Interview with the Maker: Vvilk

Artisan:  Paula and Mike Kulesza, Vvilk

1. What is your name and how did you decide on your business name?

  We are Mike and Paula and the name of our company is Vvilk. It is a play on the polish word “wilk” which means wolf. In polish, the letter W is pronounced as a V, so the use of two v's was a stylistic choice to visually allude to the original word. We always receive questions about the proper pronunciation of our name, and have noticed that when in doubt people simply spell it out. Since it is so short and simple it's completely fine with us!

2. What inspired you to create your product?

  The first product ever created was the wolf ring. This is also another reason why we chose to name our company after this animal. We are nature lovers and our first collections were heavily inspired by wildlife and its surroundings. While working on the first piece, we wanted it to resemble the wolf as close as possible. However, the process of building a 3d model starts with it's simplest form, and we soon realized how much we liked the geometric style that was taking shape. We decided to create an entire collection of animal jewelry in this low-poly style.

3. Which of your products most inspires other people?

  While the wolf is our most popular ring, each person has their own spirit animal or an animal that they identify with. It always makes us happy when customers can find something that resonates with them in our store. Sometimes we get requests to create custom models from pictures of people's pets, and it is very satisfying to help them celebrate this special bond through our jewelry.

4. How do you find time to balance your craft with other areas of your life?

  We are lucky enough to be able to do what we love for a living. We have a jewelry studio at home which allows us to work on our own time and prioritize the myriad of responsibilities associated with running a small business. At this point, our creative process is part of our every day lives and even when we want to take a break, we are always looking for inspiration- sometimes finding it in places we least expect.

5. Name one tool or product that is most helpful to you as a small business owner.

There are many tools that we use in our business but the one that helps us run and promote it is the phone. Having this multi-tool in our pockets allows us to connect with customers from around the world and gives us the opportunity to expand and maintain our online presence. We love to share our process and give daily updates about our work and upcoming events, as well as gain valuable insight from the jewelry community.

6. Where do you see your business going in 2020?

Last year we began participating in craft shows and this year we want to be even more present at local handmade markets. We love getting the chance to meet our customers face to face and hear their feedback, this is something that no amount of online presence can substitute. This year we have also started to shift gears a bit and focus on expanding our inventory beyond jewelry, to include home decor items such as wall sculptures, magnets, and coasters. We are very excited to tackle these new projects in 2020.

7. What is something you hope to get out of the Marketspace platform this year? 

We hope that being part of the Marketspace craft shows this year will help us gain more experience about promoting our business through the process of creating relationships with customers.

8. Anything new we can do for or offer you?

Nothing comes to mind, you guys are always very helpful and supportive. Thank you for all your effort!

Personally, neither one of us can pass by your booth without straining our necks checking out all of your amazing pieces and artwork! You guys are fantastic.