Our Stick Of The Week! is Samirah Steinmeyer. Samirah is in the NOW as owner of Seedling Clayworks, an etsy shop focusing on handmade and unique children's ceramic dishes. After finding the selection of children's ceramics surprisingly limited, Samirah decided to Take On The Creative and develop her own series. These days, Samirah can be found running the show at Seedling Clayworks. From marketing and customer service, to design and production, Samirah is doing it all.
Born and raised in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, Samirah is the mother of two amazing preschool characters and married to a "pretty awesome man." Samirah has a bachelors in fine arts and masters in landscape architecture and has worked in both fields.
Born and raised in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, Samirah is the mother of two amazing preschool characters and married to a "pretty awesome man." Samirah has a bachelors in fine arts and masters in landscape architecture and has worked in both fields.
Samirah Steinmeyer
I believe people deserve dishes that are as delightful and appealing as the ingredients being served on them. I am inspired to make ceramic dinnerware for children as an alternative to the commercial plastic ware options. I like offering parents a unique product. My children's first meals were served in ceramic bowls and as they grow, I continue to make new favorites, based on their interests. I like to imagine my son taking his tornado plate with him when he moves away for college, or my daughter using her bee bowl to feed her own child.
Tell us about your NOW (Noodle On The Wall).
Seedling Clayworks is a ceramics business I started last October. I have an etsy shop by the same name that features child-sized ceramic dinnerware, although I've been expanding into more adult ceramics as well.
Seedling Clayworks is a ceramics business I started last October. I have an etsy shop by the same name that features child-sized ceramic dinnerware, although I've been expanding into more adult ceramics as well.
Is your NOW simmering, al dente or fully cooked and why?
Slowly simmering. I'm incrementally adding heat to the pot as I carve out more time for work. So far this simmer works well with my schedule. I have tons of ideas for new series and items and exploring different ceramic techniques, but a limited amount of time to work. So, al dente and fully cooked are on the horizon for now.
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
Just begin somewhere. There are a ton of tiny steps to reach a larger goal--start where you can and get that momentum going.
Slowly simmering. I'm incrementally adding heat to the pot as I carve out more time for work. So far this simmer works well with my schedule. I have tons of ideas for new series and items and exploring different ceramic techniques, but a limited amount of time to work. So, al dente and fully cooked are on the horizon for now.
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
Just begin somewhere. There are a ton of tiny steps to reach a larger goal--start where you can and get that momentum going.
As a brand new stay at home mom, I was having truncated daydreams while in the midst of the day to day demands of raising a baby. I needed some time to myself to just reflect and actually follow the narrative of those creative urges.
I began with a yoga class--seemingly unrelated to art, but the quiet down time actually helped me be able to listen to myself and reflect upon my life and where I wanted to be.
Next I took a printmaking class (the influence of which I'm sure has crept into my ceramic work). I kept having ideas for ceramics, but had no experience working with clay. It wasn't until one year after the birth of my second child that I actually took my first ceramics class. My mom is an amazing ceramist and I had the priviledge of learning the basics from her. I haven't been able to stop making ceramics since I began one year ago, and I still have so much to learn.
I began with a yoga class--seemingly unrelated to art, but the quiet down time actually helped me be able to listen to myself and reflect upon my life and where I wanted to be.
Next I took a printmaking class (the influence of which I'm sure has crept into my ceramic work). I kept having ideas for ceramics, but had no experience working with clay. It wasn't until one year after the birth of my second child that I actually took my first ceramics class. My mom is an amazing ceramist and I had the priviledge of learning the basics from her. I haven't been able to stop making ceramics since I began one year ago, and I still have so much to learn.
What motivated you to throw your noodle?
As a creative type, I find that if I'm not designing or making something, I'm not fully myself. After becoming a mom, I forgot to make time to do anything but care for my kids. I needed to be doing something creative in order to become grounded and feel like me again. Making ceramics has been perfect. After all, you can't center a piece on the potter's wheel unless you are centered. So I have to be able to get to that calm, focused mental space in order to make anything. It has become like Calgon for my hectic days.
I was also motivated by daydreams about making all sorts of ceramic pieces: toys, lamps, shelves, dinnerware, mosaics, etc...much of which was child-themed because my kids are the main focus and inspiration in my life. I found that ceramics for children were pretty scarce so I began with plates, cups and bowls for kids.
Not to sound trite, but my etsy shop actually began as a way to offload some of my extra ceramics--pieces accrue quite quickly. I was liking what I was making and I figured the proceeds could pay for more ceramics classes and supplies. It was also kind of a fun challenge for me to play business woman and to try to figure out how esty works. I had a hunch that there may be a tiny market for children's ceramics and it's turning out to be true. Not that I'm reeling in tons of business just yet, but I'm receiving enough enthusiastic, positive feedback to think there are a few moms out there who want what I'm making. I'm realizing that I really enjoy the business aspect and love that people are enjoying my work.
As a creative type, I find that if I'm not designing or making something, I'm not fully myself. After becoming a mom, I forgot to make time to do anything but care for my kids. I needed to be doing something creative in order to become grounded and feel like me again. Making ceramics has been perfect. After all, you can't center a piece on the potter's wheel unless you are centered. So I have to be able to get to that calm, focused mental space in order to make anything. It has become like Calgon for my hectic days.
I was also motivated by daydreams about making all sorts of ceramic pieces: toys, lamps, shelves, dinnerware, mosaics, etc...much of which was child-themed because my kids are the main focus and inspiration in my life. I found that ceramics for children were pretty scarce so I began with plates, cups and bowls for kids.
