​"Lotus of Lapland: The Material & Spiritual Life of Ullamaya Ma" (working title) is the upcoming memoir of Ulla-Maija Kivimäki, an artist and creator, industrious immigrant, accomplished designer in the fashion industry, yogi, music producer, musician and tech guru. The book is a timely and revealing story of a life of a woman with big dreams. She grew up free, creative, independent and adventurous in Lapland, Finland, the land of pristine nature and equality. After a decade of studies around the world, she settled in New York, and after many years of struggle, made it big in the treacherous world of international fashion and luxury, only to have everything she owned taken from her at the height of her success, including her livelihood, business, name and reputation. Broke, broken and persecuted for opposing abuse, financial wrongdoing and crime, and traumatized for lack of justice, she was forced on an intense inward journey of transformation to learn to see from a bigger perspective, to find her higher Self, and to realize the purpose of her life. 
Tax-deductible donations are gratefully accepted at 
the New York Foundation for the Arts website.
The book is fiscally sponsored and the funding is administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). The project is looking for tax-deductible donations, sponsors, grants and collaborators. Tax-deductible donations are gratefully accepted through NYFA website.

For more information about the book and details of the budget of $29,000, email ma@amalam.com 

Sponsors and donors will be thanked and recognized on the book, websites and other materials, along with the New York Foundation for the Arts, unless otherwise instructed by the donor/sponsor.

THE BOOK:  A Short Summary


​"Lotus of Lapland: 
The Material & Spiritual Life of Ullamaya Ma" (working title)
The upcoming book of Ulla-Maija Kivimäki, aka Ullamaya Ma, is a memoir colorfully exploring her life, times, struggles, success, destruction and transformation, and her adventures around the world as an artist and creator, industrious immigrant, accomplished designer in the fashion industry, yogi, music producer, musician and tech guru.

The book is a timely and revealing story of a life of a woman with big dreams. 
​
It follows her journey from Lapland, Finland, where she grew up close to nature, through worldwide urban centers of sophisticated life, and into spiritual communities of mystical attainment.  

A teen fashion model in the 70s, she constantly traveled the world for a decade, studied fashion and quickly learned about the ways of the world as a member of the international jet set crowd of artists, musicians, the successful  the famous, rich and aristocratic.
Picture
Age 16, Paris Pret-a-Porter Fashion Week
In due course in the '80s and '90s, after a decade-long struggle, hard work and many difficulties, she realized her dream when with a small bank loan she succeeded in building in New York a respected and profitable fashion business with nearly $2 million annual wholesales and a luxury brand 'Ulla-Maija' of international repute. Her clients included private individuals as well as big stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and many others in the USA and abroad. While dressing those in the polished, glamorous society milieu, she became one of them, invited to exclusive charity dinners, parties, and special events with celebrities. View video.   

But here her story took an unexpected turn: She overworked, exhausted herself, became ill, decided to find investors, a reputable lawyer and experienced management,. All hell broke loose. She became a victim of fraud and of conspiracy to destroy her life and her career and take everything she had built. Betrayed...

(NOTE:  The following brief and rough outline leaves out events, issues and details of the story, since they are too shocking to write about here at this time. Contact for details, documentation and corroboration.)
Picture
Ulla-Maija Inc., New York, 1999
Betrayed, persecuted and humiliated by a group of ruthless, greedy and cruel business advisors who not only colluded to take her business from her, but to destroy her: As a retaliation for talking about fraud and gross abuses at her company against her and her employees, she was suddenly locked out of her offices without notice, prevented entrance by guards, her salaries were not paid, her health insurance was cut on the spot, and she was terrorized by threats. She lost her livelihood, job, business, career, homes, all material possessions, reputation and identity. Even her trademark, which is her Finnish first name, Ulla-Maija, was stolen. Fraudulent documents were filed at the United States Patent & Trademark Office: View fraudulent federal trademark filing documents of "Ulla-Maija" trademark (USPTO). 
Realizing the impossible cost of finding justice through legal channels in the USA, at this point, she started a new business and set up custom couture production based in Guangdong, Southern China, which showed immense promise. But her sadistic detractors continued to punish her mercilessly by using as a tool the U.S. federal court and multimillion dollar lawsuits to wear her out, to stop her from working, designing and competing with the company she had made successful and which carries her name. She was driven out from her industry.

