Meet Paula Smiri
On changing careers 🎓 financial stability 💰 and pursuing big dreams with kids around
Good morning and welcome back to Creative Parenting Club. Whether you’re receiving this message in your inbox, or finding us via the Substack app, we appreciate you.
Today is an exciting day. We began the month of January celebrating the relaunch and rebranding of our global community of creative parents, and we are ending it with our first new parent profile since that refresh.
In case you’re new here, check out our archives to meet some of the previous parents we’ve interviewed in this space.
Over the coming months, we’ll be interspersing some of those interviews along with new content which will be released every week.
Enough chit chat
Today’s parent profile is of Paula Smiri, a creative professional and mom to a five year-old based in Cologne, Germany.
Paula’s creative parenting journey is an inspiring one: from working in call centers as a young parent to losing her job during the pandemic, leading to a career change fueled by her participation in the prestigious D&AD Shift Germany program last year.
In addition to working for a creative agency in Cologne, Paula is one of eight Shift graduates who teamed up to found The Orbit, a creative collective dedicated to supporting up-and-coming talent in the creative industry.
The Orbit is currently one of our favorite reads on Substack, and this is the first of what will be a regular collaboration highlighting the journeys of parents working in commercial creative fields.
In case you’re not already subscribed, we highly recommend checking out The Orbit’s newsletter and browsing their various resources for creatives.
That’s all for now!
Without further delay, here’s Paula Smiri.
Creative Parenting Club: You recently started a job at a creative agency, and the story of how you got there is super inspiring. Can you share it with us in your own words?
Paula Smiri, The Orbit: Before COVID, I was a customer care service worker and worked in call centers and stuff.
But then came Corona, which was a huge problem for my husband and me. The kindergarten was closed a lot and it’s not like we could work from home. He was delivering packages, and we basically had to take turns taking off from work. He later worked in restaurants and stuff. But in the end, it was really hard to keep up. And we both lost our jobs or multiple jobs at this point.
And then we were really frustrated and we were like, we need a home office job. But somehow we also thought we need to change our careers and we want to earn more and have more financial security.
So he got an education through the job center, or Arbeitsamt, and they paid him for a software engineering bootcamp for nine months. He actually just finished at the end of November successfully and is looking for a job.
And I started with this, you know, trying to do my own path and entering the creative industry.
I have a best friend who also did a program through the Arbeitsamt and became an online marketing manager. And this kind of inspired me.
At the same time, she also saw that I was very creative and communicative. So she would ask me for some ideas and concepts for her clients. And we did these kind of funny billboards for a doctor’s office in Switzerland. They liked it! And then somehow she told me, "why don’t you try to go work in this industry?"
I had never considered this, because at this point I was just looking for home office jobs in customer care and things like this. But she kind of pushed me.
And then I got an ad from D&AD in my Instagram story, because the algorithm never ceases to surprise you.
The first time I applied, I got rejected because I had no formal creative background. But then I did a one-month internship at an agency in Cologne, which led to seven months of freelance work. One year later I applied again and got in. That experience changed everything.
After the program ended, I was back home, job hunting, when my colleague Marta Litson—who had been part of the same program—came up with the idea for The Orbit. She brought a group of us together, and it became this creative collective. We started a Substack, wrote articles, brainstormed every week—it gave us momentum. It helped me not lose hope in my job search.
Now, I’m Head of Copy at The Orbit and recently started working as a Brand Manager for Get The Point, a creative agency in Cologne. It’s super close to home (550 meters, to be exact!), and I have the option to work remotely. It’s flexible, I love my colleagues, and I get to do work I actually care about.
CPC: How many kids do you have, and how old are they?
PS: I have one son—he’s five years old, and his name is Elias.
CPC: What role does creativity play in your life?
PS: I’ve always been creative. As a teenager, I wrote short stories and poems. I was really into German hip-hop—and still am! I love ‘90s hip-hop from the U.S. too.
For me, creativity is also an outlet. Since I have ADHD and don’t take medication, I need something that helps me focus my energy. Writing, brainstorming ideas, even community-building—it all gives me a sense of purpose.
The Orbit has been a huge part of that. It doesn’t feel like work because I enjoy it so much. Even scrolling through our Discord or engaging with our Substack community feels like something I want to do, not just another task.
CPC: Do you have any creative hobbies or passions?
