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🕸️ Womenpreneurs Project: an up-close and personal view of women creating power.
“Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world.” -
Brené Brown
MÒNICA BOTTA
OWNER AND FOUNDER of Moments Barcelona.
FIELD: Home Décor and local handcraft art
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Meeting point, Moments Shop, 17 Flassaders St., Barcelona 11.30 am
Mònica is the second of our entrepreneur women for the Womenpreneur Project, and what a passionate woman she is! We could not have chosen a better example of a woman that decides to follow her dreams no matter the circumstances.
When they told me I had to interview the owner of a small art deco and furniture shop in Barcelona and who was also an active doctor, with a good job position in a hospital, and the mum of 3 kids, I thought WoW. That’s a lot of work to handle at once. Women are used to struggling with many open fronts, and that’s what makes us exceptional somehow and unique each one of us. However, I was very curious about the motivations that pushed her to open her shop in such a competitive business field, in this precise stage of her life and so far from what she has been dedicating her professional career to.
We met in Moments Barcelona, a small, beautiful exquisite art, furniture and decoration shop located amidst el Born, which it is a piece of urban and street art itself. It’s the perfect location for a shop like hers. It reminded me of those little beautiful art and crafts shops one can find in Marrakech, with lovely and unique pieces of art.
She is a very accessible and passionate woman, that really loves to talk about her project. She knows that what she needs to offer is important and valuable and that’s what you sense when you walk around the shop. All the products have a soul, they are strong and they transmit this energy everywhere. No random effect, every detail is perfectly considered and studied. She wants to send a message and her message is loud and clear. Local art matter, little things matter and marking a difference is essential in a world full of common and global. There is a story behind every item in the shop. No wonder why, she has a story and she wants to tell it to the world.
I can also see how thankful she is with her team and collaborators. She is the soul of Moments Barcelona but she is well aware that Moments is a collaborative project of many people that offer the world the possibility of being different and outstand what’s normal and dull. It’s her dream, but it’s the result of a trip full of luck and coincidences at first, and definitively a result of very hard work, tenacity, balance and a lot of her in the project. That’s what makes her achievement so special and charming.
She is appreciative for being where she is right now, no matter how long it lasts. She has a voice and she wants to be heard and also offer the possibility to others to have a platform to speak up.
Changes are never easy, and usually they come with a price, but for her, the price is very rewarding and it’s worth the effort. She is all of it a mum, a partner, a doctor, a manager, but mostly, she is a woman who had a dream and decided to follow it.
It’s satisfying to see how someone is determined to change the expected and to fight for what she thinks is fair and valuable.
We are very happy to have Mònica as part of our Womenpreneur Project. She represents what more women should dare to do, and she is what #coachabilityfoundation stands for.
MÒNICA UP- CLOSE AND PERSONAL
1.- INTRODUCE YOURSELF, WHO IS MÒNICA BOTTA?
I am a woman of 46, married and with 3 children, I am a doctor and my profession is related to health management, but despite this, I have wanted to develop a more creative and artistic project my whole life and this is what has made me step forward to achieve it.
2. COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR PROJECT? WHAT MADE YOU BECOME AND ENTREPRENEUR?
Moments is a place where things happen and obviously, it is a shop where art and decoration goods are sold. You will find unique pieces designed by artists and designers with own creations, with a careful design line. The goal is for you to be able to find in Moments those things you cannot find anywhere else, we want to avoid the uniformity and homogeneity of those items offered to us from high consumption. I think the difference is an enrichment for society, and today it is very difficult to find spaces with your own soul.
There is a very important part of textile products coming from Afghanistan, my partner is an Afghan designer living in Dubai and he is designing rugs, pillows, furniture and accessories. All the pieces are designed there, that’s how we encourage families in the area to be able to make a living with their work.
The rest of the products, such as furniture made mostly of iron, wood, leather, linen and recycled materials, are created by local designers. It is particularly interesting to mention the line of hammocks and tables, which are made of iron and angler, as an example of reusing and reinventing a trade such as weaving fishing nets.
