Today we’d like to introduce you to Anaira Vo.
Hi Anaira, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am the solopreneur behind Barro Flora. Since before graduating high school in 2007, I have worked in the healthcare field doing mostly administrative jobs. I graduated from University of South Florida in Tampa with a Bachelor’s degree in Gerontology and then in 2019, started the Master’s program for Healthcare Administration at the University of Central Florida. The following year in March of 2020, I decided to discontinue the program and make a change in my life because healthcare was just not fulfilling and quite frankly I was burned out. I always saw myself in a career where I could help others by making them feel better however, I just knew that I didn’t have the passion for it anymore and that wasn’t the way I wanted to help others “feel better”.
Fast forward to the summer of 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and I found it, my passion! The love for the medium began when I purchased my first pair of polymer clay earrings. The surprisingly lightweight and super comfortable earrings sparked curiosity in how they were made. Intrigued and inspired by this artist’s earrings, I began exploring polymer clay myself and it quickly became a creative outlet. It became my happy place. Growing up, I always had an interest in art and creating but I never pursued it because of the starving artist stereotype. I didn’t believe that I could create something and people would love it and buy it. Polymer clay completely changed how I felt, it brought me so much joy and fulfillment that I wanted to share that with everyone around me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Three weeks after the launching of Barro Flora, I lost my dad to suicide. Clay has helped me through some very difficult times and in a way, it has been so therapeutic. Creating with polymer clay is my absolute happy place where I often get lost on a creative project and forget everything around me. My only wish is that it brings joy to others as it does to me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Each piece is uniquely handcrafted with the core value of accessible, high-quality craftsmanship in every design. That is why all Barro Flora earrings, specifically the part that goes through the piercing, are either titanium or gold-filled. Both metals are nickel-free and safe for those with metal sensitivities/allergies. All earrings are designed, mixed, sculpted, baked, sanded, and packaged by hand with the utmost love and thought in my home studio.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
When I was nine years old, I fell off my dad’s boat while he was driving without my life vest on, at the time I hadn’t learned how to swim yet. Luckily, I surfaced and my mom dived right in and got me out. It took me a little while to get over the fear of water but I did learn how to swim eventually. I conquered my fear a few years later and while offshore fishing with my dad, I jumped and swam in the open ocean. It was the best feeling ever!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@barroflora.com
- Website: barroflora.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/barroflora
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/barrofloraofficial
Image Credits
Andrea Del Salto Anaira Vo
