It was Fall when I started this newsletter…
I started writing this newsletter during that zone where the "retail" world skips right into the winter holiday vibes... it is still very much Fall in November, and every year I try to do my best to soak up the last bits of my favorite season. I’d like to say that is why it took me so long to finish this newsletter (off soaking up Autumn bliss). However, I too got sucked into the vortex of holiday hustle. I’m grateful that business picked up after some slow months, and that life has been busy with many rich moments. I’m also excited for this solstice transition… pausing in these darkest days. The dust of working late in the studio are beginning to settle a bit, and I can look for places to slow down. Sitting to write this newsletter certainly helps me reflect, and I have had a very full autumn to look back on. I also have a beautiful new year to look towards as we cross this threshold and begin moving back towards the light. This newsletter is a bit of both!
The TBD Showroom... is finally a SHOWROOM!
On the first day of Fall several of my dreams came to fruition! When I moved back to Vallejo (from bouncing around for several years after the 2017 fires in Napa) it was with the idea of having my own showroom type space downtown... a place to show what I was working on, collaborate with talented people to host fun events, add energy to the new life growing in downtown Vallejo. The pandemic shut things down one week after I moved in, and all of those ideas were put on a long pause.
When I found my new Vallejo studio space at the beginning of 2023, I was finally able to move all of my ceramic work space from downtown to the nearby studio... the showroom was ready to be realized! This of course took longer than I anticipated, and I wanted to mark the occasion. My friend Fiorella Butron (and her team at Allikai) reached out to create a collaborative event... the beautiful food they make on my ceramics (and you take the ceramics home)! They crafted a menu of delicious small bites to be served on a fresh batch of lively colored autumn toned plates (and tumblers). I asked Melanie Teixeira (of Village Vallejo) to help craft beverages to meet the moment and she curated just the right fit for the season!
It felt so sweet to have many of my new Vallejo (and beyond) community fill the space with conversation, curiosity, and connection. I was even able to share some of my own music (another dream for the space... hopefully more live music coming soon)! At the end of the night, each guest had their plate and tumbler wrapped up and sent home with them. I felt so full of gratitude for everyone who attended, and those who collaborated to make the evening happen. I look forward to more unique events like this in the TBD Showroom!
Classes Begin
Since I opened my door downtown for the first return of the Vallejo Art Walk... people have been asking about CLASSES! It has almost became comical, as we now predict that moment of, “do you do classes?”. What an amazing thing that so many people are looking to learn, try, explore or expand getting their hands in clay!
Kristin and I both had interest in bringing more community into our own ceramics, but wanted to be mindful in how we moved into teaching others. On top of that, this year has been a lot of work settling in (and setting up) the new studio space. So the move towards actually starting classes was slow.
We started with Open Clay Table. First as a part of Art Walk, and now with weekend dates available... it has been such a sweet way to get more hands in clay, and meet folks interested in other offerings. The idea is simply to set a table with intention... hand someone a ball of clay, and let them play. We offer some guidance, but it is more about welcoming all parts of them to the table to connect with clay/creativity/community. We then take what ever the person creates and fire (with glaze) the result. Beautiful!
In October Kristin kicked off our first Kids clay class offering with a 4 week journey that introduced the kids to skills like hand building, wheel throwing, Sgrafitto and more. It was truly a joy to have kiddo energy charging up the studio with chatter, laughter and excitement that comes so naturally to kids (and is such a good teacher for us adults).
Need a place to fire ceramics you’ve made… we can help! Check out our new kiln firing service form on the website, and see if we can help you finish off that creation of yours!
More offerings and opportunities are on the way in 2024... stay tuned!
There are lots of new folks getting this newsletter, and I am so grateful for all of you who are weaving into this community (near and far)! It becomes more apparent each day how necessary it is to be creating in community... I am certainly a person who enjoys my solitude when needed, but without all of you it just becomes "work" I am doing. It is my hope to be engaging in this creative reciprocity with you with my fullness of "being" (how I am BEING in this life)... Inspiration flowing between us, back and forth! Getting to share my thoughts with you through this newsletter is one of the ways I gain more clarity and focus on how to do that. Thank you for reading!
With heaps of gratitude, - Micah/TreeBed Design
