HEART BEADS

Hi, can you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Rasa Vilcinskaite, I work and live in Lithuania. Originally, I am a painter who reclassified herself into the works of jewellery, accessories and wearable art. My passion for jewellery started in 2013 when I made my first beaded embroidery necklace piece. Since then, it has become my full-time job to create beadwork. Step by step, I moved my works from small pieces to my favorite current headwear designs.

What does heritage mean for you and your work?

I do think about heritage a lot when i work, it comes naturally. This is a very important highlight of my creation. It gives so much joy and power to my works, the notion that they will stay for a very long time, maybe forever. They will become a part of history and will be able to tell something about the era in which they were created. It is very important, I think, and I hope that the idea of future will continue to exist.

What is the source of inspiration for your art/jewellery work?

I can only speculate. There is no answer to this question because I don’t even know it myself. I never search for ideas. Everything comes naturally, both the ideas and the pieces. And the resulting work never turns into the exact version of an idea. I’m always working, watching and waiting for the result because you never know what you’re gonna do. I am very sorry, dear readers, but there is no sophisticated answer to this question. I may not have found what exactly inspires me yet but it’s probably inside me.

Your work stands somewhere between jewellery and art. When you create a collection, do you think about the potential customers or not? What is on your mind during the process?

When I’ve just started, I never think about potential customers or even if my works will be wearable. I enjoy every single moment of creating my works. And even now, when I am no longer a student and have to live in this capitalist age, I try not to think about the people buying my product, even when times are difficult, and even when such thoughts visit me, I choose to stay true to myself. I allow my ideas to materialize in the creative process because if I restrict myself, I would lose my goals and the value of my work. I do love freedom in everything. I’ve always believed in these words. If you do what you love with all your heart, one day you’re gonna succeed. So, I still believe.

Can you briefly describe the methodology of your projects?

I work with the simplest bead embroidery technique and I very much like to find new ways of presenting it.