Welcome to the (end of) Fall TBD Seasonal Newsletter 2024
We have had lots of new folks stopping by the showroom, and added many new names to the newsletter. Thank you for being part of our community! Whether you’re our next door neighbors in Vallejo, or half way across the world… we are grateful for you joining us!
This newsletter will highlight a bit of what TreeBed Design has been up to, take a look at all the holiday additions (there is still time to find a beautiful gift), and look towards the new year!
New Compliments & Collaborations!
This past year has largely been about building momentum in the downtown showroom space, and trying to keep the door open (hopefully more and more) to make it sustainable! We have folded in workshops, collaboration events, and even a coffee speakeasy (shhh... don't tell too many people)!
In order to have more reasons to stop by and support all the different things we are doing… I’ve been finding other sweet products to compliment the ceramics. Some of these items I use for projects, and others have a story that resonates with me. We have table linens from Guatemala made from denim remnants (and waste water that goes to coffee farms), bags of coffee from farms in Honduras that I have visited, locally made coffee soap, whimsical beeswax candles from California, and more!
I’m hoping to blend the showroom and online shop to be a curated bounty of beautiful gifts for all your special occasions… as well as a fun space to be inspired by the products you might use everyday!
Shop today and we can still get it in the mail ASAP to give the best chance of arriving in time!
Classes & Workshops!
Kristin and I have been busy this past year playing with a mix of different classes and workshops. From kids classes at the local library, taking Open Clay Table to our friends at the senior housing down the block, Monday Night Mug workshops, and some of our first one on one classes/creative coaching! The goal has been to find our lane for being creative while supporting others to do so as well! Thank you to everyone who has joined us, and we hope to see more of you in the new year!
I'm excited to introduce a couple of new classes that could make great holiday gifts. One of those offerings is coming up Sunday 12/22... Coffee Origins: Honduras. I will be talking about my opportunity to visit coffee farms in Honduras in 2014, and I will brew you coffee from those farms offered by Ritual Coffee. There will also be a fun Intro to Coffee Class in the new year, or schedule a personal class to learn what ever coffee skills you are looking to know more about!
Are you making ceramics at home and need a place to fire your work… we can help! Check out our kiln firing service form on the website, and see if we can finish off that creation of yours!
The Fall/Winter collaboration mugs are back in stock! These are a limited run... so get them while you can!
And check out all the new items up on the website and in the Showroom!
Reflection
The end of the years lends itself to lots of reflecting, and I'll be honest... this year has been pretty tough as a creative/small business owner. Nobody said this path would be easy, but geeeesh! I said earlier in the year that I was going to "go all out" to try and make things work... I wanted to make sure I was DOING the things I was dreaming up, and not just waiting on the sidelines for "perfection" to arrive. I feel like Kristin and I have been working really hard to try lots of things to keep all of our creative and community efforts moving forward! I am really proud of that... and REALLY tired. The new year will bring some evaluation of all that hard work. Time to look at what things still feel alive and what parts may need to be let go of... However, I am grateful for all of the connections we made in our community (near and far). My hope is that whatever direction things take, we continue to deepen our roots in all the parts of our work that feel nourishing to ourselves and the communities we are a part of. With heaps of gratitude, - Micah/TreeBed Design
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!
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.
Last Summer I put together a Kickstarter project to complete several projects, and leverage that change in the best way possible for my life. One of the big pieces of the project was to finish a home recording of my own music and print a CD. I am happy to say that after a long journey, lots of learning, growing and support from beautiful people... it is done. I am happy to be sharing my Bag of Simple CD with you.
I am recording under the name MedicineBow... I hope you check it out, and follow along as I dig into this new outlet for creativity.