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From an early age I had an interest in arts and crafts. So much so, that I decided to pursue a profession as an occupational therapist. I had no idea of the actual profession but I was under the impression that I could play around all day and be creative. At the age of 16 that was good enough for me. So school started and - surprise- it wasn't at all what I expected. Hardly any arts and crafts but learning a lot about the human psyche and how to use certain activities to help or challenge someone. I found this to be very interesting and so I accidentally stumbled upon a wonderful profession. I started working with elderly people who suffered from dementia and to this day I cherish many fond memories of it. What I liked most about it was the pure and honest contact. Keeping up appearances often isn't possible for people with dementia. What you see is what you get. That is a beautiful way to connect.
I really enjoyed my job, learned a lot over the years and eventually started working as a manager in a nursing home. Still being able to connect with the people living there and sharing my love for the job with a wonderful team. This was a very special time because in my personal life there was a big change as well. I met Nicky, also known as Mr. Tutorials. We were having a lot of fun and enjoyed each others company. That is where life hit me with a curveball. Only a month after we started dating I threw out my back. Thinking it was a herniated disc I was subscribed some rest and the revalidation process started. Unfortunately things weren't getting better and we entered a long and difficult period of hospital visits, treatments and therapy. I believe I had about 150 appointments in the first two years. Slowly the fear of not getting better became reality. I was deemed unfit for labor and to this day, 14 years later, I am still struggling with severe back problems. But in every good story the underdog prevails. And so did I.
Mr. Tutorials and I defied the odds and tried to start a family of our own. No one knew how that was going to work out, but here we are with our family of five. What a blessing! To not go totally insane as a stay at home mom, I started working on small creative projects. Only when and if my back allowed it. From baking cakes to printed designs. From paintings to stained glass. Every hobby out there came along. And for some reason everything I did drew attention from people on social media. I started selling things and before I knew it I was selling too much. An entrepreneur's dream, but not mine in this situation. So I needed to tone it down. Choose one direction so I could focus on doing one thing to the best of my abilities instead of doing a little bit of a lot of different things.
I was interested in milling and engraving. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the material. So either I was going to work with wood or it was going to be metal. Seeing as how the milling and engraving machine for wood was about 2 meters long, I went with the metal. So I made a business plan to lure my investor Mr. Tutorials in and we went looking for a decent engraving machine. This is actually how I started Estona. With no knowledge whatsoever on metalsmithing, After engraving numerous pre-made rings and pendants I thought it would be convenient if I knew how to fix some mistakes and I started in a metalsmithing class. And yet again, totally coincidental, I fell in love with another profession.
Metalsmithing gets me in my zen place every single time. I love all there is to learn, the different techniques, the material, setting stones. Everything about it. I can work in my own pace and it is so nice to get out of my head. To just take a flat piece of silver and turn it in to something completely else with my bare hands. This is what truly makes me happy. And the best part? I get to share it with you!
Bregje -
Metalsmith and world improver