Not to sound trite, but my etsy shop actually began as a way to offload some of my extra ceramics--pieces accrue quite quickly. I was liking what I was making and I figured the proceeds could pay for more ceramics classes and supplies. It was also kind of a fun challenge for me to play business woman and to try to figure out how esty works. I had a hunch that there may be a tiny market for children's ceramics and it's turning out to be true. Not that I'm reeling in tons of business just yet, but I'm receiving enough enthusiastic, positive feedback to think there are a few moms out there who want what I'm making. I'm realizing that I really enjoy the business aspect and love that people are enjoying my work.
What inspires you as a Mom and as a creative person?
As a mother, I am inspired by my children to be a better person, to live up to my potential so that I can set a good example. I'm still working on that. Children live and play so honestly, so fully in the moment--they are such amazing people. Other parents also inspire me just by the way they live and interact with their kids. Watching fellow moms and dads struggle with similar challenges or achieve a certain mastery over things I'm still working on inspires me to try different approaches or to perceive my children and situations from a different perspective.
As an artist, so many things inspire me. I was just on etsy and found a ceramic artist whose work left me speechless, it was so breathtaking. It stirred my creative little heart and made me want to work harder, to learn more. My most ridiculous jolt of inspiration came while in college. A roommate of mine had left a clump of her hair on the tile in the shower and it looked like a figure made out of hair. This led to a whole series of paintings with figures composed out of a mess of strings. So, I suppose there is beauty and inspiration to be found almost anywhere if you're open to it.
Inspiration is such a curious experience for me--the charge of energy associated with it is unmistakable. It's like a call to action that I can't ignore (although I have tried many times). It puts me fully in the moment and entices me to follow a very personal path of exploration and evolution. Following this call has always been the right thing to do.
As a mother, I am inspired by my children to be a better person, to live up to my potential so that I can set a good example. I'm still working on that. Children live and play so honestly, so fully in the moment--they are such amazing people. Other parents also inspire me just by the way they live and interact with their kids. Watching fellow moms and dads struggle with similar challenges or achieve a certain mastery over things I'm still working on inspires me to try different approaches or to perceive my children and situations from a different perspective.
As an artist, so many things inspire me. I was just on etsy and found a ceramic artist whose work left me speechless, it was so breathtaking. It stirred my creative little heart and made me want to work harder, to learn more. My most ridiculous jolt of inspiration came while in college. A roommate of mine had left a clump of her hair on the tile in the shower and it looked like a figure made out of hair. This led to a whole series of paintings with figures composed out of a mess of strings. So, I suppose there is beauty and inspiration to be found almost anywhere if you're open to it.
Inspiration is such a curious experience for me--the charge of energy associated with it is unmistakable. It's like a call to action that I can't ignore (although I have tried many times). It puts me fully in the moment and entices me to follow a very personal path of exploration and evolution. Following this call has always been the right thing to do.
How do you juggle Mamahood and your NOW?
I'm probably not sleeping enough. And I have moments where I should be paying more attention to my kids instead of making treasuries for etsy, preparing a package for shipping, or taking product photos. I enjoy mentally juxtaposing my presentable profile picture on etsy with my hurriedly put together (sometimes still in jammies), immersed in all things child-related, everyday self.
My husband and my mom watch the kids for maybe ten hours a week so I can have some studio time. I also work at night after the kids go to bed, which can make for long days. I basically carve out as much time as I need. I think moms become excellent with time management out of sheer necessity. I do more with my time now than I ever have. I also find that being a stay at home mom while my husband works, offers a unique opportunity. We are managing on one income for now, and I don't plan on going back to my previous profession just yet, so why not put some time and effort into something my heart loves to do in the meantime.
I'm probably not sleeping enough. And I have moments where I should be paying more attention to my kids instead of making treasuries for etsy, preparing a package for shipping, or taking product photos. I enjoy mentally juxtaposing my presentable profile picture on etsy with my hurriedly put together (sometimes still in jammies), immersed in all things child-related, everyday self.
My husband and my mom watch the kids for maybe ten hours a week so I can have some studio time. I also work at night after the kids go to bed, which can make for long days. I basically carve out as much time as I need. I think moms become excellent with time management out of sheer necessity. I do more with my time now than I ever have. I also find that being a stay at home mom while my husband works, offers a unique opportunity. We are managing on one income for now, and I don't plan on going back to my previous profession just yet, so why not put some time and effort into something my heart loves to do in the meantime.
What is you ultimate pasta dish?
I love to make pasta with whatever ingredients I'm craving at the time--or what's on hand. So, with this business I'll try to take a similar attitude: to just go with it and work with what presents itself along the way.
I would be thrilled to continue to make beautiful ceramics for as many people as possible. I enjoy knowing that someone is using a piece I made and appreciating it. I'm currently drawn to making ceramic lamps and other functional ceramic pieces, my interests are constantly refreshing themselves, so we'll see.
I love to make pasta with whatever ingredients I'm craving at the time--or what's on hand. So, with this business I'll try to take a similar attitude: to just go with it and work with what presents itself along the way.
I would be thrilled to continue to make beautiful ceramics for as many people as possible. I enjoy knowing that someone is using a piece I made and appreciating it. I'm currently drawn to making ceramic lamps and other functional ceramic pieces, my interests are constantly refreshing themselves, so we'll see.
Seedling Clayworks can be found on ETSY
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