Growing up, I always was an imaginative child, coming up with stories, being fascinated by paintings, and generally being excited by visiting places, learning more about different cultures and their art. I could walk in a museum for hours, without getting bored. Eventually, that resulted in an MA in Photography at the Catholic University College in Limburg. While I originally was interested in commercial fashion photography and event photography, I got to know more about using the photographic medium as a form of art and soon started to become more and more interested in creating my own art.
My approach to photography has always been to a certain extent very personal. By investigating the concept of identity and reflecting on different cultures and communities, I would start artistic documentary projects, but at the same time learn more about myself as a person and grow. I have a somewhat dreamy style, on the border of cinematography and paintings and I like to play around with these concepts.
Additionally, I started an MA in Visual Culture & Contemporary Art at Aalto University, with a Minor Degree in Corporate Communications. I developed more as an artist, but also at the same time decided I need to find a way to enter corporations as an artist without having to face financial instability for the rest of my life. My adventure took me to business school. In business school, I learned how my skill set was very useful in a business environment. Due to my diverse background in art, I can create unique content, but since I also know a lot about marketing, public relations, and communications, I am an asset to any company wanting a little bit of diversity and a cross-disciplinary approach in their company.
With the knowledge I had gathered in my minor degree, I started my own online publication, Tuonela Magazine, where I was able to put the theory that I had learned into practice. Truthfully, I didn’t quite know to a full extent where I would end up and what I was doing back then, but because of applying basic rules of communications and marketing, I was able to grow my website and as a direct result, Tuonela Magazine is now one of the biggest English online publications of Finland in music.
Professionally, aside from being a music journalist, I have also worked in several startup environments as a (content) marketer and PR agent. My areas of expertise include photography, videography, basic graphic design, (content) marketing and communications, public relations, WordPress, SEO, and social media management. Currently, I’m working at TELUS International as a Sourcing Administrator.