Getting the best out of waste

Unique hobbies

Ishara Ish believes that she is gifted, especially when it comes to art and craft. She finds immense pleasure in investing her time in it. 

Ishara focusses on upcycling and recycling of waste materials. And she does it best with her vivid imagination and creativity. Without any formal training in it, she has the understanding to create decorative products with everything that one can possibly find in their trash can.

Be it using old newspapers to make paper baskets, working with unused wires to make a photo frame and painting on unused bottles, one can always find her working hard  on extraordinary ideas.

“I have always been creating something or the other. Even as a child, I used to pick up random stuff like waste papers, bottles and candy wrappers and use them for craftworks. This has been there with me throughout, I grew up making things out of waste materials,” says Ishara.

She also points out that she always had an interest in upcycling things as she is against wasting things that could perhaps be put to better use. Every time she sits down to work on something, a fresh idea runs in her mind.

“I try to reuse different waste items and make it look funky and different. Though my forte is this, I also involve myself with other kinds of activities like painting, creating Macramé based handmade jewellery, bookmarks and mirror frames out of plastic. One of my recent attempts was with old newspapers. I made different items like baskets, ladybird and tortoise jewellery boxes, flower vase and lampshades from them,” explains Ishara.

Her biggest inspiration she says is her father. It was looking at his artworks, as a child, she was motivated to take it up. Explaining her creations with newspapers, she says that the products are pretty durable and can last at least for two years.

“These products especially the baskets, after completion becomes pretty hard and similar to wood. They are versatile in nature too and can be used to store various things like fruits or use them like a laundry basket. They are washable as well,” she adds.

She also takes workshops and shares her skills with others. Though she never wants to open a store of her own, Ishara says in a long run she doesn’t mind opening an art cafe, where she can invite people to help them learn art and craft.

“Having people around you, exchanging ideas and helping them learn a new form of art is always overwhelming. When I get an idea, I have to incorporate it somewhere without thinking about the result. Actually, once I get the hang of it, the entire process becomes much easier,” she says.

(Ishara Ish can be contacted at [e-mail])