It all started with an Entrepreneurship part 2 activity organized by the academic department. My friends and I visited a home industry at Ibu Kelik's place, a batik painting business located in Salakan RT.01, Bangunharjo, Sewon, Bantul, Yogyakarta.
Ibu Kelik has been running her business since 1984. However, shortly after starting, a trial came her way when her beloved husband passed away, leaving her with four sons. But Ibu Kelik didn’t let herself drown in sadness. Accompanied by her four sons, she strove to rise again.
Knowledge? Yes, knowledge. She understood the importance of knowledge. When her children wanted to work abroad, she made sure to teach them that leaving their homeland was not as easy as it seemed, without the proper knowledge and a strong mental foundation. Eventually, her children understood and agreed to be enrolled in a training center for six months to become quality migrant workers (TKI). Long story short, they are now successful individuals: two of her sons work on American cruise ships, one son is in New Zealand and married a New Zealand woman who is none other than his own mentor, and the last son is still studying.
Ibu Kelik does not run her business alone. The method she applies is a family system. Her main partner from the beginning until now has been a rickshaw driver. Don’t be mistaken, rickshaw drivers in Yogyakarta are very skilled in foreign languages, which is why many rickshaw passengers are foreigners. As a result, most of Ibu Kelik’s customers come from abroad, especially from various states in the United States.
During the training session, Ibu Kelik taught us how to make batik according to standard quality procedures. Normally, she takes about 10 minutes to explain the process to her students, but this time it was different. We managed to keep her talking for more than 10 minutes, and soon, the time we had for her wasn’t enough... it was amazing!
The materials and tools needed are:
- Canting (batik pen)
- Malam (wax)
- Malam strainer
- Small wok
- Small stove
- Frame
- Fabric (mori, cotton, rayon, bencoli, etc.)
All of the above materials can be bought at the Ngasem market complex in Yogyakarta. The batik-making technique is as follows:
- Make a pattern on the fabric with a pencil.
- For beginners, the maximum amount of malam (wax) for the canting is 25%.
- For experts, the canting can be fully filled with malam (heated wax).
- A sweet blow on the canting, and then begin the batik process with the canting “from right to left” – always so.
That’s how Ibu Kelik teaches her students from America. One should not rush, as it could lead to mistakes in the pattern or color. Once finished, the next step is to dry it in the sun for about 6 hours. The final step (finishing) is to soak it in water mixed with soda and then boil it, or as Ibu Kelik calls it, “Bowling Water.”
This process can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months. That’s why hand-painted batik (made by hand) is the most expensive, depending on the complexity of the design. Until now, Ibu Kelik’s Batik Lukis business has continued to thrive, even internationally. Hearing all of this made me feel so proud, and there are many positive lessons I have learned from Ibu Kelik. Ibu Kelik, “you are my everything” – haha, sorry, I ended up advertising milk.
Here are some of her works alongside her artists:
