Nayarett Arancibia – Crafter

by | Feb 18, 2016

We are back with our “Creative Friends Series”. Today our guest of honour is our dear and talented friend Nayaret Aracibia-Cuevas. Naya is a professional crafter, with beautiful products selling online all around New Zealand and in markets around Wellington.

 Can you introduce yourself in a paragraph.

 Hi my name is Nayarett/Naya, mother of two boys and I’m a crafter.
I work with fabric and felt to create accessories, specifically Fuxicos (pron.foo-shee-kos)  a traditional Brazilian handcraft. For that, I use cotton fabric in a variety of colors to make hair accessories, brooches and necklaces. I also work with wool felt to make Christmas decorations and garlands.
 
What brought you to NZ?
 
I moved to New Zealand almost 15 years ago with my New Zealand partner. I’m originally from Chile and grew up in a small town by the sea. Although I love living here in NZ,  I’m still proud to call myself 100% Chilean residing in NZ.
 

 

 Tell us about your background in your art/profession.

Back in Chile I studied accountancy and worked in a real estate company for 7 years as an administrator. In New Zealand I worked for a Multinational Oil Company as a Billing Specialist until they closed their corporate headquarters and moved to Thailand.   At that time I became a mum for the second time and started crafting after my friend Vera, part of the Creativa team, introduced me and a group of friends to the art of Fuxicos. I found all the process very relaxing and enjoyed it so much that I decided to start researching more about it and designing my own products and patterns. Once my products were perfected I started selling them at some local markets and online on Felt. Having an online presence opened some doors.  For example, this has helped me create a reputation for high quality hand made products. I sell my work at  pop-up shops like Pop-up Design Shop and Craft Central Pop-up Shop and to exhibit my work at Minerva Textile Bookshop at Christmas season.

 

Black Felt Garland
There is something special that you like about living in Wellington that contributes to your craft / profession.
 
I think in general Kiwis value hand-made NZ  things and most importantly acknowledge the work behind an object and the artist/maker. Wellington is a big enough city with galleries, shops and markets where people can sell their handmade products. One of my favorites places is the Underground Market where you can find me from time to time and some annual events like Craft Central.
 
What is your main inspiration?
 
What inspires me most is colour and flowers. I do remember when I was in the 3rd grade my teacher told me that I shouldn’t colour flowers in purple, hot pink or blue because they didn’t exist. Of course I didn’t believe him. So yes, colour is very important in my creative process. I also find inspiration in books and online is always a great source if I need to learn a new skill e.g felting. Sometimes inspiration comes from things around us. For example, the design on my Pohutukawa bloom hearts. From time to time customers can give you good ideas. I like this as it challenges me to shift my thinking and design process to meet market demand.
 
Pohutukawa Felt Hearts
What are your future goals in your art/profession for the next year?
 
I will be part of the next Auckland Fair for the first time.  So at the moment I’m getting ready for that. During the quiet winter months I will be working on my stock getting ready for the Christmas season. Also, I would like to work  more on my online shop. (I opened an Etsy shop last year that needs more love and attention) as well as selling my products at some boutique shops in Wellington and around the North Island.

You can find Naya’s beautiful products in her Felt Shop, and you can follow her work on her facebook page. Thank you so much to Naya for sharing her lovely story and her insightful creative process with us.

Beautiful, Simple, Effective Design

hello@creativa.co.nz

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