Introduce us to you and your brand!
Hello, my name is Milda and I'm a witch. I don't practise a specific religion as Wiccan or Paganism, but rather taking something from both of them and just opening my mind to the Universe. I've always been interested in the spiritual side of the word, crystals, gemstones and manifestation as well as in various crafts and creation of art. Discovering wire wrapping let me connect these two wide sides of life and that's how Winter Wasp has been born.
There is a quite interesting reason why I chose Winter Wasp as the name for my business. For the last couple of years, in the middle of the winter, I would suddenly hear and see a massive wasp in my flat. She would come out of nowhere and disappear the next day. This would happen the next year and the next year and the next. It would always be me who would notice the wasp first and I just had a feeling that she came to me, so that's how I discovered that Wasp is my spirit animal and of course I had to go with the name Winter Wasp.
How has your brand/work developed since you began?
I started only a year ago with low self confidence and very simple wire work and in just a year I feel my work has improved a lot, I started making more complicated pieces and even branched out into others art medium like Silver clay. My self esteem and confidence increased an incredible amount and I finally feel mentally stable in my life
What are your main inspirations?
It would be animals, nature, dreams, imagination and making my family proud as my mom really loves my work and always supports me.
What do you consider to be your most popular product? Why do you think it resonates with people
I don't have a specific product as all my work is one of the kind and I almost never make anything twice. If I have to choose I would say people love my pieces with Labradorite and Aura Quartz as both of these stones have amazing colours and something fantasy related about them.
What piece are you the proudest of?
The piece I love the most is my Alien pendant with Chrysocolla and Rainbow Moonstone. It wasn't supposed to be an alien and I definitely didn't plan the design, but it came out just perfect.
What would you consider to be the most challenging aspect about being a working artist/designer?
For me personally hardest part is my time management and having ADHD definitely doesn't help it. Also marketing and social media could be a struggle as well as it can feel quite overwhelming especially if you don't get the results you want straight away.
Do you have any past accomplishments you wish to share?
I had my first Craft Fair Market this winter and I did there very well and considering it has only been a year since my business started and since I started making jewellery, I'm very proud of myself. Also, I'm the only one who works on this business, I call it one girl's show, so I think it's pretty impressive to work on all the business aspects AND personally create all the products.
How did you find out about SDX? And what made you apply to sell with us?
SDX actually contacted me after they noticed my work in my craft fair I mentioned above and that's how I found out about SDX and what they do. The reason I applied was that it felt genuine and not just for money. They don't take any commission and all staff and communication is amazing. Also, if not SDX, I would probably be never able to sell on one of the main streets of Edinburgh, at least not at this stage of my business, so SDX was an actually miracle for me.
What have you found to be the most challenging aspect to your business since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020?
To be honest, and I really appreciate that I'm in such a lucky position in my life to be able to say this, but the pandemic been amazing to my life, really. I sorted out my mental health and discovered wire wrapping. I had enough time to settle my thoughts and actually pursue something in my life and Winter Wasp came to life just after 2020.
What do you hope to gain from working with SDX moving forward?
Wider audience, to be noticed and gain more inspiration and motivation as it is so inspirational to see everyone's work and all the amazing things people sell in SDX that they all personally made with their hands. It's just amazing.
If you could share just one piece of advice to aspiring artists/designers who want to make a living from their creative talents, what would you tell them?
Be consistent and don't quit if you don't get good results straight away. And as they say ''All good things come to those who wait''.
And finally, help share some motivation with your favourite inspirational advise or quote!
I have a couple actually that are quite similar, but also different. ''Strive for progress, not perfection'' and ''Don't be afraid of going slowly; Be afraid of standing still''. I couldn't tell you who are these quotes by, but they are always in my head and they help me to not become discouraged.
Thank you to Milda for participating in our blog, you can find a selection of her work at SDX 117-119 George Street, Edinburgh