After some attempts at working for others, dabbling in academia, and getting distracted by side-hustles - I’m now a full time creative entrepreneur.
I spend my days running my business, occasionally freelance consulting, sharing my experiences with others and building new and exciting ventures.
When I’m not working, you’ll probably find me behind a sewing machine or trying to figure out how to own a dog in a small London flat.
early days
I’ve been informed that I started my first business at the age of 7 with an aptly named “Box for Selling” which contained illustrations I had made of my family members that I would sell back to them at a premium (a clearly flawless business model).
Early businesses included selling the ever-classic ‘Pet Rocks’ and fabric bookmarks, a lucrative primary school market stall (notebooks covered in fake purple fur were a hit!) and at university, ‘Moxie Made’ where I made and sold jewellery from up-cycled materials.
education
I hold a BA in English, Politics & Linguistics and a masters degree in Development Studies from the University of kwaZulu-Natal.
My masters dissertation evaluated the implementations and outcomes of human-centred design in the lives of informal traders by looking at the Warwick Junction Urban Renewal Project in Durban, South Africa.
innovation
When I moved to London, I worked at Cancer Research UK as an Innovation Manager in a multi-disciplinary team that designed user-led solutions for issues surrounding the prevention and early diagnosis of cancer.
I then joined the Fundraising & Marketing team to work as an Innovation Specialist; leading user research, gathering insight and ideation. Using a human-centred, test and learn approach we tested and built products and services that aimed to create impact and result in new revenue streams.
photography
I have been a wedding & lifestyle photographer for the past 7 years. I began with documentary street portraits and quickly fell in love with photographing anything to do with humans and emotions.
It’s still a joy to be able to spend most weekends photographing couples, their love and their celebrations.
You can find my photography over at Micaela Karina Photography.