From Superyachts to Studio Santosha
When I look back at where it all began, it’s almost hard to believe how far I’ve come. My design journey didn’t start in a traditional classroom or studio; it began on the open sea, surrounded by luxury, precision, and a deep appreciation for detail that would later shape everything I do as a designer.
I spent over ten years working aboard superyachts, floating worlds of artistry and indulgence where every element had to be immaculate, from the weight of the silverware to the typography on a guest card. It was an environment that demanded excellence, but it also nurtured something profound in me: an eye for beauty, balance, and the quiet confidence that great design doesn’t shout; it whispers with intention.
Back then, I didn’t know I would one day run my own design studio or create high-end mockup collections downloaded by creatives around the world. But I was endlessly fascinated by how things were made: the curves of a champagne bottle, the feel of textured stationery, the elegance of a logo embossed in gold foil. My curiosity was insatiable, and that curiosity, more than any single decision, is what led me here.
Learning through Observation
Living and working on luxury yachts taught me how luxury feels. Every detail, every linen, font, and finish was a deliberate choice designed to create an experience. I absorbed this like osmosis, studying the relationship between design and emotion long before I ever called myself a designer.
As Chief Stewardess, I found myself drawn to products whose brand identity reflected an ethos I now live and design by: quiet sophistication, balance, and intention. I gravitated toward pieces that felt minimal yet expressive, breathable yet bold in their restraint, where elegant fonts, tactile materials, and thoughtful packaging worked together in harmony.
These choices were never just about aesthetics; they were about resonance. Even then, I sensed how design could shift the energy of a space, how tone, texture, and form could whisper emotion long before a word was spoken.
During that chapter, I also had the privilege of working with several high-profile athletes whose personal brands extended far beyond a logo or campaign. Seeing their identities come alive on a global stage taught me how design moves, how it lives, breathes, and influences emotion in real time. Every visual decision, from typography to tone, became part of a larger narrative about presence, integrity, and performance.
It was a powerful reminder that a truly magnetic brand isn’t built through aesthetics alone, but through energy, alignment, consistency, and authenticity.
At the time, I had no formal training, just passion and a fascination with how design could transform perception. I often wondered who decides what is luxurious. Why does one colour combination evoke calm while another feels bold and untamed? I wanted to understand the psychology of beauty, the invisible dialogue between colour, space, and emotion.
When I eventually left yachting behind, I didn’t see it as a departure. I saw it as a continuation, a chance to channel everything I had learned into something of my own.
The Leap into Design Education
My curiosity led me to university, where I completed a Bachelor’s Degree with a Double Major in Visual Identity and Social Media Studies. It didn’t feel like starting over; it felt like giving form and language to instincts I had already been practising. University gave me tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, colour theory, and design thinking, and it gave me the confidence to experiment, to move past perfection and into expression.
I learned how to build visual systems, not just pretty layouts. I fell in love with typography, brand storytelling, and the way a single detail, a letterform, a line height, or a shade of beige could transform an entire brand experience.
For eight years, I poured myself into creating complete brand identities, from the earliest spark of an idea through to the final, tangible expression. Logos, packaging, websites, and stationery. Every piece was a building block in learning how to shape not just visuals, but the soul of a brand.
That first studio became both my creative outlet and my classroom. I worked with clients from startups to established brands, each project carrying its own story and energy. Over time, I realised my work had an energetic depth. It wasn’t design for design’s sake; it was alignment made visible, a translation of spirit into form.
As I thrived in that space, I also learned its limits. One-to-one client work required constant output, endless revisions, shifting timelines, and compromise. I poured myself into every project, often at the cost of stillness, freedom, and personal alignment.
I began to realise that the more I created for others, the less space I left for my own creative evolution. So I made a conscious choice. I chose to design for myself.
The Birth of Studio Santosha
I needed to create in a soul-aligned way. From intuition, not instruction. To move at the pace of inspiration, not deadlines. To build something that embodied everything I had learned about beauty, balance, and energy. From that devotion to beauty, balance, and presence, Studio Santosha was born.
The word Santosha had been quietly living inside me for a long time, a truth I had been practising before I ever named it. Through meditation, I learned the art of stillness, the practice of meeting each moment as it is, and from that space, Studio Santosha began to take shape.
In yoga, Santosha is one of the Niyamas, a guiding principle of contentment. Not the fleeting kind born from achievement, but a deep, steady acceptance of what is.
When I finally recognised it, it changed how I saw design itself. It spoke of stillness, balance, and the quiet joy that arises when a composition finds its rhythm. Design, for me, has always been a meditation, an act of aligning intention with intuition and presence with purpose. As I sat with the meaning of Santosha, I realised I no longer wanted to chase clients, followers, or trends. I wanted to create from contentment, from flow, from presence.
Studio Santosha became a sanctuary where beauty could breathe and design could unfold with quiet intention. I envisioned a space that felt less like a business and more like a state of being, a reminder that creativity thrives in stillness, not in chaos.
