🎨 From Siberia to UI/UX Stardom: How One Freelancer Turned Chaos Into Flow
You ever meet someone who didn’t follow a plan — they improvised their way into success?
That’s Mary.
She started as a marketer in a small Siberian town. Fast forward a few years — she’s now a full-time designer building UI/UX that actually converts, not the “pretty-but-dead” stuff you only see on Dribbble. She’s not just designing for local clients anymore — her work’s now crossing borders, with projects in Germany, Israel, the UAE, and the US.
I sat down with her to talk about burnout, clients, money, and how she went from “please don’t fire me” to “sorry, I’m fully booked.”
That’s Mary.
She started as a marketer in a small Siberian town. Fast forward a few years — she’s now a full-time designer building UI/UX that actually converts, not the “pretty-but-dead” stuff you only see on Dribbble. She’s not just designing for local clients anymore — her work’s now crossing borders, with projects in Germany, Israel, the UAE, and the US.
I sat down with her to talk about burnout, clients, money, and how she went from “please don’t fire me” to “sorry, I’m fully booked.”
🧩 The Early Days
Q: For people meeting you for the first time—what do you do?
A: I’m a designer focused on web/UI/UX. I love systems that actually work, not just look pretty. If users stick around and the numbers move, that’s my kind of art.
Do this now (3 min):
Open your latest design and write at the top:
“Outcome: improve trial-start rate from X% → 2X%.”
If you can’t measure it, it’s moodboard theater.
Q: What does “works” mean to you?
A: It means the user does something — clicks, stays, converts. Design isn’t decoration; it’s utility with taste.
Q: How long have you been in design?
A: Six years officially (I even have the diploma!). But I started way earlier as a marketer in a small Siberian town—which meant “do everything”: visuals, websites, social posts, PR.
Q: Your first-ever freelance gig?
A: Restaurants. I ran social media for four of them. We’d post photos, then eat the food we just shot. Best perk ever.
Q: How did you land those clients?
A: I just walked in and pitched. No job boards, no Upwork. “Hey, your food’s 10/10, visuals are 4/10. Let me fix it.”
Q: Why pivot from marketing to design?
A: Burnout. COVID hit, restaurants froze, friends in IT pulled me in. I realized I prefer shipping designs over defending strategies.
Q: Your biggest fail?
A: Year one, 10 p.m., DNS migration. Whole website dies. Panic, dark screen, angry calls. Turned out we just needed to wait for DNS propagation. Classic rookie trauma.
Q: When did you feel, “I made it”?
A: When a famous Startup Accelerator invited me without connections. They saw my work, sent a test task, and I got in. That’s when I realized — okay, time to own the “designer” title.
Q: What’s the big-picture goal now?
A: To build something that scales globally, not just another slide. I want to create systems people live inside of, not admire once and forget.
Q: Describe your ideal workday.
A:
- Before: Wake up → laptop → chaos. Every Slack ping felt like a grenade.
- Now: HustleApp. I start with triage: urgent vs. loud. Say “no” more. I plan my day, block tasks, review at 7 p.m. (work + life backlog)
7 p.m. Review Template:
- ✅ Done today
- 🚧 Blockers
- 🗂 Backlog groom
- 🎯 Tomorrow’s top 3
🧠 Process, Tools & Clients
Q: How many hours do you actually work?
A: Depends. Six focused hours beat twelve fake ones. Two hours of scrolling Pinterest also counts — that’s research.
Q: Preferred workspace?
A: Cafés with a medium noise level and mountain views. The espresso machine is my mortal enemy.
Q: What tools keep you sane?
A:
- HustleApp (obviously) and a visible to-do list..
- A paper notebook for end-of-day thoughts.
- 7 p.m. review ritual — always.
Q: How do you deal with burnout?
A: Sports that feel fun. Figure skating, snowboarding, hikes. Also, break tasks small — bite-sized work heals burnout faster than vacations.
Q: How do you get clients now?
A: I don’t hunt anymore. Projects come in through referrals or people who saw my work. Now I’m bringing on an assistant to handle the overflow.
If you’re new:
- Join 3 Linkedin/Slack groups.
- Post 1 before/after every 2 weeks.
- Comment on 10 founder posts/day.
- You’ll get leads within 30 days.
Q: Client red flags?
A: “I’ll know what I want when I see it.” Instant migraine.
Q: Worst gig type?
A: Marketplace product cards. Low pay, infinite edits, and the phrase “make it pop.” One for experience is fine. Two = regret.
Q: How do you quit a bad project?
A: Politely, before signing.
☕ Life, Money & Meaning
Q: Let’s talk finances.
A: I track everything. I want to know where my money sits and how it grows while I sleep. I use a simple 3-account rule:
- Life
- Taxes/Safety
- Investments
Q: Fixed savings rule?
A: Nope. Every extra project is a “savings project.” The more I charge, the more I stash. Keeps me raising my rates andresting easier.
Q: What does your off-work life look like?
A: I can’t sit still. I explore, meet people from random fields, find new food spots. I dance, hike, snowboard. And yes — I have strong opinions about khachapuri.
Weekend tip: Schedule joy like meetings. If it’s not on the calendar, it won’t happen.
Q: Where’s home right now?
A: Krasnaya Polyana. Think Swiss Alps meets startup village.
Work in the morning, snowboard at lunch. Prices lower than Milan or Moscow, air cleaner than Figma’s white background.
Q: If you had 3–6 months off?
A: I’d paint. Oil, watercolor, pastels — just me, a mountain, and a canvas. No deadlines, no clients, no Slack. Bliss.
Q: What’s one thing you still struggle with?
A: Delegation. But the irony is: the more structure you build, the more freedom you get.
Q: What does success mean to you now?
A: Freedom and flow. When your projects matter, your workday feels light, and your brain’s still yours — that’s success.
Q: One-liner advice for new designers?
A: Don’t chase perfect. Chase useful.Pretty fades. Usable stays.
🧭 Masha’s 8 tricks for Sustainable Design Work
- Design for usage, not portfolios.
- Set measurable outcomes.
- Say no to “make it pop.”
- Track micro-wins, not vague goals.
- Run a 7 p.m. review.
- Move daily — oxygen fuels design.
- Post your work publicly — progress > perfection.
- Invest your side-gig money.
💬 Takeaway
Masha isn’t “lucky.” She’s proof that discipline beats chaos.
You don’t need 14-hour days. You need 5 honest hours, a clean system, and a reason to care.
Try this today:
- Use HustleApp
- Do your 7 p.m. review.
- List three wins, one blocker, and one fun thing you’ll do tomorrow.
- That’s where productivity begins — not in your inbox, but in your clarity.
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