Let Me Tell You About Myself and How I started Heekau
My name is Nichole Cueva, born on April of 1992 and I am the maker behind Heekau. I am based in Southern California but am originally from the Philippines and have been living here in the US since 2014.
The name of my shop, Heekau, comes from the Tagalog word for earrings which is "Hikaw" (I just changed the spelling and played with the word). I also later found out that the word "Hekau", which is close to "Heekau", is an Ancient Egyptian word for "magic" which directly translates to "word of power". And I ended up liking it even more.
Growing up, I love all things art. I have been creative for as long as I can remember. I used to collect so much stationeries when I was younger. I love lettering, calligraphy, doodling, bullet journaling, painting, baking, DIYs, and making polymer clay earrings.
I discovered polymer clay from my cousin, Ashley who owns "LoveAshStudio" on Etsy, and I saw so many possibilities with it. I then delved deeper with polymer clay earrings and found out that there is a huge community for it and I connected with different makers who gave me such a warm welcome. I immediately fell in love with the community and the art of making statement earrings using polymer clay.
I started making statement earrings during the pandemic because working from home was quite a challenge for me. Not being able to separate my work and home life, plus the stress of working alone, led me to create polymer clay earrings to get my mind off work.
Making polymer clay earrings has been my oasis, my safe place. However, I noticed that my collection was growing and I only have one pair of ears, so I decided to post them on Instagram and opened my Etsy shop in August 2020 to share them with the world. I eventually created this business website and have continued doing something I am passionate about. My goal is to gain a bit of profit in doing what I love most and I hope to inspire others to do the same.
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UPDATE: After 1 year of creating polymer clay earrings, I wanted to upgrade my packaging and show my appreciation to everyone supporting my small business. At first, I just wanted to make some "thank you" stickers and some sticker freebies for my buyers, but after a while, found my love for sticker/decal making. I am still building my sticker collection and sharpening my newfound skill to offer better products to my customers. I started accepting commissions from friends and IG followers, but I am hoping to have the confidence to put my artwork out here for everyone to see.
To everyone who has supported me and continue to love my work, you guys are awesome. You make me believe in myself and push through all my doubts. You guys helped me cope with this sad season of life and I strive to better my mental health. No words can express how grateful I am to each and every one of you. Not just to the people who bought something or will buy anything from my shop, but to all who shared my art on their social media and to everyone who message me personally.
I love you guys very very much!
Sincerely,
Nichole ♡