Princess Handmade Accessories - Nandhini Anand

     1.  HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF (PERSONALLY AND CREATIVELY).

Describing myself personally would answer the creatively part as well, as I strongly believe that one's art is an extension of one's personality. Personally, I am people oriented, emotional, travel loving, and like to bask in the warmth of family and friends. Creatively, my work represents my primary target audience – Children and their Beautiful world  - a world filled with Colour, Magic and Belief.

2. WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL MOTTO?  

My personal motto is to live life with passion and dedication and do small things with great love. We don't need to be revolutionaries but small acts of kindness and love without any return expectations can make it magical for us to live our lives.

3. YOUR STORY. HOW LONG ARE YOU CREATING? WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY JOB? ARE YOU SURVIVING JUST WITH YOUR WORK?

 I began creating for Princess Handmade Accessories in December 2012. The story of my business is similar to that of many entrepreneurs. I looked for interesting handcrafted hair accessories for my four year old daughter, my very own Princess. What I found in the shops, I did not like and what I liked and ordered online, they were very very expensive and did not resemble the photographs !!! That was the seed that germinated into the business idea. The first thought was to create good quality, exclusive yet affordable Hair Accessories for my daughter and this built into a business idea.

My primary job - is being a Mother and a Life Partner to my husband.

Do I survive just with my work ? Not as yet,since the business is in it's infancy/fledgling state but yes, I do hope to get there soon enough.

4. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST HAND MADE PRODUCT? WHEN?

Leaving aside the crafts classes we had at school (Yes! We had one hour of handcraft workshops a week) , the first handmade product I did was when I was in College. It was a Hair Accessory – a hair scrunchie made of silk fabric, embellished with tiny pearls. I made them in different colours for myself from my mother's old silk sarees and then later for my friend who had lovely long hair. 

5. WHAT IS INSPIRING YOU TO DO YOUR CREATIVE WORK? FROM WHERE ARE YOU GETTING IDEAS?

My daughter and all the girl children that I know and see. The world of children is wonderful – vibrating with magic, colour and love. I am also inspired by Mother Nature herself, in her various lovely hues.

6. WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL? WHY?

My role model is every woman who wears several hats effectively (Mother/Wife/Chef/Caretaker/Friend/Daughter/Daughter in law) and gives her heart and soul to each of these roles and is still smart enough to make time to pursue her own passion/hobbies to keep herself sane.

7. WHERE ARE YOU CREATING YOUR PRODUCTS? HOW DOES YOUR CREATIVE PLACE LOOK LIKE?  

I create my products at home. The Dining Table serves as my workstation and my creative space looks messy as it rightly should. Creativity is always messy, ain't it?

8. DO YOU WORK AT NIGHT OR DURING THE DAY? WHICH IS THE BEST PART OF DAY FOR YOU FOR BEING CREATIVE?

I work primarily during the day. Especially those hours when my daughter goes to kindergarten and when she takes a nap in the afternoon. That aside, I am blessed with a daughter who when I say 'The glue gun is hot, don't touch it' actually obeys me.

9. WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART IN THE PROCESS OF YOUR CREATION/PRODUCT?

Handcrafting teaches you patience – there is no difficulty in the creation process – it is joyful and passionate. But one needs to strive for immense supply of patience – with oneself first, the vendors that are scattered in different parts of the city, the running around to buy the raw material etc..

10. WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS? DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL CUSTOMER.

Our customers are Children and Teenagers, whom we reach through their mothers/aunts/parents/uncles. And there is immense joy in creating for children. A typical customer of Princess Handmade Accessories is a discerning mother who wants her child to wear an exclusive, hand crafted product. When the child herself participates, we find our lovely young  customers - our Princess' very open,  filled with joy, enthusiasm and a deep love for all colours  - bright and subtle. And their feedback is genuine, without ego/prejudices, we treasure their appreciation and comments/suggestions.

11. DO YOU WISH THAT YOUR PRODUCT SHOULD BE USED / WORN BY SOME FAMOUS PERSON/CELEBRITY? WHO? AND WHY?

Every child/teenager who wears a creation of Princess Handmade Accessories is a celebrity for us. We create our products with love, smiles, care and attention and put it up for display with a wish that the wearer enjoys wearing them as much as we enjoyed creating each exclusive piece

12. DO YOU USE YOUR PRODUCTS PERSONALLY? 

Not yet, since Princess Handmade Accessories  currently cater to children and teens. Once we introduce a women's line, I will wear my creations proudly.

13. ARE YOU HAVING ANY COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ARTISTS? WHO AND WHY? MORE DETAILS ON THE OTHER ARTIST. 

Not at the moment. However, I have a support group whom I wish to thank.

My husband helps me actively in my prep work, my niece and cousins have been very supportive in raw material sourcing.

14. WHAT MAKES YOU THE MOST PROUD AT YOUR ART WORK?

When we see children wearing our creations proudly, with every opportunity they get,  the genuine, heartfelt appreciation we get from them and the way they beam with happiness on being gifted with our creations! And knowing that with our creations, Children get to wear handcrafted hair accessories that they would normally get only at very premium prices and generally abroad.

