ABOUT
This is feminist work.
Anti-ageist work.
Embodiment work.
Liberation work.
And it begins with the simple act of turning the lens on yourself.
Wet hair, no make up and no background.
What began as a casual attempt to take website photos became one of the most liberating and transformative experiences of my life.
My name is Monicka Clio Sakki, and turning the camera on myself didn't just change my photos—it changed my sense of self. Especially as someone who never liked being photographed, I discovered:
"No lens will love you more than your own."
What I didn't expect was that this process would become a doorway—not just for me, but for other women longing for freedom, presence, and play. Through four distinct states (Freedom, Intimacy, Grace, and Play), I evolved from pajama-mama to creative force, from hiding to claiming my full visual range, from chasing youth to celebrating the changes by fining . This journey became the foundation of SelfMagic: the Image-First methodology, ColorQuest symbolic language, and the belief that when you're curious about yourself, you never fade—you evolve.
This is my story of being seen differently. And it's the space I now hold for you.
“What’s obvious to the outside is fresh, bold and unforgettably ‘me’ visual branding, with photos that created throngs of admirers wondering who the heck my photographer was (just me and my iPhone). What they don’t know is that Monicka’s mentorship changed the way I show up to my business from the inside out.
I broke my own shell open, organized my shit, grew up, and dared the world to love me through both my most confident, genius edge and trembling vulnerability. Of course, that translated to more clients and more profit than I’ve ever created before.”
State of Freedom
Discover what you long to reveal
I was SO ready to step out of my pajama-mama era. When my kids started daycare, I taped a yellow note on the door—“DO NOT DISTURB”—and claimed a private, luxurious hour, just for me.
I played with expressions, paper rolls, tulle skirts, bookstands.
The photos came out vibrant, enthusiastic.
Every picture felt like a hug to myself.
And best of all, the process was in my hands—the photos mine to keep, share, or delete. Even on bad hair days, I found value. For the first time, I felt unstoppable.
And I made more and more space for THAT me, to come out.
This is the phase where women realize they want more than survival—they want visibility that feels self-directed, safe and natural. And in business, this is the moment you stop hiding behind “work” and start letting your actual presence lead.
“I want to have room to breathe. And this kind of thing is room.
When you’re doing SelfMagic you’re outside of time and place… Not like when you’e working, journaling or playing with the kids. Not like anything else you’re doing.
This process gives you the space to create for yourself.”
State of Intimacy
Create without caution
As my style evolved, so did my curiosity. I experimented with color, mood, fantasy portraits. I fast-forwarded past the polite smiles. I wanted raw. Real. Edge.
And permission to feel and act in ways that ordinary life doesn't allow.
What happens when I stop trying to be pleasing?
What happens when I show up as my most creative self?
This became the birth of my signature method. With SelfMagic Woman, I watched women stop hiding and reclaim their faces and bodies. They connected with parts they didn’t know they were ready to show. They discovered their voice. Sometimes even discovering a new vocation.
Together, we went deeper. And braver.
This is the phase for women who feel a creative life—or a new business direction—pulling at them from underneath the surface. It’s the moment where your inner world becomes too loud to ignore, and your work needs to evolve to match your truth, not your past.
“I’m more brave and courageous in my visual representation on social media.
The first thing that has changed for me is about that hotiness and sexiness that I bring to the table. I was trying to hide that part of me, from showing up in my business. I thought that this is not something that I want to lead with… or attract people with. I want to attract with my words, with what I have to say.
This work gave me the realization that I need to combine it. I need to fuze it... To be myself. More of myself.”
State of Grace
Dance with your desire
The practice grew into presence and acceptance. Meeting myself exactly as I am—not as I "used to be," "should be," or "could be fixed to be."
How do I see my changing face as... my face? How can it feel familiar and friendly, without clinging to youth like a climbing cord? How can I turn aging into something fascinating?
But here's what no one tells you about this stage:
Some days I feel like a very thin layer of strawberry jam, smeared in a double-decker sandwich, squeezed between aging parents and teenage kids. Where do I go from here?
The answer wasn't just about how I look. It was about how neglected I felt. This phase demanded something different… It required compassion for myself AND curiosity about who I'm becoming—not despite the squeeze, but within it.
While the world spun into chaos, this ritual gave me guilt-free joy.
And here's the thing: each phase revealed what becomes possible when you stop chasing the perfect image and instead create a space where your truest self can emerge.
Silver hair beginnings and all, I feel more sensual and alive now than in my 30s or 40s. An unexpected bonus: standing naked in front of the mirror (no model!) and feeling as comfortable as if I were in my favorite jeans.
This is the phase for women carrying multiple worlds at once—family, work, aging, responsibility—and realizing that if their business is going to grow, it needs to honor who they are now, not who they were. This stage calls in women who want impact and income, but refuse to abandon their humanity to get it.
“Now I’m my own canvas.
From a person who doesn’t take selfies, doesn’t show herself on social media, doesn’t do any of that, I learned how to use a process to be playful… My voice is coming out more naturally. I‘m enamored by all the different ways I can show myself.”
State of Play. On repeat.
Stay hungry for meaning
Recently, I started photographing my Divine Darlings (LEGO goddesses) at the beach. Sand, sea, salt n’all… I became part of the art. The muse, the artist, and the artwork blurred together.
This IS SelfMagic.
There’s a quiet anticipation, and relief, in knowing that each phase has something new to express. It comes alive if you give it the space, and the stage to show up.
There’s always another self waiting to be seen.
The best way to “get it out”?
Never loose your childlike playfulness.
That's the same space I now hold for you.
This is the phase for women stepping into creative leadership—where business becomes artful, playful, and self-led. It appeals to women who want to build work that’s unmistakably theirs, work that feels alive rather than strategic or forced.
“This process allows me to capture myself however I am, and however I want to show up. No one else can capture you like that. Turning your own gaze on yourself, and being so free doing that. I love that there's play involved in every step. It's so liberating. Everyone should do it.”
What This Means for You
Here's how we work together:
Through Image-First methodology, you'll turn the lens on yourself—not to pose, but to discover.
Through ColorQuest, you'll use symbolic colors as a map for your emotional and creative becoming.
Through Play, you'll access your body, and the authentic innovation that strategy can't reach.
This is SelfMagic™: a creative, visual, and emotional system that sparks who you come to be while helping you create your unique signature.
Whether you're just beginning or ready to go deep, here's where to start:
The SelfMagic Playshop
Begin Your SelfMagic Practice
Three guided CREATIVE Playdates for women ready to see themselves differently
