Who am I
Master in: design thinking, architectural design, visual thinking
Focus on: training design and delivery, customer research, visual thinking
Number of trainings: > 10
Number of sprints: > 5
Industries: architecture, construction, hospitality, education
After listening to a talk I gave once, the CEO of a major advertising agency told me: “You can sell any idea.” The truth is I never see this as an act of “selling”, but rather as sharing knowledge - also known as learning. And learning for me is the quintessential human skill.
Ever since I was a child, I was always good at it. I had come up with my own methods of how to learn and detect what is the most essential information is that would give me the outcome I am looking for. This is what sparked my interest for “brain hacks”, metareading, mindfullness, and techniques for visual thinking. All these allowed me to combine studying architecture with studying business and innovation.
Design thinking attracted me so, because it is a process that stimulates you to learn from real-life experiences as fast as you can. I love using the design thinking mindset and tools on projects, but most of all I enjoy sharing it with others and training them to use it independently.
My three most important professional projects
Creating a pupils-first Center for Natural Sciences and Entrepreneurship at 1st School “Nikola Vaptsarov" in Berkovitsa, Bulgaria by using my knowledge in design thinking & architecture.
Creating a Visual Thinking module for teachers, as part of the European project DICE (Developing Innovation and Creativity in Education).
Creating a multilayered program for design thinking facilitators in Anchorage, Alaska.
My biggest failure and lessons learned
Being accepted at American University in Washington, DC right after graduating from high school. Despite that it felt like a huge success at the time, I consider it a failure in the long-term because I couldn’t motivate why I wanted to go there and what I would study. In other words, it was an empty goal, even though I achieved it.
The lesson learned: "Be self-aware why you do the things you do."
On Sunday I get up early to...
turn off the phone alarm in case I had forgotten it. Have a ritual walk for coffee and croissants at the Doctor’s Garden with my boyfriend. Take an early morning hike in Vitosha before the rest of Sofia decides to do the same thing.