Love the thought of adding a little bling to your life? Meet this talented entrepreneur who is successfully earning a living creating trendy jewellery and accessories. Her niche is handcrafting earrings, necklaces, bracelets, chokers, tiaras, hand designed pottery and home decors. What is more amazing is the fact that she is self-taught!
Many designers need years of formal training and mentorship before they can launch a product that is ready to be marketed and sold. But this smart and creative entrepreneur is proof that with talent, dedication, and perseverance, you can turn your skill into a career.
For those already thinking that this career sounds easy, think twice. It requires a lot of creativity, imagination and technical knowledge. Gugu Kuotsu from Kohima Village has also been travelling for years on the road selling her niche products. She’s participated in local events like night bazaars, book festivals, church events, and also participated in International and National trade fairs.
Currently designing jewellery under the line “Gutouch”, she had always been interested to design, decorate and experiment with new ideas. “I started off really small, designing clips, tiaras, flower making etc at home and was overwhelmed with the positive response I got from those who bought them,” she shared. Initially, it was her friends who helped sell her products in offices, shops, colleges etc.
Describing her creative process, she explained, “As I sit at my table looking at the glittering stones and colourful beads, I just can’t wait to put them together to and create something new and different. I like to use different kinds of materials like feathers, wood, metal, semi stone, colourful beads etc. For me, every piece of jewellery that I make has to be different! Most of all they should bring out the best in the person who wears it. So, with that thought, I keep working and the result always gives me a sense of joy in my humble creation.”
She added, “There are a lot of things that I like about being a jewellery designer. Seeing someone wearing my handmade design gives me more inspiration and strength to keep on working. I also like the independence which I enjoy every day and the fact that I can be my own boss.” Gugu is also a freelance photographer. She draws inspiration from nature and its beauty and enjoys the wonderful works of God which also never fail to inspire me.
Currently working and selling her products from her home, Gugu stated that being a small entrepreneur in Nagaland, it’s really hard to get funding from the State government to expand one’s business. Revealing the dismal scenario in the State, “I’ve been to few departments, but disappointedly my project was turned down. I think to get any aid from the government here in Nagaland, you need to be related or a close friend or the higher ups and what’s even more disappointing is the fact that so many bogus and fake projects and individuals avail these funds and spend it carelessly.” Despite these setbacks, she continues to soldier on saying, “I have no regrets for taking the decisions that I took. I want to explore and expand the limit of what I could create and achieve.”
“For the young aspiring jewelers I would like to tell them that there were times when I had to cut short my sleeping hours to meet the demands of my customers, but we should always have a policy of delivering the best and on time. If you’re dedicated and hardworking there’s nothing that can stop you from being successful. Nothing is impossible,” she said.