Interview with Maslyn

This spring I was happy to welcome two new team members to my small business.

Maslyn became my studio assistant after the Covid lockdown as she was a part of my social bubble and her bestie Lucia convinced her to come work with me. I really appreciate her calmness and how quickly she learned how to tuft and bead necklaces.

These pictures were taken for the Dene Nahjo Winter art market by Jamie Stevenson Photography the hair and makeup was done by Karen Priscilla. Lucia and Maslyn assisted with the photoshoot all day and then had the chance to model for the first time.

Here’s a questionnaire she answered for you: 

Why did you want to work for Tania Larsson?

- I wasn’t sure about working with Tania at first, I was nervous about working with jewelry because it’s something I’ve never done before. Despite that though I knew it would be a really cool learning experience, a way to improve and learn new traditional skills and I am very grateful that I took this opportunity.

What has been the biggest surprise working for a jewellery business/online store?

- Probably the amount of flexibility that’s available to us. It’s really helpful to decide and adjust our own hours especially with school. It’s also super interesting to learn the “behind the scenes” of running a business, to see and learn all the little details that go a long way in the long run.

What has been the favourite thing you learned to do so far?

- I’ve loved learning how to do tufting, it’s something that I’ve always wondered about when looking at pieces in the past. I’ve always thought that tufted pieces are so unique and add even more beauty to intricate beaded pieces, so I’m very happy to have learned this skill.

You are in grade 12 with a lot of decisions to make soon: has this job inspired you to create your own business in the future or pursue a creative field full time?

-it has a little, I’m still not sure what I want to do once I graduate but this job has definitely shown me that there’s a lot more paths to pursue when comes to the creative field. While working with Tania I’ve learned that along with great organization and hard work there can be a lot more liberty when working for yourself and I think that’s super cool.

What is one thing you love doing at work?

- I really like making dentalium shell necklaces because I think the final product is really pretty and I love the way the colours of the beads look as they contrast against the shells. While working with them Tania told us that the shells are becoming more and more rare, so I think it’s really important to continue show their beauty.

What is your least favourite thing to do at work?

- Many of our jobs can become tedious after some time. But I don’t think I would consider any of them to be my least favourite because even when they become very tiring, I still enjoy doing them and continue to find them very interesting.