Multipassionate creative entrepreneur

and something more

Hello, and welcome!

I almost started here without a proper “Hello, it’s me” -introduction post. Uh, what was I thinking…!

I’m a multipassionate entrepreneur who isn’t afraid of change. My life has been full of professional growth, reinvention, and the courage to follow my intuition.

I still remember (well, vaguely) how I started my first blog back in 2010... or was it 2011? Anyway, it was kind of exciting. I had no idea who I was writing for or even what I was writing about. Just a tiny idea and a tiny hope that someone might stumble upon it. The old blog is still out there. It’s kind of embarrassing in hindsight.

I’ve kept wondering if this makes any sense at all. Writing something. For someone. About something — that I’m not exactly sure what yet.

My “boring” background as a lawyer

I spent over 13 years building a career as a lawyer and attorney in the demanding world of law, which isn’t always the easiest or most forgiving place to work.

While my legal career offered plenty of opportunities to hone my strategic skills and problem-solving abilities, I realized that the corporate suit-and-tie life and the prospect of becoming a partner at a law firm were never the paths I truly wanted to pursue.

Slowly, a spark ignited — a desire to create something of my own, where I could express my newfound creativity.

I started my entrepreneurship as a wedding photographer

The creative spark led to a significant career shift: I left the hectic corporate world, started my own business, and embarked on a new journey as a wedding photographer.

I followed my dream and achieved my goals, capturing numerous beautiful weddings for example in Tuscany, Italy. I was also working as a photographer for internationally renowned publications like The New York Times. I even held my first solo photography exhibition during those years.

Alongside my photography career, I was also deeply involved in the world of digital marketing, with a particular focus on Pinterest marketing (actually, it all started already when I was a lawyer). However, after a decade in photography, I felt the need for yet another change. I made the practical decision to fully concentrate on Pinterest marketing and SEO.

And after a while, I needed to shift back to creative projects again. I’m in this stage right now. Many interesting and fascinating doors open. Now, I just need to choose which one(s) to enter.

This image was taken at a film camera wedding workshop in Provence, France.

Why Substack and why now?

It all started when I decided to unsubscribe from every unnecessary newsletter that was cluttering my already maxed-out inbox. Once I hit "unsubscribe" about a hundred times, I started telling friends that I wanted to write. Not just read other people’s newsletters.

Nani from Northern wind, in particular, had been hearing about this for probably a year — maybe even longer. I can't pinpoint exactly when the idea took root because I've had this nagging feeling for years that I wanted to try writing. A scratch that — I didn’t just want to try writing, I wanted to write.

Writing was my favorite thing in school. My language teachers even said I was good at it (by their standards, which might not be saying much, considering I grew up in a tiny village of about 5,000 people, hah!). But anyway, writing — especially the creative kind — has always fascinated me. Not so much factual writing. I’ve had my fill of that over the years with my blogs.

Nani kept talking about Substack, and the idea slowly took shape in my mind. But I struggled to find a direction for what I’d write here. Because, well, I already had a blog (I’ve had three different blogs over the years).

Our home is my creative outlet.

What I’m going to write about?

That question made me anxious because I don’t want to pigeonhole myself into any particular genre or topic just yet. Maybe that's a mistake? Should I have it all figured out from the start?

Okay, I do have some ideas about where to begin.

And I’ll just see how the writing feels. How the topics resonate. Will anyone read them, or will they only interest me?

I figured I’d start off "easy" by sharing a few of my previously written newsletters about creativity and entrepreneurship, now translated into English (because, yes, they were originally in Finnish). It hopefully will break the ice and help me get over the hurdle of starting.

At this point, I’m thinking my texts here will revolve around these themes:

• Weekly themed inspiration mainly found via Pinterest (anything related to art, color, feeling, vibes etc)

• Curated recommendations, including books, music, art, interior design, fashion, and general lifestyle topics

• Short thoughts and/or quotes (on notes) about life

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Things that currently fascinate me: visuals, art, books, brands, colors, Pinterest, trends, creativity, design, vintage, thrift stores, quotes, and growth mindset.

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I believe that when you start doing something — whether you know what, why, or for whom —you’re always one step closer to SOMETHING. I stick to that thought. And just start.

Me reading Helen Schjerfbeck’s art book with my cockerspaniel Stella as my companion.

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