By Gibron Rahim

EMPOWERMENT can take many forms. It is undeniable that a simple accessory can change the way we perceive ourselves and the way we present ourselves to the world. For this reason, artisans who craft accessories can empower in a unique way. One of these artisans is Alexandra Willabus.

Alexandra is the founder and owner of Eccentric Creations. Currently pursuing a Degree in International Relations at the University of Guyana, Alexandra told the Pepperpot Magazine that her goal is to make women feel good about themselves. She explained, “For a number of years, I was going through a stage of depression and I was a really shy person.” As she has always loved art and craft, starting a business centred on crafting accessories felt natural to her. “I thought to myself that it wouldn’t make sense to keep on doing all of these things for myself and not share it with other people,” Alexandra said. “I not only started my business to uplift myself, but I started the business to make other people feel good about themselves at the same time.”

Her love for art and craft has had a major impact on Alexandra’s life. She recalled that in secondary school she was faced with the decision of choosing between the science and arts streams. “If I did go in the science stream, I would not have gotten to do Visual Arts as a subject,” she explained. She thus made the decision to enter the arts stream. “I always wanted to do something involving art, something involving craft,” she said. “As long as it involved making something or something with creativity, just call me and I would be there.”
Alexandra’s pieces are made from scratch. She noted that most of the items are made with African prints or beads. Many of the hair accessories and earrings Alexandra creates are made from African print fabrics. She also makes use of tie-dyed fabric in hair accessories. “Everything that I make, I usually buy my materials and I make them by myself,” she stated. In addition to hair accessories, Alexandra creates tassel, beaded and shell earrings as well as beaded necklaces. There are also macramé necklaces made from string and accessories made from ribbon. She related that some of the pieces created from African prints can be purchased as part of a set. “You can get the hair accessory, earring, necklace and band to go with it,” she explained. The same is true for accessories made from other materials.

Alexandra noted that she also makes unisex hand bands. “Sometimes I feel like if leave out the men too much,” she laughingly said. The pieces have been a success thus far and she intends to continue making them. Within the next few months, Alexandra hopes to begin creating African print neckties for men. She related that she does not want her pieces to be like those that can be found in stores. Her goal is for them to be unique. She noted that she also creates custom-made accessories. “As long as I have the materials available and I am able to do the design I can do it for the person.”

Striking a balance
Balancing her academic life with her business is a challenge that Alexandra knows all too well. She told the Pepperpot Magazine that she sets her schedule according to her timetable for the semester, just like any other working person would. To illustrate, she said, “Let’s say class is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, [then] Tuesday and Thursday would be my working days.” She explained that she usually sets a goal every week. She said that, as an example, one week her goal might be to make beaded items only on the days when she is free. “In that way, I can study on the days when I have classes and do work on the days when I don’t,” Alexandra related.

There was not any specific difficulty in starting up her business, according to Alexandra. She recalled that her first exhibition was at a church fair. “After the church fair, I ended up making a Facebook page to promote my business, to make it known to the public,” related Alexandra. She pointed out though that, at first, she was shy and for that reason had difficulty with encouraging and motivating herself to keep on going. “I kept on pushing myself and encouraging myself to keep going because everything can’t just come easy in life,” she said.

Alexandra has words of advice for other young people. “You shouldn’t hold back yourself from doing certain things, you shouldn’t keep yourself in this barrel or in this circle where you can’t get out,” she said. “You should let go of certain things and become more open because you never know what God has in store for you.” She affirmed that it is always good to push oneself and aim high to reach another level.

“Don’t keep yourself in this phase where you can’t get out and you can’t do something that you love or you can’t do something that you actually want to do because, for me, I would say [that] doing something that I want to do and doing something that I love makes me happy.”