TreeBed Design

Welcome Back

Whoa… it has been awhile since I have sent one of these! The Fall/Winter was pretty crazy for me, and no matter how much I thought about writing a newsletter… it just never happened. I am happy to be sharing a bit of that story, and what is new with TreeBed Design!

NEW STUDIO!
I’ll get right to the big news, and the main reason that no newsletter showed up during the Fall/Winter… I finally have a new studio in Vallejo! There was a year or more of back and forth about whether my space in Napa (where my kilns were) was going to continue, and in early fall it looked like I could stay. However, the landlord changed their mind, and suddenly (right before the holiday push) we had to be out of the warehouse by the end of the year!

This was obviously jarring, and the scramble to find a new space kicked into high gear. My spot in Napa had come about after loosing everything (except some ceramic equipment) in the 2017 fires… a coffee customer of mine graciously offered me a storage spot for my kiln, and then hooked it up so I could fire… and then carved out space for me to work! It was so helpful, and I will always be grateful for that foothold to get ceramics moving forward while I recovered after the fire (which all took way longer than I ever expected).

The whole past year had been filled with little events that seemed to be wrapping up loose ends from my 5 year journey dealing with the fire. In that context, moving the studio into my own space felt like another step in that process. This did not make it any less disruptive though, and it was very difficult to find a new spot… which resulted in all my equipment living in storage for two months (and VERY little work being done).

Micah organizing the storage unit after moving the studio

Then… after looking at lots of spaces that I could maybe “make” work… I got the chance to land in a space that I actually WANTED to make work! So now I'm settling into a space filled with light and possibilities! I am making the focus of this year, a deep dive into how I want to move through the world now that I am no longer in recovery (survival) mode. What is the work I want to make, the space I want to hold, the service I want to be in? I hope to share more about the answers to these questions as I work through them this year.

I am hoping to polish the new studio space off enough to have an open studio soon, and invite YOU to come see the space! Keep an eye out for that…

Micah sitting in the sunny window light of his new studio in Vallejo

THIS WEEK! Spring is here, and we FINALLY have the weather to prove it… just in time for the April Vallejo Art Walk (https://vallejoartwalk.org) . Join me in our historic downtown Vallejo for art, music, makers, food and community 5-9pm! My neighbor The Joint is opening back up after their own experience of fire, and it is going to be better than ever! On Saturday I will be at the artist’s reception for the CLAY invitational out at Mare Island Art Studios. I’m honored to be showing some work along a bunch of talented ceramic artists. The intention of the show was to bring together ceramic artists from the area, and allow both artist interaction… as well as a chance to show off the diversity of clay work! The show is open every Sunday this month from 12-4pm, and this Saturday April 15th for the reception (small bites and wine/beer) from 12-5pm. CLASSES & COLLABORATION With the new studio, comes the new possibility of finally folding in some classes and new offerings! I’m still in the process of designing these ideas, and refining it down to something that feels sustainable. I also want it to be something that fits the needs of this community. So if you would be willing to fill out the survey below (link)… that would be SO helpful! There is also space to write in anything you’d like to see from TBD, or ways you might want to collaborate.

TBD CLAY CLASSES QUESTIONNAIRE


Spring is Here (where am I)!?!

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! 

Spring Blossom
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).

Joy Watch Face

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)!

Kiln Trip

Kiln Number 2

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

Things have been a little quiet on the site for the last few weeks of winter, but there has been a lot of movement underneath that silence. The light is getting brighter with each spark of new energy and SPRING!

I was nudged to write a poem last week, and it proved to be a sweet little spark of a song... that has come to be a bit of a meditation for me on the last few years. It feels like I am beginning to come out of a darkness that has needed a LOT of little sparks to return to the light, and I'm grateful for all of those who have been "sparks" along the way!

There are lots of things churning behind the scenes right now... I hope you stay tuned (subscribe/follow/etc) as things begin to fly!

It has been a while since I have posted any news (or done much of anything with my online presence), but things are changing... I have been extremely busy the past few years finding my footing after the wild fires of 2017. At the beginning of March I finally landed in a place that felt like it might be the stability I was seeking, and it also felt like a homecoming of sorts back in Vallejo! And then everything changed...

Our new reality with the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown things right back into uncertainty for me and most everyone else in the world. However, I am grateful to have a stable place to be, and a space that I can continue to create. I am taking this slowed down time... to rest, resource, and re-evaluate what TreeBed Design means in this new time

In the meantime... I will be cleaning out some old stuff from the website, and beginning to add some new things. There is no great announcement or unveiling to be done, but simply me calling in what is important. So, I share with you a song I wrote some time ago, and recorded for my Kitchen Sink Concert series. May the work I've done over the past few years (and beyond) to find a new way of being... allow what I am doing in this next chapter to be of service to the health and happiness that is possible in this new world.

Yes... it has been a while. The past year has been a doozy! About this time last year I was trying my best to hold onto my home/studio in Vallejo (of 14 years), and when that didn't work out... I found a beautiful spot to land in rural Napa on Mt. Veeder. I was nearly unpacked/organized, and ready to start building out a new studio (I had just done my first firing of my ceramic kiln)... when the devastating wild fires swept through and took nearly everything. I lost a great deal of my work, tools, instruments, etc (along with all my household belongings). Whew!

Damaged Ceramics Work

Which brings me to why I am so excited to be participating in Napa Makes tomorrow! I finally started making work a few weeks ago, and I get to share that work with people in a beautiful setting... while serving Ritual Coffee! I'm feeling so grateful that my time in this community is yielding such strong support for all of the things that I love to do. 

If you are in the area... please come and check out all of the amazing vendors (10am-4pm at the Oxbow School in Napa)! If you are far away... please keep an eye out for signs of life at TreeBed Design!!! 

It is once again Spring time, and that means I have been busy! The rythm of the seasons always seems to guide my creativity and work flow. The Winter time is often when I hunker down and get work done. I enjoy my solitude during this time, and do my best to balance work with rest (recharge). This Winter has been dedicated to my music, and finishing off my home recorded CD (Bag of Simple). It has been a long journey to finish this CD... learning, tinkering, progressing for 10 years! Bag of Simple will be an album collecting a selection of my first attempts to tell my story through songs. I am excited to share this project with you, and also to refresh this shop (which I have been working on as well)!