We recently connected with Ren Liu and have shared our conversation below.

Ren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started learning pottery at a local community college. I think as ceramics have gained so much popularity in the recent years, it has become more inaccessible and inexpensive so enrolling in community college was a huge life hack. The initial learning curve in pottery is the toughest and you really just have to put in the hours. Knowing what I know now, I could have been a lot less precious about my first fifty pieces – you really can’t get too perfectionistic or attached to all the pieces you make when you first start out. The biggest obstacle in any arts skill is self-discipline. I had to set my own schedule and keep myself accountable to make sure I got a good amount of hours in consistently.

Ren, 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 am a Chinese-American artist based in Los Angeles. I’ve always worked in the arts field. I started out as a classical pianist; I played for over twenty years and graduated from USC with a degree in piano performance. Since college, I transitioned into working as an actor and working freelance. I started learning about ceramics when the pandemic hit. Like many, I hardly had any work and a lot more free time. Then in 2023, the writers and SAG strike put me out of work once again and I was able to pour my time into pottery. The blessing in disguise of all these setbacks is that it’s allowed me to explore different mediums of art that I’ve always been curious about.

I now have my own ceramics brand called “BUTTERBABY” which exclusively operates online for now (@butterbabystudios on Instagram). I sell functional ceramics. All my designs are inspired by my personal style as well as my chinese heritage. My dad is a painter and calligraphy artist, he is probably my biggest influence. I have a collection called “STONE FOREST” which is inspired by the city my dad grew up in, which is said to. be the birthplace of calligraphy and the written Chinese language.

I am a one-woman operation so I drop a limited number of products at the end of each month. I do custom pieces and commissions as well. Recently, I created a collection of limited edition mugs for viral internet comic @TUBBYNUGGET. Currently, I am working on a hyper-specific, personalized mug series where customers can send me a series of “favorites” which I will creatively incorporate into a functional piece. Think, a charm bracelet, but on a ceramic mug. The most exciting thing about my business right now is because it’s so new, I am still playing around with what I like and am free to try many new things.

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

Investing in handmade products, slow fashion, and small brands is the best thing for artists and consumers. I think the idea of underconsumption and “quality over quantity” can help justify the higher prices for handmade products. I would rather slowly accumulate a small collection of one-of-a-kind mugs/dishe-ware than have a mediocre, mass-produced set of Ikea plates and cups. Buying dish-ware and home goods from a local ceramicist not only supports artists, but also is a wonderful investment into owning more meaningful objects. Spreading the word and tagging artists online also goes a long way – so many businesses are online now and rely on algorithms to be seen.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up in the classical music world was a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that I have an almost robotic level of discipline. that I can tap into when necessary as well as great attention to detail. The curse is, major imposter syndrome and a horrible case of perfectionism. My biggest mental block is when it comes to allowing myself to be bad at something – which is an inescapable step in learning anything new. It took me years to allow myself to take on the daunting task of being brand new at something again. Throughout my twenties, I struggled to bring myself to learn new skills, because I had a nagging voice endlessly telling me that “its too late to start now”. Classical arts like instrumentals and ballet rely heavily on starting young (if you want to do it professionally), so I really had to unlearn the concept of it being “too late”. As an old, cheesy personal trainer once said to me “it’s either one day or day one” and I really like that.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @butterbabystudios @renholly

Image Credits

Ren Holly Liu