Hello, handmade appreciators! I’m back in the Heights profiling yet another talented JC Maker.

Close your eyes… well, fake close them, or you won’t be able to read this dope Making of a Maker story. Imagine a room full of white and light. Everywhere you look are gorgeous, textured works of art – each one made of simple yarn or rope, and each gallery-worthy.

Now- fake open your eyes, and meet Cindy Bokser- part weaving ninja, part macramé magician, and #bosslady at Niroma Studio. Cindy may be small (literally – she’s 5’1” on a good day), but her skills are BIG. With less than one year in business, her works, at times comprising THOUSANDS of knots, are taking Instagram by storm. Come along as we enter a wondrous world of weaving and macramé.

Thanks for having me to your space today to learn about everything that you do. Your work is really different. I’m pumped! How long have you been a maker – is it in your DNA? I have been practicing art pretty much my whole life, as long as I can remember. My mom is very artistic and she’s been doing painting and pottery as long as I can remember [and macramé]. She’s freaking out now because she’s seeing everything come full circle. I was always taking classes with her until high school hit, and then sports took over.

< Interviewer Note: In addition to wielding art skills, Cindy was also a varsity tennis player… AND, she was voted “best dressed” in high school… AND, she donates 10% of all Niroma Studio profits to The Sharing Place, which provides food and warm meals to people in need in Hudson County. Is this woman even real?!>

What’s the name of your brand? My company is Niroma Studio.

What do you create? I make woven wall hangings and macramé wall hangings. I’ve been getting commissions to do more party pieces – backdrops and wedding arches.

How did that come about? I was doing a giveaway for one of my big wall hangings [on Instagram] and [a follower] posted something about “I would love to have this for my wedding in two weeks.” So she emailed me and I did it!

< Let’s all pause to drool over the finished piece. >

 Isn’t it SO nice to break through the digital connection on social media, and turn it into a real, tangible connection? It’s amazing – I don’t think that a maker business would have been possible before the Internet, even before Instagram. It’s such a great tool.

What was the impetus that finally pushed you to start the business? I have been in kid and baby haze for a while. It propelled me into wanting to do more for myself than ever, even before I had kids.

To cultivate a passion and gratify yourself. Exactly, where I could do something and make something for myself, all by myself. In February [2015], I went to Marfa, Texas.

< Marfa is a teeny tiny Texas town well known for its mysterious UFO-like light phenomenon. I’ve seen it, it’s legit. And it’s also becoming a major arts mecca. > 

Donald Judd [minimalist artist – you can see his works at mOmA] created what Marfa is today as an arts destination. I had the great fortune to stay on the Chinati grounds. I was able to walk the grounds at different times of the day, [with] different lights…it was so inspiring.

 

Tell me more – I don’t know much about it. The Chinati Foundation was started [by Judd] in the early ‘80s for site specific works that would always be there – outdoor and indoor sculpture and installations. Marfa used to be a military and farming town. There were giant abandoned military barracks, and Chinati converted those into spaces where one artist is filling each barrack. Somehow, that trip sparked in me this desire to look at everything, really look and really see. It was like the spirit of Donald Judd telling me to start doing shit with my hands.

It’s incredible how remote places and nature and serenity – it’s like a primal awakening that happens. Maybe all of us have art within and we just need to have it awakened. A primal awakening is what I had. At that moment, I was like – I want to make something again. A few months prior, I had seen a blog that had cool weavings, but it passed by. But then, I was like – I’m going try that. And I made my first weaving! It took hours and I did it, and I got addicted to that feeling of completing something.

How did you come up with Niroma Studio for a name – what does it mean? It’s actually a combination of my kids’ names. They’re the ones that instigated for me that I wanted to do this full time to be with them more.

What was the first thing you made [officially] under Niroma? I made a couple more [weavings] and posted them on Instagram, and a friend was like “Hey, I want one, can I buy one?”

God bless that friend – we [Makers] all need that friend! I tell her a million times – she literally birthed this idea. I didn’t believe I could make a business out of it; she proved that I could.

< Back in the 70s, my Dad made this old-style rope hanging planter with a glass tabletop. I can confidently say – Niroma Studio is NOT your father’s macramé! Love you, Dad! >

Why do you think you’re bringing a new twist to this art form? With the weaving, I’m inspired by architecture. We were on our way to the Brooklyn Bridge; I looked up, and the sun was hitting the building at this angle, and it was so beautiful. I took a picture and wondered if I could make a weaving based on the picture. I did – and I called it Walker Street. The process started out that I was going to take pictures of architecture.

Soon after that, I was looking at color trends because you want to be able to make things that are going sell. Pantone puts out their colors of the year and you start seeing them everywhere. Right now it’s rose quartz and serenity. I started looking at fashion trends too.