15. YOUR PLANS / VISIONS FOR YOUR ARTISTIC FUTURE?

We wish to scale up our business by empowering many young women who come from households where financial independence is a necessity. Princess Handmade accessories would like to employ and teach young women the art of handcrafting hair accessories. And help those young women to branch out with their own line of creations, once they are confident and well trained. In a small way, we would like to give back by paying it forward.

16. THE CRAZIEST ADVENTURE IN YOUR LIFE?

Sorry,  can't remember anything upfront.

17. WHAT DOES ARTISH INDIA MEAN TO YOU?

ARTish India has a very special place in my heart since it was the first ever exhibition that I participated. It is special because the intention with which it was launched in India, is indeed very noble. In an era of commercialism, here was an artist from Slovenia who strived to support and give a platform for Indian artists. The thoughtfulness and the good intentions from which ARTish India was born, will always be special to me, as will be Erika and the ARTish India Team.

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First ARTish in India!!!

Hello Artists and Artishans!
Welcome to the WORLD OF ARTISH  <3
Let me tell you in brief about what ARTish exactly is. ARTish is a gathering of all types of artists and artisans where they showcase their products and sell them too. It serves as a good platform for the artists to gain knowledge about other types of art as well and they also give the public a chance to see the product of their brain. But ARTish encourages only artists who make their products by themselves by hand. In short, HANDICRAFTS. This revolutionary movement was started in Slovenia for the very first time by a young entrepreneur Erika Felicijan. During her travels to India (esp in Fort Kochi), she came across various talented artists struggling for recognition and exposure. As generous and kind she always is, she came up with the idea of starting ARTish India to help the artists gain exposure and recognition. Isn't it a wonderful idea? Yes it is. Because the gathering ARTish India in Fort Kochi on May 5th, 2013 was an INSTANT HIT.
By the way, Erika has her own brand of jewellery. Click here to check it out!
I am now going to tell you more about how the event went and about the artists present and their work and also post some lovely photos of their incredible work.

It was a really hot Sunday morning and 8 o' clock saw Erika and me arranging tables and getting the place ready for the artists. The event was held in Big Fish/Fat Fish Restaurant, Kalvatthy Road, Fort Kochi.

Fort Kochi with its plethora of artists, painters, art galleries, art events etc etc seems the IDEAL place for ARTish India.

The very first artist to arrive was the beautiful Nandhini Anand with a big smile and excited face. Then came Valsa Joseph and the artists kept coming in a spree until the last artist in the agenda arrived. Route Cochin was there with their paraphernalia to scoop news about the event. Route Cochin is an online magazine run by really talented and young entrepreneurs and they cover any kind of interesting news in and around Cochin. If you really want to know what is exciting and happening in Cochin, check out Route Cochin Here!

The day went really fast and busy. Some of the finest artists in Fort Kochi,  Desmond and Victoria were also there to just give their professional opinions to the painters.

Suresh and Victoria

Desmond

The entire ARTish was bubbling with life. We had a whole variety of artists and artisans like painters, accessory makers, mini-model makers, saree-painters, photographers and the like.

To top it all, we also had few works of artists from Slovenia as well. Erika represented the artists from Slovenia.

I will brief you guys about our artists and their work. Kindly click on their names below if you would like to see more of their work. I have linked their webpages to their names. Feel free to contact them if you are interested in their work and looking out to buy them.

Raigon Stanley - Lovely lovely photographs with a very different and thematic thinking. He takes that "extra" trouble to make his photos "extra" magnificent.

Nandhini Anand - She makes very beautiful accessories for girl children. Makes the wearer more girly. Comfort is her mantra when she designs a piece. Her brand is "Princess Handmade Accessories"

Govind Raj and Krishna Raj  - They are the totally identical twins with totally different tastes and artistic styles. They make amazing paintings which are finest to the detail... plus you can have good fun trying to guess which of the twins is Govind Raj/Krishna Raj.

Sundar Prabhu - The fashion designer with a penchant for painting. His paintings are totally bright with a lot of abstract thinking involved.

Victoria A.M. - One of the finest artists in Fort Kochi. Her paintings are a marvel and shows a lot of variety.

Suresh T.G. - He is a revolutionary artist fighting for the cause of freeing elephants from chains. Very fine elephant paintings are his speciality.

Desmond Rebeiro - He has his own Art Gallery in the prime part of Fort Kochi. Has lovely paintings and one of the finest artists of Fort Kochi.

Joseph George - He is an artist with his hand on different types of work. Mini models, mosaic art and photography. His photography captures the best moments of real life and nature.

Anil R Nath - His hand painted sarees are a marvel. The use of colours and the detailing are amazing. I think he also customises the sarees as per your own wish and design. Every lady's must have in her wardrobe.

Valsa Joseph - Her brand name is "Tanmaya". She makes these amazing polymer clay jewellery which are finely perfected and has a very Indian twist. The jhumkas which she makes are a must-have.

