We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adriana Lemus a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Adriana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I’ve been earning a living from being a ceramic artist for the past 3 years. At the beginning of the pandemic the wine bar I was working for, went out of business and I started doing ceramics full time. This was a blessing in disguise. Because of Covid, everything was shut down and most people were are home.

Someone reached out to me for private throwing lessons and I’ve been teaching ever since. In addition to private lessons at my at home studio, I was doing a lot of outdoor pottery workshops at local wineries and breweries. I also, took on several custom orders for hotels and restaurants.

Over the past 3 years, the economy has changed, and so has the type of work I do. In the past, the majority of my income was teaching larger hand building workshops within the community.
This year, I’ve been teaching more private lessons than ever before and making work to sell at hotels.

Like every business, there are good months and slow months. I’ve been learning to better predict the slower months and how to save. I wish I would have realized this last year or the year before but that’s all part of the learning experience! I’ve grown so much over the past 3 years as a business owner and as an artist.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a full time ceramic artist and instructor based out of San Luis Obispo, CA. I was born in San Luis Obispo and raised by artistic parents. My father’s work has been a huge inspiration for my own work. I graduated May of 2015 with a B.A. at the University of California, Berkeley and have shown my work in San Luis Obispo, Oakland, and multiple times at the Worth Ryder Art Gallery at UC Berkeley.

My work ranges from abstract to realistic pieces inspired by and meant to empower the female figure. I work primarily in ceramic sculpture and I’m currently working on a series of ceramic work using underglaze and glaze to paint figures inspired by “selfies” taken by friends and collectors of my work. My passion and drive is to understand the connection and effect of my art on the soul of the observer.

In 2020, I introduced Black Lives Matter inspired pieces to promote awareness around issues that began resurfacing. Along with empowering the female figure, I hand sculpt porcelain earrings with the women empowerment symbol painted on the surface. A percentage of profits from both BLM pottery and women’s rights pottery is donated to several organizations. The display of this ceramic work has become a powerful catalyst for conversation and interaction.

The functional and non-functional ceramic vessels I create are made to connect with the soul. This is done through the tactile touch sense or contact with the beauty of sculptured relief of the human form, texture, design, and color. Some pieces are wheel thrown and others are made by coil building and slab construction. I’ve found myself going back to the basics of what I learned in my first ceramics class at age 15. Hand-building forces me to slow down and plan my next move with the clay.

After 16 years of making pottery, I’ve still never been bored of working with clay. The clay itself can become an inspiration. My vision with my work is that every woman will come to appreciate and love her body. I hope that we move away from an unrealistic media ideal of women’s bodies and move toward embracing the body that we have been blessed with.

Currently, I’m growing my ceramic business, offering workshops at different venues up and down the Central Coast, teaching weekly private lessons in my backyard studio, and creating custom work for local hotels and businesses. Running my own business AND being an artist isn’t easy. However, I continue to have the drive to be a successful artist and I’ve been tremendously supported by family, friends, and other artists. The support from people in the community and buyers of my work keeps me going. It helps me to continue to have confidence in myself and truly believe I’m doing what I’m meant to do.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

When people see my work, I love observing their reaction. The reaction can be one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist. As an artist, I’m constantly second guessing myself. I’ve had to learn to trust myself and trust that my hands know what they are doing.

With the process of ceramics, there are many opportunities for something to go wrong. When I open the kiln after a glaze firing and the work comes out like I wanted or even better, it can be hugely rewarding. It means that all of the trial and error has paid off and I have a work of art.

I’ve been teaching workshops since 2017 and private one-on-one lessons since 2020. Being able to share my love for ceramics to large groups of people and to people individually has truly humbled me. It forces me to put into words the process of ceramics and the art of throwing. Students tell me all the time that I must be a really patient person, and I am, however I realized I need to be patient with myself as well. I’m exactly where I need to be. Teaching has made me a better artist.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Support can be big or small. For me, when my friends and followers on Instagram comment on the work I post, it feels supportive and helps lead me in certain directions. Words can go a long way. The community can also continue to buy from local artists and creatives. Referring others to my business is also very helpful!

I also recommend that people always ask questions. Ask if we’ll do the custom orders, the private lessons, or if we sell our work online or stores. Custom orders have pushed me in directions I never thought I’d go and I’m grateful for that.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.adriananicolelemus.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriana.lemus.ceramics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianalemusceramics/

Image Credits
Alexandra Wallace Dylan Grant Emily DesJardins