Lalese Stamps
So how did you get into ceramics?
I got into ceramics by taking a class at Columbus Cultural Arts Center...
I was taking a weaving class. I took two [weaving] classes. One of my friends was taking the ceramics class downstairs.
[Weaving] was all the way at the top floor. My friend was taking [ceramics] downstairs, and I just wanted to take the class with my friend. I'm always interested in trying new things. So I kind of ditched weaving, took the ceramics class. But I ended up doing it and I really liked it. I was still a student at CCAD [Columbus College of Art & Design] and I was planning to study abroad and my advisor was like, "Oh you should sell some of your ceramics. Because you can make money that way." I didn’t feel like I was really good at it, but I also needed to raise money so I tried it.
I ended up practicing so much and I kind of got really good. And then people were buying my ceramics. I didn't intend on selling all the time, but here I am, still selling things. There are times where I'm like, "Do I want to continue doing this?" But it's such a fun opportunity to grow. I can get stifled at times thinking that there are so many other people [doing ceramics] and there's not a lot of different new things to make, but there really are. I think I just put a lot of pressure on myself.
...
I'm trying to center this right now but it's kind of hard because it's a pretty big chunk of clay. Doing the best I can. I don't know if this is going to turn out okay. I'm trying to practice making bigger pieces... I don't know, I don't really care to make bigger things, but it's nice to know how to do it . Let's see if I can... It's got a lot of air bubbles in there, that's why it's acting crazy.
Yeah this is kind of way I started this blog too, was to get better at photography, like trouble shooting in the moment and then also trying to connect with people as I was shooting.
Mm-hmm. I feel like that can be hard.
It's easy to just sit there and take pictures of somebody but to try to engage with them and get decent pictures of them.
Yeah. Focus. I mean, it's kind of a challenge for me too. Usually I'm down here by myself. It's why I like it so much... a nice way to decompress sometimes.
Yeah. Definitely.
I feel like I'm always on the computer at work and always around people...
Yeah so I mentioned earlier how I've been slowly building this studio space down here. I think once I realized that I am going to continue doing this, even if I don't do it as a career, like sell things online, I still like having a wheel and the kiln so if I just want to make things.
Yeah, you still like the release of it.
Yeah…
…
I try to keep a few pieces that I make. Sometimes I don't love it, but I'll try to keep it just to show the growth over time. The mugs are the more popular pieces people like to buy. Some of my friends have really old pieces so it’s fun to see their collections.
So I was saying that I just got the kilns set up. I needed more electricity to run through the house so I convinced my landlord to help me invest in updated electric when my roommate moved out. I told her the only reason I would stay is if I'd have a fully functioning studio. Because if I had to move, I would have had to find a place AND a studio. That seemed like a lot of work at the time. And I’ve made it pretty homey down here...
I didn't really want to pay to update the electricity on my own because I don't know how much longer I'll be here. But I had an electrician come out and give me an estimate and how much it would be. And from there [my landlord] was like, "Okay, $500 isn't so bad to get the whole panel updated." So she did it for me...
So now I'm over the hump of having updated electricity. So I know the kilns work, I just need to test them. They're new to me. I bought them used, so I have to play around with them and see how they work for me, which will be-
Whole other adventure.
Yep. Literally. But it will be so nice to have.
Did you get your wheel and everything secondhand?
Mm-hmm.
This wheel is quiet.
It's so quiet! This one is nice because in the newer ones they don't have this handle, they just have the foot pedal. And sometimes the foot is really hard. [This one has a foot pedal,] but the handle, I've realized, has so much more control. So I hope this bad boy sticks with me for a while.
I just got a clay extruder [secondhand too]. That's helpful with all my mug handles. Making sure they're all pretty consistent.
Sweet.
Yeah. Funny, I finally got a tax person this past year. A CPA to help me organize all my ceramics taxes..
Has that helped?
It has helped, which is funny because I definitely came in a loss last year with investing so much money into the studio, to get all new materials and the kilns I bought last year and the wheel, but it will work itself out eventually. That's what I keep telling myself.
So how has that been? Has that been a trip working with the CPA and understanding how to make a business out of it?
