Articles

I have always been torn in two. On one side, a love for study, especially for all (or almost all) scientific subjects; on the other, however, a love for all things handmade. My passion for study was a natural process, born at school and nurtured over the years, right up to university.   My love for craftsmanship, on the other hand, was born by chance but was intentionally and ardently cultivated over time. In a country like ours, as we know, it is spontaneous to follow what one thinks will open as many "doors" as possible, work-wise.   Unfortunately, or perhaps not, I have always preferred to (pursue) my passions. Regardless of how difficult it would be to find a job, and driven by the enthusiasm typical of one's twenties, I ventured into a real obstacle course: the world of scientific research. I graduated in Biotechnology in Florence and then continued my studies in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, and, after years of paying my dues in university labs—without a shred of a salary or hope of permanent placement, with funds that were never there and equipment that reminded me of the Middle Ages, and then after a year of desperate job hunting that yielded nothing—I also obtained a Second Level Master's degree in "Drug Design and Synthesis" in Siena. The Master's, fortunately, opened a career path for me within a large pharmaceutical multinational, in the Quality Assurance department. And so, you who are reading will say at this point, hold on, hold on, what does craftsmanship have to do with this? How did you go from reviewing vaccine batches to designing and producing handmade jewelry? The two paths have actually always run parallel; craftsmanship has been a hobby of mine since I was 15, and the world of accessories and jewelry in particular has always fascinated me. I have continued to study, test, and experiment in this field as well. Let's just say that, from a very specific moment on, these two paths followed completely opposite directions. While the confidence and enthusiasm for my studies and the path I had mapped out were slowly fading after disappointing work experiences, my passion for craftsmanship was growing out of all proportion.   The end of my contract brought me straight to a crossroads. On one side, a secure job, which might have eventually led to the much-coveted "permanent position," but which had to do with my degree only on paper and which, for me, was not exciting. On the other, an uncertain job. Without a fixed salary to cling to, but one that smelled of freedom, of starting over, of enthusiasm, after a long time of not feeling any. And after saying "no" several times, hoping for an ever-better job offer that, in fact, was never going to come because I was the first one who wasn't convinced by that path, after hours and hours of reflection, after the despair of thinking I had disappointed the people who believed in me, I decided to try to be happy, to try to build something of my own, with my own strength and determination alone. I took my hobby, the only thing that still managed to bring me joy and that I was still passionate about, if not more than before, and I bet everything on it.  I chose to tell you about my journey in the first article of this blog, to help you understand a little better who is behind what you will find on this site, but also for another reason, just as important: a message of encouragement to those who have been, are, or will be in a situation similar to mine, given the very particular period, from a professional point of view, that our country is going through. Simply because changing paths, not meeting the expectations of others, and deciding to be something different from what we had set out to be, does not mean failing. It can be painful to do so, the choice is not easy, but if life takes a turn we do not expect, we must discern new possibilities in this turn, not disappointments or failures, but opportunities for renewal, for happiness, for new challenges and new knowledge, and for new satisfaction. My motto is “He who does not sow, does not reap.” And what is more beautiful than sowing something that is completely our own? It is worth all the effort, and then some!   Thank you for reading this far ❤️ Melania