With the effects of the recession still lingering in the UAE, many people have  been searching for an alternative source of income. For some lucky few, however, their talents and hobbies alone act as a part-time job.

The Artisans of the Emirates (ARTE), a voluntary organisation that helps provide artists with a platform to promote their handmade work, hosted its weekly arts and crafts market on Friday. The market is held at different venues every week, including Dubai Festival City and Times Square Centre. 

According to Miriam Walsh, co-manager of the ARTE market and soukh, there has been a significant increase in the number of people who approached the organisation since the recession got worse. They currently have 1,500 artisans on their listings. She said that they feature about 100 vendors in various malls each month.

Walsh added that the only condition for up-coming artists to display their work at the market is that their products are made in the UAE and that these fall into the category of either art or craft. She explained that they do not “judge” the work, leaving it up to the sales — which “reflect the value of the product very quickly.”

Rohini Nagu has grown up watching her mother tinker with different fabrics to create colourful patchwork pieces. It was only during her cousin’s wedding, when her mother made small purses for handing out gifts, that it occurred to her that her mother’s talent could be used for more. “It’s funny how things work out like that. You just have an aha moment,” explained Nagu.

After hearing about it from her colleagues, Nagu contacted ARTE, which turned out to be the organisation that Nagu was looking for.

Nagu went to the market for the first time last September, but was disheartened by the lack of sales and stopped going to the market. Then around January this year, she gave it another try and stuck with her decision. She explained that one thing that’s important about the ARTE bazaar is that “you have to be committed”.

She said that people don’t generally buy things the first time they visit a stall. They generally look at the things and ask about the price. “They then come back — sometimes even after two months — and say ‘I saw your stuff. It’s really special and unique and haven’t been able to find anything else like it in the last month,”’ she said.

Another artist, who recently started working with ARTE, Sahar Arshad, said that she quit her job to “pursue [her] passion”, which has always been art. Arshad, who has had four exhibitions so far, works with crystal crafts, using semi-precious stones and marble base to make trees. She also makes handmade greeting cards, towel hanging decors, and painted shot glasses.  According to her, the best part of the ARTE markets are when “people come and look for [her] crafts.”  Additionally, she said that the perks of taking up art as a new career is that “you are your own master and don’t have to work typical hours”.

Another artist Suzanne McDonald, who also visits the ARTE markets, works on making toffees and uses her website to sell the handmade fudge. She gives her customers the option to order the fudge for special occasions and even offers delivery services.

ARTE also features some of their artists on their website, Etsy, where customers can buy their work online. But both Nagu and Arshad have already set up either websites or facebook groups where they display their products for potential clients. According to Arshad, she has seen her facebook group growing rapidly and has also received orders for particular items that people have liked.

Walsh explained that ARTE tries to draw in artists that create different products, and have artisans that work on buttons and clocks, wooden watches, felt-work, and gold-painted glass bottles.

According to Arshad, the hand is the most important factor that draws most of the customers to the ARTE markets — “taking something unique back home”.