I specialise in curiosity.
My creative pursuits started with copying comic book characters in my primary school homework notebooks and dreaming of working for Cartoon Network on series like Cow and Chicken, Dexter's Laboratory, and I Am Weasel. In early teens, I was designing pixel art on my Nokia 3310 and digitally composing my friends into surreal collages using a pirated copy of Paint Shop Pro 8.
In my late teens, I made stencil art, spent time in a darkroom developing film photography, acted in a local theatre group, and designed nightclub posters. In my early 20s, I ran a tattoo parlour in my living room, gave my mum her first tattoo, and had my design work in 400+ tech stores across the UK before I landed my first full-time job in the creative industry.
For the past 15 years, I've been blessed to work across brand identity, commercial art direction, digital experiences, packaging design, video production, print publications, illustration and interactive media.
In 2019, I co-founded Daydream Believers, helping build it into an award-winning educational organisation recognised as one of the top 100 education innovators in the world by HundrED, working in partnership with LEGO, Rockstar North, D&AD, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
In 2021, I founded Calumma, a creative studio for rebellious-optimist-led organisations tackling challenges across education, healthcare, tech, and environmental conservation.
Born in Latvia, became a professional adult in Scotland, and currently raising three wonderfully wild children in northern Portugal while constantly getting lost in weird rabbit holes of information about our complex life in this corner of the universe.
Here's what I'm up to now.
Experience
Nov 2021 – Present
Founded a brand communications studio that works exclusively with organisations tackling important challenges across education, healthcare, environmental conservation, and emerging technology. Leading all creative output, client relationships, and studio direction from day one. It operates as a small distributed practice with collaborators across Europe and North America, providing solutions for branding, educational content, film, web design, copywriting, and communication strategy.
Notable clients
John Muir Trust · Oxfam Denmark · Glasgow School of Art · AHIMA Foundation · BIMA · Education Scotland · Georgetown University · Femern A/S · Lung Ambition Alliance · YESfest · Frontier Films · Mercurial AI
Apr 2019 – Feb 2025
Helped build Daydream Believers from a grassroots idea into an award-winning organisation recognised as one of the top 100 education innovators in the world by HundrED. Led brand strategy, design direction, and the creation of 30+ interactive learning resources reaching 50,000+ students globally — covering topics from the circular economy and biomimicry to cybersecurity, GenAI, and mental health. The work eventually supported the launch of an accredited Creative Thinking qualification in the Scottish education system.
Notable collaborators
LEGO · D&AD · Ellen MacArthur Foundation · Rockstar North · Education Scotland · Dentsu Creative · WPP · Adidas · PechaKucha
Oct 2022 – Dec 2023
Designed the user experience and interface for a science-backed mental wellness platform built around partner-based empathy practices developed by Prof. Dr. Tania Singer of the Max Planck Society. Led a cross-functional team through the development of a mobile app and web-based platform — from scheduling infrastructure to live session tools — finishing with a 4.8/5 user satisfaction rating and lasting impact on their ability to be compassionate to others.
Jul 2020 – Apr 2021
Embedded as a fully remote creative director for a New York-based agency specialising in human-centred healthcare communications. Led branding and web design projects aimed at bringing clarity and genuine empathy into an industry not always known for either. Worked primarily with pharma and health advocacy clients across the US.
Notable clients
Pfizer · AstraZeneca · GCI Health · Novocure · Cancer Support Community · YouthBuild USA · IONIS · Lung Ambition Alliance
Dec 2016 – May 2019
Led design and art direction with a small ragtag creative team at an independent Edinburgh studio, doing everything from whisky brand films and hospitality experiences to experimental live musical events. Produced notable work across film, digital, and print, and once got invited to attend a dinner with Leonardo DiCaprio, organised by Sir Tom Hunter.
Notable clients
Bunnahabhain Distillery · Deanston Distillery · Hard Rock Hotels · Medtronic · Diageo · Edrington · RBS · Startup Summit
Oct 2018 – Mar 2019
A short but focused initial engagement designing the full user experience for an anonymous self-reflection and empathy app ahead of its global iOS and Android launch, which later evolved into continuous support and design assistance for future updates over the years — a useful lesson in building something intimate and intentional from scratch under a tight deadline and then continuing to craft it without losing the core value and authenticity.
Jun 2014 – May 2016
First official full-time role, working across graphic design, digital, animation, and interactive experiences for a range of public sector and commercial clients. Designed an award-winning Oxfam website that got cancelled by the internet. Also, out of selfish reasons, promoted cross-team collaboration to avoid outsourcing creativity on client projects, and convinced leadership to invest in further-learning opportunities for creatives to attend global conferences.
Notable clients
Oxfam GB · VisitScotland · National Museum of Scotland · Scottish Enterprise · RBS · Road Safety Scotland · Business Gateway
2008 – 2014
The years of experimentation, upskilling, and pivoting — wedding photography, nightclub posters, custom illustrations, street art, tattooing, Society6 apparel design, and small business branding executed with cracked software on Windows 7. During this time, relocated from Latvia to Scotland and completed an HND in Visual Communication at Edinburgh College, where a student competition entry turned into a product range sold in 400+ Dixons, Currys, and PC World stores across the UK.
