How does your usual day look like?

I have a portfolio career in design. This means my days are never the same: my day job is an architect at Arija Studio in Zagreb / Croatia, but on evenings and weekends I work as a design and social media manager for the Museum of Illusions in Vienna / Austria. 

On an average workday, I wake up around 6:15am, walk my sausage dog Ebi. I then get ready and aim to reach the office by 8:00 am. To save time, I prepare my breakfast and outfit the night before. My current favourite is overnight oats and outfit wise I go for easily combinable capsule wardrobe pieces such as a blazer with loafers and jeans, basic top or shirt  with trousers and sneakers.

As an architect, I spend most of my day in front of the computer, with occasional meetings with investors and associates depending on the phase or complexity of the project. My colleagues and I have our  lunch break together around 12:30, during which I get to reset before jumping back to work. By 4:00pm my ‘architect’ - day ends. This is actually something to call out. My boss values that we all get a good life balance, so we rarely stay overtime unless it is absolutely necessary. I value that immensely.

Then, I get home, spend some time with Ebi before my second job as social media manager begins. I handle bigger tasks like monthly reports or monthly content plan overviews  on weekends and save smaller tasks for evenings during the week, such as responding to messages/comments, putting together short video content like reels and TikTok’s, or catching up on anything I am behind with. Every 2-3 months, I travel to Vienna for the weekend for fresh content.  

On lighter workdays, when my evening only takes 15-30 minutes, I enjoy my free afternoons by working out, spending time with my boyfriend, meeting friends, cooking or watching a good movie. This is also the time I use to get to  design projects for friends/family  or The Female Forum. 

As the day comes to an end I prepare myself for the next day and always try  to be in bed by 10:00 pm so that I get enough rest.

What are the things you like the most about your role?

As an architect, I enjoy the diverse range of projects I'm involved in, which allows me to learn a lot in a short time. Currently, I’m managing around 10 projects, each unique: from interiors to suburban housing developments, apartment buildings, and even renovations and adaptations of historic family housing along the Croatian coast.

As a social media manager I love the simple creativity and the dynamics  that digital media gives us. I find the real time engagement from our target audience interesting, and also love the challenge that each platform update gives us. It’s a whole new world where you continuously have to  learn: whether it’s a new platform or understanding a new algorithm, or simply changing the format of a post/story  and observing how your audience reacts.

What are some of the skills you utilise the most in your day-to-day?

I would say for both jobs: creative thinking/problem solving  and time management.

What was one of your happiest days in your career and why?

I don’t really know - like everywhere in life, there are many ups and downs. I can’t pinpoint anything particular, but what I do know is that I really am happy where I am now - with both jobs. On some days it feels like it’s all too much, but in the end, they both make me happy and I am grateful to be feeling that way.

What has been a challenge or difficulty in your career path and how did you overcome it?

As an architect, one ongoing challenge is balancing creative aspirations with practical constraints like regulations, client expectations, and budgets. To manage this, I start by thoroughly understanding client needs and then present multiple design options: one that aligns closely with their vision and others that explore different possibilities.

As a social media manager, staying up-to-date with ever-changing trends and being constantly available is challenging but essential. To manage this, I set specific times to research and compare trends across platforms, ensuring I stay inspired while also making time away from screens. This approach keeps me productive and balanced.

What is something you had to learn to become better at your job?

Prioritisation.

You can’t do it all at once - you won’t be happy, and the results won’t be your best. I learned that I need to break tasks into manageable steps, prioritise them and not handle them all at once and to recognise when I need to delegate them.

How did you get to become an architect and social media manager?

Architecture was a clear choice for me. Ever since I was a child I enjoyed drawing, so much, it was my favourite activity. I had a strong imagination and always liked redecorating, matching colours, and arranging space. Later on when I realised that I am interested in physics and maths, the choice was a no brainer! 

Social media came to me almost by chance. It was a student job - at the time I didn’t have that much responsibility, and was more of a helper for a company that was handling the museum’s social platforms. With time it turned out that I have a talent for creating content and digital strategies that people love. Then during Covid, digital marketing became even more important, which gave me the chance to do more of it - it was during this time I finished the Digital marketing online course by Algebra University. I now have my own company for digital marketing and content creation with an international client base.

If you could give your younger self a piece of advice; what would it be?

Trust yourself, and don't let that fear hold you back.

Where would you like to be in 10 years from now? Where do you see your career trajectory? What do you think are some of the key milestones you’d have to achieve?

10 years is really so far away in my head, I have the feeling I just sorted out my life recently. The definite milestone I have in my head that I want to achieve by the end of 2025, or beginning of 2026 is to pass an exam in Croatia that will give me my own licence as an architect.  

This is no easy exam, I believe I can do it. 

At some point I would love to switch to interior design and visualisations as that is something I enjoy most and would be open to working with foreign countries. Once I feel that I have enough experience, I would love to have my own office that would do interior designs and visualisations/graphics, as that is something I enjoy most, but who knows.

Maybe my passion for digital marketing takes over and something different happens. I am really open to all opportunities, as long as it doesn’t kill my passion and creativity.