I finally felt a sense of fulfilment.

I've always felt the strong need to create, to make things and express feelings through these things and I guess in some ways I always felt the need to take ownership of something. I remember telling friends that I really want to 'have my own thing' for about two years and I finally did that late 2014, when I started Of Trying Times. Funny enough, I didn't start it because I decided to go ahead and 'have my own thing', instead it was a funny series of events that led to the humble beginnings of the small label I can finally call my own; a series of disappointing jobs, random fiddling with a box of polymer clay and a radio announcement about an upcoming arts market.

I first started meddling with polymer clay after a tiring day of work and found comfort in the flexibility of the material. There was so much I could do with it and I started working with it frequently, feeling so much joy during the process. It quickly became my medium of expressing my disappointment, anxiety and other feelings that I wasn’t so good with, telling stories through the pieces and learning in the process that many felt the same way about being 20. Out of sheer fate, I sold some pieces at a local arts market and it was very well received, giving me the courage to continue selling the pieces, eventually becoming a real label.

While the label started by selling jewellery, I also took the chance to connect more people through letter swap projects so that others who felt the same sense of anxiousness would realise that they too, weren’t alone. Through all these projects and connection, I finally felt a sense of fulfilment and it has truly become the best of me.