Marija Trkulja
Creative Exellence Manager

Born in Skopje, raised in Moscow, educated in Ljubljana, she dropped anchor halfway between the Vardar and the Triglav. Marija holds a Master’s in Culturology, dual BAs in Journalism and Interior Design. She speaks five languages. At twenty-six, she found herself in Belgrade, a city she once called “Graytown.” She never planned to stay longer than a year, but her heart had other plans. There’s a story behind that, a story that could have defined her, yet she chose to write a new beginning instead.

She has worked in internal communications, brand standardization, and brand management, and currently is working as Creative Excellence Manager at Bambi. In parallel, she runs her small and delicate freelance studio, Jordeva Likovnica, where she explores watercolor painting, digital illustration, and writing honest life stories. Jordeva is her maiden name, which she still uses in her artistic expression. In 2023, her debut novel, Natašte: A Tale of Absence and Longing (published by LOM), was released. The manuscript was born out of a personal need to give voice to themes that often remain silent. In her free time, she reads extensively and pursues continuous learning, finding in it both purpose and energy.

She dreams of a peaceful and happy childhood for her daughter Sena, of writing another novel (or two), visiting Prince Edward Island, and finally starting that long-awaited PhD in anthropology.