KOCHI: Home is where one can explore one’s personal style. However, more often than not, installing decors that suit one’s heart ultimately turns out to be an expensive affair. But fear not, Krishna Vishak is here for the rescue.
Using a little creativity here and some DIY skills there, the Aluva native has been creating eye-catching decors and that too from items that are normally deemed useless and found in every household. So be it old newspapers, tissue boxes, chopsticks, matchboxes, pipes, buttons, cardboard cutouts, you name it. In Krishna’s hands, the best of the waste turns into ideas that spruce up the interiors.
Krishna’s works gained popularity when her YouTube channel, ‘Krish Wizzarts’, where she mostly posts ‘Shorts’ on creating various decors from scrap crossed over half a million subscribers recently. The channel also serves as a tutorial for anyone interested.
“Any scrap material can be put to use for home decor. It was only after marriage that I began engaging myself in arts and crafts with the support of my mother-in-law,” says Krishna. The question of pursuing a ‘real job’ restricted Krishna to delve fully into arts and crafts. After quitting her second job, she started an Instagram page that sold customised photo frames, gift hampers, and explosion boxes, to keep herself engaged.
“I sold around 300 of those items. However, I stopped doing it during the pandemic,” says Krishna.
But Krishna is no quitter. Using scrap items, Krishna flaunted her skill and the art of creating colourful tables, pen stands, mirrors and even wall hangings. In her channel, the video of easy-to-make wall hangings is the most popular among her viewers.
Did you believe a few coconut shells can be turned into an owl model or that paper cups could be transformed into something as pretty as sunflowers, or that pens can be made into human figures? “I aim to show people that you can do almost anything with even the simplest of items like watches, buttons, clocks, CDs, etc and that to create fascinating yet pretty decors, you do not have to spend a lot of money,” she says.
Wall putty and other inexpensive clay are other primary materials that Krishna uses. Models of Ganapathi, Krishna, and the Marvel character Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy series are some of her most sought-after craftworks.
Krishna admits that there has been a growing interest in handmade decor and the mentality against arts and crafts being looked down upon is changing slowly. “I want the kids to get inspired by handmade artworks too. It is important to encourage them. To make the process easier, I mostly present the works on thermocol than wall putty. I hope that arts and crafts grow more as a potential career option,” says Krishna.
She takes inspiration for most of her ideas from Pinterest. Sometimes TV shows and movies also light a bulb in her mind. “I take screenshots of those designs that capture my attention in a scene. More than the story, I’ll be focused on the background. All of these sources help me come up with innovative ideas,” says Krishna. Though her works have created quite a buzz among her viewers, Krishna has no interest in selling her artworks “ I intend to own a craft shop that serves as a one-stop shop for all your craft needs,” adds Krishna.