It's time to have another creative person sharing a bit more of her work and life with us. Daniela Mendonça is my country fellow and her work is very tradicional there. Welcome to KC's blog Daniel!
Who is Daniela Mendonça? Tell us a bit about yourself.
I
live in Portugal in the area of Aveiro. I have a full-time job as secretary and I spend my leisure time
crafting. Since ever creating and art attract me. Before creating my
baskets I studied painting for seven years with a local artist. I've never
had a “teacher” in craft and I like to do a lot of different
things like sew, knitting, decorating, painting, etc.. I grew up in
the countryside, between farm animals. I don’t have brothers and never
had many toys so, me and my cousins, we played with anything that crossed our way.
Basically I learned crafting with my curiosity.
What keeps you motivated?
For
me crafting is a need like sleep or eat.
Creating a thing is very important for my personal well being and
that is my main motivation. Second it’s a dream, that I will have the possibility of living only from my creations.
Describe your
work setting.
My
craft-room is not a beautiful place, there are some disorder and
chaos, but controlled. There are always music, raffia, sisal, my
special needle to sew, scissors and my notebooks.
How is your creative process?
I
take notes most of the times on my daily travels by train when I'm going to work. And after, at home, I try to create my ideas. Other times I
start making my baskets without any specific idea, and while they are growing I give them the shape that I like.
My inspiration comes from nature and from all that is surrounding me. I like to see the others work, reading magazines, but most of the times the ideas come to me and I can’t explain how they happen, it's intuition maybe…
Which one of your
creations do/did you most enjoy making?
Until now, my turtle basket.
Tell us the ups
and downs of having your own handmade business?
I’m
starting now. I have a lot of things
to learn and to discover. Because I have a full time job, it's a little bit more difficult. This kind of business is an ongoing challenge that takes a lot of time and dedication. You will not
become rich but it is important for your personal fulfillment.
Why buy handmade?
Buying
handmade is very important because with that you are helping someone
directly, economically and also giving her/him self-esteem.
You are contributing directly to the happiness of someone. All
crafters love what they do! You are contributing to the local
development. It humanizes more the economy because we all know that
many things sold around the world are made without respect for labors, human rights and the environment. Handicraft can change
someone's life specially women in small communities, for example if
you can't find a job.
“The
necessity is the mother of the invention”
Future plans for
Produções Coração ( Heart Productions)?
Growing!
Your favourite:
Painter -Basquiat
Material - Wood for me is the most beautiful material
Movie - I don’t remember the last time I saw one….
Thank you Daniela! All the best for you!
To find more about Daniela and her work:
Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/producoescoracao
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProduçõesCoração
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