We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yuliia Martynenko a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Yuliia, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I thought of myself as a non creative person until I was 25. I vividly remember a close family member telling me as a child that I wasn’t creative, but highly analytical. My family reinforced this belief, steering me toward paths that matched those traits since I didn’t have a definitive answer on what I wanted to do anyway. Since I was young, I was surrounded by mathematics, economics, and career choices like manager, finance, or something involving numbers. So, I went on to graduate with a degree in mathematical economics and statistics and my first job after university was as a software engineer.
A year into that job, even though I was making good money, working remotely, and had all the freedom I thought I wanted, I was deeply unhappy. I hated it. At first, I thought it was the environment—the differences in culture, age, religion, and the old-fashioned company vibe. But eventually, I had to face the hard truth: this field just didn’t fulfill me. Supporting an old software infrastructure was the last thing I wanted to do.
I felt like I was constantly taking from the world—using my income to party, travel, and escape—but giving nothing back.
I knew I had to make a change, but I felt I had no obvious talent. I couldn’t draw, dance, sculpt—nothing that people usually think of as “creative.” I’d done extreme sports, and tried adapting different hobbies but nothing fulfilled me consistently. One piece of advice stuck with me: whatever you want to be doing, you should already be doing naturally and for the joy it brings. So I asked myself, “What do I do creatively without even thinking about it?”
The answer was always there: I’ve been drawn to events. Growing up in Ukraine, I was always looking for unique things to do-music performances, parties, art exhibitions, and anything built around artistic expression. That’s when I decided to dive into events full-time.
Realizing that talent is just a mix of desire and hard work, I chose to make creative direction my “talent.” Within a year, I went from someone who saw herself as non-creative to a creative director. I organized four events, collaborated with multiple artists, took on casting direction, and landed a full-time job in events and marketing, a field that aligns perfectly with my passion. Now I am discovering and embracing this new side of my I neglected for so long and even though there’re challenges like imposter syndrome, laziness, and doubts, I know I’m on the right path and turning back is not an option.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My day job is as a Project Execution Lead for Microsoft. I appreciate the stability, opportunities for growth, and structure that my corporate role offers. I’ve been able to stand out by developing creative solutions, such as automating event management processes. While these innovations help me thrive, they’re not connected to the worlds of fashion, art, and music—the mysterious and exciting world I’ve always wanted to be part of.
After I left my software engineering job and committed to entering the creative industry, I started by helping friends who were producing large-scale techno events, managing their social media, and assisting with production. From there, I picked up more freelance gigs—directing events for the most expensive yoga teacher in the world, assisting with film festivals, and landing a gig for the Chashama Gala, an event that hosts over 300 artists for its yearly gala.
The Glass Hour Collective began when three friends and I decided to throw an art party. We pooled our resources and networks, and the event sold out. It was my idea to reach out to Angela Nikolau from the documentary Skywalkers I’d just seen on Netflix. I learned through her social media that she had recently moved to New York City, so I offered her the opportunity to showcase her work at our event. Securing her participation gave our first event a major boost, adding credibility and creating a unique experience for our audience. The event was a complete success, and our team had amazing energy, inspiring us to create more.
Within weeks, I proposed to the team that we collaborate with an established New York art collective called CX. Although their venue rental was a five-digit number, I believed that if we presented an innovative concept, we might negotiate the space at a much better rate. Together with another creative director in our collective, we developed a “past and future” theme—a fully immersive experience beginning with elements of the past, including aerial dancers evoking circus vibes and a live sculptor mirroring Ancient Greece. We then aimed to transition attendees into the future with an innovative fashion show and an AI artist. Our pitch worked, and the event could be done within our budget. Now, we are working on all the components of the event as a team, and soon it will come to life.
I truly believe that creativity doesn’t require a specific output like paintings or music. Creativity is about how we shape our lives. Following my instincts—reaching out to new people and pursuing unconventional ideas—has taught me that I can mold my world in the way I want. This freedom fuels my creative process, enabling me to share pieces of myself with others.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Quitting a software engineering job wasn’t in my plans, but in hindsight, I think I manifested it with how much I wanted to be doing something else. Looking back, it was the right call for them to lay me off; when I’m not motivated, I struggle to put my heart into the work. I knew I wasn’t the best fit for software engineering but suddenly, I was out of a job, with only $6,000 in my bank account and no idea how to get started in the creative industry. To make things trickier, I was living in San Diego—a beautiful city but not exactly where you’d go to break into the high-end event scene with artists and creatives from all over the world.
For the first three months of unemployment, I went back to looking for software engineering jobs, thinking I needed to find income quickly. Even with unemployment benefits, my savings were dwindling fast. I had plenty of interviews—I knew how to put together a solid resume—but I kept falling short because, deep down, I wasn’t invested in any of these roles.
Eventually, I realized I couldn’t keep doing this and decided it was time to pursue something in events and creative direction. Along with that decision, I felt drawn to New York. After eight years in California since immigrating from Ukraine, I was ready for a radical change. Preparing for this big move, I came across a job posting for a Marketing Coordinator at VML, one of the biggest creative agencies in the world. The position was in New York, the interviewers seemed great, and the timing felt perfect. I aced the first two interviews, but the third one didn’t go as well—they turned me down.
Hearing “no” from VML hit me hard, and for a moment, I felt like giving up. But then, a friend reminded me that if I wanted something, I had to keep going and find a way to make it happen. So, I decided to stay in touch with VML. In my first email, I let them know that while I respected their decision, I still wanted to prove I could do the job. I shared updates about my projects and goals along the way.
Two weeks later, I sent them a portfolio website I’d put together with photos, videos, spreadsheets, and presentations of all my projects, complete with descriptions of my achievements. They appreciated the effort, but still, there was no response. A few weeks after that, I sent a simple Happy Thanksgiving email to everyone who had interviewed me. Just as I was preparing to send them a new update about my latest project, I got a call. They told me an opening had come up, and they thought of me immediately. I went through three more interviews, felt much more confident this time, and six weeks after that first rejection, I got the job.
Today, I’m still with VML, working with Microsoft as my client, and I couldn’t be happier. This experience taught me so much about resilience and showed me that if you truly want something, a “no” doesn’t have to be the final answer.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The only constant in life is change—nothing stays the same. There’s no such thing as finding something and being happy forever; everything’s evolving, just like my idea of what I’m meant to do in this world. I’ve always been spiritual, not in a religious way but in believing that there’s a higher power, a purpose, karma, and energy that connects us. I’m always searching for deeper meaning, looking for connections, and exploring beyond the surface.
In my work, this means I want my events to do more than just entertain. I want people to walk away feeling inspired to think about their lives, see where they might grow, and realize what’s possible when they’re truly in tune with themselves. I want them to feel how freeing it is to be themselves, to create without fear or limits. Setbacks become lessons, and experiences just are—they’re not “good” or “bad,” they help us grow.
And I believe that bringing this approach to the corporate world is needed now more than ever. There’s an old notion that corporate culture has to be competitive, cutthroat, and purely profit-driven. But when we get to know each other on a personal level, share our values beyond the workplace, and build genuine connections, we can create real change in the work environment. People need spaces to relax, reconnect, and find purpose beyond just a paycheck.
At the end of the day, work or play, it’s all about finding meaning, making real connections, and growing together.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @whatbossneeds
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliia-martynenko?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
