Today we’d like to introduce you to Maek Ceramics.
Maek, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Maek Ceramics was the result of a university pottery class, when Michaela and I (Ryan) sat next to each other. That semester a few of my friends started OB Beans and reached out to me to make the wares for their new cafe, and I got in way over my head. Thats when Michaela saved my ass for the first time in a long line of ass-saving that continues to this day. We had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into.
The next year, a few dates and a lot of premarital commitment later, Maek started in the foothills of Clayton, CA. Our Clayton studio space was part of an old barn we shared with Michaela’s father who is a carpenter, which directly correlated to the amount of classic rock we listened to. While there, we had the chance to really narrow down our aesthetic and spend lots of hours refining our approach to pottery.
In the spring of 2019, immediately after getting married, Maek moved to its first brick and mortar retail shop and studio in here in San Diego, we opened our pink door to the public in June of 2019 after building out our studio. The store and studio are intentionally located in the same room to be a reminder us to lead with the process, and that ceramic process has been such an important guide for us. Clay has a way of calmly and quietly reprimanding when you force things, or come with too much confidence. It’s a long-wrought tradition yet there are so many ways to experiment and improvise. At this point, it’s safe to say we are both so grateful to be potters in the year 2021.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have definitely had our problems. Practically speaking, as a craftsperson, there is a beautiful relationship between tragedy and triumph, and often there is a healthy mix of both in the making process. For example: we have, on multiple occasions, lost entire kiln loads–days or weeks of work become unproductive, worthless even, but that’s also what informs the way we enter the studio and how we value our time, tools, and wares.
When you grow to expect problems in the work, though, it makes it a bit less trying when problems arise outside of the studio. It’s taken us two years to open our community space, Maek Friends. We had some real heartbreaks along the way, and it’s been one of those experiences where we really had to channel our “studio stamina” and lean on the folks in our lives who remind us that life is more than achieving. Usually a shared meal or a new truth to chew on is the perfect odd pairing with a bad day at work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a pottery, we have almost infinite inspiration to pull from. Ceramics has been around as long as homo sapiens, maybe even longer, depending on who you ask. So there’s really no “proper” way to go about it. I try and approach my craft with candidness, “What will this thing be used for?” “How much time should be spent for the price tag I think is fair?” “Is this a way this clay wants to bend?”
Oftentimes people call the things we make “art” but I think that’s a little too mysterious for my taste. It’s a cup, or a plate, maybe its beautiful, but the meaning shouldn’t be diluted. I do think its a net-negative that our cycle of consumption distances people from the origins of their belongings, and I love watching people connect some of those dots when they come into the shop. So, there is a way to frame what we do as a studio as “art,” but I think it has to stay on that macro level. After all, the whole reason I wanted to make pots for people was to have a way to say a beautiful life can be accessible, without having to actually “say” much at all.
Any big plans?
We are making a major change after this Holiday Season and closing our retail space. We are taking a step back from production both to spend more time at Maek Friends and to refocus our work and make the things we haven’t had time to make in the last couple years for one reason or another.
But in our last production push we have taken a more personal approach, making products that we would want to put in our own home. We’ve come up with some pieces that are a bit more fun and experimental. Come check them out!
Contact Info:
- Website: MaekCeramics.com
- Instagram: @maekceramics
