Who am I?
I’m an illustrator and designer based in Cambridge, working at the intersection of storytelling, symbolism, and design. My process always begins with research — with digging, with unearthing. If I feel I’ve hit a wall creatively, I take it as a sign to dig deeper. The most meaningful discoveries often live in the shadows. I believe it’s an artist’s quiet task to find them and bring them into the light.
Though my training was traditional — years spent studying classical drawing, painting, and printmaking — my current practice is largely digital. I taught myself through intuition, curiosity, and countless late-night experiments. I care deeply about visual harmony, typographic elegance, and the invisible threads that connect literature, design, and emotion.
I would describe my style as digital realism with a dash of old-world charm — deeply inspired by literature, 19th-century aesthetics, and the dark academia movement. At the heart of everything I do is narrative: whether I’m illustrating a novel, designing a layout, or creating a logo, I always start with the story.
my journey
My very first brush with art education was at age 6, when my mum took me to children’s drawing classes taking place at the National Museum of Art in Riga. She always reminds me how at one of these classes, I was attempting to copy a painting of a horse in oil pastel and asked my teacher, “Miss, how do you get that glimmer in his eye?” What is art about if not finding that glimmer, even now, more than 20 years later?
diving into the art world
At age 8, I entered Jurmala Art School, eager to draw what I loved. Patient teachers taught me discipline and form. Later, Janis Rozentāls Art High School gave me the structure and challenge I needed — and showed me that art could become not just a passion but a path. In 2016, during my final year there, I illustrated a novel I’d written myself — a project that nudged me into the digital world. From that point on, I was hooked.
career beginnings
In 2017, I landed my first design job as a graphic designer at a four-star hotel, Jurmala Spa. I created everything from restaurant menus and brochures to digital ads and billboards, working closely with the hotel’s marketing team. It was a formative experience — one that sharpened my design instincts and taught me the rhythm of real-world, fast-paced creative work. During this time I also began posting my illustrations online and found myself soon celebrating social media milestones. Soon after I joined the wonderful I’mperfekt Magazine as a writer-illustrator.
going freelance
In 2022, I completed Heartbreak Anatomy — a collection of illustrated short stories that became my AAL graduation project. Inspired by my exchange at the University of Hertfordshire, I launched an online shop, continued focusing on building my online presence and began accepting commissions from around the world. My exchange in England had made me realise that my heart does not belong in Riga anymore. I quietly let myself dream about returning to the UK one day.
dreams are just beginnings
In 2023, I fulfilled my quiet long-time dream: I moved to the UK to study illustration in Cambridge. The city breathed inspiration at every corner. My time at the Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts was transformative. Even before graduation I was already interning at Hearst Magazines and seeing my first ever commercial book cover hit the shelves at Waterstones. It was here, in Cambridge, surrounded by light, beauty, and stories, that I truly became the artist I am today.
I currently continue my work as a freelance illustrator and designer. I also work as Lead of Visual Merchandising at Barbour – a career path that has helped me not only grow as an individual but has unlocked a whole new side of my creative journey.
Get in touch
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