Togog Suyasa

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I'm the son of farmers, born in Tampaksiring as the third of four children. When I was in the second year of elementary school, my father passed away from a disease that spread due to the disaster brought on by an eruption from Mount Agung. Our financial conditions became very limited after his death, so I used to work hard to help my mother and sisters. I learned to carve wood and worked as an artisan after school so I could afford to pay the school fees, help mother with food and also cover the school fees for my sisters. I finished elementary school, but I couldn't afford the fees to continue on to middle school.

Bali is very nice — it has so many beautiful places and a rich culture. Most of the people in my neighborhood are carvers too, specializing in either wood or bone. We have so many ideas to develop our designs. I learned to carve wood for the first time from my neighbor. He was a kind man and he knew about our family's strained condition. He offered me wise words of advice, encouraging me to work hard so my children wouldn't suffer the same problems I did. I sold my first carvings to him and, after that, I also sold them at Sukawati market, which is a famous market in Bali that offers traditional handcrafted work by local artisans.

"In 1977, I married a beautiful woman, and we have two daughters and a son. Becoming a father meant assuming more responsibilities, more expenses and more hard to work to ensure a brighter future. People know me as a kind and smart man. My wife helps me, and we opened a shop nearby to sell my designs. We have offered work to many artisans from the community to help me when I receive large orders. But after the bombing tragedy in Bali, we hardly had any customers, and finally we had to decide to temporarily close the shop. I only do a small amount of designs now.

"For materials, I use woods, coconut shell and metals. Now I work with the help of five artisans only, and we work with manual tools like knives, saws, chisels and mallets.

"I knew about NOVICA some time ago from a friend, and now my daughter Eka and son Komang Agus Saputra are featured artisans. Since our designs and skills are different, I also would like to work with you to show my work worldwide."

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NOVICA was started with a dream to create a better world for artisans, because a better world for artisans is a better world for all.

Along the way, the founders of NOVICA discovered something very important - as artisans around the world succeeded, there was also a visible and profound impact on the communities around them.

Your purchases are that powerful. They directly and indirectly provide for education, help with health care, fund basic needs, support children, preserve disappearing arts, and of course, spread happiness around the world.

The founders of NOVICA had a vision of the future that is not one of mega factories producing cookie cutter products for all to cheaply consume. Instead, a bright future that celebrates artisans who take the time to create an item by hand. A future where time is protected, where stories are told, where unique details are honored. Love, respect, inclusiveness become driving force.

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