Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Svetlana Kostova: "Things made with love are long-lasting and bring light"

Svetlana leads training courses for making jewelry and accessories from felt.
Photo: personal archive
I love natural things, people and relationships, I like to create things using natural materials. I love handmade things because they have a heart and soul. My favorite material is wool as you create almost anything with it! I believe that by developing their artistic abilities, people can fully realize their role as creators of our own world! These are the opening lines of RB’s interview with Svetlana Kostova – a person who followed and fulfilled her childhood dream to be an artist. Svetlana has a master's degree in history and economics and for some time she worked in advertising. Her profession is prestigious and well-paid, but it fails to bring her the satisfaction she yearns for.
 

© Photo: personal archive

I was left with that old desire of mine to do art”, Svetlana Kostova recalls. “After much deliberation and due to the frustration I was feeling at my workplace and my place in life in general, and the fact that I was putting much effort into work which was robbing me rather than bringing me joy, I decided to follow my childhood dream. I literally jumped into nothingness because all my pursuits until that moment were entirely outside the artistic realm. It happened spontaneously. I do not know if I would do it again if I had a choice now. In the beginning it was very difficult, but ultimately it is worth it.

Svetlana is the author of jewelry, scarves, handbags and home accessories. It gives me great satisfaction to donate a piece of joy and beauty to the everyday life of people. Something that will make them unique, original and will bring warmth in their hearts, Svetlana says and adds: What really pleases me is the touch of natural materials such as wool, silk, cotton, paper, wood. My favorite fabric is wool. It haunts me in the best sense of the word. This is an invaluable material that you can use to make a carpet, a bedding, a garment as they were since ancient times or to make modern and contemporary accessories. Wool is a plastic material. Very beautiful artifacts come to life when the energy of man and wool interact. Until recently in Bulgaria, paradoxical as it may sound, it was very difficult to find the necessary materials. I found a rather coarser type of wool, which I also use, but it is more suitable for carpets and other accessories. I also use silk, linen, cotton ... The process of making an object is a long and laborious one. One invests strong desire and a lot of energy, especially in the production of larger items.

© Photo: personal archive


Svetlana Kostova’s works are in demand not only on the Bulgarian market but also abroad. Her works can be found in the U.S., Netherlands, Malta ... Svetlana also leads training courses for making jewelry and accessories of felt:

© Photo: personal archive

There is great interest in such items,
Svetlana continues. People of all ages are interested in this activity, but especially these are mostly women who are highly educated, with good jobs and good income as well. They, like me at the time, feel the need to have a pastime where they can put your soul and see something beautiful come out of their hands. I think this is an inherent desire of every woman. Many of them are aware that they want to develop their creative nature, even if it remains only a hobby, not a profession.

The key to success, in Svetlana’s opinion, is to stop thinking about profit and do your best, with love and passion in your heart. As for inspiration, she finds it mostly in communicating with nature, meditation, music, poetry ...

English Rossitsa Petcova
По публикацията работи: Diana Hristakieva


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Seeds from resistant crop varieties, fruit trees and honey plants handed out in Sevlievo

"You reap what you sow", says a proverb. And spring is the time for sowing. Traditionally, at this time of the year Sevlievo hosts a long-awaited event associated with the agricultural lifestyle of Bulgarians.This weekend, the town will host the 10th..

published on 4/27/24 12:05 PM

The town of Nova Zagora hosts the Samardala Festival

On April 27, the residents of Nova Zagora (Southeastern Bulgaria) take to the streets to praise their most popular spice, which has become a tourist symbol of the town. The Samardala Festival is held for the second consecutive year and is organized..

published on 4/27/24 10:35 AM

The village of Tsarevets near Mezdra hosts the 3rd edition of the Soap Festival

Tsarevets is once again becoming a place for reviving old traditions. On Saturday, April 27, the village located near the town of Mezdra is hosting the third edition of the "Soap Festival," which presents a typical local custom passed down from..

published on 4/27/24 9:20 AM