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Subajika Veerasil

"Sawasdee kha. My name is Subajika Veerasil, or Lha, but my foreign friends call me 'Sivy' because it is easier to pronounce. In the past, my name was 'Sivilai' but Thai people believe this name wasn't suited to me and would bring me bad luck. I love this new name because it means "beautiful." I decided to change my name when I was about 50 years old. Unbelievably, after changing my name, my life got better, exactly better than in the past. I succeed in many things that I had never done before, especially making jewelry. I got my first big order after I changed my name.

"I was born on December 22, 1948 and grew up in a farm family with two brothers and two sisters. My family's main occupation was agriculture. Much of our meals came from our work. We also fished with nets that we knotted ourselves. And sometimes I adapt this skill to my jewelry.

"I graduated from high school and worked as accountant in a hospital but quit in 1972 to follow my husband to his new job. I'm a housewife with three daughters, and all of them love to study art. We moved back to my childhood home in 1981. I help my husband and still take good care of our daughters. I feel very proud to be good wife and good mother, and in my free time I love to learn about handicrafts. I love to design new patterns and talk with my husband and daughters, who all graduated in the field of art and design. One of my sisters has a small silver jewelry shop in town. I love to take the materials from her shop and craft them in my own style. Then she sells them for me.

"I love peace, tranquility and beauty. Moreover, living in a family of artists makes me use my free time in handicrafts. I read and learn from books. Then I look at materials in the local market and next I decide to make something. My favorite is jewelry. I love to make necklaces, bracelets, and sometime I even make them for my pet. My goal in making jewelry is relaxation, not to become rich. Thus, I can let my imagination go. Making the same thing again without referring to a photo is very difficult for me. I find I modify the design each time, and each new pattern is better than the one before. It makes me very happy to observe my own development."