Read practical tips, creative stories & resources for students, architects & designers - from career advice to hand drawing, sketching & studio life.
Your online presence is your new first impression. In this updated 2025 guide, learn how to audit, refresh, and protect what people find when they Google you, and make it work for your creative career or business.
Read MoreI’m sharing my thoughts on turning 40 and opening up about life in my 30s and what I want to achieve in my 40s as a Wife, Mum, and Entrepreneur.
Read MoreSelf-employed or not, you are your most valuable asset. Your business, your ideas and your progress depend on your energy, focus and wellbeing – which is why learning to take care of yourself is not a luxury, it’s essential.
Read MoreSince moving to Iceland 4 years ago now, I have worked for myself. Working for myself is an easy phrase to type or say but the action of making it happen and being successful, as in profitable, is a different story.
Read MoreWhat do self-employed women actually wear every day? From my days as an architect and lecturer to running a creative business from home, this is the comfortable uniform that helps me feel confident, capable and like myself.
Read MoreIt's almost a year since I left my role as Senior Lecturer back in the UK to move to Iceland. In that time I've achieved so many goals that were on my To-Do list but there was a 'Student Advice'. I wanted to form an output, a way of offering my answers to all those questions previously asked to me and pass on the same advice to other students. So I got typing and created my first email course.
Read MoreSonia Nicolson is a British Chartered Architect (ARB) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), with 15+ years of international experience in Architecture, Interior Architecture & Design, and design education. As a Senior Lecturer, she has taught and mentored over 8,000 students worldwide and now helps aspiring architecture and interior design students develop confidence in hand drawing, visual communication, and portfolio preparation.
Through her courses, ebooks, and mentoring, Sonia specialises in making complex design skills clear, practical, and accessible - especially for students preparing for college, university, applications, or a career in the built environment.
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New to my blog? Begin with these reader favourites on studying architecture, portfolios, and learning to draw.
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Architect & former University Lecturer turned Entrepreneur. I help female Entrepreneurs successfully Design & Build their Creative Businesses in Interior Design, Architecture & Urban Sketching.
Architect & Creative Educator helping you design and build your career and creative business in Interior Design, Architecture and Urban Sketching.
ARB - British Chartered Architect
FHEA - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Senior Lecturer, Arts University Bournemouth (UK)
Academic Representative, British Council (Design Education)
Academic Director, Raffles Design Institute (India)
Teaching architecture through hand drawing, sketching, and architectural thinking, and creating original artwork and commissions from the same practice.
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