We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Devika Blasi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Devika , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Do not be afraid of what you do not know. What I did know: How to sew.
What I didn’t know: How to shape a hat, how to cut glass, how to remodel a vintage trailer, how to make jewelry, how to grout. Yet I’ve done it all. The list of what I don’t know, was and always will be longer than what I do know. My grandparents owned a menswear shop and my grandmother did all of the alterations. I spent many hours with her learning the art of being a seamstress. That was the base skill that helped me create my first and main product which is a waterproof ripstop nylon backed serape blanket. Made from necessity. I wanted to use my serape blankets at the beach and at the park but was constantly frustrated with soggy and sandy blankets and the Sundaze H2O Serape Blanket was created. There was a LOT of trail and error, but finally I perfected the method and now the design is patent pending. Success! Right before COVID forced us to stay home for a year, I was lucky enough to take a milliners workshop in Paris with my son. Not only was it a great experience for both of us, but also gave me a new skill to practice while I had the time at home. I learned how to make and design jewelry because I was not finding the unique pieces I was looking for! I found a method that worked for me combining hand made, upcycled and manufactured pieces to create one of a kind products and many of my customers return for more! This is the biggest compliment I could ask for, One of the projects that I am the most proud of is the total remodel of a 1967 vintage camper. I scoured the internet for tutorials and watched a lot of videos and just figured it out! It’s amazing the content you can find on line. So many people are willing to share their knowledge.
So you want to learn a new craft or skill? Be willing to fail and be more willing to succeed. Hey if they can do it, so can you.
Devika , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My brand, Sundaze Originals was based on that feeling you get on a peaceful sunny Sunday afternoon. I reached out to an artist on Etsy to design my logo, I love to support other artists. As mentioned before, my business was launched with one product, my H2O Serape Blankets. I started by gifting them to my friends and family as I perfected the product. Once I felt confident that I had a quality, useful product, I launched my etsy shop. It was definitely slow going at first. I then got up the nerve to purchase a booth at a craft fair. PS don’t forget to get your resale license. I was in tears the first time someone spent their hard earned money on something I had made in my kitchen. My serape blanket collection has now grown to include the Serapuffy (down lined) and the Serafluffy (fleece lined), because sometimes you need a little extra warmth and coziness. But that was just the beginning, I started a clothing line using materials from Mexico. They were a nice compliment to the serape blankets, but clothing is a tough sell. It’s much easier to buy wholesale and sell at retail than to make handmade items. So clothes were cut from the list although I still offer a small number of one of a kind and re-worked vintage pieces. I then decided to venture into jewelry, Growing up with a western style background, I’ve always had an affinity for turquoise but found most of the new pieces to be inspired by vintage Native American pieces, a lot of turquoise and silver. I decided to try something new and went with turquoise and gold and I loved the combination, Plus it’s truly unique in the turquoise jewelry field. I feel that the designs I offer are creative and they’re often one of a kind so my customers can feel confident that they are not wearing mass merchandised or manufactured pieces. I want my customers to feel beautiful and special in my jewelry and they make great gifts! I’ve worn the same pair of earrings that I designed and made to every show for 5 years, They’re my lucky show earrings. I now offer a custom line of hats as well, testing out my new skills! I shape the wool hats with a signature heart shaped crown and often personalize hats with dates, names and quotes. I love to create custom hatbands using my turquoise, feathers, upycled leathers and hand dried florals (another self taught skill). I’ve been known to hand stitch or paint designs on the hats and I just launched my first men’s collection. I also do some custom mosaic art pieces and installations, but that’s another story, At the end of the day, customers like to know that what they purchase is unique to them. It’s nice to have something that no one else has. If you can dream it up it’s a challenge I’m willing to accept! It’s incredibly fulfilling to make and create items that are of value to someone. I hope to always spread positivity to my customers and mentor and encourage young artisans.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Don’t take the easy way. There are no shortcuts. It’s cliché but work smarter not harder, Yes, there will a lot of trial and error, It’s ok to fail. I love Pinterest fails. They remind me that no one does it right every time, I’ve accepted that I’m a disaster in the kitchen but a wiz with the glass cutter, I ventured into resale clothing for a short time. It was an easy way to make fast money but I wasn’t passionate about the product and I knew hundreds of other shops were selling the exact same thing, I had a hard time selling the products because there wasn’t a personal connection or a story behind them.
So be true to yourself. You are much more authentic when sharing a piece of yourself.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was laid off from the job and the company I loved after 15 years, They were relocating and I wasn’t going with them. This was a crushing blow to me and my future and I felt a bit lost. However, I turned my negativity into creativity, There was so much energy being focused on the negative that I shifted that energy into my creative mind and this is when my company was born. It’s fascinating to read studies that link depression to creativity, I never wanted to cut off my ear but I was happy to refocus my energy on building my company.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/SundazeOriginals
- Instagram: @sundazeoriginals
- Facebook: Sundaze Originals
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/devikablasi/
Image Credits
Ben Blasi