The macramé grew out of the weaving. At this moment, I’m more obsessed with macramé. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from looking at pictures. I don’t even have a macramé book. Patterns on Pinterest gave me my four basic knots.

< Of COURSE she self-taught, would you expect otherwise? This woman is officially gifted! >

So you literally just learned 4 knots? Yeah. And then I started realizing you can go three dimensional with the pieces and do a lot of layering to make them really impactful. One of my most popular pieces is dip dyed.

I’m obsessed with dip dye. What are you using to dye? Regular dye – BUT – I’m now starting to experiment with natural dye. See that pinkish rope? That’s dyed from avocados. 

 

< Who would think avocado would create pink? >

From conceptualizing to creating the product, what are the usual steps you take for a commissioned piece? A lot of times, it’s based on a piece I’ve already done and a picture of something else. Whenever I get really custom orders, it challenges me every time in a really good way. It forges new pathways. I’m always grateful to the person who’s pushed me that way. They trust you to create something you cannot sketch, what’s in your brain.

So it starts with a point of inspiration. And then what happens? The design is almost completely unplanned. I let the fiber take me where it’s going to go.

 Your customer trusts you, and you’re trusting your medium. Yeah! When I try to plan things out – every time I try to execute, it doesn’t work out the same way I saw in my head.

< Here’s an example where Cindy felt the execution strayed vs. the plan – I agree with her sentiment as a Maker that after a while, you just *know* when something is off track. >

 Do you feel like there’s a section of your brain that’s always turned on and constantly marinating? Always – but only since I began this work. I feel like it was dormant for such a long time. As I’m falling asleep, I see patterns and colors…

< I want to live in Cindy’s dreams, is that awkward? >

It’s so important that you’re constantly collecting feedback that is subconsciously emerging. I’ll have a size in mind, and what gauge of rope I’m going to use based on the purpose.

For example, how long would that piece hanging on the wall take vs your grand backdrop? The big ones take ten to twelve hours.

So literally, a day of your life has gone into each one of these. At least. There’s a lot of back and forth to make sure we’re on the same page as far as concept.

How often does it happen that you DON’T like a direction you’ve gone and you need to start over? It’s happened twice. You really know when you’re not going in the right direction. I remember writing it down – I just worked for six hours and undid the six hours in thirty minutes. Have you seen that meme on Instagram on the creative process?

Without fail, this is how my process goes every single time. I have to figure out if my “this is shit” part is true, or if this is my inner doubt.

< Yup! She speaks the truth. >

Tell me about some of your most popular creations. My big puffy pieces which I call Color Clouds – those are really popular for kids’ rooms and nurseries.

In the last 2-3 months, I’ve been doing the big statement macramé pieces – wedding arches and party backdrops. I also do wall hooks. Most of these cloud [hooks] go to people who are doing nurseries. I recently had a request for cloud knobs so we might start doing that. Those come in seven different colors.

What is a project you are particularly proud of? Definitely, the wedding arch, because not only is it such a big statement piece, but it’s the centerpiece on someone’s most important day that’s going to be photographed and kept in perpetuity. To know that is hugely satisfying.

<Let’s pause again to swoon over Cindy’s crazy beautiful talent! Photo credit: Whitney Port / @whitneyeveport>

 

What’s next for Niroma – what are you excited about? I hope the next phase is that I can do this 100% of the time. Right now I’m at two retail stores – one is in Hawaii, and the other one is in Montclair, NJ – called My Social Heirloom. I’m hoping to do more retail. I’m realizing how much I love the party and wedding décor thing – I’m going to try and push that harder.

From a creative perspective – what’s something you really wanna try? I have this stock of antlers I really want to put to good use. I want to paint those and then probably do a macramé piece on them. Everything that the universe gives you, you can make beautiful. I love that.

 < Antlers and macramé. *Mic drop* >

Who is another Maker in Jersey City that inspires you? Ball and Claw Vintage. They rehab midcentury modern furniture and sell vintage textiles. So beautiful!

 Anyone else? Oh! Josh Bryant. He makes these letterpressed leather iPad cases and notebook covers. It’s called Hold Fast Industries.

You’re so talented. It’s so clear to me your heart’s in your work. I really believe that infuses into your products. Thanks for welcoming me in!

 Feeling inspired? Cindy teaches weaving classes at several venues around Jersey City & neighboring areas. Visit Niroma Studio at the sites below to get deets on upcoming classes (I’ll see you there!) and explore more of her crazy cool pieces. 

Shop & Explore: http://www.niromastudio.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/niromastudio/
Instagram: @niromastudio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/niromastudio/?fref=photo