My Journey From An Ordinary Hobby Crafter To Peach Blush Shop & Sankab Jasim Studio

Hey There…

I’m Sankab Jasim – The Proud Owner & Founder of Peach Blush Shop – Your One Stop Online Destination for Art & Craft Supplies & Creative Business Solutions.

Born & Bought up in Calicut, India & Settled in Abu Dhabi, UAE with my dearest partner and our lovely daughter who just turned 5 years, I am someone who does multiple roles in life – Yes.. I like a little Drama in Life & Isn’t our life just too short to focus on just 1 Niche for an entire lifetime. Nahhh… that’s not my cup of tea.

So here i am penning down the crazy choices in my career life finally settling down to my Ultimate Dream Business – Which you will know about shortly.

Flashback to My Childhood Days: (Trust Me – It’s only the creative part of my life)

I loved playing with my Barbie’s.. But none of it had its original dresses on them… As soon as i got the doll… I stripped them.. and started making new dresses for them with whatever pieces of fabrics i had at home. I learned crochet from one of my friend and started to experiment crochet dresses for my dolls. I loved making crafts of various types whenever I had the chance.. I saved stuffs around me finding something creative in it – which were obviously scraps for my mom. So in brief – Creativity was something which stayed with me for a very long time. And i got my creative gene from my dear Mom. she herself was a crafter and all my childhood days i have seen her trying multiple creative stuffs and i loved joining her in the crafts she did.

2009-12

I did my graduation in BA English Literature – I still wonder why i chose this stream even now after this whole time… Back then every adult around me where like – Be a Doctor or an Engineer… Then only you will have a good career… And me then and now a Passionate Creative Person… was totally not into either of that profession. My Interest then was always to be a fashion designer. (A little flashback here to my 7th grade – 2003 – I was with my family at Bangalore – My Favorite City for a small vacation and we were visiting a mall. I saw National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) just opposite the mall and found out that its the best college in India to learn Design & decided – I will study here and be a fashion designer when i grow up. Since then I have dreamed to be a designer and during my boring classes, I was scribbling sketches of gowns and dresses in my notebook.) and finally once I completed my Higher Secondary – I found out the Bitter Truth – Being A Girl I Was Not Allowed To Study In Bangalore ( I won’t get proposals from good family if i did my studies from Bangalore According To Everyone Around Me Back Then. Bangalore City was considered as a place where kids go “In The Wrong Path” Then) and Yes, Fashion Designing Is Not a Promising Career. So in order to have a secure career – According To the Adults – after some research i went with Biotechnology… Joined a college and within a week found out that it’s so not me… Started researching about fashion designing institutes in my own city and even found one where I was planning to join. Informed my family -”I don’t want to continue in Biotechnology. Please take me from here “. My tensed Mom and My Determined Aunt took me straight from this college to another college and enrolled me for a degree course there. And my entire Plea to get me admitted to the one course I wanted all my life was not taken into consideration. Who listens to a 17 year old during the 2009 Year Period? And that’s how I got into BA English Literature.

2011

I joined a part time Fashion designing course at a local institute near me with the earnings I saved from my part time article writing and website administrator jobs. I had a bad experience there with very poor quality classes and all the teachers where fashion design graduates who couldn’t secure a career as a designer. So i began to rethink my career choices. What if it’s a bad decision after all … What if I end up with No proper job after the course. ..

2012-2014

Decided to take up my career in interior designing and enrolled in a Master’s program in Interior Designing. Loved every bit of the 2 years of my learning period. And it was during that time I started my 1st Online Clothing Business. (Multitasking – My thing – You know … & The business gene – Thats My Father.. He was an amazing Man who got into business at a very young age to help out my grandfather) & Oh God… It was a Hit… Orders started pouring in and I sold 100’s of dresses across India and I even got orders out of India. But the trend lasted only a little while, and soon the market was flooded with similar online businesses. And me… I wanted to do something different.. I stopped that business and started a new one – Where I designed few kids frock and get it made. And with the help of my Aunt, I got orders for it.. In bulk. But it started to affect my studies and I had no manpower to handle the stocks in bulk. And I had to stop that business which I still regret. If only I have put some more effort in it.. It would have been something awesome by now.