Yeah... When I truly think about it and [making a profit], I'm not making a ton [of ceramics] yet and I'm not selling a ton quite yet either. It's at a stage where it's pretty manageable. I just think the first two years I wasn't being responsible and I didn't really take it seriously. I didn't really consider it to be a business. [Treating ceramics as a business] is a whole new thing that I'm trying to navigate. I'm happy that I'm doing it sooner than later. I'm learning. My CPA is very understanding and helpful, patient with me.
Are you using them as a financial planner too or just-
More to just get my ducks in a row. There's so many different things that I have to pay taxes on, like state tax, city tax, government tax. So even just learning about those different intricacies has been helpful. And this past year, or last year I contracted, so that made [taxes] a little bit trickier for me.
...
I don't really care that much about social media. I'm trying to figure out a good balance because every day I just want to delete Instagram. I swear, I would do it if I didn't have the ceramic business.. I'm just on it way too often. Subconsciously always checking it and I don't love that.
The days when I'm on Instagram a lot, I'm like, “That was a waste of time.” I also go through periods when I'm just not on it at all. And it's like, "Oh yeah...this thing exists..." I don’t miss it all that much when I’m not on it for awhile but I can feel like maybe I'm missing out on something in the world.
I know. Do you like that feeling or do you not like that feeling?
It doesn't bother me all that much. Occasionally I might miss an event I would have gone to but it's usually not all that bad of a feeling.
Yeah. I agree.
...
Awhile ago I had this Instagram story about my process with putting handles on.
Yeah, I love that. That's cool.
Yeah, I want to do more of that. People were really interested in the process. And now that I have this kiln I can do more before and afters. It’s cool to see the evolution.. I think my goal for this year is to get better at social media stuff. And I don't know, maybe come up with a social media plan? I enjoy just doing things on a whim. But [would like to] have a little more structure.
...
So how'd you get the idea to do these fruit bowls?
I think I was just inspired by what I saw online. You know what, actually this is an interesting question, because it’s something I have struggled with lately, creating my own unique pieces.
Yeah?
It's just really challenging, in a world right now where it's so easy to access other people's work or to see what other people are doing. One, it's hard not to be inspired by what other people do. And two, when you do have an idea of your own... I found [very similar baskets] online after I started making these. [Now they’re everywhere.]
I didn't intend on selling these, I just wanted to make some for myself. Then I sold a few. Then I found someone who makes them. They have a whole business based around something similar. They make really big baskets. I'm sure they have a different process and all these things, but I was like, damn! Not that I would want to run with this as a main design, but just kind of a bummer. I also had someone in town who was a friend who makes ceramics. We ended up making really similar things. And honestly it sucks because she was a friend and it felt like that ultimately led to our demise.
Because it felt weird.
It just felt so weird…
It sucks, but it also encourages me to just do something different and branch off into a whole other realm and figure something else out. At the same time, people are going to be inspired by the same things and that’s going to [create work that looks] similar and...
It's not something that you can exactly patent.
Yeah, yeah.
And then if you start patenting stuff then it's not exactly creating a friendly atmosphere.
Yeah, yeah. At the very least though, if I do see someone that has some things similar, I back down a little bit, I don't want to sell something similar. I can figure out different ideas...
That's part of one of my goals for this upcoming year is to just really allow myself to experiment more. I feel like I don't do that enough. I'm constantly trying to fulfill orders.
I just would love to just try new things and turn out what works for me. I have some really fun ideas that I think could be really cool and could lead into something else down the line.
...
I got so comfortable with the wheel that I kind of stopped doing as many handbuilding things and I want to go back to it.
Right, that's your jam.
Yeah.
It's handbuilding.
Yeah, making imperfect pieces. I think I was striving too much for a while, making the most perfect cylinder for a mug or something like that. And that's not what it's about. That's why people like handmade things because it's not perfect.
Yeah, there's the hand in it. You can see the artist's touch.
Yeah.
Since speaking with Lalese, she challenged herself to make 100 mugs in 100 days. Her “100 Day Project” culminated in an intimate gallery show of all 100 mugs. Lalese is working on a coffee table book of her 100 mugs. (Ha! Perfect application, right? Mugs, coffee table book...) Check out the project here.