Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Mrs. Pradnya H. Mungekar. I am a typical Maharashtrian girl, I mean woman now. I come from a typical Maharashtrian family background, and my native is Vidarbha. I come from a family where everyone was educated in the science stream. The architects and the engineers, and there was me, more inclined towards the creative side, and not that good with academics. I used to create so many paintings and sketches which I still have, although my qualification is related to the science stream. That is I have done my Bachelors in Information Technology and my Masters In Computer Applications. But yet the creative side of me was always there. After my masters I did a Job in a private company for a government project and was deployed in Mantralaya. I worked there for 3 years during which I got married. I was happy with the job but the urge of creativity was not fulfilled by that job so I wanted something to do over the weekend.
On the job I was the one who would create things from craft for small office celebrations etc. I used to gift handmade things to my friends. Sometimes for their loved ones. Actually that’s where after a year or so of marriage I came to know about quilling. In 2016 I got pregnant, and the commute to Mantralaya from my home was really hectic so me and my husband decided not to continue with the job. By staying home I can give more time to our kiddo and to this quilling hobby and try to turn it into a profitable business. On all our social media handles one thing you will find is that we like to help people who want to learn quilling. I share my experience, I share mistakes, I share Ideas, it’s just how I am.
How did you get attached to quilling?
In 2015, one of my office colleagues was wearing quilling earrings which were matching her kurti. That earring grabbed my attention and I was keen to know about it. So while having lunch I asked her about her earring. That’s when she told me that she makes such stuff as a hobby. And that’s how I got introduced to quilling. I was very eager to know about this art. So I started searching on the internet about this. Read many blogs and saw so many designs. All the day time was consumed by working hours and household chores so no time to try this art practically.
Once on Friday night, me and hubby went in stationary to ask about Quilling strips and needles. It cost around Rs. 50/-. The next Saturday afternoon, I started making them. I did 5 sets of earrings. We were happy about the outcome.
One of my family friends was eager to see my collection. After that she said give me some sets. I will show them in my office and tell my friends. As they were lightweight & unique I got orders. In my office many of my friends gave me orders and asked for customized designs.
The appreciation from friends and family got me to do more of it and doing it on a regular basis got me going completely nuts with quilling.
Now I think of quilling all the time like a crazy lady.
Please tell us more about your journey. And what you lost or gained while coming to your present stature.
After all the appreciation and my craze for quilling. My husband who is really supportive was really happy about this creativity and asked that, should we start our youtube channel to share the art? Still I was not experienced, I said let me explore more then only I can make videos on youtube.
In 2016, We got good news and by that time I had taken so many orders with just word of mouth, and help from my office colleagues and family friends. I got so much appreciation for my artworks. I didn’t post any pics online on any social media. So I got almost 1 yr experience of dealing with earrings and keychains. So as it was the 3rd month of pregnancy we decided to quit the job and concentrate on this, as it became my passion and not just a hobby.
We created a fb page in May 2016, I used to upload 1 pic daily. I joined so many fb groups and made friends, those are still supporting me. Shubhalakshmi from Quillbery, Preeti Bhandari Quilled Designs by Pret, Mrinaal Desai from Infinity creations, Janaki from Ani’s Quilling and many more.
Then by that time I made an Instagram profile and started posting there.
We thought of trying YouTube in July 2016. So I started posting tutorials of quilling. I was very regular on my Facebook Page from where I got orders. People loved and appreciated my work & it went on.
After my delivery I was not regular on YouTube but still used to post on Facebook. We personally experienced and faced so many simple problems that people can have too. Such as Pricing product, Mistakes we can avoid while quilling, how to use tools. These are my evergreen videos which still are loved and helped people a lot and they get value from it. My husband is a graphic designer and he has good knowledge of video editing and shooting. So my videos and all the graphics you can see is done by my husband. So we plan, research, shoot videos, edit, by ourselves.
Since 2019 we have learned a lot. Now we know how to make content. We have to be consistent everywhere. And being regular on social media how people will know us, trust us, and believe in my content. Here Content is the king, but without consistency it will not work. We gained confidence. Also we understand what people want and how to deliver it. Still as my baby is small I am not regular but I try my 100%.
Now we are ready to work on any social media platform. Recently I created beautiful content on Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, Podcasts and also trying Rizzle.
I tried this to get more reach and be reachable to different types of audiences. I love creating content though its tough sometimes, but I enjoy.
Because of this journey now I am not just a creative quilling artist but also a social media content creator.
Is Quilling your passion. Your hobby or your business?
Quilling is my passion. As I started getting confident about the art form, it never felt boring, never stuck on any one style. I loved exploring it to the depth.
It is my business. It is an excellent way to keep me busy and creative. I not only make designs but also explore or discover new designs. I first do my paperwork and then start the actual process. Many young kids and teenagers follow us and find tutorials easy one.
Do you think your art form is therapeutic or is it just a business model?
I feel my art form is therapeutic. I feel relaxed and happy when I do quilling. It’s like healing or meditation when I work with it. Also being a mom is really tough to spend time with yourself and to try our creativity, so I find this is the best way to keep engaged and it works as a stress buster sometimes.
I feel happy and relaxed when I see something beautiful formed with some pleasing colors. Also doing Quilling and exploring new social media platforms,I started making content in a very different way like never before. Because of which I fell in love with my art form much deeper.
The business part I am still figuring out a model where I can make passive profit.
How do you think that women today can empower themselves, the way you have done?
Haha that is really difficult to answer as I don’t think I have done anything different than others. It’s just that I went with my gut feeling and the things fell in place. If I have to tell you something, one thing I will love to mention is situations are different for everyone, but how to make use of every situation for your progress depends on your choices and actions you take on those choices. Choosing a path/option is the easy part. Walking down strong on the path and not regretting and correcting the mistake along the path is the hard thing.
https://www.instagram.com/pannusquilling/
https://www.youtube.com/c/PannusQuillingPoint
https://rizzle.tv/user/5f108e36f0ff4d1bcaf2ec34
A mother of two, Preeti Bhandari is a colloquial writer. She believes in simple living which reflects in her writings. As the Editor of Narisakti, she intends to use her vast experience to propel this platform to a cult status among entrepreneurial networks.
When not writing she is quilling, both with paper and thoughts.
