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Meet the Maker - Militsa Milenkova

Posted on 9 Oct 07:00

This week we interview Militsa Milenkova for our 'Meet the Maker' series. Militsa has completed the Silversmithing and Jewellery Design Degree at The Glasgow School of art, and her graduate collection "What Could Have Been but Never Was", features earrings and pendants in contemporary shapes inspired by the negative spaces within objects belonging to her family. Through studying and developing these unique forms found within day to day objects, Militsa shares with us her life experiences through the medium of jewellery.

When did you start creating jewellery?

I started making jewellery in 2017 as an apprentice for ODD Studio - now SFOO Jewellery - a contemporary jewellery studio based in Athens, Greece. The owners of the workshop taught me everything from scratch and to this day I am so grateful to them for taking me in and introducing me to the beautiful world of making jewellery.

Who inspires you the most?

I am inspired by people who are passionate about what they do and do it well, no matter what it may be.

What was the inspiration for the jewellery in the exhibition?

My degree show collection shares my experience of immigrating at a very young age and how it has affected my relationship with my extended family. I used ordinary objects which belonged to my relatives, as a reference for the creation of my pieces. The pieces shown in the exhibition, were made based on a glasses case belonging to my grandfather. I used the negative space within the empty case and created a necklace and box that fit perfectly inside of it. This acts as a metaphor of how I am a part of my family but yet detached from it - just like the pendant can fit inside the case but is a standalone object. The creation of the earrings, followed as an attempt to extend the collection and add more wearable pieces to it.

If you weren’t a jeweller what would choose as a career?

I would love to be a curator and perhaps own a gallery.

Please can you tell us a bit about your creative process?

Usually, I have a concept in mind and I get an idea for a piece or more which I visualise in my head and then try to put on paper or design on CAD. Then, I spend a lot of time overthinking and trying to perfect the design rather than making the piece. This often leaves me with limited time to create the piece when a deadline is approaching and a lot of unnecessary stress. I still don’t understand how, but in the end, everything works out and the pieces are finished on time.

What are you listening to?

I like listening to music while making and I always try to pair the music to the task. For example, when I am soldering, I listen to uplifting music to hype me up and when I pierce or file, I listen to calmer music to keep me on task.

What’s next for you?

I will be starting a residency at the Glasgow School of Art for the upcoming academic year. The first project I will be working on is creating the goblet I designed for the Outstanding Student Award which will become part of the collection of the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh.

Militsa Milenkova Graduate design Collection for New Designers

What’s next for your brand?

I aim to spend the rest of my residency developing my personal style as a maker and experimenting with different techniques and materials. I want to allow time to reflect on my practice, have fun while making and see where it takes me.

Which is your favourite piece?

I like all the pieces in my collection as they are unique and each responds to an object that means a lot to me.

Finally, for fun, what would be your dream piece to make or person to make for?

I always have so many ideas for pieces I want to make. I don’t think I have a dream piece in mind at the moment, I would just love to be able to make all the things that come to my mind no matter how large or small.