From hobby to impactful business, that’s the inspiring story of Tatsbita Ratqa Amany, an Economics student from FEB UGM class of 2022, who managed to turn her love for handicrafts into Day of Art, a creative platform that has now held hundreds of workshops, collaborated with hundreds of brands, and reached dozens of cities in Indonesia. Armed with the spirit of collaboration and the courage to try, Tatsbita proves that passion taken seriously can be a path to success since college.
Tatsbita shared that her desire to start this business came from trying something new. Ever since she was young, she had always loved the world of crafts and entrepreneurship. In elementary school, she often sold her handmade creations to friends, in the school canteen, and even online.
When she entered university and became active in student organizations, Tatsbita realized she had a strong passion for organizing events and building collaborations. Her experience of failing to become a volunteer at a significant event became an additional motivation to create her platform. They started Day of Art from scratch with a friend who shared the same interests. Through this platform, they hoped to help more people grow through creative activities.
Running a business while studying is, of course, no easy task. In the early stages, Tatsbita handled almost every aspect of the events by herself, from finding venues, developing materials and concepts, designing posters, doing promotions, acting as the admin, and managing logistics. This had to be done alongside her academic and organizational commitments, making time management one of her biggest challenges. It was also tricky in the beginning to gain trust from partners or participants, as Day of Art had no track record or portfolio at the time.
However, all those challenges eventually paid off. Today, Day of Art has successfully held over 500 workshops and collaborated with 300 national and international brands, reaching 15 cities across Indonesia. A team of 26 people now runs it. For Tatsbita, this journey has been an incredible space for honing leadership, communication, and time management skills. She also gained valuable insights from working with diverse partners and workshop participants.
“I get to channel my love for crafts and collaboration, so what I do doesn’t feel like a burden. It gives me the space to grow alongside many people who share the same passion,” she shared.
Tatsbita also offered some tips for students looking to start their workshop-based businesses or communities. According to her, you don’t need everything to be perfect at the start. Begin with what you already have and what you can do. She highlighted the importance of using social media like Instagram and TikTok to reach your market. Documenting each event is also essential to building trust and strengthening your branding. Beyond that, it’s crucial to build a team with a shared vision, delegate responsibilities, and give team members room to grow. Lastly, regularly evaluating your progress and listening to participant feedback are key to continued development. If things are slow initially, don’t panic, try adjusting your promotional strategies, expanding your collaborations, or connecting with more communities.
“Turning what you love into what you do is the bravest art of all.”
Tatsbita has proven that a hobby can be turned into a meaningful and impactful business with courage and passion. What began as a personal joy in crafting has now become a platform encouraging more people to express themselves through handmade creations.
“The key to enduring and growing until now is that I genuinely love what I do. All the exhaustion, the urge to give up, and the challenges fade away when I see the results of other people’s work,” she concluded.
Written by: Najwah Ariella Puteri
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
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