Love for jewelry and handcrafting
My first real jewelry was a pair of half eternity hoops in white gold which my sister said it's a must that a working woman would have at least a pair. She also said that jewelries are an investment. I believed her. Fifteen years forward, I've already handed down a set to my daughter and I still wear my first pair of earrings to this day. To top it off, I am now into accessories designing and handcrafting.
I fancy not just the real ones but there's a love in me for crystals, pearls and handcrafted brass or silver dipped in real gold. My favorites are made by local artisans here in Manila, Bulacan, and Cebu.
My love for handcrafting is a passion that didn't just turn up three years ago. As a kid, I made colorful beaded trinkets like the ones we all gave out as friendship bracelets. At some point, I turned to fabric warehouses as a favorite place for me to play with creativity. I used fabrics to make knotted neckpieces and gifted them to my friends. The ones I made for myself, I would wear them at work. There's a certain level of uniqueness that handcrafted pieces bring to any wardrobe - be it for a white shirt and jeans combo or a little black dress you wear with those sexy heels.
On earrings, well, the journey did start in 2017. While the only provisions present were my desire for learning and willingness to commit mistakes or take risks, it was more than just fulfilling a passion. It became an outlet to recharge, a channel of personal creativity.
Inspirations make a healthy mindset. It is always easier to involve ourselves with something if we are inspired. When we surround ourselves with beautiful inspiration, we tap onto the right mindset, get into the right habits and perfect our actions with the right routines.
Appreciate your interests and passions. There's a certain happiness that makes it worthwhile. Designing makes me happy. I don't have the professional or educational background on it and was only fuelled with creativity and confidence.
Consistency can take you places. The continuous craving for learning and taking actions to enact what you have learned lead to significant results. Running a business involves processes like defining your brand, developing new products, reviewing your strategy and running marketing. Based on personal experience, it doesn't matter how many times you repeat to learn these processes. What can matter is consistency and the desire to get it right.
Each of us always finds inspiration we can anchor our passions into. It could be our jobs, hobbies or activities and routines that allow us to recharge and refocus. Our productivity rely on how committed we are.