This month marks 3 years since we officially opened our doors to the public in DTLA after months of planning, construction, and testing classes on our families and friends. We thought we knew what to expect when opening, but we had no idea.
Ana and I started out in ceramics around the same time in a big community studio working on projects together and dreaming of our own space. When it came time to branch out we didn't want to miss out on the community we had come to love, and the learning that came from watching those around us (who were definitely more skilled).
When we opened downtown we didn't expect to be a true community studio, we thought we were too small, and we figured we'd be more of a launching pad for students to fall in love with ceramics and then move on to bigger studios. But a community grew despite us, students became members, and members became friends.
Last March we opened a studio in Santa Monica with the aim of expanding our community and offering more to the Los Angeles ceramics community at large - more workshops, more specialized classes, and more space for members to work, learn, and grow with each other. But we had to close just 2 weeks after opening and all of our careful planning and programming went right out the window.
This past year forced us all apart to work solo at home or to be in the studio at a distance from our studio mates. It reinforced our commitment to this community and the importance of it to us and to everyone who's a part of it.
We feel constantly lucky that it worked out this way. Our team is made up of artists we admire and learn from very day, our community is filled with incredible people, and we get the privilege of watching beginners fall in love with the craft every day. What more could we want?
We look forward to next year's anniversary celebration, and will enjoy it quietly this year. Our daily giveaway runs to the end of the month. Our shop update is this week.
It's been a wild three years, but we wouldn't change it for the world.
Ana and Mel
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