2014-2015

I officially completed my Interior Designing Course. Soon After the course secured an amazing job as an interior designer at a firm in my hometown. Continued my career with my full time job and occasionally some freelance design jobs until i got married to the love of my life and shifted to UAE in 2016.

A GLIMPSE FROM MY LIFE AS AN INTERIOR DESIGNER – 2014-15

2016

In UAE. Happily Married. Living the life of my dreams with my husband and A decent career in floor pattern designing for a marble company.

2017

Finally back into crocheting after a break and started making beanies for my cousins and their kids in my free time. In 2017 February – I started an instagram account for my hobby – Wanted to Name It Something Cute & Peach Blush Shop Was Born – To share my crochet makes with the world – in hope that maybe someone would be interested in the handmade crochet stuffs I make and get it customized from me.. Few months of sharing and posting – No one seems interested and i didn’t care much.. Since crocheting was something i did out of my love for the craft. whether i sell it or not.. It didn’t stop me from making more of it..

I Got Pregnant the same year which was soon followed by An abortion. A few months later My father Passed Away – exactly 3 days before i was supposed to be home for my First vacation after marriage and leaving to UAE.

2018

A year Later pregnant again – and this time out of fear from my 1st abortion- Resigned my job. At home – Doing Nothing – Bored & Going Insane for not being productive.. Took up some freelance interior design jobs… God… They don’t pay the designers – especially the freelancers… And everyone wants free design… Decided to get back to my career once my baby was 1 year old – A break (Who knew that was my last real fulltime job as an Interior Designer Then)

Got back into my crafting and crocheting once again after a very long time. Made cute beanies and shoes for my little one growing in my tummy. Thanks to YouTube Tutorials. I got so much better in my crochet works and started creating more and more beanies for my sisters, my cousins and their kids. Yes – It was all Free Of Cost Then and i loved gifting them all.

BACK TO CROCHETING – 2017-2018

My girl was born in 2018 September in UAE and i left to my hometown 1 month later. Enjoying Motherhood at my own home with my mother, sister and the rest of my family in my hometown…

But still unease inside… for not being productive… Doing nothing at home was so not me… But i definitely wanted to be with my girl fulltime until she was at least a year old. I want to be there for her… i want to watch every step of her growth. I wasn’t ready to leave her at home for the sake of a 9-5 job. But doing nothing other than being a mom and housewife.. I felt something big missing from my life…

I tried to self-design few simple Indian casual dresses – got it made from my hometown – posted them on this same page. Again – No one was interested..

DECEMBER 2018

2019

Still not finding my niche – heartbroken – depressed – moody – feeling unproductive – But Still not ready to give up on myself.. I Got back to UAE from my hometown after 6 months. Slowly getting back to my life in UAE with my husband and my 7 month old girl. I was getting ready to restart my career as an Interior Designer again.

It was 2 Months since i got back to UAE from my Hometown … A simple Fever with a few tests which followed for my dear one – Turned Our whole Life Upside Down. There began our battle against Leukemia. 2019-2021. (Alhamdulillah – Its all cured now after the whole 2 years treatment.)

I decided to Stay at home and be there for the person all along. and nothing else in the whole world mattered to me… Still doesn’t matter to me… Than the Good Health & Well Being of my family.

2020

One day a friend from my hometown requested me to get her the yarns… The ones with which i make my handmade crochet beanies and shoes.  And i did send her the yarns. While i was packing my handpicked collection for her, my husband asked me casually: – “Why don’t you sell these yarns to people in India – They don’t get this quality yarns there” . & I was like ” Why Not! “. & I thought it might keep my mind sane if i get lightly engaged in something in between all of the intensive treatments and procedures my dear one was enduring.

At The Worst Time Of My Life & 3 Years since the launch of my Instagram page – that was My First Real Sale from Peach Blush Shop – Imported yarns from UAE to India Without Any International Shipping Charges.

JANUARY 2020

FIRST POST ON MY YARNS LAUNCH @ PEACH BLUSH SHOP INSTAGRAM PAGE

 

To Be Continued In Next Post…