to?try or to?learn, as if by some unfair, unwritten rule — especially if it did not seem to?harm anyone."

Parental Influence and?Support

"Above all, I?am thankful to?my parents for not overdoing the?parenting. Much of?their support came in?the?form of?not interfering with my internal development. I?did not feel excessively patronized, they did not pass too much judgment or micromanage me. At?the?same time, I?cannot say I?was short of?their attention either. Although both were certainly very busy people, I?can?sum up their approach as follows:

"if the?kid seems busy with something constructive and?on her own, and?does not demand?assistance or immediate attention — don't try to?fix something that?isn't broken."

I?definitely did not mind that, and?had time and?space to?myself, free from excess grandmas, babysitters, and?the?like. I?think I?was oftentimes free to?do what?I?wanted, and?received neither too much control nor too much encouragement, which would have been equally counter-productive. I?think this contributed to?those qualities of?my character which I?can?be proud of?today.

Some of?my interests, however, were passively discouraged, which, as it happens, mostly had the?exact opposite effect. One particularly low point was that?my mother was not happy that?I?dedicated a?lot of?my hobby time to?sewing. In?her view, that?time could have been better spent outdoors, or doing sports, or some such thing. I?did not find her arguments compelling, and?stood my ground until I?was left to?decide on my own which courses and?classes to?take, as long as I?took them elsewhere, which was fair enough and?very fruitful. As a?result, before entering high school I?was well versed in?all of?my interests: several styles of?embroidery, knitting, weaving macramé and?glass beads, making models for stop-motion animation, and, most importantly, tailoring dresses — first for my dolls, then for myself. As a?teenager, I?already had a?clear idea?which crafts I?mastered enough so as not to?pursue them further, which ones to?drop, and?which were to?stay with me for years to?come as my hobbies. There were only a?few tough decisions imposed upon me with little discussion: I?was not permitted to?enter either musical or arts schools, with arguments ranging from the?school being too far for me to?commute, to?the?outright lack of?apparent talent. Whether the?latter is true or not, I?regret not receiving at?least a?basic musical education as a?child, which would have helped me many times later in?life.

Finally, and?most importantly, my natural gravity towards mathematics and?physics had the?full support of?my parents, and?this passion enjoyed full freedom to?blossom naturally on its own, which I?should be truly thankful for — and?it worked well.

Polymathic Social Circle

"As a?child, I?was in?awe reading biographies of?da?Vinci, Newton, and?Lomonosov. I?singled?them out from the?constellation of?other great?names and?astonishing stories and?felt their towering life's achievements were on one hand?both serene and?unattainable, and?on the?other somehow kindred spirits and?very close to?my heart. I?have heard and?read about our contemporaries who seem to?have excelled equally well in?several areas, each requiring a?long and?dedicated career, and?it felt to?me like they existed somewhere else in?a?different reality.?It was not until much later, when I?had the?chance to?make personal acquaintance with some of?them, that?they reinforced my belief that?having a?set of?diverse talents and?broad interests is a?perfectly valid way to?exist.

Prior to?that, I?was surrounded by the?doctrine of?choosing a?narrow specialty as early as possible, and?the?proverbial tragedy of?Jack of?all trades. I?understand?the?rationale of?those who warn about the?grave dangers of?having no idea?of?"who you want to?become", as if "acquiring a?sole purpose in?life" is required to?be a?successful and?complete person. Personally, I?was never comfortable in?this environment, firstly because I?never had such an?idea?myself, and?secondly because I?know for a?fact that?there is nothing wrong with not being that?way. As cliché as it may sound, here I?am.

My life changed on the?day I?saw a?TED talk by Emilie Wapnick, titled "Why some of?us don't have one true calling.” I?wish I?had seen this 12-minute video earlier. It gave simple answers to?long-standing questions I?had about self-identification, and?it felt like a?relief. I?was 30?when I?stumbled upon it, and?for the?next two years I?learned much more from Emily and?other members of?the?Puttytribe, a?community of?polymaths that?she created. From there on, it somehow happens by itself that?I?meet people with whom I?share the?mindset of?unrestricted diversity of?interests.

Integrating Interests and?Specializations into?Personal Life

My belief is that?the?ability to?learn and?develop skills in?different areas can?lead to?new, unimaginable freedoms. It makes one feel agile and?lightweight, not in?the?sense of?under-appreciating complexity, but the?lack of?fear to?dare and?try to?combat?a?new problem.

While working on a?project, when I?face a?task for which I?have no expertise, I?am not afraid to?apply general learning and?problem-solving skills to?acquire new knowledge, and?use appropriate tools to?make the?result pass my internal quality check. In?many situations, this is not only easier and?faster than?it would be to?find an?expert and?explain?what?I?want, but it’s also much more satisfying. I?do my own bookkeeping, I?edit my own public educational videos, I?design and?tailor my own dresses.

I?like the?results, and?it gives me confidence. In?any project, there are moments of?failure and?periods of?procrastination, and?it really helps to?switch to?something completely different and?then return to?the?problem with new inspiration and?energy. With some sensible time management, it almost feels like diverse projects propel each other forward from their respective lowest points.?

For me, it is particularly important to?switch between intellectual work and?manual craft. For example, when I?design or deliver an?intense learning course on mathematics or physics, sometimes I?cannot resist spending a?night away working on an?intricate garment I?had in?mind for a?while, or something else that?requires patience and?undivided attention. Once I?get tired of?working with my needles, I?feel eager to?return to?my notes, and?vice versa. This is what?makes people wonder how I?manage to?combine those things, and?get them all done.

The?natural inclination to?change tracks has been with me since college. For days after passing exams, I?did not feel like doing anything except working on some fancy dress, and?I?am proud of?my younger self for having spent the?author's fee for my very first scientific publication to?buy an?overlock sewing machine. Very often, ideas which worked in?one area?— for example, a?new move I?learned in?oriental dance — unexpectedly echo in?something seemingly disconnected, like the?strategy to?prepare a?specific student for a?math exam. Some of?the?data?analysis methodology I?designed for the?telecom industry had a?lot in?common with evidence-based approaches I?used to?teach to?young medical professionals. Often, when I?am unsure how to?tackle a?problem, I?try to?brainstorm it through the?eyes of?professionals from different fields. As I?learned, it works very well.

Finally, one of?the?reasons I?am most grateful to?my multidisciplinary essence is the?ability to?find simple, striking, and?hard-to-forget explanations to?complex and?abstract phenomena, which I?borrow from anywhere I?can. I?believe this to?be no less instrumental to?the?process of?teaching than?conveying the?value of?formal definitions and?rigorous proofs. For one hilarious example, I?found a?way to?explain?calculating the?derivative of?a?composite function using the?metaphor of?being swallowed by a?whale (your mileage may vary)."

Learn about other fasicinating modern polymaths in "Why Polymaths?" - now also avaliable as hardcover and paperback!