You know, that’s the thing about inspiration. It strikes in the unlikeliest of places, at the unlikeliest of times. For Sarita Vihar resident Neha Goel Negi, that moment came on her son’s first birthday, when she and her husband decided on a theme for the party — the sky — but could not get decorations to match.
That is when Negi decided to craft some of her own. And when she finished, the visitors could not stop gushing. Everything was blue, with stars, planets and the moon. But what became her greatest source of inspiration was her son’s bouncy excitement at the decorations.
“That was when I decided to take up DIY crafts seriously,” Negi says.
Negi, who started out as an NGO worker who later ventured into the corporate world with an MBA degree and a job at The Times of India, always had a creative streak. She loved her alone time, in which she would keep herself busy with glass and mural painting. However, as work pressure intensified and she got married, as with so many women, creativity took a backseat. She got more and more engrossed in family life, and with the birth of her son, Kabir, in 2013, she became a full-fledged homemaker, and the artist in her stood forgotten.
However, that day, when things could have turned out bland and uninteresting, became her first decisive step into the world of art and DIY. Negi taught herself paper quilling, thread craft and other DIY essentials by watching YouTube videos and following a number of craft handles on Pinterest. She translated her knowledge into beautiful silk thread bangles, beaded and mirrored, thread neckpieces and paper quill jhumkas, rakhis and bookmarks. And when she shared some of her designs with her friends, they not only loved them but also started placing orders. But it was only when she shared her work on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram that orders started pouring in. Today she has even been invited by corporate offices such as Citibank to display her creations at their offices.
Monica Zutshi, one of Negi's customers, says, "I was inundated with compliments the day I wore the thread and bead bangles Neha made for me. They are stunning."
But all this work and praise has not made her forget what gave her the first push into the world of art and crafts. She single-handedly decorated the venue for her son’s third birthday this year. The origami dresses, the bow ties, the birds and the plastic-cup-and-wool decorative lights had little Kabir squealing with excitement. And Negi couldn’t have been a happier mother that day. She even got her first official party assignment soon after.
“I am both excited and nervous about this plunge into art and crafts. But my husband Bhim is the strongest support I could have asked for. He encourages me every day and spurs me on to give it my best. Kabir and my mother are my greatest inspiration,” Negi says.
“I have all that I need right here with me — my family, my passion and my independence. Why would I ever get back into the rat race of corporate life?” she adds.
