I can hardly believe that we have landed in Spring already! I was just settling into the post holiday slow down, and then I blinked. Now it is the end of March! I have been on a wild ride since I last wrote one of these (Dec): I completed my first holiday product release, did some hunkering down for covid, my truck died/got a new car (whole story right there), said goodbye to a bus (as well as some dreams), and with that cleared a bunch of stuck energy, not to mention all of the work for new restaurants/wineries and old favorites too. All of those things have plenty of stories to tell in their own right, but I'll sum it up as being… a bit of a blur!
I have been reflecting on how last year at this time I was just beginning to pick up steam after a very hard winter. There were many points during the stress of the last months that I had to remind myself just how well I am doing compared to a year ago. I remember last year feeling the spring energy help me find another gear, and really lean into expansion after a winter of contraction. I can feel the possibility of the same shift this year (with even more leverage for change)!
Joy...
As spring emerges I have been trying to shift my focus towards joy. It feels like a whole new way of being for me. I am moving from the darkness/shadows of grief and survival mode… into choosing the light of joy and delight for what this life can (also) offer.
One of the “life hacks” I have been playing with is using my watch as a reminder to be curious about the joy possible (when I look). I wrote down a little mantra, "My story unfolds in the joy of this moment..." and took a photo to use as my watch face (and/or phone screen).
Now every time I raise my wrist/check the time (or open my phone)... BOOM! I am reminded to look for the joy in that moment, and shift my perspective to one of curiosity. I can feel myself working this neglected muscle of joy (it is taking something). For a long time, "survival mode" has had me looking for the worst case scenarios as a constant safety measure. However, there is so much more than "disaster" that the world has to offer (even though it feels a little saturated by such events right now).
I have been thinking a LOT about how to orient TBD through the lens of joy and delight. How do I make my work a space to feel into joy each day, and hopefully infuse what I create/share with more joy for this world? The answer I keep coming up with is to constantly re-align myself, and discover my own joy.
Big News!
One of the ways I'll be leveling up this spring… is the addition of a SECOND KILN to my studio! I have been needing to do this for a while in order to step up my production and take on new projects. However, about the time I figured out I needed to take this step… new kilns were a 6 month wait, and used kilns were being gobbled up quick! I finally found an old version of the kiln I was looking for at a good price, but it was down in Paso Robles (could have used that truck of mine that died last month). I decided to make an overnight adventure of it, and rented a truck to head south. It was sweet to play tourist for a few hours in someone else's wine country, and the kiln made it back to the studio in good shape! Over the next months I will be working to fold it into my work flow, and hopefully be able to do more creative work (while also increasing production stuff)!
Thank you for opening this email, and getting this far... I'm very grateful for everyone following along on this journey. Feels like there are lots of seeds ready to grow into the unfolding season, and allow TreeBed Design to show up in the world in beautiful new ways. I hope the same for you! With heaps of gratitude, - Micah/TreeBed Design
The first Vallejo Art Walk of 2022 is happening Feb 11th (tonight)! 5pm-9pm
I am excited to open the door again and feel the creative energy bubble up in historic downtown Vallejo. I have lots of vases on hand to give flowers to someone special (including yourself), and a bunch of new magnets! There is even a LOVE BUG magnet! (coming to the website soon)
I had a crazy past few weeks, and feel a little behind on coming up with a community collaboration for tonight... but we'll see what happens.
Hope to see you out tonight, or any of the 2nd Fridays the rest of the year!
We have come through the Winter Solstice, and have made the very first steps towards the returning light. This particular solstice feels potent for me. As the dust settles from my holiday push... I am sinking into what feels like a more natural rhythm for this time of year: slow, dark, pulling in the warmth I can find, and looking back at the past year. How did this (ever faster) unfolding year fit into the larger arc of my life, and the growth of TreeBed Design? It was a big year for TBD, and there is much to celebrate in recounting what has been accomplished!
2021 began with Covid surging (again), and this felt especially hard after getting a taste of things starting to re-open up in the fall of 2020. My body processed this return to isolation with a great deal of heaviness and anxiety. I realized I would need to make some changes in order to dig out of the darkness I was slipping into. So I asked for help. This was the first big move of 2021 (not something I am always very good at). I checked in with my doctor (I thought my heart was failing, before I realized anxiety was getting the best of me), who pointed me towards different support options for my health. I share this mostly to normalize asking for help (the more I remind myself the better), and to maybe encourage anyone reading this who is struggling to reach out as well. Soon after taking this step I had the thought, "what if I had help with TBD... what could I accomplish?" That very day I saw an Instagram post by Camila (someone I started following by way of coffee connections) talking about the virtual assistance work she does... so I reached out! Camila was sharing on IG in a way that resonated with me, and I instantly felt supported in moving TBD forward. Check out her website, art, and the Pause Project (so awesome)!
