There have been 4 women that have helped me grow since I started my creative journey, with my blog ‘learning 12 crafts in 12 months’. I’ve recently quit my day job and dedicate myself solely on TWOME. I feel, now, is the time to say thank you to them and share with you how much they have been part of my journey.
When I started my blog, initially, I saw it as a hobby, a little experiment I always wanted to do. It was after my first two, fully booked, macrame workshops in Dubai, that I realized that I could make some money from teaching what I had learned. Once back home, I started to find venues in London where I could share my knowledge with others. The money I was making went towards the materials for the crafts I was learning. TWOME become, almost, self sufficient.
During this journey I met 4 women that have helped me develop on a personal and creative level, as well as guiding me in running a start-up business.
photo by: Silvia’s husband
Silvia @
I did my very first collaboration with Silvia. We met via IG and clicked straight away. I still remember how excited I was to meet her and work together. She is such an amazing photographer, stylist and chef! The day I went to her house to work on a photoshoot, for a shared blogpost (), it was mind blowing. I learnt so much about photography and styling and how yummy vegan cakes are!
Thanks to Silvia I started to really think about how a photo looks and what is the message I want to give to the receiver. It opened my eye to photography, such a complex and beautiful art. I’m still learning but that first collaboration, for me, was the big step toward better images for my IG and blog.
I also got incredibly inspired about collaborating with another makers and artists. Every time I work with creative people, I get inspired, I learn lots and my soul feels full of greatness and happiness. I’m now a firm believer of #communityovercompetition
photo by:
Sarah
I thank Sarah for my love for podcasts. I used to listened to them during my commute to work or while I was on my computer doing some boring tasks! Now, I usually listened to them while I’m cooking!
I was lucky enough to meet her at the Mollie Makes Award, earlier this year, I didn’t even recognize her at first, but once I did, I was so excited and petrified to talk to her! Well, it turned out she is a bubbly and chatty person, very easy going.
Last month I decided to join her Insta-retreat 6 week course on Instagram. What I’ve realized, recently, is that sometimes it takes such a long time to figure out things by yourself, especially on social media, as trends and people behavior change so fast, that I rather get help from an expert and save time. This way I can concentrate on other parts of the business, like making and blogging!
photo by:
Rebecca @
Her first book opened my eyes to natural dye, which is one of the crafts I love the most. It also happened that we lived near by when I was in London and we meet up few times. What I love about Rebecca is her passion, integrity and amazing talent in everything she does. She published her own book and now she is just published her second issue of the own independent magazine as well as continuing experimenting with natural dye. She has two children, the second one is only 4 months old! To me Rebecca is an inspiration as a woman and as a maker. Every time I look at her work, I remind myself that even with children, sleep deprivation and limited time, you can make your dream come true. You need to persevere and believe in yourself.
photo by: my husband
Grace
I joint the CYL community in January 2017 and it was the best thing I did as a start-up business. I knew my ultimate goal was to become a business and CYL gave me the tools to set measurable goals for TWOME, be part of a very supportive community and the opportunity to tell my story on their blog. I’ve always been scared of writing, since English is not my first language, but Grace and the ladies gave me the confidence to take the leap and talk about myself and my creative journey. I also met some incredibly talented women that I now consider IG friends which I hope to meet in person, one day. Being part of a supportive community, is definitely one of the keys to gain support when you start a business by yourself.
