Chassida Rosenberg started creating art at the age of five. She’s never stopped.
“As soon as I graduated, I learned to draw professionally,” she shares, “and I worked in event design.”
Then she took over a photo-framing business. “It was physically challenging, but it channeled my creativity,” she explains. “I’d personalize the frames, paint some of them, creating a spectacular product.
“And it put me in touch with many artists, who taught me a lot.”
However, the intense competition and multiple moves prompted her to close the store and look for salaried employment.
Within three years, she’d left seven different jobs.
“I kept bolting from my jobs; I needed the freedom of being self-employed. I love creativity, brainstorming, and having the space to work as I want.
“I have a good friend who’s like a sister to me. She joined a course in Temech to learn computer basics and invited me to join her.
“I decided to go for it. I’d always asked my daughters to help me with computer tasks, but they were getting married, and I needed to manage independently.
“It was a three-month course, twice a week. Most participants were older women who realized they needed computer proficiency to stay relevant.
“It was slow going, but the instructor was so patient. I went from clueless to comfortable, and that solid computer background forms the basis of everything I now do professionally.”
Her friend also gained from it. It gave her the confidence to apply for different positions, and now she has a job she loves in a nursing home.
Four years ago, the Rosenbergs moved from Yerushalyim to Beitar, and Chassida opened “Hasafsal,” a studio where I taught art lessons. It was starting to flourish and expand – and then corona hit.
No students, no income. But she did have lots of time.
“I decided to create digital courses. I created two courses, each involving 70 hours of filming, which translated into 40 hours of instruction.
“The first covers a variety of crafts — mosaics, oil painting, pastels, and more.
“My second shows how to build furniture from cardboard boxes.”
Cardboard?
“Yes. All you need is cardboard, a good knife, two types of glue, and you can furnish your entire house.
“I needed storage space in my studio and created a custom dresser with the perfect-sized shelves for every item.
“I built a small stool that matches my dining room furniture and use it when I light candles. My silverware drawer was always a mess; I created an organizer. I crafted a jewelry box. I made miniature tables and chairs for my grandchildren. And some women furnish their dining rooms and bedrooms.”
Chassida sells her courses online and on a USB, so those without Internet access can also enjoy them.
“I hadn’t known how to send an email or write a Word doc,” she says. “And now I have a digital empire.”
She also gives back to Temech, running a networking group and supporting other women as they learn to unleash their own creativity into the world.
