Summer 2021

Thoughts & words from this past year of craziness

Studio Sontosis Summer 2021

I know that I’ve said this a lot lately, but A WHOLE YEAR has flown by since I last updated my site with new works! I genuinely didn’t realize the time would slip by so fast, but I finally have an amazing collection of works that I feel SUPER proud of to share with you all! If only you knew how much these works mean to me. Yes, they are beautiful, but they also mean so much more to me than what they do or look like. They represent growth, creativity, passion, and the struggle that I went through this past year as a first time minority-owned creative small business owner.
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It’s been a tough year since my last release, I’ve made so many mistakes and have disappointed a few people along the way. I’ve beat myself up a lot for those mistakes, but I realize how powerful the growth is from putting yourself out there knowing that the risk is worth the outcome. ⁣I started Studio Sontosis from NOTHING, I was laid off from a job and decided to just use what I had in my checking account to open a square space site, spend some time growing my work, and just started putting it all out there. It was tough work, both emotionally and physically. I had a lot of break downs thinking if this was going to be worth it, are people going to love my work, or is this a waste of time? I had to remember one big thing that kept me going, I was doing this for me, my growth, and I was doing this for you all. The love and support I’ve gotten from you all gave me the strength to keep going, and I flourish everyday through your loving words, your Instagram likes, your comments, your messages, and especially seeing pictures of you guys using my work!

It is pretty chaotic starting a business from scratch, but also even more chaotic without a plan. I kinda just winged everything, and took everyday one step at a time. It was a rocky road, VERY ROCKY, but I don’t think I would have it any other way. One thing that I am going to say if you’re reading this and wanting to do something, (this is gonna sound cheesy) but really just do it! Don’t wait for that big push, don’t wait for someone to tell you when the right time is, there won’t ever really be a right time. You just gotta go for it, try it out! Cause that is how it starts, it starts because at some point you went for it. Even if it’s hard, or even if it doesn’t work out, the beauty of going for something and doing it, is the self growth of challenging yourself.

Yes there is a lot at stake, and yes there is a lot to think about, but take it easy on yourself. Do it all a few steps at a time. The biggest hurdle is making yourself do it, then after that everything kinda just falls into place. Subscribing to this squarespace site and spending the time to make it my own, and putting my work on here was a huge task for me. I focused on that first and then I just focused on what came next organically. There were so many times this past year I wanted to quit and find a job where I didn’t have to be my own boss. A job that could pay me regularly and I didn’t have to think about it. One thing that got me out of that headspace, was I always need to remind myself that I am accomplishing the impossible, and it’s not going to be sunshine and rainbows at first. It’s going to be a windy road, with some sunny days, and some stormy days. On those stormy days you just got to drive on through and know that at some point the sun is going to shine again.

Stop rushing! One big thing that I learned this past year with growing myself, my business, and my work is that ain’t no body out there making your schedule but you. Yes it is still very important to be productive, but there is healthy productivity, and damaging productivity. Trust me I know, cause I’ve been there! This whole past year I think the biggest reason why I’ve been so absent with sharing my work with you all is because I put so much pressure on myself for trying to be perfect, for trying to get things right, and rushing myself to get things done on a timeline that no body came up with but myself. It’s good to put yourself through some pressure, but when you’re the only person in your life beating you up and putting so much pressure on you, you gotta realize that that is not being productive. You’re spending a lot of time focusing on the negative and not so much on the positive. I’ve spent so many days and even months just sad and mad at myself for not doing what I pressured or planned myself to do. I went into a few weeks of depression just comparing myself to other businesses and telling myself that I’m not where I thought I was going to be. I had to tell myself, “listen buddy, where the hell are you rushing to?”

It took me some time to figure this out, but it’s true!! I was putting so much pressure on myself to be perfect, to be at a certain level before I release new works, to be at “this” point in my career by “this” month. NO! I fell into this trap of blaming myself for things I haven’t done allowing me to not thinking about all the things that I have done! One thing I want you to think about when you look at this new collection, is to be reminded of how much we are doing in our lives, and don’t let the “I could’ve done this” or “I could be doing more” overshadow the fact that we are doing our best. Your accomplishments will always mean more than what you could’ve done. Take care of your body & stop rushing yourselves, cause in the end you will get somewhere, you well get what you wanted to do done. There is no race here, we aren’t trying to catch up with someone else, we aren’t trying to outrun ourselves. We are just out here participating in the race of life at our own pace and on our own terms.

This new collection represents growth, it represents all the times I spent learning from my mistakes, and allowing myself to express and create. This body of work represents triumph. Victory from overcoming obstacles, and challenges you face from putting yourself out there and taking risks. This body of work is more than just a collection of ceramic pieces, it’s a memory, it’s stories, and pieces that visually represent growth and expression. It’s physical pieces that help you remember to care for yourself, realizing how important it is to slow down and see the beauty in things.

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, I will always jump for joy seeing how my works bring you as much joy as they bring me. I create these pieces to soothe my soul, through the process of making them, and through the process of using them. All I want is for you guys to feel the same comfort I feel when I use my work and just handmade works in general! Be reminded how valuable it is to be comfortable with yourself, to love what you love, to be proud of who you are, and realize that how we express ourselves is what makes us unique. Most important of all, just be kind to yourself.

Thank you for being here, and for supporting me and my work.