Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Federika Cariati. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Federika, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
After living abroad in Mexico for over a year, I returned to Arizona at the end of a work contract. I had been feeling the call to pursue ceramics more seriously but was grappling with daunting limiting beliefs, particularly imposter syndrome and fear of failure.
In a stroke of luck, during a short trip to California, I met a man who was giving away his ceramics equipment, having decided to part ways with the craft. This, coupled with a kiln gifted to me by an acquaintance a few months earlier, seemed like a sign to wholeheartedly pursue my dream of working with clay.
Over the next few months, I honed my skills, setting up a makeshift studio in my parents’ backyard. Eager to expand beyond local studios, I decided to create a website showcasing my work and reached out to ceramic artists worldwide in search of a residency or apprenticeship.
Earlier that year, I had come across an article in a magazine about an artist living on the island of Tinos, Greece. I liked her work, and the photos of Greece were alluring. So, I reached out to her via Instagram and it was decided that I would make my way to Tinos. In exchange for 5 hours in her studio per day, I would receive housing and money for groceries. All of my imposter stories played on repeat. I found relief in the fact that she had seen my work and knew I was still learning.
Very shortly after arriving in Tinos, things began to feel rocky. The artist was torn in multiple directions with some significant and heavy elements unfolding in her personal life. She was desperate for help but frustrated about taking the time to be with me in the studio.I was supposed to be on Tinos for three months. By the third week, it was decided that I was not a fit for the position.
I was heartbroken. I felt as though the experience hadn’t built up my confidence like I hoped it would. Instead, it felt like tangible evidence to support that I was indeed an imposter.
I stayed with a friend in Berlin for a couple of weeks, wandering the city and contemplating my choices. I questioned if I had made a mistake by following my heart to Tinos. I ended up solo backpacking through central and western Germany, taking trains and buses to rural national parks and staying in off-grid cabins, finding solace in nature.
What became evident was that my desire to pursue art, to work with clay, wasn’t going anywhere. The rejection I experienced only fueled my fire. I decided to alchemize the heartbreak into a fierce sense of self-belief. Upon returning to the US, I took a bold step, using my savings to convert a garden shed into a ceramics studio. Embracing solitude in the mountains and a simpler way of living, I immersed myself in the craft, committed to practicing, learning, experimenting, and expressing myself independently.
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 am a ceramic artist, clay workshop facilitator, and storyteller based in Northern Arizona. My artistic journey, rooted in self-discovery and healing, has evolved into a unique blend of ceramics and mindfulness practices.
Growing up, I never showed signs of being an artist and allowed that to mean that art wasn’t for me. I suppressed any desire or interest in art and aimed to fulfill society’s more conventional definition of success. I also had my struggles with mental health, facing challenges like clinical depression and anxiety linked to feelings of low self esteem and difficult memories from my childhood.
As I made my way into adulthood, I had failed to meet almost all of the expectations for what I thought a successful life should look like. This failure paradoxically liberated me from meeting the standards altogether. It was around this time in my life when I first started taking pottery classes, found my passion for ceramic art and decided to make my physical and mental health a priority.
Over time, I was able to gather the resources to create my home ceramics studio. Today, this is where I craft one-of-a-kind clay pieces using wheel throwing, hand building, and sculpting techniques. Inspired by spiritual experiences and a profound connection with nature, each creation tells a story of healing and self-exploration.
As a certified yoga teacher and meditation practitioner with training in non-clinical art therapy and trauma-informed facilitation, I’ve cultivated a deep connection between clay and personal growth.
By embracing solitude while living in the mountains, I dove more deeply into my connection with clay. I began to think of clay as a teacher that has helped me access felt sensations in my body and explore the stories I have told myself about who I am.
From this very intimate discovery period, I have found that art, mindfulness, and spirituality all merge together organically and results in an immersive experience that fosters personal growth and well-being.
To offer this experience to others, I’ve introduced somatic clay workshops. Participants, drawn to a journey of self-discovery, experience the healing magic of clay through my guided sessions.
On my Instagram, I use storytelling as a way to share about my own personal experiences while connecting with clay as I make my pieces, snippets I like to think of as clay musings.
Looking ahead, I’d like to explore the craft of clay through artist residencies and collaborations with other creators.
I’m planning to offer the somatic clay workshop to more communities or retreat settings in the near future.
If my story resonates, please consider following me on instagram and explore my website www.mudmuseceramics.com.
Thank you for joining me on this unique artistic and healing journey.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My personal goal is to remove any obstacles hindering my complete and authentic self-expression. By taking down the barriers between my truest self and my creative output, I hope to allow for a more free-flowing channel to exist.
My mission is to provide safe spaces for individuals to engage with clay, offering them an opportunity to experience profound self-exploration. Through this exploration, I hope to support people in accessing deeper layers of self-understanding, ultimately leading to self-compassion and love.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
To be able to take an idea or an emotion, a memory, a frustration ~ anything that feels alive within me ~ and allow it to exist in the physical through art and creativity, is endlessly satisfying. I love articulating something intangible and allowing it the opportunity to take up physical space so that I might be able to see and understand it more fully and so that others might be able to interact with it, witness it, acknowledge it. It allows for some seemingly invisible part of myself to be seen by others, which I think so many times leads to possibilities for connection and healing for everyone involved.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mudmuseceramics.com
- Instagram: @mudmuse
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/federikaacariati
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Karina Mirav