You all know that I am sewing for a living. I am so fortunate that I have been received very well by both local and international customers on Etsy. But turning arts and crafts into a business is not an easy thing, at least for me. It needs high creativity, a lot of time, knowledge, energy, concentration, and constant inspiration. There have been moments in my clothes designing and making life that I was tired, burnt out and just wanted to give up. But I am a fighter and cannot see myself doing anything else than sewing. I am so thankful to my family, friends and customers for their trust and support. And I am still here.
At this moment there is one artist, also a fighter, who needs help and support from us all. Her name is Paula. Seeing what she is going through reminds me of my tough times. And I was so thankful to all the support I received, which made me hang in there and survive the periods. I think Paula would appreciate such support too.
She was once a well-paid massage therapist, who became unsatisfied with life and decided to leave everything behind and began a self-searching journey living in different places in the States and Canada. One day she began making arts from metal objects she found from garbage sites. That was when she found her true love for arts and has been teaching herself in the past years how to master her work. Each day her love for her arts grows stronger. Her work has been shown in several art galleries and exhibitions. Below are just a few examples of how Paula has turned garbage into such decorative and functional pieces of arts. See complete collections of her work on her personal website: http://paulaart.com/
Because she wants to spend more time making arts, Paula neglects other paid jobs. But her work does not always sell well. This forces her to take a cleaning job here and there, so the bills are paid and she is able to spend more time in her studio again. I admire her spirit and strength, how she fights for what she loves.
Paula has been living with her partner, who is now leaving her to live somewhere else. She has almost no money and takes on some cleaning job again so she can afford moving to a new place and pay for the rent of her own. Paula is an honest and extremely open person. She writes about her situations on her blog. If you have a minute, please read it. It is very sad but also powerful and inspiring.
I don't know Paula in person, but only online mostly via our Etsy shops. I am writing this blog post to help spread the word about her amazing work. Maybe you or someone you know would like to buy her lovely home décor items, for yourself or as a gift.
Paula is also organizing a fundraising activity. You can donate 15 dollars or more to her to have a chance to win her original pieces of art, valued at 700 and 550 dollars each. Here are the pictures of the prizes.
I think helping her is not only supporting someone who makes beautiful arts but also to help towards our environment, where rubbish can be recycled and turned into arts. You will not be able to save the world, but it is the attitude and action that counts, no matter how small or big the action is.
- Paula’s Etsy shop for found object flowers: Click here.
- Her Etsy shop for home décor items from recycled objects: Click here.
- Her blog: Click here.
- Her personal website: Click here.
- Participate in her fundraising giveaway: Click here
