Everybody has a passion. Some keep it alive by stoking the embers when they can, others find time to light a fire and bask in its warmth. Today, being unique and standing out in a crowd is the in thing, and young self-starters are channelling their artistic talents into creations that help their audience achieve just that. We take a look at four young women who embraced their artistic side and found a following:
Santy Saji John – Pine Books
An avid collector of notebooks, Santy Saji John decided to merge her love for them with the elegance of jute, thus creating Pine Books, a brand specialising in notebooks with jute covers. Only three weeks since it was officially launched, Pine Books already has a website and a variety of different covers to choose from.
“The idea was to combine simplicity and elegance, so we made blank notebooks with jute covers so that they would be accessible to all audiences,” says the 25-year-old, who has roped in several city-based small scale industries to help make the books, though she designs the covers herself.
“I find there is a lot of curiosity among the youth for new things, and people have been very supportive towards such ventures. I was initially apprehensive whether such notebooks would be appealing to men but the response has been impressive, and usually the notebooks are just bought on the spot,” explains the former marketing professional.
Jabeen Humza – Licensed To Quill
For dentist Jabeen Humza, it was the boredom that set in during her lunch breaks that made her take up quilling paper. After being exposed to the art at an exhibition she attended, she began dedicating her lunch hour to perfecting the craft, launching Licensed To Quill officially about a year back. “I attended a flea market sale last year and ended up selling almost half my work, which was a massive encouragement. I always saw my work as simple and normal, but my husband and brother encouraged me and now I take orders online and also at a boutique owned by my sister-in-law,” she says.
While Jabeen still practises as a dentist, the prospect of customised jewellery attracts enough interest to keep her busy creating new works for clients. “Whenever there is a lull at the clinic I bring out my materials and start work,” says Jabeen, who now makes quill frames, vases and bowls, in addition to jewellery.
Arathi Cherian – Blue River Yellow Sun
For Arathi Cherian, a fashion designer by profession, creative satisfaction was hard to come by. After working in Mumbai and Bengaluru, she returned to Kochi and has now started a portal called Blue River, Yellow Sun, where she shares her doodles, writing and observations on food and fashion.
“I am constantly excited by multiple creative streams, and enjoy having the freedom to dabble in all of them. At the moment I spend more time on art, though I have also published a few written posts on my website,” says Arathi, who teaches part-time at an institute to prepare students for design schools.
“The toughest part is taking the decision to give up a sedentary lifestyle and follow your interests, which is something people may not understand. However, Kochi is a very good place to be young, and nowadays people envy me for being able to work three days a week and do my own thing the rest of the time,” says the 29-year-old.
Abhina V. Manikkath – Aamadapetti
Thrissur-based Abhina V. Manikkath came across polymer clay jewellery making at a craft school she attended while pursuing her masters in Psychology through distance education. And much like most other people with marketable talent, she found her recognition online.
“Polymer clay is often compared to terracotta but preferred nowadays for its durability. When I started making jewellery sets, people came to know of it through word-of-mouth and through my Facebook page. Now, I get images of the dress that my jewellery needs to match, and I create designs using similar patterns and colours. The customised nature of the jewellery has made it quite popular,” says Abhina.
While it has been mostly a hobby for her to this point, the positive reviews she has been getting have spurred her on to focus on her work. She is currently in the process of setting up a website to feature her work.
Santy, Jabeen, Arathi and Abhina will be showcasing their work at Chaicofi’s Gypsy Cart this weekend, along with other popular names such as Art Beat, A Dot, Kunju’s Jam Rolls, Thousand Things, Khadi Kids, Kila Arts and many more.
