We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mellany Ortiz López. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mellany below.

Mellany , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

During my university career I participated in very significant social research projects, however, the one with which I have connected the most with myself and with the talents I didn’t know I had, has been with my MOL venture, which started during the pandemic in 2020. It all started because I started having nightmares and I remembered that dreamcatchers were an amulet to filter dreams, I watched videos on YouTube on how to make them and decided that instead of buying it, I was going to create and design it myself.

At the beginning, like every process, it took time and practice. The first one I made was for my mom and then over time I started to really like knitting and I made my own. I added crystals to my designs and then for the birthday of one of my best friends, I taught her how to make her tree of life dreamcatcher and she told me, *Mel, you could already be teaching a workshop, look how well you’ve taught me,” so that same day we planned what day I was going to do it and recorded a marketing video. It was my first workshop where 14 people went and then, I decided to bring the art of knitting to more people by combining it with tools such as meditation and yoga. During the workshops, it was incredible to see how people connected with the meaning of colors and created their first craft experience, taking home their own dreamcatchers.

Finally, with all these experiences, I discovered a part of myself. I love bringing love, creativity, and new experiences to people, connecting with their own life dreams, and knitting with purpose.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I primarily create dreamcatcher workshops, where people can weave their own dreamcatchers with purpose, according to the meaning of the colors and their dreams.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I returned to my country after being an au pair for a year in San Francisco, California, it was very difficult for me to return. I felt disoriented and didn’t know what to do with my life. One of my best friends from college, Jessica, planted the seed in me and trusted me to do my first workshop at her house. At that moment, I understood that I could get back on my feet and share the art of knitting with many more people, giving them a new experience in their lives and my life could move on again.This was a space that taught me the skills I had but that I myself hadn’t even realized.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

My greatest reward in sharing my dreamcatcher workshop is seeing how people, in the midst of meditation, manage to connect with their inner selves, with their dreams and deepest desires, and seeing the faces of satisfaction that they dared to do something new for themselves, like weaving and personalizing their own dreamcatcher.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mol2020_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mellanyortiz/

Image Credits

Proyecto de atrapasueños con Valeria Illiashenko
Mejor Amiga de universidad Jesica Careño
Equipo de la Alcaldía de Mosquera
Francy Alexandra Murillo
Marina Ortega
Patricia López