Quilled For Welfare: How This Artist Is Giving Back From Your Purchase
The art of quilling has never fascinated me more until @Papercutkraft, a small business run by Meghana Sardesai, a 30-year-old quilling artist, who uses her art to channel change.
“Quilling in India is usually jhumkas and earrings. It is not what I wanted to do.”
It all began in 2015 when all Meghana wanted to do was escape the valentine’s day blues. She thought, let’s do something fun and different. She has always been into art and crafts as a student and chose craft class over computers.
When her first piece of work, a rose, went up on Instagram, her friends complimented her. Little did she know at the time that a business would bloom in the future. Soon, origami entered the picture but her heart was set on quilling.
Taking inspiration from Youtube videos, she bought random sizes of paper-more than required- varying in colour, size and type. She recalls wondering, “am I going to use this?”
During her brother’s wedding in 2016, she decorated 60 baskets with quilled flowers. This was her first big project. But her interest faded due to her busy schedule and love for traveling.
The three primary materials are required: paper, glue and the quilling tool. “I prefer the quilling tool, but will experiment with tweezers, crimper and a comb.”
“Day-to-day conversations and observations fuel art,” she said talking about inspiration. Her frequent trips to Puducherry and eye for detail when her mother and aunt picked silk sarees contributed to her artwork.
When she embarked on a trip to Spain in 2017, she was in awe of what she saw. She recollects that experience in one sentence: “Barcelona is the hub for artists and architects”. She was moved by the stained glass of towering churches and wished she had given in to her love for art way before studying engineering.
The company she was employed at decided to host a fundraiser in 2018. The proceeds would go to a home for the aged. After putting out a sold-out sign on her counter, she decided to take this hobby to the next step. The goal wasn’t money at the time; nor now.
Speaking about her technique and working process, it all starts with a rough sketch and then she decides if she would like to quill it or not. She adds her touch to the designs she derives inspiration from. Sometimes the smaller pieces take time due to intricate details. Now, on average, it takes 30 minutes to complete simple designs including flowers. If it is a bigger picture, colours and shapes require time. A particular art piece once took 10 hours to complete.
“If I know it looks good, I just know. My aunt is the first person. But my best critiques are my friends. They are sincere.”
Currently, she sells customized pieces of art, cards and gift tags. Her Instagram page @Papercutkraft has 2000+ active followers. She looks forward to launching her online shop where cards will be readily available for purchase. The drawback here is that bulk orders require a significant amount of time. Single-handedly, this poses a big challenge. Discussing with her mother, Meghana plans on hiring her housemaid, who recently underwent surgery. “Due to the surgery, she might not be able to return to housework. She is very good at crochet, and she taught me to do it too.”
“I want a big piece,” customers say. Meghana tackles this by first explaining the time taken to complete a design and offers options. People are hesitant to pay the price set because it seems too simple but the artist has surely come a long way.
The lock down period has benefited her to a great extent. While working in Bangalore, she would stay up at night to quill. Now, at home in Belgaum, she dedicates the 90 minutes spent to travel to work in Bangalore on quilling. “I look forward to quilling more than my full-time job.”
Moved by the Australia wildfires, she thought, “I need to do something. I will support artists and help people to the extent of my capacity.”
She successfully raised 16k rupees by selling art pieces. The money was transferred to an NGO feeding migrant walking home. With orders coming in to raise funds for more causes, she channeled them to a non-registered NGO run by an individual who fed stray dogs, provided monetary help to patients and meals to the police during the lockdown.
“After COVID-19 eases, I have decided to do fundraisers, specifically for animals. I’ve shortlisted organizations in India and am working through the other needs.”
Meghana has begun working on launching wearable art like quilled magnet brooches and saree pins.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 situation has not improved in India. While the country struggles to make it through this pandemic, the artist is at work, doing her bit.
You can learn more about the products and fundraisers by checking out @Papercutkraft.
Support a cause, make a bid. The next time you look at the quilled art piece on your wall or the brooch on your dresser, you’ll know that you helped a cause, that you did your part.
*This is not a paid promotion. Support the artist, support for good*