Every collection and composition carries that same quiet power of presence, an invitation to slow down, to see, and to feel. Rooted in presence, artistry, and intuitive creation, Studio Santosha became my sacred space, where I merged design and mindfulness, creativity and consciousness.
Each collection holds an energetic intention. The grounded calm of Haven, the feminine fluidity of Lila, the oceanic serenity of Cove, the sculptural warmth of Sohl, the warmth and stillness of Ember, and the textured tranquillity of Drift. Each mockup, each texture, each shadow is an invitation into stillness. A way of saying that design can be art, business can be spiritual, and work can be devotion.
Designing from Intuition
These days, I don’t design from a mood board alone. I design from energy. I let intuition lead before intellect. It is a way of creating that feels both ancient and fresh, like remembering a forgotten art.
When I start a new project, I don’t ask what is trending right now. I ask what essence wants to be expressed. Sometimes that means sitting with a collection for weeks before touching Photoshop. Sometimes it means creating in silence, letting textures and tones speak first.
My years surrounded by the understated luxury of yacht design taught me the value of restraint. The quietest design often carries the most impact. Intuitive design is not guessing; it is listening. To the client, to the materials, to the energy of what is emerging. It is alignment expressed through artistry.
Building a Studio Rooted in Presence
When I began building Studio Santosha, I wanted it to be more than a digital storefront. I wanted it to feel like a meditation, clean, spacious, and intentional.
Every mockup collection, from Haven to Drift, is styled with natural textures, grounded tones, and sculptural light. Each is designed to evoke stillness, the kind of quiet beauty that draws you in without demanding attention.
I refine every PSD file until it feels balanced, not just visually, but energetically. I see every product as a tool for other designers, a way to elevate their work through presentation that feels alive.
When someone downloads a Studio Santosha mockup, they are not just getting a digital file; they are receiving a piece of my creative devotion.
Why Mindfulness Belongs in Design
For me, design has never been only about aesthetics. It is about energy, about how something feels when you look at it, not only how it appears on the surface.
In a world obsessed with speed and trends, mindfulness in design is radical. It is choosing presence over pressure, alignment over algorithm.
Every project I take on now begins with intention. Whether I am designing a new mockup series, building a Shopify layout, or refining a colour story, I approach it as a form of meditation.
I believe the energy you bring to your work becomes the energy others feel when they experience it. That is why I choose to work slowly, intentionally, and with reverence. I design when I am aligned, not when I am rushed.
This philosophy has changed everything, not just the quality of my work, but the way I live. I no longer design to prove. I design to express.
The Evolution of My Creative Practice
Over time, my creative process has become beautifully cyclical, part discipline, part intuition, and part surrender.
There is always structure, including planning, file naming, and SEO preparation. Within that framework, there is also freedom, the freedom to follow an unexpected shadow or to shift a composition because it feels more honest that way.
The Language of Emotion
One of the things I love most about design is how it mirrors nature. The way soft light falls across textured linen reminds me of early mornings in the hinterland.
Each collection is inspired by the natural world, the coastal calm of Cove, the radiant warmth of Ember, the grounded stillness of Haven, and the sculptural grace of Sohl.
People resonate with them because they are not just styled; they are felt. In every project, I aim to create space, a visual breath that allows the viewer to exhale.
True luxury is not about excess. It is about ease. The feeling that nothing needs to be added and nothing needs to be fixed. It is already enough. That is Santosha in action, contentment expressed through design.
A Studio Built on Soul
Running Studio Santosha has taught me that success does not have to be loud. It can be serene, soulful, and deeply aligned.
This studio is my way of giving back to the creative community that once inspired me. It is my way of saying you can build a beautiful business without burning out. You can be both strategic and spiritual. You can honour your intuition and still thrive in the digital space.
For me, design is a devotional practice, meditation with my eyes open.
What’s Next
As I continue expanding Studio Santosha, I see it as an evolving body of work, one that blends art, mindfulness, and entrepreneurship. New collections are always forming in my mind, inspired by light, texture, and mood.
Beyond that, I want to use design as a vehicle for consciousness, to remind others that creativity is sacred and business can be soulful.
I often say Studio Santosha is not just a design studio; it is an energy field. Every product, post, and collection carries a vibration of calm, intention, and quiet strength. That is how I want people to feel when they encounter it: seen, soothed, and inspired.
The Essence of My Journey
When I think back to that young woman on the deck of a superyacht, mesmerised by the shimmer of light on the ocean and the artistry of a perfectly printed menu, I smile. She had no idea she was studying design through experience, learning contrast through sunsets, composition through architecture, and balance through motion.
Closing Reflection
Today, when I sit down to design, I bring all those worlds with me, the precision of luxury, the discipline of education, and the freedom of intuition. Design, for me, is no longer about proving my worth. It is about remembering my essence.