Radhamani - She makes terracotta jewellery that will blow your mind. The rawness and the colour of the clay and the strength of each and every piece will definitely blow your mind.

Prasanth KP - A very strong painter with  very strong paintings that are strong in colour and concept and theme. It would look lovely in your living room.

Machu - A disabled artist who shows his utmost passion in drawing and painting. His work shows a lot of unspoken ideas and feelings.

The Ribbon Smiths - Two lovely young girls with their desire to personalise their bland accessories, came up with this brand.

Emma Jakobsson - A Swedish artist who specialises in comic illustrations. But her real work focuses on bring out her abstract and different thoughts on paper and colours.

Little Amber-Slovenia - Amazing hand made feather products. She blends in the brightness of colours, softness of feathers and fierceness of her imagination in her work. Definitely every girl needs this.

Lintu - Slovenia - Lovely hand painted products. Very warm and pleasant to see and wear. Will surely put anyone in a good mood after wearing her products.

Lublanska - Slovenia - Hand made Victorian style products are her specialty. With the bronze coloured frames and the all-colours-from-the-spectrum designs in it goes well with any dress and apt for any occasion.

Margaret - Slovenia - Everyone knows aluminium is used in coke cans and also airplanes. This artist uses aluminium for her accessories. Looks chic and elegant and bright. Gives the brave and steel edge to any soft woman. If you want to project more confidence, then you need her product on you.

Petra Jancar - Slovenia - Well you think tangled things are not beautiful? Look at her work. She sees the beauty in a mess and brings out amazing accessories of her imaginations. Wear her products when you are out shopping with your friends on a bright sunny day. You will never stop smiling.

Pronima Art - Slovenia - Cute art on notebooks, keychains, book marks, earrings, brooches etc that really brings out the child in you. Her simple art is captivating and suits anybody of any age.

Patsy (Erika Felicijan) - Slovenia & India - Showcases a girl-next-door with a wide variety of emotions that every girl undergoes in her day to day life. Brooches, pins, necklaces, earrings and what not? If you are a strong but emotional woman, go grab her product. You need it!

That is all about our artists of ARTish India. Please click on their names and get transported to their world. Their work will speak the rest to you.

Now back to the event...
Art-lovers, fashionistas and people who were just curious as to what was happening also stopped by and bought a lot of goodies. Many painters got good recognition on a wider platform and were critiqued.

The press was also there interviewing Erika about the event.

Noon went fast in seeing a lot of young crowd looking out to bag some fashion accessories. Many of them were also interested in the Slovenian products as well and many of the products were sold. Erika was getting really busy taking loads of pictures and selling Slovenian products.

You might wonder what I was doing there. I am not an artist (well, I am a writer!). I was just doing some sign boards, talking to people, arranging stuff, getting to know the artists and above all HAVING GOOD FUN!

The day was coming to a close and I decided to do some shopping. I bagged myself some products of Princess Hand Made Accessories for my uncle's daughter. I also purchased this amazing feather ring by Little Amber of Slovenia and also gorgeous ear rings by Lublanska again from Slovenia.

One by one the artists took leave as the event ended. And Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? The place again looked like nothing happened a few minutes back. Totally empty.

Finally me and Erika did some last minute cleaning and left. We just went inside a tea shop and reminisced the day with a hot cup of masala chaai.

It was a lovely lovely First ARTish...But definitely not the last. More events will keep coming. It is going to be FUN. Next time, make sure you guys are around shopping or even representing in ARTish India.
You might even win a chance to be represented in ARTish Slovenia just like our dear Raigon Stanley.... who knows? Yes dear friends, Raigon's works are going to appear for the very first time in ARTish Slovenia this coming weekend. Well, Good Luck to him!

Thank you all for showing interest in ARTish India and reading the blog.  I really hope you will keep this continued support towards ARTish. Thanks again.
Peace...Over n Out!

Photo Courtesy : Erika Felicijan

PS: This post is authored by Kannikha from the ARTish India team. This is a narrative based on her experiences and her day at the ARTish India Event!

Hello Everyone!

Greeting to all from ARTish India!
Hope everyone is doing perfect.
The very first ARTish Event in India was held on May 5th, 2013 in Fort Kochi.
It definitely was a huge hit. We met with a lot of talented and young artists who were very excited about participating.
To know more about what happened in our First ARTish event, Click Here!
Thank you so much to all the participating artists and all those who just graced the event by their presence. We are so humbled!

Now we decided to have our very own ARTish Blog. Through this blog, we are going to reach out to the artists by providing tips, events, news about other artists, motivation and all sorts of topics that would really help the artists.

Anyone who is interested in art would definitely find this useful.
We are not going to restrict to one particular form of art. Anything and everything in this universe is an ART. So this blog will definitely cover all sorts of topics humanly possible.

Kindly keep with us and keep rendering your support to us.

We are hereby launching the blog with this post.
The flag has been waved and the blog has actively begun.

Thank you!
Cheers and Catch you all in the next post!