PS: Acrylic painting is something I do as a hobby—not professionally or anything, but I love the texture and playing with colors. It’s really a sensory thing for me.
And sometimes, my husband and I freestyle rap together for fun. We just jam, talk about our daily life, maybe even throw in some playful disses. It’s good therapy.
CPC: How do you carve out time for The Orbit while balancing family life?
PS: Honestly? I don’t always know! But I can tell you what my daily routine looks like.
I wake up around 6 or 7am, whenever my son wakes up—he’s the first one up and definitely the loudest. We have breakfast, get ready, and I drop him off at kindergarten by 8:30.
I start work between 9 and 10am, and my schedule is flexible. Some days I finish at 3 pm, others at 5pm. My husband picks up our son.
After work, we have dinner, and then I check in on The Orbit—scrolling through our Discord, seeing what’s happening, and working on tasks. Since we’re a team of about nine people, I usually only have to write one or two articles a month.
I also keep a backlog of ideas in Notion—maybe 20 drafts that I can refine when I have time. That way, when life gets busy, I don’t feel pressure to come up with something completely new.
If you enjoy something, somehow it never really feels like extra work.
CPC: Has being a parent changed the way you think about money?
PS: Absolutely! Just existing as a parent is expensive in this economy.
For me, my son was the biggest reason I pursued something more financially stable but still creative. I wanted to create a better life for my family, even though it meant taking a risk. That’s why my husband and I decided to go all in—even knowing we’d have one year of less income while focusing on education.
Right now, I’m still the only one working, so we’re not done with the hustle yet. But I told my husband: Nobody can take this from us.
If you have a job without an educational background or a specialized skill, companies can always take that job away from you. But when you have real experience, when you’ve learned a hard skill, that’s yours. No one can take that away.
I always tell parents: learn a hard skill. Whether it’s UX/UI design, copywriting, graphic design, or even selling your art—do what you love, but also find a skill within it that can be monetized.
One step leads to another. And I know I’m making it a bit spiritual here, but if you show the universe you want something and you’re willing to put in the work, opportunities start to appear.
It’s not about being successful all the time—it’s about following the path, recognizing opportunities, and being okay with not being an expert right away.
It’s hard, but it’s possible.
CPC: How do you incorporate your kids into your creative life, and vice versa?
PS: Sometimes I’m exhausted from the day-to-day responsibilities of being a mom and working, but playing with my son actually sparks my creativity.
We build Lego from scratch, role-play with Playmobil figures, or make up little stories with cars.
At the same time, I try to carve out small moments for me-time—even if it’s just a few minutes here and there. That time helps me reset and be more present.
CPC: What’s something you know deep down that you need to work on?
PS: Spending more quality time with my family.
It’s so easy to get caught up in work, projects, or just scrolling—doom-scrolling, really. I don’t want to miss being present with my son because I’m distracted by my MacBook.
It’s something a lot of people struggle with, and I know guilt doesn’t help anyone.
I’ve been thinking a lot about small, sustainable improvements—like the concept from Atomic Habits about getting just 1% better every day instead of setting overwhelming goals.
Last year’s goal was to build a new career.
This year’s goal? Prioritizing my health. More doctor’s appointments, check-ups, even looking into ADHD medication to see if it helps me feel less drained.
So yeah, watch me biohacking by the end of 2025!
CPC: What’s something you know you’re doing well?
PS: I’m proud that I made a career change—without a traditional creative background, without a university degree.
Between The Orbit, D&AD, and now working at Get The Point, I’ve built something meaningful. And I’ve done it while still being a mom, a partner, and a creative.
And honestly? I’m proud of not giving up.
CPC: If you had to guarantee that your kids learned one thing, what would it be?
PS: To stay in the moment.
To be present.
My son is likely getting an ADHD diagnosis soon. But unlike me, he’ll grow up with support, with someone who understands what he’s going through.
And I hope that makes a difference.
Thanks again to Paula Smiri for an inspiring interview. In case you missed it, check out our post from earlier this week on what cold winter days can teach us about creative parenting.
And a reminder if you haven’t already to check out The Orbit for more great content from Paula and the rest of her team.
We wish you and your family a great weekend!
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I love that you Rap and diss your partner!!! We should get together soon for a jam!!!
Super inspiring story. Congrats on your success Paula!