A doll maker friend who started to make dolls recently asked me recently if there is a formula according to which I make my dolls, which makes them easier to sell.
At the end I had to confess that I don't believe in a secret formula. Even if there were a formula, I think it would have not been a big help. I am not a mathematician who works with formulas :)
As an artist (earning life with my paintings) and a doll maker, I work mostly with heart and hands. Basically the hands follow the heart. The heart sings, the hands dance. As soon as the brain gets too loud, the hands cannot produce anymore.
It is for me the same either I am painting or making dolls. I never know at the beginning what the result will look like. When I am painting I have a canvas, so I know how big the painting will be. The rest is just pouring the heart onto that space. I don’t know what makes me satisfied with the painting, what makes me say, when it is finished. As I am making dolls I rarely know how big it will be, not to talk about if it will be a girl, boy, blond or black… I just have a bunch of wool in the hand and the journey starts. Sometimes I am happy with it, sometimes not, but it is always surprising at the end.
I believe that a doll is a product which comes from the heart. Thus if the doll maker’s and doll lover’s hearts sings the same song they find each other.
Of course I make decisions with brain too, like for instance I decided not no make bigger dolls anymore. It is more material, more time, more transport costs. It was my brain in work. On the other hand, although dark-skinned dolls do not sell as easily as others, I cannot stop making them, as I love making them. So at this point my brain is useless. I just follow my heart.
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