“I am Christiana Asare. I grew up in Apirede, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. I have three siblings and I'm the last... born of the family. I don’t come from a family of artists. I am very reserved, and have few friends. I am described by friends as humble, calm and hard-working.

“Growing up was very tough; I had to move to Kumasi with my Aunty, and also stayed with some other relatives to further my education. Then I moved back to continue my education with my parents. Staying with my relatives was very tough. I had to go through hard training, doing all the house chores while my cousins did not help in any way. I have learned in life to be very humble, even though I had to go through that ordeal.

“I studied visual arts in secondary school, and one of the courses I studied was pyrography. That was how I came into contact with the arts. While in secondary school, I was so hard-working that my teachers compared me to the male artists in my class and always encouraged me to do more. I had to go into art because my eye has a connection with the things around me. I went into pyrography because it is a very uncommon form of art. I have taught a few relatives to do the pyrography art. Jewelry also attracted me a lot.

“I have been doing this for close to two years. Before moving into art professionally, I was a beautician and I sold beaded jewelry. In the next two years I want to be a fashion designer, though I haven't had any formal education in fashion. I look critically at people who sew around me and learn from them. I then make my own sketches and make clothing out of paper, and use the hand machine to practice. For now, my parents support me financially. When I get enough funds I will enroll myself in the fashion school. I will try to raise funds to get myself well-trained in sewing to be the fashion designer I want to be.

“I am not married now, but when my dreams are achieved I will surely settle down. I am very active in church, and as a children’s service teacher in church I currently take care of about 100 children. I really love children. My aunt also encourages me a lot to strive hard as a woman. While starting the business, a lot of times my works were not approved for quality purposes, which discouraged me; but another artist introduced me to Novica and kept encouraging me.”