I grew up in a household surrounded by art, books, painters, teachers and people who believed that there was something essential in form. Music, culture and visual beauty were not separate from everyday life. They were part of how I learned to look at the world.
My grandfather, Nicolae Filoteanu, was a painter and educator who left a lasting mark on Romanian visual arts education. He was known for his sensitivity to colour, the delicacy of his palette and the balance of his compositions. He also believed deeply in the discipline of drawing and painting, and in the importance of learning to truly see before attempting to interpret.
My grandmother, Dumitra Filoteanu, was also a painter and teacher at the “Nicolae Tonitza” High School of Fine Arts in Bucharest. Together, they created a home that felt almost like a small living museum: paintings, student sculptures, handmade objects and shelves filled with books surrounded me as I grew up.
But my relationship with this heritage was not as straightforward as simply following in their footsteps.
When I wanted to attend this art high school myself, my grandfather discouraged me. He lived through a time when an artistic career could be an uncertain path, he wanted something more secure for me. So I had to choose another direction and went on to study communication and public relations.
That decision changed everything, but it also became part of the path that brought me here.
Working as a PR taught me to think about language, perception, how ideas are structured and expressed and gave me a fine attention to details. Those skills became deeply woven into the way I work today, because now I also offer my clients support with words, content, messaging and website structures. I help them understand what they are trying to communicate and translate that into something coherent, visually and conceptually.
Years later, I found my way back to visual work through digital design. It wasn’t something I had planned at all. It was more of a convergence of things I had been carrying for years: an inherited sensitivity to form and beauty, combined with the communication skills I had developed along the way.
I started Amritaé Design in 2019, bringing together my background in visual communication and strategy with my own journey in yoga and conscious living. Over time, this naturally led me to work with founders in yoga, wellness and personal growth.