I’m absolutely loving each piece you can find at Yalos’ workplace, owned by Christiane and Filiz. These two amazing ladies create art and jewelry from driftwood and stones that they find on the beaches of Alanya. Beautiful small and big sailing boats, fishes with an ‘evil eye’, figures that look like they are about to come to life, decorative mirrors and much more. It gives you that perfect feeling of sandy salty beach life and living close to natures wonders.
There is no Turkish word for driftwood so the Alanya people adopted the Greek word ΥΑΛΟΣ = YALOS which means coastline. What started as a hobby in the loft of Filiz’ apartment grew into a brand over the years with national recognition. Yalos won the third price in a national competition to create a portable souvenir (during Istanbul’s Cultural Capital of Europe Festivities in 2010) and it is a member of Turkish Designers. It's objects are also used as PR gifts by the municipality of Alanya and it is participating at festivals and fairs.
This week I paid Christiane and Filiz a visit at their workshop to learn more about their crafts and how it all got started. Something I have been wanting to do for a long time. I’m always interesting in the story behind any successful and original idea. Both of them still don’t see what they do as a ‘business’ despite the fact that Yalos has grown into well known name around here. What motivates them is purely the love for driftwood and all things from the sea and their joy for design and being creative. We had a lot of fun talking about their experiences and work ethics over a coffee and I actually got some really good advice for those of you who want to turn their passion or talent into a business.
Inspiration
Each piece of wood is unique, shaped by the waves of the sea and defined by its mysterious journey before arriving on Alanya’s shores. Whenever Chrisitiane and Filiz go to the beach and collect the wood, they get inspired by the shape of it. Depending on what it looks like they will use it to create a fish, a bird or an old man with a hat on. They never saw, cut or change the wood in any way. ‘At most we give it a manicure or a haircut if we absolutely need to’, Christiane says jokingly, ‘but never plastic surgery’.
Others sources of inspiration are websites and sometimes the wish for an objects they would like to have themselves but can’t find in Alanya, like certain lamps, tea light holders, picture frames and so on.
Others sources of inspiration are websites and sometimes the wish for an objects they would like to have themselves but can’t find in Alanya, like certain lamps, tea light holders, picture frames and so on.
Building a name
If you wish to grow your brand and reach a bigger audience it is important to get your name out. For Christiane and Filiz it all started to grow after they decided to participate at the annual Festival and the Christmas Fair in Alanya where they had the opportunity to present themselves and their art to the local market. But ‘the prophet is always least popular in his own country’ as Christiane puts it, so it is evenly important to create a network online. ‘You need to be active and participate in social networks and leave comments and posts on several websites, blogs and forums. It’s important to give online readers a constant reminder of your name and products by ‘popping up’ regularly’ she explains. ‘And of course to have your own website, blog or accounts with Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy and others where you keep your followers up to date. What people often don’t realize is the huge amount of time that this takes’.
Challenges
Being an artist, a writer or in any other way creative can be very challenging. Especially when you feel the pressure to make a living out of it. Sometimes the inspiration doesn’t come or what is in your head just doesn’t work and you feel like you can’t produce anything. Christiane and Filiz know all about that too. ‘There are days when I sit down with an idea in my head of what I’m going to make but then it turns into something completely different’ says Filiz. ‘Sometimes it takes me hours to get something done and it still looks all wrong in the end. And at other times the piece seems to create itself, it goes so fast and it turns out just perfect. It feels amazing when that happens’. You have to be patient and open to change. Don’t push yourself too hard and allow things to gradually progress.
Another challenge for the Yalos couple is that they live in a small place like Alanya. It’s hard to find people who can provide you with extra material if you need a custom made object from iron, steel or plastic for the crafts. ‘We try to make as much as we can ourselves’, tells Filiz, ‘but we are of course limited’. ‘We also didn’t know anyone who could photograph our art for us, the way that we want it to be seen’, adds Christiane. ‘So I took a few workshops and started to get into Photography and editing myself’. Of which the result is amazing by the way. I really admire her pictures of Alanya, the beach and their art.
On the other hand, living in a big city with a lot of competition in your field can be a challenge as well. So you see, it’s always about what you make of these challenges. Be creative in that way too and try to find a solution for it. It may not only enable you to keep doing what you love but it might also teach you new skills that you and your business can benefit from.
Turning silver into gold
You might be really good at what you do but you don’t know how to turn your passion into a successful business? Here is some really good advice from Christiane and Filiz that I found myself very helpful. I hope it will get you thinking into the right direction and help you to get started.
- Produce first. It’s important that you produce a lot of your art/products first before you start to promote it to a public. That way you can discover and define your personal style, offer people a variety of choices and a way to compare ‘cheap’ with ‘expensive’ products.
- Find a really good name. ‘‘Gaby’s Bastelstube’ is not a good name’, says Christiane and we all have to laugh. Yalos sounds pretty and exotic and refers to the very nature of its art. It’s a far better name than Driftwood Art for example which would reduce their art to the main material only.
- Invest money in good quality. If you make quilts for example, try to purchase the best cotton and silk from around your region or even over the internet. It’s important to offer clients something they cannot get from the shop next door and make it themselves. Give them value for their money. Ideally, find a material that has a story. For example quilts made out of second hand clothes or from head scarves. Anything that adds character to your product and distinguishes you from everyone else.
- Presentation and packaging should be top priority. How you present your product and how you sell it is half of the image. Think special wrapping paper, custom made bags and handwritten thank you notes. Look around in your personal network for ideas and support. Maybe you have an aunt that can knit little bags or a friend who can draw cartoons for the bags. This will add a lot of personality and care to your products and image as well.
- Be aware of the amount of time it takes to set everything up. Another thing you need to realize is that making your art is only a (small) part of the business. Designing packaging and cards, keeping up with social networks, emails, selling and finances, searching and buying your material, administration and photography take up the biggest part of your time. But if this business is your own baby it is so exciting and rewarding to be raising it yourself.
Dear Christiane and Filiz and all you gorgeous little wooden figures at Yalos: Alanya is so lucky to have you. I heart your art.
Follow Yalos on Facebook
Read more about Yalos on its Website/Blog
All images by Yalos.
Can you even begin to handle the awesomeness of these art works below?
]
No comments :
Post a Comment