Dead Satsuma is the creative identity of Maddie, an Anglo-Indian-Irish Rottweiler-human mix with a big heart and an even bigger imagination.

She’s a Storyteller, Producer, Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and a passionate advocate for creativity as a tool for transformation. Maddie splits her time between Brighton and London, fuelled by sea swims, connecting with people, animals and nature.

What floats your boat?

I love hearing other people’s stories.

Feeling seen and heard.

I enjoy creating for a cause that means something to me. I worked on the branding for IMPERFECTLY YOU, an online platform dedicated to the wellbeing of sex workers. Created by Emma who is an absolute grafter and a sweetheart.

I’m currently lending my graphic design skills to the charity ‘Secrets Worth Sharing’. Approachable advice on talking about childhood sexual abuse with serious joy. Created by Sophia Lulu - an brave legend of a woman, in my eyes.

What gets your goat? 

When people question my rate. My relationship with money hasn’t always been easy, but I’m learning to honour my worth and negotiate with confidence. Growth, baby!

Where would you like to be in 10 years time? 

I’ll be running my own creative agency called THE HAUSE OF PUSSAY. It’ll be a cosy, kitsch, ever-evolving space dedicated to healing through storytelling, sex education, and self-discovery. We’ll create with heart, learn without shame, and hold space for real transformation.

I’ll have launched COSY & KITSCH, a dreamy range of mushroom coffee and chocolate with a gentle psychedelic twist (fingers crossed for progressive laws… or lets see how I can creatively work around them).

I’ll have published my comic strip, “THINGS TO SHIT AND WATCH” a delightful read for anyone who wants to take their time in the bathroom and enjoy a laugh or two.

And finally, I’ll have completed my animated pilot Paw & Order: Crime Investigators, about a Human/Rottweiler vigilante duo serving justice with heart and bite.

What are you working on at the minute?

Right now, I’m working on Who Are Our Mothers?, a podcast and photography project created alongside two incredible humans. The tender-hearted writer Michelle Waterman (@bonesoffilm) and the powerful journalist/ photographer Tristana Carrasco (@Tristana_Carrasco). It’s all about amplifying the voices of mothers and mother-figures through honest, creative conversations.

What would Dead Satsuma do?

Leave it in the fridge until it’s gone mouldy.

I used to have this narrative in my head that I was stupid. That inner voice kept me small for a long time but I realised that voice was just a protective voice, led by fear. Since acknowledging that voice (WITH SHIT TONES OF THERAPY) she’s not so loud. The voice just needed to be seen and heard in a way she never felt she was. Now I just tell myself I’m really fucking smart and I can do anything I put my mind to.

Other blurb…

Sometimes I miss out words.

CREATIVE FOR HIRE.

Available for creative projects, collabs and commissions.
I hold a British and Irish passport so I can work in the UK and Europe. I have extensive knowledge of the animation production process and industry. I have the ability to use various Adobe Creative Suite programmes, including InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. I dabble in Adobe After Effects.

I am passionate about addressing significant issues adults carry from childhood trauma. I hope to provoke conversations through my artwork and writing.

Want to work together, share a story, or unpack some trauma? Let’s talk <3 @deadsatsuma