Reminiscing…

Recently, I received several friends’ requests at the social network I am currently active. Most of the friends’ requests I received were from friends, classmates and acquaintances from way back during the time I spent 4 years of my high school in my grandma’s place in Mindanao.

While my high-school years were definitely interesting and colorful, I cannot quite help but feel melancholic about this sudden reminder of my dearly loved yet often forgotten past. Work, career, family and other personal commitments caught up with me and had kept me from visiting my grandma’s place as often as I would have wanted. In fact, I have to admit that since my grandma’s passing more than 20 years ago, I don’t really have any strong motivation to make time and re-visit the place. And so today, I would like to take some time to pause and do as I do now, reminiscing old memories….

I spent a large part of my childhood with my grandmother. Growing up in a quiet, sleepy town in Mindanao, my favorite past time as a young girl was to day dream. Guilty as charged, I did have a Cinderella complex, that is, I would actually imagine having a fairy godmother that would grant me my every whim and desire.

As the eldest grandchild, well, the only child, in my grandmother’s big two-storey house, playing alone by myself didn’t upset me. My pretend playmates in the form of a rag doll, a well-loved teddy bear and a few other prized possessions—gifts from parents and relatives, along with my very rich imagination, were my constant, pleasant companion. I remembered long hours of fun in the afternoon climbing one tree to another, even tall ones like the coconut trees that surrounded our old ancestral home. One day, I am a princess in a beautiful castle, a merchant selling candies made of clay or perhaps a hunter inside a cave. There was never a time that I felt alone or even lonely despite the lack of obvious playmate.

The few times that I did have a playmate were all in the form of our washer woman’s son and having a boy to share dolls and teddy bears with wasn’t a pleasant alternative. Too much of convincing that my doll is not a canon ball is enough for me to relinquish my right to a play date, I definitely preferred being alone than play with a semi-sadistic, snot running little tyke.

I relish the time when I can happily sing and dance amidst the rain fall, thumping on sludge of mud, with not a single care of this world. Time seemed to slow down in the province back then and yes, we do sleep right after dinner and that would be about 8 o’clock in the evening.

I vaguely remembered the night time ritual just prior to dinner of watching any one of the soap operas offered by the only 2 television stations back then. I think the TV series were entitled Flordeluna and Annaliza. I didn’t understand the show and I would always wonder why grandma and several of our neighbors and house helps would discreetly wipe off a tear punctuated with silent sobs from time to time. The puffy red eyes were always a give away after the show and my uncles who were then the classic, naughty teenagers would tease my grandma on end.

Ahh, yes, back then, it was very common for neighbors to come knocking at one’s door to borrow salt or in this case, watch a soap opera on TV. Back then, I think people were much friendlier, more open, more loving….people simply cared.

My grandma’s town is right at the middle of Davao and Butuan City. To get there, one must take a bus from either side. You will know you reached the place when you could hardly feel your butt being there. Three hours of stiff sitting with very little chance of having unshared seats that allows one to a comfortable recline, is enough to get even the most practiced sentry guard complain. Back then, there were also few air conditioned buses so the usual travels to get to the city was quite an ordeal, a sure test of patience and endurance. Being a child though, I get the exception of being able to take a nap right at my uncle’s or any seat mate’s lap for that matter. I usually doze off the whole 3 hours of travel, which is a good thing. Traveling to the city had been one of the things I look forward to as a child although each trip had been far between. Perhaps, the travel torture was too much for my adult relatives to bear.

Perhaps it has been more than 20 years since I last visited the place, saved of course for that measly 2 hours I sneaked to get to Trento a year ago. I was out on an official reconnaissance trip to Butuan City with a group from Dept. of Science and Technology and a few other fashion accessory manufacturers and exporters. Seeing that we were somehow free for the afternoon, I decided to sneak out for a quick, hurried trip to Trento. The travel going there on a bus is far longer than the actual time I got myself seated in the old sofa still currently used by my uncle’s family who now resides in my grandma’s house. My mom once joked that traveling to Trento, we only need to pay an extra P10 fare to get to heaven. I’m sure she would be amused to hear me say this now; she has indeed gone to heaven almost 3 years ago.

