We were lucky to catch up with Cassandra Sue Chavez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cassandra Sue, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Instead of calling it “work ethic,” I will refer to it as my creative-flow. This flow is best described by a quote I remind myself of when I begin to feel creative overwhelm: “Nothing in nature blooms all year.” Which is something I have definitely learned in the last couple of years. Because, let me tell you- it has been a process, to not feel guilty when I am not creating, and to appreciate the periods of creative-hibernation. In the early stages of my journey, I would put so much pressure on myself, along with a lack of boundaries, I experienced creative burnout. I then realized that this approach was unsustainable long term. Through learning and reflection, I now allow myself the freedom to create when and what I feel. Not only deepening the connection to my craft but learning that- inspiration comes during the phases of creative-hibernation. Creative-flow, as well as creative boundaries, is something I have learned over time and encourage other creatives to practice to avoid creative burnout.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Cassandra Sue Chavez, I am the creative & artist behind monarcabox. I create crochet art, or as I like to call it, artesanía crochet, a latinx modern twist to your abuelitas crochet art. Intentionally made small batch crochet pieces, as every piece is crafted carefully and is as unique as the person who decides to wear it. I have been crocheting since the age of 10 and continue to share my passion for tejido through designing artisanal jewelry pieces. As far as exciting news, I recently trademarked the monarcabox logo, something I had been interested in doing since its creation. It was not until I connected with Taylor M. Tieman, Esq. (@legalmiga) that this has become a reality. And I look forward to the changes this will bring for my artistic journey.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three things that have impacted me the most on my journey have been 1) to ask questions 2) to be unafraid 3) to believe that there are people around me who want to support me. 1) To ask questions: It used to be (I’ve been practicing haha) really difficult for me to ask questions. Weather that be asking for help, or to gather information before making decisions.
2) To be unafraid: Unafraid of failing, being wrong, and being vulnerable. This second item, is something I continue to practice. I still have my moments where fear sets in, but I remind myself, as the saying goes, “feel the fear, do it anyways.”
3) To believe that there are people around me who want to support me: In practicing 1 & 2, I truly felt how supported I am by those who surround me, both in my personal life and though social media.
These three items kind of tie into each other, and honestly, I wish I would’ve begun to practice them earlier. But, divine timing, right? Because now I get to share them with ya’ll.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
To answer this, I’d like to share why my mom taught me to crochet. I once asked mami why she had taught me to crochet. Her answer was something like; she knew that one day we (my sisters & i) would grow up, have employment, and she wanted us to have hobbies outside of work. She wanted us to have a creative outlet, somewhere where our imagination could play. After she answered, I realized- mami wanted us to have coping skills. Needless to say, mami succeeded in implementing coping skills, because 26 years later, I am still crocheting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.monarcabox.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monarcabox/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monarcabox/
- Other: tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@monarcabox
