We recently connected with Gabriela Flores Morales and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriela, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I believe choosing to be a designer and work in the creative field is a risk on its own. When I chose to become a product designer I did so naively, not really knowing what I was getting into. Now almost ten years later, I still don’t know the full extent of my decision. It has been an awesome journey but it has come with many risks.

So far, the biggest risk I’ve taken is pursuing a Master’s Degree at the Royal College of Art in London. I already had an apartment, a studio, a network of connections and I left everything on hold in order to pursue a degree. I still don’t know if this risk is going to have a successful outcome, it has been a very disappointing experience university wise, but I don’t regret taking the risk.

The risk of failure comes along with the possibility of success. I fail more often than I succeed, I choose the wrong material, the wrong manufacturing processes, I make mistakes with the molds. I fail constantly with the risks I take but not taking those risks would make me a very boring designer. I learn through making and taking risks, I’ve become comfortable with failing and getting unexpected outcomes. It is all part of the process; most importantly is part of what makes being a designer such a fun experience.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a product designer; I have worked in manufacturing custom high-end furniture and office furniture. I have worked in design research and material development. At the moment I have a project involving glass recycling that I am very excited to start.

Prieta on the other hand is my work without any clients, briefs or restrictions. Prieta for me has been an outlet to explore doing with my own hands and transforming materials with my own means. I’ve been learning and failing along the way; I just try to have fun and enjoy the process. With Prieta I create ceramic pieces. I’ve done side tables, small mirror vanities, intimate sets and mostly vases. I like to experiment with the material and the places it can inhabit.
As a product designer, having worked in industrial manufacturing facilities I had the background knowledge of trying to simplify a production process, minimize waste and optimize time. Also being interested in craftsmanship and learning from my university tutors and mentors the value of craft. Specially in ceramics, which is for me is a very intimate process, I get to transform a material with my own hands and imprint my hands on a material that lasts forever. I’ve used my skills and knowledge to 3D model and 3D print my pieces to create casting molds and take the material into forms that could not be achievable with any other method.

I am really proud of having my work with Prieta showcased in my country and outside. The latest was in Milan with 1000 vases. I recently received the book with all the pieces from that exhibition and seeing my work alongside many talented artist and designers is a feeling I cannot describe.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Seeking external validation. I believe is something most of us struggle with, feeling that we need a special tittle or some special event that will “make” us designers or creatives. At least that has been my case. I’ve worked very hard on my portfolio and on keeping active, but I still struggle with being a designer or what “makes” me a good designer. Like I said before, I am doing an MA at the Royal Collage of Art and I thought that was going to be the thing that was going to “make” me a product designer. It has taken me this first year in the MA to realize I already was a designer and I already was capable enough. That my portfolio and work is good enough. Being a creative person or designer is always a work in progress. When I say good enough, I mean, I did not need to wait for someone to tell me it was, or another museum showcase to validate my work. Just continue creating and working, growth comes along the way.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing about being a product designer for me is never being the expert at anything. It is very scary and reassuring at the same time. I enter projects knowing that I am learning in the process and that I am allowed to ask, test and fail. When working with any material and any product, whether it is wood, ceramic, glass, or metal, I know there is someone better skilled than myself, that has more years working with any material that I will ever have. I just happen to have the skill to think about that material and the processes of transforming that material in a different way. I get to meet very skilled professionals and keep learning in the process. I get to collaborate with people I admire and I get to get my hands dirty from time to time and experiment. Being a product designer is, for me, getting to play, experimenting and having fun most of the time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/prieta.mx/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prietamx
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriela-flores-morales-122562124/