Reaching the place, it was like being in a stranger’s house. There had been some changes to the house yet at the same time; there were several traces of the old. Despite the alterations, I do not resent my uncle and his family for renovating the place. After all, the house was largely made of wood and after sometime, wood materials, no matter how strong, tends to wither and aged from elements. It was just proper and quite expected that some of its parts would not last past 20 years.

Nonetheless, I loved the place. It was there that I first witnessed the reddening of the sky just as the mid afternoon sun sets. It was there that I have counted the stars only to get lost by their number or their glitter or to walk the rice paddies of the sea of greens. It was for me, simply a piece of heaven on earth.

Despite the distance and time that has separated me from the place; I am pleasantly surprised to feel the familiar warmth, the tender yet firm tug the place gave on my memories of years gone by.

Walking down the Aisle...

We are now preparing for a bridal fair. Of all the projects I get commissioned to do, working for a bridal collection is one of my favorites. There is something deeply magical and emotional about weddings and it is such a privilege to be part of one of the most important events in somebody’s life. Unless you are tying the knot under duress of no less than a high caliber shotgun, most marriages, as a lot of people say, is still made in heaven. I believe this because mine is. Ten years of marriage and I still believe I married a prince although there had been times when my prince charming has been a scrawny little frog himself. There is a lot of metamorphic process that a person goes through in marriage. You can turn a frog into a prince or from a frog, well, to a bull. And as for the brides, one starts out as a princess that will eventually turn into a queen or to that of an evil witch. What makes one instead of the other is an entire alchemy subject whose formula I don’t have. Sorry, but I am neither a self help guru nor do I pretend to be one.

While wedding ceremonies seemed celestial in nature, the whole preparation itself is more earth-bound than one starry-eyed bride might think. Often this involves a long, looong process. In fact, I have known of girl friends who dream of their wedding day since 5 years old. Others even keep clippings of wedding pictures to guide them through their final choices. While the entire ceremony in itself takes less than a day, the preparation in a lot of instances, takes more than a decade.

It is no surprise that one would go through all the lengths in order to make this one momentous event as perfect as it can possibly be. The details involved in the preparation starting with the theme, to the flowers, decors, gowns and what have you is just so dizzying. We rejoice with the many options available to the most discerning and even quirky, peculiar couples, yet at the same time, the endless choices can be too confusing.

How one finally decides getting a mint green motif instead of say, sage green is a long well thought of scientific or in large part “just because I want” process which sometimes entails a lot of heartaches, arguments, and disappointments.

And so, with this in mind, you can imagine how extra challenging designing for a wedding collection both for bridal accessories and keepsakes can be. Pleasing the couple as well as the extended families in tow is a major, major task. And that’s just the quest I and the rest of my team are currently engaged in. Talk about self-imposed stress.

A few weeks ago, we’ve met with no less than the force behind Mandarin Oriental’s “Our Wedding Proposals” bridal fair. It was a serendipitous engagement because we initially contacted them for our corporate giveaways and it just so happened that they were cooking up a bridal fair at that same time. After seeing some of our samples and understanding our capabilities, they gave our team the exclusive privilege to showcase the bridal accessories and giveaways.

Our task was to come up with bridal accessories and giveaways grouped into 4 themes. The themes are: Oriental, Filipiniana, Traditional and Modern. If I was asked to define what these were, 20 years ago, I would be dumbfounded. But now, I’m simply glad that my training and designing backgrounds are sufficient to give these themes a decent interpretation and distinction. I have attached here photos of some of our works.

One good feature we offer brides and grooms is our customized design capability. With a vertically integrated full manufacturing company backing us up, I must say that there is very little that we cannot possibly do. One has just to imagine it and we would most likely be able to execute it. One interesting project we did many years back was to replicate the exact same tiara worn by Ms. Victoria Beckham during her wedding. Of course, it was a one piece deal and we had to mobilize our most skilled artisans. Likewise, the cost of in-laid Swarovski crystals alone was astounding. But hey, one gets to marry only once (for most cases) right?

