We recently connected with Kim Prokopowich and have shared our conversation below.

Kim, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Rock Bottom Decanter

My love for science has been with me since I was a child, and I even took a year of kinesiology. But life had other wonderful plans for me. Marriage, kids, home renovating, art, design. As the years went by, I collected science flasks and other scientific oddities, enjoying having them in our home for me and our kids to experience hands-on everyday access to science, no matter if they had the creative mind of their mom or the engineering mind of their dad.

Now…When I was little my parents used to tell me: “Don’t sit on the sidewalk or that rock in the winter because it holds the cold and you’ll end up with something you don’t want.” (a bladder infection)

Did you hear this from your parents as well? If not, now you know. : )

One summer evening years ago, when our kids were about 4 and 7, we were outside drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. We explained to them that the sidewalk is made of concrete and has thermal mass properties, so it can hold heat and cold.

This got me thinking: science glass is made of borosilicate glass, which can tolerate extreme temperatures of cold and hot, and concrete can also play with holding temperatures through thermal mass.

This sparked my idea to merge the two and design something for my kids to use in everyday life, allowing them to interact with science, engineering, and art each time they poured a cup of water or juice.

I chose to use a round bottom flask for a specific reason: I wanted the flask and the base to need each other and for the flask to be put back into the base after every use. (After all, isn’t it every mom’s dream that everyone puts things away?)

This story may have taken you back to science class in high school or playing hop scotch on a warm summer night. Ah, nostalgia! Don’t you love it?

The rock bottom decanter is a gentle reminder that home should be a place that ignites our passions, nourishes our lives, and encourages our curiosity.

And BONUS .. enhances your wine to Perfection :)

Kim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Kim Prokopowich, the artist behind Studio50. I work with the versatile medium of concrete, which I absolutely love and create purposeful pieces to bring joy and inspiration into your home.

Concrete has many unique characteristics and I draw on their strengths in each of my designs. From thermal mass in the Rock Bottom Decanter, which holds cold and heat, to the weight in the kitchen pieces and vases that stay put while displaying your collection of beautiful cutting boards or a big sprawling branch.

My knowledge of concrete started in 2009 and since then I have spent my time researching, customizing mixes and developing my signature texture look that celebrates the raw beauty of “perfectly imperfect”. More recently I’ve been exploring hand-sculpting concrete using no molds, combining modern and primitive techniques.

Each piece I cast offers you a tactile experience, inviting you to touch and interact with it.

As a small-batch studio, for designs that are hand-poured and require molds, there are only a few to cast each piece. My molds are constructed in-house, using stainless steel, rubber or silicone, minimizing waste and environmental impact.

Studio50 is more than just a studio; it’s the realization of my teenage dream. It started as a solo project, evolved into a collaboration with my husband, and has now come full circle, with just me and so many exciting ideas. As a maker, studio host, and lover of all things creative, I pour my heart and soul into this studio life.

I really believe that objects for our homes should be chosen with love, curiosity, and time. Your home should be a collection of your experiences, growth, and discoveries from your life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Last July after being a husband and wife team at the studio for 13 years, Steve received an opportunity to return to his previous profession as a hardware,software engineer. It happened in a whirlwind of 2 days. Thursday he was my business partner, creative side-kick and lunch buddy and Monday morning he was heading off to his new job.

Now, this didn’t come right out of no-where. The last 4 years have been challenging for small businesses to say the least, Steve had also hurt his back playing squash (not lifting concrete) which got us both thinking of our plans as we both get older. But talking about it hypothetically and having it spring into reality, bring on very different emotions.

To say I transitioned well into the change would be… so not true.
My brain went into panic mode trying to figure out how to keep the studio running the same.
It took weeks and a very good friend to make me realize that a change can be a good thing and allow me the opportunity to figure out how I want to “show up” to this new chapter of studio life.

It’s been almost 8 months and I’m boldly making changes to studio hours, what pieces I’m creating, how I am offering them…the list is always evolving.

Our minds will try to convince us that we should keep it all the same…safe

But slowly with little steps and stumbles a new chapter to our creative journey can emerge.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are a lot of different kinds of mentors/coaches. Business, marketing, branding….

Finding a Creative Coach, that diamond in the rough, who gets what you do, who listens to what you think you want or don’t want, and offers you ideas and questions that lead you to solutions that are right for you, has had such a positive impact on my mind, my work and my business.

There is so much noise out there about running a business, pillars, heck even about bring creative. I found focusing on one person that really resonates, moves me forward… overloading with information to do this or do that, just spins the wheels and gets me no where.

When you work by yourself all the time, it’s great to “zoom up” and work with someone who is excited and passionate about brainstorming ideas, creative strategy and is invested in my success and happiness.

I’ve experienced what doesn’t work and what kind of coaching|mentoring isn’t helpful, to know when I finally found the creative coaching magic :) so don’t settle.

I read this to my son over the phone and he says, “you gonna gate-keep your source”….I have never heard that term, but I knew what he meant and laugh. If your looking for an amazing creative coach ( it took me a long time to find her. :) I recommend you check out Kim Klassen . www.kimklassen.com

Contact Info:

• Website: www.studio50.ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studio50_ca