With Camila's support, I began creating many new aspects of tending an ecology for TreeBed Design to grow from. There was a consistent social media strategy... sharing my story, process, and products. The first TBD newsletter went out in the Summer. I opened my doors for the return of the Vallejo Art Walk (as well began volunteering to run their IG account), and I did my first intentional holiday release!
The first full year of returning to self employment was no easy road, but 2021 was the most productive TBD year yet! I made more pieces this year than ever before, and all of that in spite of supply chain problems that created major headaches to production. Along with hundreds of plates, bowls, growlers, mugs, tumblers etc... I tackled a new skill: mural making! In August I got to translate the 90 year old blue prints of a boat built on Mare Island into a giant wall mural for the new Mare Island Brewing Co. Whaleboat Room (click for a video of the making).
So on this winter solstice... I slow down, and go inward to reflect on how the journey of the past year has fit into my longer story. I can see reminders that my asking for help... is helpful. I can feel the support of that help, and celebrate new structures in place to make moving forward easier. I can honor the struggle and resistance that I had to move through in order to make those things happen. A big part of 2021 was just the simple act of starting. Afterthe trauma of the fire (or pandemic, or loss, etc) it can feel incredibly hard to start (or re-start) anything, and I spent much of the year wobbling between survival mode (patterns long engrained)... and choosing the sturdiness of success (which is still an evolving definition). I am so grateful for all of YOU who have been a part of this process, and the support I have felt while I wobble. I am not totally sure what 2022 will be for TBD. There is a lot in flux, but it feels like in 2021 I gave myself a foundation to grow into something beautiful!
I tried something different this year. I have attempted several times in the past to put together an intentional release of items for the holidays. However, I was always working other jobs, and became too busy to pull it off. This year I knew I need to make it happen, and even then... I still almost made myself too busy to pull it off! Except... I did it!
The holiday newsletter was sent out, and gave exclusive access to the limited release of items. If you were one of those people that received it... Thank you for choosing to sign up, and for following along my journey! It has been quite a year of new ways that TreeBed Design is showing up in the world, and it hasn't always been easy (the last few days of getting this all put together were certainly a challenge). However, getting the holiday release out into the world reminds me that I am making progress. If you didn't receive the newsletter with exclusive access... I invite you to sign up (next one comes out in Dec, and only happens a few times through out the year)!
I hope you enjoy the new items, and keep an eye out for a few more to be added as the next month unfolds. I hope your holidays are beautiful in big and small ways!
Fall has arrived, and so has the 2nd edition of the TreeBed Design Newsletter! I am excited to share a bit about the summer… where I am at now… as well as a look ahead!
I was reading an article this morning that captured what I felt over much of this summer… “Why You Feel So Tired All the Time?” The core idea in the article, that many of us have replaced “excitement” with “anxiety,” resonated in a big way. The summer is usually filled with vacations, gatherings with friends/family, and fun things to look forward to! However, this was another summer where all of those things still needed to be measured for risk, and uncertainty. It is exhausting!
I felt this low level exhaustion trying to navigate increased orders (hooray!), supply chain issues (“it's going to be HOW LONG till I get that glaze?”), and the ever shifting landscape of our current world.
It has been an intense learning curve to be once again working for myself, and understanding HOW to do that in an authentic, healthy, sustainable way. Usually the lesson starts with the words, “SLOW DOWN… good, now SLOW DOWN a bit more”. I know this is not the intuitive answer for our ever faster world (especially when it comes to work/business). However, I have to keep reminding myself I am not trying to create what IS. I am trying to create what I WANT. Which means asking myself, “what do I want?” So when I don’t see a million Instagram follows or likes… I remember I actually desire an authentic community that is invested in what I am doing (Small is Beautiful). When my work flow feels messy and awkward… I remind myself that my creative outlets are crafts that I am learning on a life long path (I am growing). I keep asking… where do my desires draw me, and where is the joy and delight that can be found in what I am doing at the moment (even when I am cleaning buckets)?
Another helpful tool in finding a new rhythm this summer has been the telling of the #TBDstory (through my IG/Facebook/Twitter). It has been insightful to look back at what I have done in the past, and gain better clarity to where I am now. The past few weeks especially have been about letting go of the (sometimes harsh) stories I had been holding about myself, and embracing the beauty of what I did accomplish/learn/etc. During these challenging times, it has been helpful to look back at how my 20 year old self handled some really tough times, and appreciate all the tools and support that I now have to navigate in even better ways. I hope my 60 year old self gets to look back at this newsletter and do the same!
Process:
Whew! It was a whirlwind of a summer for TreeBed Design, and as places opened up… they wanted ceramics! There was lots of production happening over the past few months, as well as some design/R&D/collaboration. It is a lot to juggle for one person! Beyond the actual making of plates, bowls, growlers, vases, mugs, tumblers, etc… I was working on my infrastructure. Summer saw the return of the Vallejo Art Walk (every 2nd Friday), and I even did my first pop up event! This meant that my Vallejo live/work space needed to be ready for people to visit (which was my original idea for the space). I’ve been having fun organizing and sprucing things up to invite people in for the Artwalk, and dream into what comes next for the space (keep reading for news about Studio Visits)!
