Today we’d like to introduce you to Rossi Kostova.
Hi Rossi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Folksy love began as a project between my grandma and myself 16 years ago. In Bulgaria, grandmothers are addresses as ‘Baba’ and my baba is the reason why I love to craft just about anything. I remember making macrame out of old flour sacs, embroidering, and knitting with her. I’ve dabbled in many art forms but laser cutting and designing has stuck with me. I love the materials I can use with my laser and that is the priority of folksy love today. I create and design jewelry, swizzle sticks, and stickers.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Since this has been my ‘hobby’ for the most part, I haven’t seen too many struggles but there is a huge learning curve when working with machines. I’m lucky to have worked in an environmental lab where I’ve had to take massive inductively coupled plasma thermos machines apart, so I have the patience to work my laser cutter and 3D printer now.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love in environmental health. My background is a BS from UCF in environmental science and I’m currently working on my MS at USF in Water Sustainability. I currently work for the Department of Health in Environmental Health and I love that what I do can make a small difference in the world.
What was you like growing up?
I grew up in Bulgaria so my childhood was very different than American children. We had about an hour of cartoons at home as it was a very post-Communistic country and we spent a lot of time outside. We used to climb trees, draw and help around our farm. My parents tried 3 times to get a green card to the US and finally succeeded the 3rd time. This costs about $10k for each try in the lottery and it was very hard on my parents but they wanted a better life for us. We moved to Queens, NYC around my 9th birthday and that’s when I learned English. It was hard growing up in NY after having the life that we did in Bulgaria. We moved into a railroad-style apartment as my sister and I were both so confused on why we left our previous life. We didn’t have much and that meant a lot of bullying happened because of our different clothing and our accents. I’m happy for it though, it made me the person I am today. I’ve moved back and forth between Florida and New York because of my parents and still do. My boyfriend and I bought our first home here in Orlando and we’re excited to get to know the area more.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.folksylove.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/folksylove/?hl=en
