This is the second article in our series celebrating Lithuania’s 35th anniversary of restored independence. In Part 1, we explored perspectives from international residents and the academic view on freedom and happiness in Lithuania. Now, we turn to the thriving creative and entrepreneurial scenes that are shaping the nation’s future.
Freedom to Create: The Cultural Renaissance
For the members of ba., one of Lithuania’s most innovative rock bands, Lithuania’s independence and creative freedom are intertwined concepts. The indie rock quintet has captured the imagination of the country’s younger generation with influences ranging from modern electronic music to 1970s post-punk.
“Creative freedom to me is when you get the feeling of ‘this has never been done before’ in your home country,” explains Nikita Voitov, the band’s bassist. “There are a lot of ‘firsts’ happening in all creative fields in the modern history of Lithuania, and it’s thrilling to be part of this development.”
Drummer Dominykas Babikas, who spent three years studying music in London, finds that Lithuania offers something special for creative minds. “After experiencing the international music scene abroad and meeting students from various cultures, I increasingly appreciate Lithuania as an exceptionally good place to implement creative ideas,” he says. “We have many top-tier creators from various disciplines forming a community open to collaborations. We also have numerous studios and creative spaces accessible to everyone.”
For guitarist Simonas Motiejūnas, Lithuania’s distinct seasonal changes provide natural inspiration. “Lithuania has all four seasons, which says a lot about our nature’s contrasts. This often contributes to creativity, mood, or emotional state from which various creative decisions can arise,” he notes. “We are a free and rapidly improving country. That freedom, passed down from our parents and grandparents, is palpable – we are free to create and free to implement our ideas.”
The band members observe a growing confidence in Lithuania’s cultural identity. “I’m glad that creators in Lithuania increasingly trust themselves and reveal their uniqueness,” says Babikas. “I see a growing number of both well-known and emerging performers creating songs in Lithuanian. This cultivation of uniqueness is evident not only in lyrics but also in instrumentals.”
The Innovation Ecosystem: Where Ideas Thrive
Lukas Kaminskis, CEO and co-founder of Turing College, represents Lithuania’s entrepreneurial spirit. At just 16, he organized his first coding bootcamp, and by 22, he was lecturing in software engineering. Today, his edtech startup focuses on adult education in fields such as AI, data science, and digital marketing, using adaptive learning and AI tools to customize curricula.
“For young businesses, I think the situation is good in Lithuania,” Kaminskis says. “Our ecosystem has both pros and cons, but for young tech startups or more classic e-commerce businesses, there are more advantages. In these areas, we already have experience, can attract investments, and compete globally.”
Reflecting on the evolution of Lithuania’s startup ecosystem over the past decade, Kaminskis notes a significant maturation. “We’ve moved from childhood to adolescence. I remember participating in startup events in 2014-2015 when attracting investments wasn’t easy, and many ideas were similar and repetitive. Currently, if you have a product prototype, users, and revenue – attracting investment isn’t difficult.”
What motivates this young entrepreneur to stay and create in Lithuania? “Our nation’s potential – we’re no worse than the tech elite in California,” he answers with conviction. “A thought shared by one of the best American investors today, Ray Dalio, stuck with me: ‘In America, tech innovations from approximately 330 million inhabitants are created by only about 3 million people – half of them immigrants.’ Theoretically, Lithuania with its population could be those 3 million.”
Kaminskis believes that with the right policies and by attracting talented people to Lithuania, the country has unprecedented opportunities. “We could create as much as the entire Silicon Valley does. It sounds utopian, but we’re experiencing a fundamental shift in global innovation and economic poles this century, so the opportunity is there.”
The Next 35 Years
“Most young generation representatives live better than their parents,” observes Kaminskis. “This in itself adds a lot of positivity about the future and the present.”
As Lithuania continues to build on the foundation of its restored independence, the optimism and creative energy of its youth point to a bright future. The spirit of freedom that inspired the nation 35 years ago now fuels a new generation of creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
As ba. drummer Dominykas Babikas puts it, “Freedom to create means being yourself. And a person can only be free in a free society. In my opinion, creative freedom and Lithuania’s independence are directly related. Both of these things are the greatest gift.”
This concludes our two-part series on Lithuania’s 35th anniversary of restored independence. In Part 1, we explored international perspectives and philosophical insights on freedom and happiness in Lithuania.
