There is nothing like the strength and resilience of a woman. In this interview series, we talk to some of the most resilient women to line the coasts.

In the continuation of our series special: Ladies of the ‘Other’ UK, we share time and space with three women who have birthed new vision and purpose through hard times. Virtually photographed by Aliona Kuznetsova, over the course of the Pandemic, here are their stories.

Mandalee, Marina, & Yana

Mandalee, Photographed by Aliona Kuznetsova
About a month later, I met Mandalee (@mandaleedesign), to my surprise, she wasn’t wearing her own work for the portrait: “I chose to style my artist portrait to feature my favorite chartreuse color, favorite fabric silk chiffon & my favorite American fashion designer and my dear friend who I studied fashion design with.”

The Doe Online: In the beginning of the pandemic what was your first thought as to your way of making a living?

Mandalee: With pop-up events & live performances being postponed years in a row it became apparent I needed to build a new brand that focuses on ready-to-wear with more of an online presence in addition to interior design fusing my BFA in textile design into not only fashion design instead also focusing on interior styling & design.

TDO: How do you feel being locked inside for almost two years has shaped and informed your new work?

Mandalee: It’s all about color for me! This has affected my fashion design, and fashion styling as well as brought it into my interior design & interior styling. This transition has led me to focus on redesigning beautiful & functional live-work spaces for myself & my clients. Embracing just how effective systems can help shape multifunctional spaces while adding some cheer & sophistication.

TDO: What kinds of changes did you notice almost immediately when beginning your new practice?

Mandalee: I switched gears & started focusing on expanding to a broader focus of clientele including corporate international clients in addition to designing & styling fashion & interior projects in my direct community.

TDO: What makes what you do now, on the other side of lockdown, more special than you thought prior to?

Mandalee: I have always loved bringing my clients’ visions to life with my technical design skills & inspiring them with my designs. Now more than ever I embrace this through color & silhouette for wardrobes or spaces always keeping in mind the desired outcome of the inspired mood & effect of the overall design & presentation.

TDO: Would you say this sort of butterfly effect is temporary for you or do you think you will continue to evolve in more ways? If so, how so? If not, why?

Mandalee: I pride myself as an ever-evolving human & apply this to my artistry & designs. I believe that with great design comes great responsibility for designers & artists. The opportunity to continuously embrace innovation & sustainability to its fullest in order to leave the world a healthier & happier place.

Marina, Photographed by Aliona Kuznetsova
[The next ] Artist was florist Marina Rozhkova (@marina.rozhkova.9) a Floral Collage Artist with 20 years of experience. She explains: “ Each artwork contains parts of my soul, my heart, and my life, which I would love to share with people.”

TDO: In the beginning of the pandemic what was your first thought as to your way of making a

living?

Marina, Photographed by Aliona Kuznetsova

Marina: My first thought was: Oh no. Everything will be fine, it won't be long, it's not a big problem, I'll be fine. Of course, I was worried about covid, but I tried to keep a positive attitude. And yet - I'm a freelance artist, I create at home. So to be honest, the outlook hasn't affected my overall lifestyle too much.

TDO: How do you feel being locked inside for almost two years has shaped and informed your

new work?

Marina: Maybe I'm saying crazy things. But when I had to stay at home, I opened up a lot of opportunities to do something new in my work. On the net, I met new interesting people, and together we created new unexpected projects. Without self-isolation, I would not have been able to meet them. I repeat, this is crazy stuff, but it's true.

TDO: What kinds of changes did you notice almost immediately when beginning your new

practice?

Marina: During the quarantine, I have a few new online projects. They continue and develop even now. I am a happy woman. Because I can create. My creativity protects me, helps me, and makes me happy. Even such an unpleasant thing as a pandemic cannot prevent me from creating and discovering new [things] in my work.

TDO: What makes what you do now, on the other side of lockdown, more special than you

thought prior to?

Marina: Lockdown taught me to appreciate my life, my health, my family, and my friends. I think I have to say thank God for understanding how our life is nice.

TDO: Would you say this sort of butterfly effect is temporary for you or do you think you will

continue to evolve in more ways? If so, how so? If not, why?

Marina: I think every day brings us the butterfly effect. Each of our steps, each of our minds, and each of our words change everything in the future. We should always remember this.

Yana, Photographed by Aliona Kuznetsova
In 2022 I found another artist- Jana. She is not represented and you can’t see her work other than a rare snapshot on her IG account (@ms.witness), but the technique and the mood of her work are unparalleled and I think she must be more well-known for sure.

TDO: In the beginning of the pandemic what was your first thought as to your way of making a

living?

Yana: At the start of the pandemic I couldn’t conceptualize how society/commerce could “close down” in this day and age. I always imagined it would take something truly apocalyptic to halt business. My thought was that the government would definitely have to supplement income for a large portion of the population. I would have been screwed without that, personally.

TDO: How do you feel being locked inside for almost two years has shaped and informed your

new work?

Yana: For me, creativity is an extension of the basic struggle to stay alive - to make meaning out of chaos and entropy, to assert my own life force. So usually it takes a lot to dampen my creative drive. During lockdown I went into “hibernation mode” which meant sleeping a lot, shutting off my desires and wants because the external world could no longer accommodate them. My cat died during this period too, which further made me want to bury myself. It was hell. I’m still trying to recover from it all.

TDO: What kinds of changes did you notice almost immediately when beginning your new

practice?

Yana: Like so many others during this time I got more into plants and gardening. Nature doesn’t ever quit. I found a lot of inspiration there - especially observing the way plants can “hibernate” and return to life when conditions improve. I became obsessed with Moss, which can stay dormant for like years and then come back to life with some water and light. I started working with moss in my art - figuring out ways to use it in new ways.

TDO: What makes what you do now, on the other side of lockdown, more special than you

thought prior to?

Yana: Connecting with plants, studying them, nurturing their existence… all of that has helped my process tremendously and added a lot to my way of seeing as an artist. Adding moss to my list of mediums has been really fun and that experimental energy has been reinvigorating! I’ve met a lot of great people who are also interested in this type of work so the momentum has been building.

TDO: Would you say this sort of butterfly effect is temporary for you or do you think you will

continue to evolve in more ways? If so, how so? If not, why?

Yana: I think I will continue to go in this direction, for as long as I can, because it gives me life and I feel more connected to everything around me when I work with nature. There’s a lot more ground to explore, and for now, that gives me hope.

Ladies of the 'Other' UK: Pandemic Triumph Stories of Women Creators from the Ukraine (Part II)

Mandalee, Marina, & Yana

Ladies of the 'Other 'UK: Pandemic Triumph Stories of Women Creators from the Ukraine (Part I)