A story of balance
Tania. Tania Deordeeva. A woman, a mother, a daughter, and a business owner. And of course — artist and creator. This sounds amazing. She was also left alone, a victim of domestic and psychological abuse, a single mother of two young children, and taking care of a puppy. Tania is struggling to find the balance between art in her work and financial stability for her family.
In order to start this somehow I will be talking about what is happening now. Today Tania, short for Tatiana, is doing amazing. Yes, she is a single mother, but this is better for her, or at least this is what she told me. She has a very interesting business, which is how I got to know her — she makes different art fixtures, decorations, and ornaments from epoxy. Her two beautiful children are now 2 and 5 — very young, but have learned to do so much for the short period of time they have been on this planet. There is one more important part of this family — a puppy named Marly. The obvious missing part here is obviously the father figure. But we will talk about this later.
How it all started with the epoxy decorations:
Tania asserts that epoxy is a remarkable substance. It is not only pricey but also quite challenging to handle. Only a select few people are able to work with it in a way that results in a stunning but high-quality product. Tania actually graduated from an applied high school in the city of Plovdiv. There, she gained knowledge about a variety of materials, including glass, wood, paper, and epoxy, as well as how to work with them and create art. Tania ran across her ex-husband there. And so a powerful, yet short, love story got started.
The love story:
“Even though I was young, I wasn’t really foolish and naive. At the very least, I did what I believed was right at the time. At the age of 20, it might be challenging to discern between what is right and wrong, essential and unimportant. That is why it was wise to listen to my parents’ advice. I made every youth mistake imaginable because I lacked exactly that parental figure. Indeed, there were probably dozens of warnings, or “red flags,” as they are now called, but I simply rejected to see them.”
The man with whom Tania shared her fate then is no longer a factor in her life. Neither her life nor the lives of their children. But that, she says, doesn’t change the fact that in the brief three years, they’ve been together, they were blessed. Tania’s story is long, but it has a clear ending. She herself stated that when she looks back now, she can see all her poor decisions. But she still doesn’t call them bad, because her two children arose from these choices.
There are undoubtedly other stories like this one. Yet it’s certainly one that surprises and disturbs me. It inspires me to lend a hand, which is a fantastic thing. I think helping others is what makes us have the most strength. No matter how or when the most crucial thing is to support.
Back to business:
I wanted to know more about her art studio and the epoxy.
“For me, it was a logical next step. My grandfather ran a local store in Plovdiv’s Kapana District. No one had used it since his death. I made the decision to strike. It includes three rooms and a lovely street view. There is a ton of natural light, which is wonderful when working with your hands. Epoxy calls for swift movements and great control. A product like that can’t wait. The reason I used epoxy the way I did also had to do with my family. This small property belonged to my grandparents, along with one close to Pleven.”
Tania said repeatedly throughout our meetings how important is to also remember where you come from. This way you can see and track your progress. Epoxy is used for a number of different things. Seeing what she made years ago and comparing it to what she made yesterday is how she captures this journey in her head.
“The place in Pleven had a neighbouring land which was a bee farm. The interesting element, though, was that the family who worked there was also involved in the epoxy industry. They utilized it to finish furniture pieces like tables, nightstands, and other items. Since I was a little child, I have been intrigued by the product, but I never gave it much thought. I visited Pleven years ago while I was looking for work, and now I work professionally with epoxy resin here.”
The substance called epoxy is made up of a hardener and a resin. Some people, like Tania, purchase the goods separately. The effects of different ratios of hardener and resin vary. The resin has a very attractive appearance after setting — it may even appear glassy or metallic. Interesting effects can be produced with the aid of dyes, which are particularly ideal for little household decorations and ornaments. Tania developed her company idea on Instagram, and that is exactly how she got started. Everyone can browse and purchase from her stuff since the profile is open to the public.
She started out her business with one particular piece of decoration — ashtrays. There are different sizes and shapes — square and circular, and of course different designs. Her most selling one is a white ashtray with golden flakes spread across the edge of the ashtray. Another beautiful piece, since there are a lot of women shopping online is a jewellery tray and “spoon”. When she said “spoon” she meant the shape of the tray — it reminds of a big spoon with a long handle. You can put earrings and rings in the bottom of the spoon, but also hang bracelets on the handle.
Bouncing back to home life:
„It’s time to head home after work, where the kids are waiting.“ says Tania. Always in need of love, play, and care. These things cannot wait, which is why Tania frequently shares her workday with her kids. She claims that she often works from home or occasionally brings the kids to her little workplace. Dinner, getting the kids ready, putting them to bed, and then it’s time to photograph the things that were created during the day. This is obviously not simple, as Tania claims that in order to know how to promote the goods effectively, you must keep up with news in the online environment.
Lora Dimitrova is a senior student at the American University of Bulgaria, who enjoys sharing the stories of inspiring women. People are at their best when they support others.