All in all, it was one of our grandest and most interesting projects we’ve ever had, likewise, we definitely had one happy bride walking down the aisle. I am not sure though if I can say the same for the groom who paid for the bill. Hopefully his little tiara investment is a good start to turn his princess into a queen.

If you are in the look out for wedding accessories and giveaways, you might want to check us out during the “Our Wedding Proposal” Bridal Fair at Mandarin Oriental Manila on March 20 to 21, 2010. Or call or email us to set an appointment with our ARTIZANS Bridal team at mobile no. 0922-8699911 or email info@artizans.bz

DESIGNER SYNERGY

Working with seven other designers is both a privilege and a challenge for me. Each designer has his or her own design approach, taste, and aesthetics. To get them to work together or individually on a thematic collection requires a certain type of skill comparable to that of a politician about to run for the presidential post. The question “How do you get an entire nation to vote for you?” in design lingo might as well be said as “How do you get these designers to work for a Jurassic-inspired collection?” The parallelism is so uncanny. The arms twisting are replaced with the more subtle goading and haggling though….and yes, much like in politics, cash rewards do work.

The first time I took my post as Head for Design and Development, I remembered it to be quite a painful, emotional roller coaster for me. Though it helped that most of my designer-colleagues had worked with me with a previous employer, still, the idea that they now report to me for design approval is quite daunting.

As a designer myself, I really believe in my heart that each designer thinks that their design is the best there is. And because art is highly relative, I must agree to this. What looks good with one might not look good with another. One’s trash is another’s treasure.

It is in this realm of so much relativity that I tread with great care. As Head of Design of a commercial fashion jewelry company, I look at designs not just in terms of creative expression but in consideration of more practical parameters—cost, materials, color relevance for the season, time and the capability to be mass produced --- in short, marketability and viability of the product.

Much like giving birth, each new design creation shows the same promise and potential of a newborn child. Hence, it is quite devastating that a design, one labored for several weeks, land in the “not approve for development” section. The bearer of the news and verdict, I, becomes instantly unpopular. I am just glad that except for dagger-looks and a few episodes of cold war, those were just the extent that the embattled designer had gone through.

Now I understand why it is not surprising at all that a lot of politicians are not keen in pointing out the mistakes and failures of their constituents especially when election time is coming. As the famous Beatle’s song goes, “honesty is such a lonely word”. With my post, I deal with honestly more often that it is for my own good.

Seeing the dwindling number of friends at work due to rejections of designs, I came up with the idea of vetting designs. What we basically do is for the designers to lay out on the table the first piece they make in a collection. They must not name who made the collection. This first piece is then presented to every member of the design team where each one would make his or her comments and suggestions.

Prior to the vetting, certain rules are put into place. Comments must not be personal but must only pertain to the design or the piece presented. Comments must be constructive and must be aimed at improving the product. Price will also be determined at this stage and everyone must assess if the product can be sold based on its price. If the price is too high, we then replace some of the expensive materials or tweak the design a bit to bring down the cost. The mathematics involved in computing the price is simple but to analyze how a design positions itself in the market is not.

I used to dread having to reject or alter someone else’s design. My comments, no matter how well crafted, are always viewed as a personal rejection. With group vetting, however, everyone has the chance to say something including the designer himself or herself. Thus, it becomes a much healthier exercise for the group. It definitely fosters cooperation as there had been times when 2 or 3 designers collaborate on a design. This collaborative work has also determined and made use of what each designer is really good at.

One designer for instance is really good at combining colors. I have observed that even prior to the vetting, the other designers would defer to this designer to assess the palette of the newly developed piece. What used to be me, mine, and myself way of doing things has now become all and everyone’s masterpiece.

Indeed this strategy has worked so well that this is now our standard protocol.

A lot of people has approached and asked me what our secret is for our fashion jewelry line to thrive despite the economic crisis. Well, there’s really no single formula but product design definitely contributes much. I am just so blessed to be part of a team of designers who individually possesses innate outstanding creative talents that when put together produces meaningful, relevant, and world-class designs. To me, that’s the Designer synergy at its best!

