Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Curran.
Marisa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started learning how to macrame and fell in love almost immediately. I had purchased a DIY Amit with all materials and instructions for a pattern. I was hooked. I started to look around for the perfect material I could get on my own to practice on. I learned more through YouTube’s videos and Instagram photos. In May of 2017, I found out I had a cornea condition that needed to be treated with a procedure that I would be responsible for paying for. I was talking to my friend and jokingly (but kind of seriously) said, I wanted to start an Etsy shop to help pay for my eyes. The response from my friend was so encouraging and supportive (she even gave me the idea for the name “Visionary Macrame”) that I immediately started the process of starting my new small business. Since then, I’ve done custom work, sell my work at my friend’s store Hauswitch in Salem, had a booth at the Somerville Flea’s holiday market and taught a Macrame workshop for newbies.
Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest obstacle has been juggling my full time job as a hairstylist. When I first started visionary macrame, I was working at a salon where I didn’t have much flexibility with my schedule and felt stuck and unable to spend much time on my work so, I would get home and work on my macrame until 1 or 2AM and my whole weekend. I eventually changed locations and now, I am my own boss and while still being really busy at the salon, I can spend more time at home working on Visionary Macrame. I have had amazing support with both of my businesses from everyone in my network that I feel incredibly lucky to not have had a lot of challenges or obstacles.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Visionary Macrame story. Tell us more about the business.
I make handmade macrame decor. Mostly wallhangings but I also make lampshades, plant hangers, keychains, buntings, pacifier clips and plant stands. My style can be described as modern and just slightly rough around the edges. I don’t like things to look too perfect.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I feel as though Macrame is making a huge comeback from the 70’s. A lot of people I talk to about it in this area are surprised to see what I am making. So, I think it will only get more popular ( I hope!!!!) and people seem to be more interested in having a handmade one-of-a-kind item. Getting away from the mass produced.
Contact Info:
- Website: Visionarymacrameco.com
- Email: visionary.macrame@gmail.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/visionary.macrame
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/visionary.macrame/
Image Credit:
Marisa Curran, Liz Paola
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