The pieces of art are from artists who are starting their careers and our aim is to be the loudspeaker for all these non-consecrated artists. You will find painting, photography, sculpture and textile art, a new discipline in Barcelona and a world class.
Apart from what you can find in the shop, we are also starting a cycle of cultural events to give a voice to writers, actors and intellectuals who also want to contribute to these expressions of difference, respect for quality work and against immediacy of everything.
What led me to become an entrepreneur is that I am convinced that each of us can do our bit with our own actions, and I think there are many people who are dissatisfied with where the world is going and that it is necessary that we take actions to change it.
3.- WHAT IS THE BIGGEST HURDLE YOU HAVE FACED AS AN ENTREPRENEUR? AND AS A WOMENPRENEUR?
HOW DID YOU SORT IT OUT?
The main difficulty has been finding a partner, since, due to economic issues, I could not do it alone. And when the opportunity came, I did not doubt it.
And the second has been having to answer to many people not understanding why I had to complicate my life with new problems when I was already having a settled and comfortable life.
4.- WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR? WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO IS CONSIDERING BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR?
Perseverance, I set myself the goal of doing two tasks each week to get the project started. And the other thing is to keep in mind that when we have a bad day then a good one comes and when something goes wrong, you have to be honest with yourself and know why it has not gone well, and be agile in changing it and reversing the situation.
5.- DO YOU CONSIDER CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION AS BEING ESSENTIAL IN CREATING YOUR OWN COMPANY/PROJECT? HOW DO YOU MAKE A USE OF THEM?
ABSOLUTELY necessary. In my case, it is mainly used to discover designers and artists who fit in with the project and also to make a difference from what it is currently being offered elsewhere.
6.- COULD YOU MENTION A ROLE MODEL OF YOURS? IF ANY, ARE THEY STILL A ROLE MODEL AND AN INSPIRATION FOR YOU?
Sadly, I have no references, when I think of women references, I think of women like the Catalan writer Montserrat Roig or the journalist Maruja Torres or the writer Doris Lessing. But I have no business references.
Thanks Mònica, you perseverance and bravery and your love for art and the excellence of the details is the best representation of the importance of the soul in the world of creativity and business.
🕸️ #womenpreneurs Project: an up-close and personal view of women creating power.
There is no project unless there is a soul behind it. Any good project is a clear reflection of its own creator, and it is a result of a process of creativity and effort of those who get involved in it. That’s why we can assure that when a project comes to life, it is the most emotional, satisfying and rewarding moment ever!
Failure is guaranteed if it is far from personal. When we undertake any new ventures it’s essential to be on one’s toes, that is paying attention to all details, no matter how small they may seem. Because if we want it to be excellent, excellence does not come easily, we must work extremely hard to achieve it.
The world and its relationship with life is about chances: first, second or third ones… It’s on us to be ready to take them and to work for them with all our strength and soul to make them real.
As human beings we are constantly at crossroads; and luckily for some of us we have many variants and decisions to make, which is, in general, something positive since not everyone has the chance to run their own lives and make their own choices.
Unfortunately, at times, making up our minds and putting our priorities in order means dismissing second valid options, which, but for whatever reason/s, were not valid enough to get to the top. We put them in the “ONE DAY SOON” box, and then life happens and what was once a dream is kept in the dark for years.
Some other times, it’s about survival and a necessity to make a living and trying to make ends meet, for our own and our families’ sake.
And there are occasions when, at a certain age (usually around life’s equator), we just decide to reevaluate our lives, shake them upside-down, and decide to challenge ourselves by opening the box again and making up for the time passed.
Either option is a good reason not to be scared and follow one’s dreams! We encourage every single woman to do so!! Create, reinvent, be wild and think big! Only the simple fact of trying is a success! Also pay attention to details, believe in proximity projects and defend authenticity in order to strengthen community and help your surroundings.
Any project has a soul, but without a valid and strong purpose, its probabilities of becoming a real thing are reduced to none.
So ladies, find a purpose, put all your soul in it and make it a reality for you!
Written by Noèlia Ribó
Pic by Mònica Botta
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