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

Hi Katrina, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Meraki means to “put a piece of yourself in your work.” I chose that name because I didn’t know who I was, but I wanted to find out.

I started my business during a difficult time in my life. I felt so lost and alone and didn’t know who I was or how to move forward. I had played with the idea of starting a business for years but it wasn’t until I experienced loss that I realized I needed a safe space to create, process, and heal. At first it was just a distraction from the pain, but eventually, gave me a place to start healing, then to help others.

I created pieces of art that represented loss. I took things that brought me pain and reclaimed them. I turned them into something beautiful and made them mine again. I wanted others to see that beauty could come from brokenness. That our broken stories don’t mean we have less value, but instead lead to growth.

It took me awhile to share my story. I was scared. But last year in November I released a line called Brave where I fully opened up and shared my own brokeness and the beauty that has come from it all. The response I received to that release was so incredibly beautiful.

Katrina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was studying counseling in school. My senior year of college I randomly decided to take a pottery course for fun. I love art and it was something I had always wanted to try. I immediately fell in love with the medium. To create art with the purpose of being functional in daily life. I loved that I could carry my art with me as I went about my day, to drink coffee out of it, and to use it. I got rid of all my dishes and only would handmade functional pieces. My next thought was “how do I draw on it?” I began experimenting with lots of different techniques. At the time it was just a hobby. I didn’t know that 3 years later I would start a business. When I started myself business I circled back to drawing on vessels. I wanted my pieces to be functional but hold a lot of artistic value. I wanted people to stare at the drawings as they drank their morning coffee and get lost in the details.

What sets me apart from most potters would probably be that I use a porcelain clay body and that I individually hand draw on each piece instead of using a stencil or transfer. I am very proud of this technique. I like individually drawing on each one, because even tho they can be similar they will always be different and unique…like people. When I finish drawing a city with a clock tower I always put the time on the clock that I finished the drawing. Its these little differences that make the pieces so much more interesting.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I tend to be a perfectionist and a people pleaser. In my personal life I tried to please everyone and feared rejection. It filtered over into my pottery and I had to unlearn a lot of it.

I actually sold some of my work and did a few shows before I started my buisness. I hated it. I tried to make everyone happy. People wanted big mugs, small mugs, light mugs, heavy mugs, etc. I tried to make a little of everything and at the day I didn’t like my own work. I was so busy trying to make everyone happy I never took the time to develop my own style. I also feared rejection. What if I put myself out there, poured my soul into a piece and then people hated it. I played it safe and made what was trending and what sold.

I was also a perfectionist. I wanted everything to be perfect, look the same and almost look store bought. But this is handmade art, and it’s all the little wonks and wobbles and imperfections that make it beautiful. If people want a perfect mug they can go to target. I had to accept that I wasn’t a machine, I had imperfections and my art would be imperfect and that wasn’t a bad thing.

When I started Meraki I decided to create what I liked. If people loved it, great! If they hated it, that was okay too. It wasn’t about money or being successful or even being liked/accepted. It was a journey I needed to go on for myself. I needed to stop trying to be what everyone else wanted me to be and for the first time in my life simply create for myself. Create things I am proud of. I know its not for everyone, but I absolutely love my vessels and for the first time in my life I feel proud of my work.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

We did it all on our own. My husband and I had very little money when I started my business. I had stopped working due to some health problems and we were trying to pay off hospital bills. We set aside a little money each month and I bought only the bare minimum of what I needed. He was so incredibly supportive and would always say “You can do this. Buy what you need.” He always had so much confidence in me. I couldn’t of done this without his support and trust.

I had a friend who was a potter and she said I could share her wheel and kiln. We rented a one car garage in our apartment complex with no windows, no running water, and no AC. It was hot in the summers and cold in the winter. We would carefully drive our vessels across town to fire at a separate location every few weeks.

I bought only what I needed and made do without all the fancy equipment. I went to thrift stores and found textured molds, stamps, rolling pinks, tables, and boxes. The upfront cost of clay, glazes, business cards, and shows were scary and I recycled all my clay. I only bought what I needed and avoided outdoor shows because I couldn’t afford a tent. But after my first show I had enough to buy some equipment. I decided to wait and invest that money back into only necessary supplies and do it the hard way again. After one year of business I was seeing profits.

The second year I did the same thing. I made do without the fancy equipment and only bought what I absolutely needed so I could build up my business account and be self sustaining. It worked. My business was able to completely fund itself that second year and by the 3rd year I was able to purchase my own wheel, a slab roller, upgrade to a better studio and buy a business car.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.merakipottery.com
• Instagram: @merakipottery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrinaPiercyPottery/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjd6ORIHX1XIcSu4Mg0G6ag

Image Credits
Tara Ashton Katrina Piercy