Other hobbies of his included drawing and playing the violin. However, Urmançe failed to pass the entrance examinations for the Kazan Artist school, so in 1914 he began to work as a loader in the Urals and afterward in Siberia. In 1916, he was mobilized into the army.
While he enjoyed drawing and playing the violin, Urmançe did not pass the entrance exams for the Kazan Artist school. He then took on the job of a loader in the Ural Mountains and later in Siberia before being drafted into the army in 1916.