She is all of 18 and does so much! I am thoroughly impressed by her commitment and her work ethics. 🙂 I am glad to introduce you all to Afia, one my youngest # Celebrating Women star of this month!
Describe yourself in not more than 5 words!
- Determined, lazy, funny, empathetic and organized.
Please discuss more about your online store, how did you ideate it and how did it all materialize? Was it always planned?
- This is where things get fuzzy xD. When I look back, I don’t actually remember clearly how it all happened. I wanted bookish candles to light while I read, and the next minute I was ordering supplies to make them myself. I failed miserably the first ten times I made candles. I’d just found all these bookish shops on Instagram, and I was so impressed, I wanted one too – just for the fun of it. Nothing was planned, I had three months off after my 10th grade boards and I was looking forward to finally resting after almost two years of working hard, but oh well. I’m not the kind of person who can laze around, even though I can be quite lazy, it’s one of the major contradictions in my life, but I know I love to keep busy and then steal away time to procrastinate – weird, I know. Anyway, so while I was constantly failing at making candles, I just knew that this was something I could do, so one Sunday morning, the day before my Chemistry board exam, I made my Instagram account – and it was received so well! That gave me the motivation to work towards my candles even further, along with the support of my mum who financed all the supplies required. Finding my suppliers, dealing with them and arranging all the shipping from the US was quite a jump for my introverted ways, but well, I got through.
What inspired you to start so young? Isn’t it hectic to run a store while being in college?
- I can’t point out to a specific thing or person, but I just knew that I was meant to be a busy body, and do something that was bigger than myself. I didn’t mean to continue running Whispering Flames past those three months in 2017, but the support I got from the bookstagram community blew my mind, and it made me so happy, that I had to go on.
- So technically, I’m not in ‘college’. While it is the norm in Mumbai/Maharashtra to go to junior college after the 10th, I chose to pursue the International Baccalaureate Diploma course (aka the most rigorous course at the high school level – it’s literally mentioned in their mandate). It was the best decision I’ve ever made, even though these have past two years have been grueling. Yes, running the shop got super hectic at times, especially since it’s just me, a one woman show, and the nature of the raw materials I use can also be super frustrating with the frosting of candles, etc. but the last few months, I learnt how to delegate the packing and shipping process to some of my house staff, which helped immensely. My customers have also been the most kind and understanding people, even when their orders were a month late (let me take a minute to brag about how I’ve never had to deal with a rude customer).
- Most people thought I’d give up Whispering Flames at some point or the other, but nope. I have taken a break for the first half of this year, but I spent some time in December stocking up the most popular candles so they can still be shipped out whenever someone wants them.
Your favorite Indian Stationary Stores online/offline (apart from yours)!
- There aren’t quite a lot of stationery stores in India, which irks me quite a bit. Offline, I love Muji, I live and breathe their pens. Online there’s – Alicia Souza, Sassyplannernerd, PrettyCraftyTales and CraftersCorner. I get most of my stationery from abroad though, if you ever find yourself in London or Dubai, do visit Paperchase and Typo!
How do you look at competition?
- Ah. When it comes to candles, at least in India, there’s been a few shops that opened but closed within a few months, but I never felt threatened by them. There’s another shop that’s on break and will be up soon, and to be honest, I’m excited because I really need new candles that aren’t my own :P, and I consider the shop owner one of my good online friends. When it comes to stickers and stationery, my sticker maker gals are the best, I don’t consider them competition at all. In fact, I’d LOVE more and more shops to come up – because everyone has their unique touch which needs to be shared. I have faith in what I make and do, so there’s no reason for me to feel threatened.
I love your Instagram page and that is where I first discovered you. What is the secret to do well on social media?
- Thank you! I am literally the worst person to ask this question to. In 2018, I only posted on my shop page 6 times, and storied once a month-ish, only because I did not have the time to do more, and my follower count doesn’t really matter to me, people who care and appreciate what I do are more important. As for my bookstagram, again, only 9 posts in 2018 – but I post stories every day, with my planner and glimpses into my life. When the close friends option came out on Instagram, I started talking about everything and anything – vlogging my life and my feelings to whoever wants to listen. People claim to like listening to me, and I personally feel my honesty shows people that they aren’t alone. I don’t know if this is for everyone, but it’s what worked for me, after being the quiet kid all my life, I love being heard.