Photo Credits: Cave Woman; Wired Ring; Hammered Cuff; Copper Disc Earrings

DON’T QUIT

I came across this poem entitled “Don’t Quit” some 20 years or so ago.

Since my initial discovery, this poem has become a personal mantra for me.

Much like a well worn, ever reliable comfort blanket, this is something I read over and over again specially during times of discouragements and disappointments.

As we go through the motions of life, now like any other, is the right time for us, for me, to re-visit the old familiar verses of this poem and draw strength and inspiration it so reliably and unselfishly gives.

Let me share this with you...

Don't Quit
by anonymous

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

Indeed I couldn’t agree more!

As the saying goes, "a quitter never wins and a winner never quits".

In whatever battle you may be in right now, I hope that you too will find inspiration from the simple yet life giving message of this poem.

GOD bless everyone!

My Inspirations...

“What inspires you to create a design or to write about something?”

I’ve been asked this question countless times and while this seemed like a good question to ask somebody whose main source of livelihood depends heavily on art and creative work, my answer is actually not outstanding. In fact some would say, too generic.

My usual answer would be “anything”. This is not a conspiracy answer among artists, believe me, nor do I want to sound mysterious to haggle for attention. The truth is, as boring and as plain as it may sound, anything and everything inspires me.

There was a time in my teenage years when the confusion and struggles both in my school and family life prompted me to pour out my soul through my sketches. Sketches, doodles, scribbles… mostly incomprehensible - were my lifeline to sanity back then.

I remembered vaguely that I was vying for the top honors in school then and boy, people in the provinces, really takes these things so seriously. The teachers handling our class were torn between the two competing students. I remember one serious talk with one of my teacher-advisers as she detailed to me my class standing.

I garnered second in the end, but looking back, the lessons learned on struggles, survival, victories and losses are all so surreal --- worthy of a local FAMAS Award. Now if only I can get Judy Ann Santos to play my role.

Then at another time and place, one evening, heavy with my first child, I just could not get myself to sleep. Perhaps it was some crazy hormonal imbalance kicking, I found myself turning and tossing, feeling so depressed and for no reason at all.

To get me occupied and quell the strong urge to bother anyone else (poor husband!), I found myself painting in acrylic this serene and peaceful picture of a blue house. I finished this “master piece” at 4 am. I guess that was my own artistic way of pacifying the turmoil raging inside of me. I am proud to say that aside from the big heavy eye bags, and the sore achy back, no other collateral damage had been done.

When my two boys were aged 3 and 5, I considered that to be by far, the most chaotic family situation we ever had. I found solace in the scrapbooks and journals, and of little “Dear Khalil” and “Dear Karlo” notes I neatly compiled for my sons. Perhaps someday when they are old enough, they would understand through my own little chronicle of their adventures and mischief of just how uniquely special and wonderful both of them are.

In my career as fashion jewelry designer, some four years ago, I came across a client who brought us 3 pieces of designer necklaces and asked us to come up with 25 collections in one month. Our only inspirations were the 3 necklaces she left us. Talk about stress and pressure!

Pressed with a deadline, it’s amazing how much creative juices flow to come up with the most sought-after pieces. I have posted a picture of one of my favorite works borne out of that one-month creative sojourn.

So as if on cue, as if history is repeating itself, here I am again, faced with a 2 month deadline to come up with 45 collections of designer pieces to showcase in one of the major fashion jewelry tradeshows.

My inspirations for this gynormous endeavor? ….I am not looking far…I’d like to share with you some snap shots of the corner stone of my collection….my kids artworks! It’s unrestrained, unmindful, carefree, happy, expressive, head turning, and one that simply calls for attention, just exactly what I want our next collection to be.




Overall, I must say that my creative output is very much influenced by my state of mind, emotions, life situation, and maturity as an artist. And oh, I must include my understanding of my client’s needs and goals.

Nowadays, I don’t see myself doing childish doodles anymore, but like exactly what I am doing right now, writing this blog, announcing to the world just where I am and what I feel…