Creative Bloom

Ida-Viru Creative Women on a Study Trip in Latvia

January 22 to 25, a group of creative women from Ida-Viru County went on a study trip to Latvia as part of the “Creative Bloom” mentoring program. Our destination was the Vidzeme region.

The “Creative Bloom” mentoring program is a cross-border project in which our partner in Latvia is the Vidzeme Planning Region. The Latvians welcomed us warmly and introduced us to their region. We had the opportunity to visit various fascinating places and meet local creative professionals. The study trip was attended by two groups—one from Estonia and one from Latvia.

This was the first time that the two groups met in person. Previously, we had only interacted online, but now, the women from both groups could finally meet face to face.

The three-day creative study trip took us to different locations in and around Cēsis, as well as to Riga. The entire program was incredibly inspiring, filled with new experiences and encounters with interesting people. We were welcomed by local experts in their respective fields, and we visited several organizations that contribute to the development of the creative sector in the Vidzeme region.

For example, we had the unique opportunity to visit Latvia’s only Piebalga porcelain factory, where its owner and artist, Jānis, introduced us to his business and hosted a small workshop. The visit itself felt like a theatrical performance, infused with humor, which immediately engaged everyone. Porcelain is already an intriguing material, and since most of us had never worked with it before, it was an exciting experience.

Additionally, we visited the studio of renowned Latvian jewelry designer Anna Fanigina, the creator of the VERBA jewelry brand. Listening to her journey—from how she started to where she is today—was truly fascinating. She shared stories about her collections, her first international exhibitions, and her upcoming plans to expand into the Japanese market.

Beyond these encounters, we also met several other inspiring and talented women. We visited a workshop that produces stunning knitwear, with color palettes inspired directly by nature. Jewelry designer Rasma shared an interesting story about how different designers collaborated to open a joint showroom in Riga. There were many more meetings with skilled artisans, but unfortunately, we can’t mention all of them in this article—otherwise, the story would become too long!

A significant part of our program was dedicated to exploring how Latvia supports and develops its creative industries. We visited the creative and digital center “Rainis,” toured the design department of Riga Technical University, and on the last day of our trip, we explored two markets in Riga—one of which exclusively featured products from local small-scale producers.

Our creative journey concluded with a visit to the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga.

Over these three days in Latvia, the women from both groups got to know each other better. And it worked—experiences were shared, contacts were exchanged, new creative ideas emerged, and various topics were discussed. This was especially evident on the last day when conversations between the women just wouldn’t end! The “ice-breaking” phase is now behind us, and we eagerly look forward to what comes next.

We won’t have to wait long for another face-to-face meeting between the two groups. In August this year, it will be our turn to organize a study trip for the Latvian group. We are excited to welcome them to Ida-Viru County!

A heartfelt thank you to the Latvian organizers for an engaging and emotionally rich visit!

Here you can explore the places and businesses we visited during the study trip (a partial list):

The “Creative Bloom” project (CB0500277) is implemented with the support of the European Union’s INTERREG Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027 and co-financed by the British Council.