TreeBed Design has always been about creating bridges between worlds, and one of those bridges is between old and new technologies. I invested in a 3D printer this summer so that I could learn about this new avenue of creation… as well as add adaptability and independence to some of my current work flow. I am still in the learning stages of this new tool, but soon I hope to add a whole new level of creative capabilities to what TBD offers (custom branding, making my own stamps/tools/etc, and more)!
I also tackled a new version of an old skill (drawing/painting) this summer… a giant mural! The folks at Mare Island Brewing Co. asked if I could help with their new event space, by adding the original building plans of a 1934 whaleboat to a 20’ stretch of wall! Murals have long been something I was curious about doing more of, and here was my chance to dive in. I had some nervous days planning, and working through how to execute such a job (I really had no idea how it would work until I started in). However, I got in a groove once I made the first mark on the wall, and ended up being quite happy with the results! Check out this video of the process, and if you have a mural idea for your space… get in touch!
Product:
At some point this summer I realized that most everything I have made up to this point has really been R&D. I suppose this is always true to some degree, but in the early stages of learning a new craft (of which production ceramics still feels like) everything made adds new understanding. Now that I am working on TreeBed Design full time, and building the business side of being an artist… it is time to refine and settle into a bit more structure (not always my favorite ;)
In the coming months I will begin to roll out a more streamlined version of products on the website and introduce new custom pieces. It is my hope to have a mix of affordable ceramics that are easily replicated, and on hand… as well as fold in other unique offerings that are made to order in a wider spectrum. This will allow some customization of color, or surface treatments. The long term goal is to have a “community” of offerings that all feel connected, but also allow for creative collaboration!
There will be an extra newsletter edition coming in between the Fall and Winter, to highlight holiday gift giving possibilities. So look for that in Oct/Nov.
In the meantime… I am opening up my Vallejo space to Studio Visits, and I would like you to help me test the systems for that! I just set up the capability on my website to make the appointments, but it is not fully on display yet. However, this link will get you there, and you can help me with the soft opening of my studio/showroom! My goal is to create a comfortable space to visit, check out what I am working on (and how I do it), browse what is in stock (my work is meant for you to pick up with your hands), maybe have a coffee/tea to sip on, and get access to special pieces that don’t make it on the website! Come visit me soon, and keep an eye out for special offerings.
As I mentioned above, much of my work up to this point has felt like R&D. I have learned so much in the last few years about the pieces that I have been making, and so grateful that I have been able to test those pieces out in some of the best restaurants, wineries and breweries in the world (how lucky am I)! It is time to clear out what I have on hand to make room for what is coming down the line, and I want you to help! Use the discount code: (sign up for the newsletter for this part ;) on the website to receive 30% off ANYTHING in stock on the website!!! This code will work until October 22. If you know someone who might like my work… please share this newsletter and access to the code (help me grow the small and beautiful community I hope for :)
Thank you again for being on this journey with me. There are so many amazing things happening, and more to share as they unfold: new collaborations, new products, new recordings, hopefully a new studio space (does anyone have a lead on a vallejo/napa warehouse space?), and most importantly… new ways of caring for myself, and my community as TreeBed Design moves forward! Hope to see you soon, and please take care.
Mare Island Brewing Co. is deeply rooted in the story of TreeBed Design, and I am happy to call them friends... as well as instigators of new creative challenges!
In 2015 I was almost ready to let go of my ceramic studio equipment, because my energy was going towards coffee (and some music things). Ryan (co-founder at MIBC) saw some of the tumblers that I made and asked if I could make ceramic growlers. I said, "I have never thought about such a thing... I'll try!"
It took me quite some time to figure it all out, but I did... and the growlers were a hit! This also opened the door to me learning about making production ceramics, and chefs asking for different items for restaurants/wineries/etc!
Fast forward a few years and Kent (other MIBC founder) asked if I could help with their new Whale Boat Room event space by transferring the original building plans for a whale boat built on Mare Island in 1934... up onto the BIG wall of the new space! The actual boat has been donated to them and will be disassembled to be used in the buildout of the room!
I had never tackled such a large mural project and was not sure exactly how to go about it... However, once again MIBC was willing to trust and support my artistic abilities to make it happen! So grateful for folks who are not only preserving stories, but also supporting artists to create new ones.
The week I moved back to Vallejo (March 2020) happened to be the second Friday of the month, and so there was an Art Walk! I was so excited to wander downtown Vallejo and see the changes that had been going on in the years I had been gone. I had set up numerous times for previous art walks in Vallejo over the years (including the first versions long ago), and was looking forward to being downtown to participate from my own studio! Then a few days later the whole world change, and everything shut down for COVID!
Tonight the art walk returns for the first time since that shut down, and I am so excited to open my doors to people! So if you are close enough to Vallejo to come say hello... Please do!
Downtown will be buzzing from 5-9pm, and you can put it on your calendar for every 2nd Friday of the month!
