An Accessories Designer Shares The Process of Making Her Art
Bridal accessories are romantic before a bride wears them.
Creativity comes in many forms, but only the best creatives have a purpose in their designs. You can tell who is a true creative when you ask them about their product and hear the inspiration before the sale itself. My friend Irina is like that.
She lives in a romantic wonderland, loves love, and has chosen to give us an insight through her products.
Her specialty is these beautiful bridal headpieces which she started out of curiosity while “playing” with crystals and wires.
It took a year to get to a place where Irina would feel satisfied with her creations. In the meantime, she continued to research techniques, materials and eventually have a sale or two and receive the client’s opinion which, till this day, is the moment she let her insecurities go.
“For the artisan, craft is an end in itself. For you, the artist, craft is the vehicle for expressing your vision. Craft is the visible edge of art.” ― David Bayles, Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
As seen in the picture above, these bridal headpieces are a dream to wear. But, in order to make these beautiful creations hands and heads come together in harmony. From experience, she tells that inspiration arrives whilst working, it’s like the movement of the hand makes the brain flowing with ideas that were never seen before.
Irina’s tips:
- Investigate: Research a kind of technique. The one you want to learn and then,
- Practice: A lot of practice. Practice that technique and,
- Buy basic materials to start to experiment.
- Be patient: use frustration as a positive element.
- If you feel like it’s not working. Leave it and come back to it the next day.
Every headpiece is made by hand, every flower is made by hand, every crystal is sewn with a needle and thread. And when we wear or use a product that personal, a piece, a creation coming from someone else’s hands, it’s logical to feel and admire the talent, the energy, and the work put into that piece.
«When I make one of my headpieces I try to release the best positive vibe I can so it gives the brides luck or fulfills them with love on their special day. Just positive emotions.»
Vision and eye for detail are the protagonists in this craft, to understand what the client desires is important to have a good analysis and projection.
Like a good artisan, when I asked about the material she works with, Irina couldn’t stop talking about materials she has discovered and she even gave me the address of these shops. I couldn’t care less as I would never dare to try what she does. But it was so sweet to realise that, as creatives, we are the same bug.
Not only romanticism is portrayed in the finished piece, but the entire process is romantic as h*ll. Nature is an important element for inspiration but flowers are the heroes and saviours for the craft to have a purpose, as one is amazed with its beauty, artisans see shapes, combination of colours. And after the admiration, it’s time to simulate with our hands that flower with only the help of an image and basic tools.
I shall not leave someone very important behind these beautiful headpieces. She’s the one that tries on everything, even the ugly and unfinished work.
Meet Melody.
She’s the one that has the last word. Sometimes it’s necessary change her hairstyle, or retouch those gorgeous eyebrows, but if she’s not happy, then everything goes to waste.
This helped me to reconnect with my artistic side and my imagination. Sometimes, it can be complicated to imagine something but as you keep manipulating the material, your mind keeps expanding.
If you are interested in trying this craft, is as simple as watching tutorials on YouTube and buying that basic material she mentions before. With this art, it’s all bout the technique and talent one develops with practice.
Some people to look up to are:
