Manoela Grigorova (a.k.a Mojo and Muse) found her creative passion during the pandemic, merging her experimentation with alcohol inks and basic embroidery into colorful works of art full of texture. She uses thread, beads and found objects in her pieces, creating detailed abstract fiber pieces.
Tell us a bit more about yourself, and your creative journey. how did you come about using fibre?
Since I’ve known myself, I was always creating, drawing, painting, making jewelry, and sewing. I’d always wanted to be a fashion designer but after college and uni, something changed, and I was put off by the fashion industry. For about 10 years I carried on my creativity through hairdressing and wig making.
My love of fibre, colour and textures stems from growing up for part of my life in Bulgaria; in our homes there were always tapestries or rugs hung like art on walls, and colourful folk traditional clothing with amazing embroideries. I’m always the one going right up close to art pieces in galleries to appreciate the textures and patinas of the paint, sometimes ignoring the overall artwork itself.
Since 2018 I have been experimenting with alcohol inks and separately started basic embroidery on fabric but wasn’t happy with the results with either by itself. I also made jewelry and yarn wrapped rope necklaces so I had lots of leftover supplies.
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In 2020, the pandemic hit, my family was also hit by it, with long hospital spells and effects from it to this day. I was living in a nightmare of fear and anxiety, I was thrust into furlough with endless time to worry so I had to occupy my time. With lots of experimentation, somehow all these mediums got amalgamated into one. I was stitching stitches on any materials I could find! With all the time in the world, and consumed with worry, I put my energy into creating, experimenting, stitching. There wasn’t any space for self-doubt or personal judgement. The stitches, the threads and beads became the medium rather than adornment or embellishment. It was creative way to express emotion, feeling and evoke an idea. Mojo and Muse was born.
Where do you find your inspiration for your designs? What role do the materials play at the beginning of a piece?
Honestly inspiration is everywhere! But first and foremost, the materials themselves inspire me and I work by letting the layers play out the narrative.
I’m very much interested in contrasts and contradictions, taking ideas from my personal life, the contrasting differences between my childhood in Bulgaria and the UK, and my love of nature and fashion, two things that don’t always go together. The ideas around contrasts and contradictions spills out on the canvas; the fast flow of alcohol ink compared to the slow and steady embroidery work, the smooth nature of Yupo paper and defining lines of the ink compared to the soft and tactile feel of the yarns, threads, and beads.
Nature is another big inspiration. I grew up with science in the family, a meteorologist mother, geologist father and oceanographer brother so it’s had an impact on my work, from florals to corals, natures patterns and textures, to microscopic structures such as plankton and geological layers. There’s nothing better than having David Attenborough on TV whilst I embroider, its heavenly!
Since my travels in Asia, I became deeply concerned about our environment, climate change and nature conservation. This spurred a change in direction and for the last 7 years, I’ve been working in an animal welfare charity. The organisation aims to improve animal welfare, and there is an element of international development, working in some of the poorest communities in the world. We see the real-time effects of climate change reaching the poorest people first from drought, flooding to hurricanes. So, this is something that also drives to raise awareness about nature, our environment and living as sustainably as possible. For this reason, I try to use as many salvaged and found materials, upcycle elements and interweave them into my work.
Do you plan your work out ahead of time or just get in your meditative zone and enjoy the process?
A bit of both. I’m guided into directions intuitively, it’s a slow and meditative process. I work through my emotions stitch by stitch; you’ve probably heard many stitch artists say this.
For an art call, exhibition or commission brief it’s a different story but even then, it’s usually a loose idea with basic planning. Half of the enjoyment is the actual process, which too much planning sometimes ruins. As I work on the fundraising and events side of the charity, I must be super organised and plan meticulously so it’s a relief when I get stuck into my embroidery in the evenings without much planning or thinking even.
Do you try to create daily? How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I get totally lost in my work, a piece can take at least 3 weeks to finish so I try to make time every evening, and weekend. Yes, I am one of those that starts new works before finishing old ones. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with personally. Because a piece is so related to one’s emotions at the time, you have to get in the same headspace to finish it.
My partner and I recently moved so for the last few months I’ve taken a break from my mixed media embroidery works whilst I unpack and sort my studio. In the meantime, I’ve started beading on a loom. I get restless and impatient and crave creativity! As an artist you are always evolving, so there’s always space for learning new things, and new mediums. It can only enrich one’s work.
What sort of materials / tools might we find in your creative space or in your work?
All sorts because I’m a massive hoarder! From my hairdressing days – hairdressing scissors and pintail comb, to perfectly trim pom poms and yarn fluffs, rounded wig making needles, which I use to do rococo / bullion stitches. There’s lots of coloured and metallic wrapping paper and plastic, salvaged, for making hand-cut sequins. Metallic foil curtain, the kind you stick on a door at parties, from a lockdown birthday, which makes amazing French knots that looks like beads!
In past works, I’ve also used things like the wire top from a champagne bottle, leftover canvas paper, nuts, and bolts from DIY shops and plenty of leftover jewellery supplies to create extra textures. This was the starting point of the work below, Complete Infiltration 2020.
I always seem to have materials gifted to me from friends’ grandmas (including my own). I have DMC threads from the 1950s! It’s so warming to pay dues to this person’s life and craft, giving meaning and a new life to the materials that dearly treasured but left behind. And of course it stays off landfill and get to live on in a beautiful piece of art.
Most recently I was given bags full of beads, sequins, findings, and lace cutouts from a very famous couture designer (which I won’t name). These were all brand-new materials that just weren’t right for next seasons collection so would have all gone in the bin, heartbreaking!
What’s the best advice you’ve been given? What advice would you give?
Never stop learning! Be curious! Don’t be afraid to take a new direction! And just start! Don’t wait to be completely ready, to have your website absolutely and completely perfect, to have your process 100%, just start and throw away the self-judgement pants!
What do you want to bring to the viewer?
I want the viewer to be captivated and taken away in delicious colours and textures and into a magical abstract escapism. I want them to feel joy and wonder, the kind of wonder when kids experience the magic of nature. I want the viewers to think about the materials we use, how we use them and what we throw them away. Lastly, I want to challenge the perceptions of embroidery as just ‘women’s crafts’ and bring stitch into the contemporary art world.
Where can people see your work?
Instagram: @mojoandmuse
Website: https://mojoandmuse.co.uk/
Interview posted April 2024
Browse through more embroidery inspiration on Create Whimsy.