Today we’d like to introduce you to Marian Gonzalez.
Marian, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Gypsy Crafts started in 2017. It started first as a hobby with no intentions and no idea it would turn out to be what it is today. I had what I thought it was my dream job for many years, I was economically stable but at a very high price, I felt empty and with no purpose inside; I always pride myself to be someone who would wake up every day feeling accomplish and satisfy with what I was doing with my life, and this job wasn’t IT. I took a very risky shot and trade my stability for my happiness; that’s when Gypsy Crafts started.
I’ve always been a creative person but never thought it would be in this medium. One day, I felt the need to create something with my hands, that’s when I did a little research about embroidery; I must say I never sew anything in my life before; then went to my local craft store to pick up a few things I thought I would need to start, I taught myself a few stitches and the minute I started my first piece, I fell in love with the craft. I then spent the next few days on my partner’s studio learning and working, and ended up with 5, 6 pieces done. A little later, I decided to start an Instagram page, at first was just to document my process and share this new hobby I had that I loved so much, and in just a few weeks in I had my first commission piece.
Since my partner was a creator, too, that inspired me more and more to keep creating. We started booking art markets around our city and slowly made this our one and only job. We created this beautiful environment that made us truly happy. I must say I never took a class or watch a tutorial before, I had no idea I had this talent on me, but I fell in love very quickly with it. Almost three years later, I keep pushing myself more and more each day to be better at this craft and to keep enjoying every second of it. It’s definitely not easy sometimes, and not very stable, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. One of my favorite things about this is the relationship I create with my customers. I love hearing their stories about how they knew about me or about how the piece I created fits perfectly with their aesthetic and personality that to me, has more value than any amount of success I could have.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a freelancer you live day by day, you don’t always have stability, and it has been difficult at times, sometimes it’s not even up to you but the unchangeable circumstances, like weather, holidays, or just a bad day. This has also taught me to push myself, even more, to always give an extra, and a little more, on those days.
Please tell us about Gypsy Crafts.
Gypsy Crafts is a self-taught embroiderer brand. My dynamic is usually separated into two: I create pieces with themes that are interested to me, like nature, animals, the environment, and much more. So I feel that my pieces revolve around those themes, I would say they have a certain rhythm on the color scheme which usually is 70’s bohemian- cozy vibe.
The other side is my commission pieces, which the customer makes the rules, I do enjoy when they trust me and give me free creativity, but other than that they are on charge. All of my pieces come in different sizes; one of the things that I feel sets me apart from others is that I don’t repeat designs, all of my designs are one of a kind and most of them are mine. My custom pieces are 100% my customers taste and/or sometimes designs. I also like to involve watercolors on my stitching to give it more texture and uniqueness.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
gfI still feel I’m just starting this beautiful path of being a creator full time and make a living out of it, every art market I do I come home with a big smile on my face, whether we did good or not, I’m lucky enough to have people come over and take the time to compliment my work, which to me, is so important, it’s more rewarding than anything else, it keeps me going and inspire each day. Having people coming from out of town to catch me somewhere, it makes my heart feel extremely humble and happy. This is the feeling I was talking earlier. This is the feeling I want to have everyday that I wake up. This is my dream job.
Contact Info:
- Website: etsy.com/shop/gypsycraftssbymarian
- Email: al_mariana13@hotmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/gypsycraftss
- Facebook: facebook.com/gypsycrafts
Image Credit:
@delbarriomarket
@gypsycraftss
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