How do you like to unwind?
- I craft. I read. I plan. I look at memes. That’s about it really.
Your idea of a perfect day?
- This where my conflicted personality appears again. While a lazy day would also be perfect, I also love the busy, hustling bustling days, but I can tell you about two kinds of very specific days that I enjoy the most – one in Mumbai and the other in London.
- In Mumbai, there’s this area called Fort with all these beautiful heritage buildings that I absolutely love. I usually start my ‘Fort days’ visiting my old school, chilling with my teachers, then grabbing the Frappuccino special at Starbucks, planning a little or writing in my journal there, walking around the area for a while, and then ending up at a bookstore with the coziest cafe for lunch. The bookstore, called Kitab Khana, is in one of those heritage buildings, and I find the vibes there super soothing and calming, so I spend the rest of the day there, reading or writing some more.
- In London, I share this day with my sister. Every time we go, we chose a sister day and do the exact same things, year after year. Our morning starts with Starbucks again, which we have in the bus on the way to a bookstore called Waterstones which is HUGE, six stories huge. We spend the entire morning there, I look at all the new releases, picking the books I’d like to read and chat with the booksellers, who after all these years, are very good friends of mine. We lunch at a cute cafe down the street before hitting up this quaint little vintage bookstore that smells amazing, after which we go to a couple stationery stores and other vintage shops around the area. I love getting lost in the streets of London, so that’s a new adventure every time until we end up at Covent Garden, a lively, artistic square in the heart of central London, always bustling with something new.
I know you are a voracious reader. So wanted to know how do you choose your books? Any particular genre you love?
- Before, I’d usually read what was popular and showed up a lot on my Instagram feed, or what was recommended on Goodreads. Now, however, I’m going through this phase where I want to read different kinds of books. I am currently focused on non-fiction books, especially Psychology related non-fiction, because of the love I’ve found for the subject. Also reading some fun, flighty books to get my mind of studying when I need to. So yes, once I am done with my exams, I am going to have to refind my method of choosing and a genre that I enjoy, because I don’t feel the same way about YA as I did before (blame the IB, they made us think too much and now I can’t read without questioning things).
Since this is a women special month, do you mind sparkling your pixie dust and a bit of wisdom on my women readers who wish to grow and achieve in life!
- To all my fellow girls/women, I know this sounds super cliché, but keep going. Don’t give a hoot about what others say. My path hasn’t been completely rosy, neither will yours (nothing good comes easy), but if you keep hustling and if you have that unshakeable faith in yourself, nothing can stop you. Be a boulder, be assertive and make your place in the world. Yes, it’s harder for us, but that just enunciates our strength. A few key things I’ve learnt over the past few months, which have been quite tough on me:
- Always have faith in the goodness of the universe, working hard is your bit, but then it’s the universe’s turn to reward you. What’s best for you will happen no matter what, even if you don’t think it’s the best.
- Accept and let go of what you can’t control – rather, work on your attitude towards it.
- Talk. Talk about yourself and your achievements with pride, recognise your strengths and appreciate them, build up this immense self-love that no one can take away from you.
- Mental health is as important as physical health, don’t skimp on that. If you’re not fine, you’re not fine and that’s okay.
- It’s okay to pause. It’s okay to take a break, a day off and do what you want to, not what you have to. The world won’t end.
- Most people behave in ways to protect themselves from hurt or are lashing out due to being hurt – remember that when someone is rude or inconsiderate, they want to bring you down because they lack the self-esteem to believe that they can do what you’re doing. So, the problem lies with them, not you.
- Repeating this because it cannot be emphasised enough, mental health and self-love are so so important, I wish we were taught that as children. Once you have the ability to take hold of your mind, your potential can potentially double or triple – just a personal belief.
Your message for all my readers!
- Thank you for taking out the time to read about me, I hope it was worth your time. I wish you all the best in any venture you wish to or are undertaking, stay strong and resilient, you got this! My dms are always open @whispering__books, so if you want to chat about anything at all, hit me up!
_____
# Celebrating Women
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