​Her career, reputation and her new business also destroyed, instead of developing her new company, her design talents, her brand and her lines of unique products, she was subjected to over a decade-long, yet-unfinished litigation in the U.S. federal court. Her epic and exhausting search for justice, return of her properties, and any information about the company or her equity in the company she founded and grew, continues today despite a lack of support from both state and federal law enforcement agencies, substandard lawyering and victim blaming, The persecution and retaliation against her continues today unabated.  View court documents
Broken, broke, and struggling to cope with severe trauma in an environment seemingly gone mad, she withdrew from the fast-paced world of business and glamour.  She searched for balance and meaning, engaging in a life of austerity while studying yoga philosophy and Indian music and spending much time in yoga ashrams both in the USA and in India. These universities of the spirit indeed gave her a new start. She realized the healing power, heart opening, transformational energy of music and joy of chanting. ​It became her lifesaver, shelter in crises and a respite in the midst of her adventures.
Her attempt to build a new life and career in New York as a successful music producer and executive director in a dignified, non-profit, peace-promoting, spiritual, fine-art setting, ended up with astounding events of unbelievable greed and fraud.  Her nightmare was repeating itself:  She became again a whistle blower and the target of two board members, who were stealing millions from her employer. They created a malicious, disgusting and expertly planned campaign to push her out of the way, to destroy her livelihood and credibility, and once again, she was not believed until it was too late, and she was asked to help to convict and imprison these criminals.  Read the District Attorney's press release.
Picture
Raleigh Studios, Los Angeles, 2006
After long black years of introspection, soul searching and study, she devoted herself to service as a creative tech pro by helping others to adjust to the rapidly changing world of digital communication, so that they too can take advantage of the opportunities presented by the internet, to shine their light to the dark corners, and to present their creativity, work and mission to the entire world.
​
Her Nordic background and her more than 30 years-long sojourn into the realm of music, yoga, and studies of various Indian philosophies, provides an interesting backdrop for a life of material success and failure, and a revealing look at a life of a woman. In time, she learned to understand the world through her studies of yoga philosophy and practice, to see her struggles and successes from a new, wider, higher perspective, and to realize the purpose of her life in a world that is heading in a new direction at great speed.
In fact, her story is quite timely, for today millions of people, especially women, ponder the state of the world, the abuse and injustice, the meaning of their life, and the possibility of a more humane life in general and the spiritual quest complete with its deeper values and mystical occurrences. They want to know about the “other” side of existence, which is less materialistic and more spiritually fulfilling.  Ulla-Maija's story includes all of this and so much more. 
Ulla-Maija Kivimäki, Creative Tech Pro
Creative Tech Pro
Public Benefit:  Ulla-Maija's projects include inspiring and helping others to tell their stories. A portion of the future profits from her project will go to expand a communication program which she has started to help mature women to advance their computer skills and use the internet to bring their rich experiences to the global public. Her book will create greater awareness of the normalization of injustice and abuse inherent in women’s life. The goal is to promote respect, dignity, and civil and human rights especially for women and girls. She will collaborate with an organization to achieve this goal. See the seedling state of her program at her website "Creative Tech Pro Blog" http://creativetechpro.com
Sponsors and donors will be thanked and recognized in the book, websites and other materials, interviews and public speaking events, along with the New York Foundation for the Arts, unless otherwise instructed by the donor/sponsor.
Contact for more information about the book and details of the budget of $29,000.

You can make a tax-deductible donation online or send a check.
Make checks payable to: “NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship”. 
Write “Ullamaya Ma Project: Book” in subject line.
​Mail to:

New York Foundation for the Arts Fiscal Sponsorship
Attn: Finance
20 Jay Street, Suite 740
Brooklyn, NY 11201
  
Thank you for your donation!
About NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship  
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization founded in 1971 by the New York State Council for the Arts, to work with the arts community throughout New York State to develop and facilitate programs in all disciplines.  NYFA will receive the funds on behalf of the projects, ensure the use of the funds in accordance with agreements, and will provide program or financial reports as needed, as well as opportunities for promoting the completed works. For more information visit http://www.nyfa.org