Wojanbeni Yanthan, DIY Artist and Founder of ‘HomeMish Crafts and Designs’ Nagaland Shares Her Very Inspiring Journey

“We all have enormous potential in us, which can be unlocked when we allow ourselves to see the limitless in our limitations, the opportunities in our difficulties, the awesomeness in our uniqueness, and the possibilities in our impossibilities based on the simple truth that you and I are wonderfully made.“

Wojanbeni, Creator of ‘Homemish Crafts and Designs’, believes in the art of DIY – and shares a strong passion for creating things using her own hands. She talks to us about what made her pick this art up and how she is teaching other people the same. Scroll down for the full interview.

Wojanbeni Yanthan

Hello Wojanbeni. Please tell us something about yourself?

Hi! I’m Dr. Wojanbeni S. Yanthan, an Assistant Professor by profession, a mother of two, and an avid DIY (Do it yourself) enthusiast. Born in the hills of Wokha and raised in Kohima, Dimapur, Jorhat, Bangalore, Kathmandu (Nepal), and now settled in the foothills of Patkai (Nagaland). I have been blessed with one enriching upbringing. Growing up in different places and experiencing diverse cultures has without a doubt shaped my varied interests and passions. When it comes to my interests, teaching and crafting lie at the top. And while these interests may appear to some as alternate options, I cannot do one without the other.

“I perceive teaching as an extension of my creativity and my creativity as an extension of my teaching. When I am not teaching or creating, I love to travel and engage in outdoor activities, which my husband and two children happen to love as well.”

Rootsandleisure_homemish-Wojanbeni Yanthan

Vintage affair by Homemish Crafts

Tell us about your work. When was it launched?

Over the years, I had been receiving suggestions to share my self-taught crafting skills through social media. But I kept pushing it aside because I felt the time was not right. I knew that managing a social media account would require a lot of dedicated time. However, I began to realize that there was never going to be the right time.

HomeMish Crafts and Designs (HMCD) was launched on Instagram on the 8th of May, 2018. God willing, in the future, I hope to provide tutorials on video-sharing platforms, such as YouTube. I love to create new things and transform old things but most importantly I love to share the experience. HMCD is a window that allows me to fulfill all three. Simply put, HMCD’s objective is to inspire the every-day person to become self-reliant, enabled, and empowered, just as it did for me.

Crafts from HomeMish Crafts and Designs (HMCD)

What was the inspiration behind your brand and the name ‘HomeMish Crafts and Design’?

Four years ago, when I and my husband were jointly working on a project, he coined the name HomeMish, which consists of two parts. The first part, Home, refers to the fact that all my crafts are created and made at home; and the second part, Mish, is the first four letters of our daughter’s name Mishanli because she is the reason I began to explore even more. Fast forward to 2018 when we were contemplating the name for my Instagram page, we both knew right away what we should name it.

Tell us more about HMCD and its offerings.

At its core, HMCD aims to equip anyone with a step-by-step DIY guide on crafts such as decoupage, upcycle and recycle decors, sewing, and no-sewing tutorials, baking, card making, papercrafts, personalized handmade decors, wall painting, etc. and on designs such as homescape, landscape, personalized decor ideas for events, such as weddings, birthdays, and book launch, designing furniture, garments, furniture makeover, living space makeover, Christmas decors, etc. and hopefully more in the future. As such HMCD spreads over a wide spectrum of crafting and designing.

Additionally, what makes HMCD even more special is because it is a testament of God’s grace in my life and what He continues to do through my hands. I suffer from deformed/weak wrists. And as a result, I had to undergo corrective surgery when I was 17. To cut the story short, at that point of time, I would have never imagined that one day I will be using my hands to do craft as much as I do today. It was unthinkable. HMCD is not simply a page that runs DIY tutorials but one that hopefully communicates a positive message: ‘Nothing is Impossible.’

How has your upbringing influenced elements of your work?

On my sixth birthday, a friend gave me a present: a handmade birthday card. I remember vividly how excited I was to see that. Immediately, I grabbed some paper and color pencils and made her one. Since then I have not stopped crafting. My works are an attempt to fulfill my insatiable desire to create things by exploring the possibilities of transforming simple, mundane, or ordinary items into beautiful and purposeful decors.

Having a mom who is also a DIY enthusiast and even more meticulous than me further piqued my interest. I have one of the best as my role model and inspiration, and to be half as good as she would be my greatest achievement.

Christmas series

“To me, the transformed products conveys a powerful message that is applicable to our daily lives. They teach us that none of us are insignificant or ordinary. And that we all have enormous potential in us, which can be unlocked when we allow ourselves to see the limitless in our limitations, the opportunities in our difficulties, the awesomeness in our uniqueness, and the possibilities in our impossibilities based on the simple truth that you and I are wonderfully made.”

What kind of service, amenities do you provide?

Although HMCD is a tutorial page, few weeks after its launch I began receiving inquiries to purchase my crafts. Initially, I would decline for lack of time. But as the inquiries increased, I eventually agreed to take on some of them whenever time permitted. Some of these include event planning and personalized handmade decors for special events, such as weddings, book launches, and birthdays. I have also provided services for garment designs, such as wedding gowns and veils, bridal entourage, flower girls, and birthday dresses. On regular basis, I take cake baking orders. To me, when it comes to decors, nothing is too insignificant to be personalized. In fact, it is the tiniest details in the decors that make it more personal.

Looking back, I can only attest firmly to the fact that unless we push ourselves voluntarily out of our comfort zone no one will do it for us. Yet when we do, we find joy in our most uncomfortable circumstances and in the process realize the individual unique potential that God has instilled in us.