Aswathy wasn’t ready to give up on her passion when life began throwing curve balls at her. She was just a degree student when she tied the knot and became a homemaker. Soon, Aswathy realised that married life wasn’t a bed of roses for her as she had dreamed it would be. Aswathy didn’t want to spend her life sulking and blaming others for what happened to her. She took the bold decision to end her marriage and filed for divorce. It was her passion for arts and crafts that helped her begin a new life with her daughter after the divorce. It was her firm decision to support herself that motivated Aswathy to be successful in life. Now, she leads a group of talented women who support each other and maintain a decent lifestyle. Aswathy is now the owner of ‘Nains Terracotta’, a successful terracotta jewellery business. She couldn’t complete her education when she got married at a young age. But, she worked hard to make her business successful as it was her only source for survival.
Fighting against odds
‘Nains Terracotta’ is a business endeavour started by Aswathy, a native of Kothamangalam in Ernakulam, Kerala. Beautiful and exquisite, jewellery pieces crafted in terracotta by Aswathy started conquering the hearts of jewellery lovers and fashionistas. Even though she started making terracotta jewellery as a hobby, it soon grew into a full-fledged business that became her main source of income.
“I was a degree student when I got married. I became stressed when I couldn’t continue my education. I began making craft items to spend time and overcome the stress. It was then that I heard about terracotta jewellery making and started studying more about it. Slowly, I started making terracotta jewellery as a hobby. My products were well received and a friend suggested to open a business. In 2017, I began a Facebook page in my daughter’s name and started receiving orders. Meanwhile, I was struggling with some issues in my personal life. The lockdown due to the pandemic outbreak too affected me mentally. I wasn’t interested in financially depending on others,” says Aswathy.
A team of women
Aswathy was determined to not give up even when she faced setbacks in life. She focussed on growing and developing her business. Slowly, her hard work began seeing results as her business flourished. Aswathy received hundreds of orders on social media. Moreover, she had regular customers who ensured that Aswathy earned consistent income. But, Aswathy wasn’t ready to stop there. She started a community called ‘Artika’ that supports women artisans who turn their passion into business. Interestingly, ‘Artika’ became the first women-community in Kerala to take part in a B2B expo.
“Our community has been built on the foundation of able women who are determined to support other women. It is a community for the talented women artisans in Kerala. There are more than one hundred members in this community. This is probably the only such community in Kerala which coordinates women and their passion for arts and crafts. I can connect with those who fight alone. I had no one to support me when I started this journey. I was determined not to depend on anyone for my financial needs. Gaining financial freedom is important for a woman. All women should be able to support themselves financially and not depend on others for their needs. This was the idea that I had in mind when I took the initiative for ‘Artika’. Helping each other would make us grow and flourish as individuals,” notes Aswathy.
Aswathy says that she had struggled really hard to make a place for herself as a young woman entrepreneur. She is grateful that her incredible talent in making terracotta jewellery had helped her build a new life. So, she believes that everyone should acquire a skill even if they are highly educated. The skill may be helpful in supporting you at a point of crisis in your life. Aswathy managed to complete her graduation even as she was busy with her business and ‘Artika’. Now, she wishes to pursue higher education. Meanwhile, Aswathy is preparing for the UPSC exams too.
