About Anna
Multiple career changes. Self-development books. Plane tickets. Business ideas that just didn't feel right. And one bedroom on Elsynge Road in London where it all finally started to make sense.
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WHERE IT BEGAN
APPETITE FOR POSSIBILITIES
I grew up in a small town south of Kraków, Poland - surrounded by creatives sketching ideas, photographers capturing live moments, and entrepreneurs building something from nothing. Creativity wasn't optional. It was oxygen.
REASON WHY IT MATTERS
My summers were spent at my grandparents' farmland. Dome constructions made of dirt. Home-grown vegetables. Family gatherings.
The quiet wisdom that comes from watching things grow. And bees chasing me around the farm. Precious memories.
I was eager and curious about the world - full of ideas, open to possibilities, always creative. From Milano Design Week to designing my own dishes, the creative process has always been with me.
That curiosity led me to formal design education. It also led me to move.
A lot.
Five years studying Landscape Architecture taught me one thing:
I loved design more than I loved architecture.
Don't get me wrong - I loved it.
The architectural history. The spatial thinking. Even geometry! The way form and function intersect. But somewhere between site plans and planting schedules, I noticed something: I was having way more fun designing my project boards than the actual projects.
Olive Tree (after R.B. Kitaj), pen drawing by Anna Hamilton
The graphic design. Typography. The layouts. The visual storytelling. That's what lit me up.
So I taught myself the design software and started picking up freelance gigs on the side. From those early commissions - exciting Chinese takeaway leaflets…..Everyone starts somewhere.
That curiosity turned into a full-blown love affair with digital design as it took over my world. And I wanted it.
— Rothko Room, Tate Modern, London 2015
Ireland. Italy. Australia. The UK. A dog named London.
After university, I did what every restless creative does: I chased opportunities across the seas.
I worked for small companies and corporations. I collaborated with teams, led projects, mentored designers, freelanced, volunteered with organisations I believed in - and yes, even spent a brief stint as a barista.
During this time, I also worked with The Dandelion Philosophy, a non profit organisation, where I led the Design and Marketing Team. That experience led to lots of meaningful work and relationships and a rather interesting interview about empowerment, creativity, and finding your voice.
I was collecting skills like a magpie collects shiny things - digital marketing, brand strategy, leadership, technical design, communication and growth. Building a toolkit that I am appreciative of to this day.
Oh, and I brought home London - my dog. Frenchie from down under, which made her name delightfully confusing in London parks.
London, Byron Bay, NSW, 2018
2019. Divorce. Pandemic. A bedroom in London. And one very stubborn dream.
Right after my divorce, smack in the middle of lockdown, I founded AH Studio from my bedroom on Elsynge Road, Wandsworth.
Elsynge Rd. Captured, London 2020
It started small - a passion project to keep my sanity and creativity alive during the pandemic. I'd built websites before. I'd always loved Squarespace for its balance of design flexibility and ease of use. I saw the value it could bring entrepreneurs who wanted beautiful, functional websites that they can manage themselves.
At the time, I was offering branding, graphic design, web design - a bit of everything.
THEN CAME THE BREAKING POINT
In 2020, I moved out of London. Met my partner, Lee. With a short stop in Berkhamsted I settled in Northamptonshire. I'd found stable corporate work. And AH Studio became my side gig. On paper, everything looked fine.
In reality? Completely burned out.
The corporate grind bleached every ounce of creativity out of me. I was on sick leave for weeks, crying my eyes out, staring at the ceiling, wondering how the hell I'd ended up here. The work I once loved felt hollow. My creativity felt suffocated.
I couldn't remember why I'd wanted any of this in the first place.
That was the moment everything changed.
I decided: I'm going to have my own business.
And this time, I'm actually going to do it.
Kazimierz (Jewish quarter), Krakow
—
I stopped saying yes
to everything
and started saying yes
to the right things.
—
2024. The full-time leap.
After the burnout and breakdown, I quit corporate entirely.
And I went all in.
After a bumpy 2024, later this yearI made another decision: I was narrowing my focus exclusively to Squarespace website design. No more scattered services. No more trying to be everything to everyone.
I'd seen what happened when entrepreneurs had websites that didn't work for them - clunky platforms, expensive developers for every tiny update, beautiful sites that didn't convert. Squarespace solved so many of those problems. And I'd become deeply skilled at unlocking its full potential.
So I committed. Squarespace Gold Partner. Strategic web design. Bespoke solutions tailored to each business.
AH Studio as it exists today is born from passion, persistence, and what I like to call - inappropriate optimism.
It's a Polish phrase (‘niepoprawna optymistka’) that describes someone who chooses to be optimistic despite hardship. A bit naive, maybe. But also deliberate. It's the virtue that fuels persistence and purpose.
AH Studio is the beacon of that journey.
What's Next?
Whether you're just starting out or ready for a redesign, I'd love to hear where you're at and talk about what's possible.
No pressure, no sales pitch—just a conversation.
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