Biscocho Ceramics

Aim

Crowdfunding to set myself up in a ceramics studio, raising money to buy a potters wheel and cover initial set up costs.

After running my A Year in Cups ceramic project, which saw me through the most challenging year of my life looking after two very young children, I am now ready to take the next step: move into a new studio (which unfortunately has no wheel but luckily there is a kiln) and start a small ceramics business: Biscocho.

The word 'bizcocho' means 'bisque' in Spanish. The first firing in the process of ceramics is the bisque firing. After this stage, I like to leave part of my pieces without glaze, so that you can feel the clay itself. I've taken the 'Biz' out of Biscocho, because this is less of a 'Biz' business for me, and more of a creative passion. 

Biscocho will specialise in small batch, wheel-thrown functional ceramics. Pieces to be used and enjoyed everyday.

I learned how to throw in Colombia while living there (from 2012-2015) and quickly became obsessed. I had a lot more free time back then and would go to the studio as much as possible. Before leaving Bogota, I sold my work for the first time, through a very successful open studio event. It felt great and encouraged me to keep making. 

When we moved to Edinburgh in 2015, the first thing I did was find a wheel I could use. I joined the Bridge Pottery Collective at St Margaret's House on London Road and spent my time getting used to new clay and glazes. I started throwing Stoneware instead of the local Earthenware clay I had learned with in Colombia. 

Before having my first child, I sold my work at a Makers' Market in Portobello. Again, this gave me a taste of what it felt like to sell to customers and I was approached by a local business to do a commission but I sadly had to turn it down as I was too heavily pregnant by that stage. 

It's fair to say that my pottery has had to take a back seat since having children. I did return to the Bridge Collective a year after having my first child, but 7 months later I was too heavily pregnant with my second daughter to continue, so I left. I was no longer able to afford the monthly shared rent as I was now a Stay at Home Mum. 

Having two children under 2 is no joke and when my youngest turned 6 months and was able to be given some food if I wasn't around, I started going to a local pottery studio, Mudstation, in Abbeyhill, on a Saturday morning. I looked forward to it all week. I switched off. I threw pots. I listened to music. I didn't think about my babies. This, for me, was "self-care".

These are the first 5 cups of the project, thrown on April 5th 2019.

In April 2019, I started my A Year in Cups project. It was born from the need to focus on something else other than my babies. The idea also came from hearing someone on a podcast say "if you do something everyday for a year, you'll get really good at it". I wasn't able to go to the studio everyday, so instead I started A Year in Cups, a cup for every day of the year. I sold the cups to pay for the studio fees and 10% of the money raised has been donated to Bikes for Refugees, a local charity providing New Scots with bikes to get around their new home. Giving money to local charities is something I will continue to do, I am particularly keen to regularly donate money to charities supporting women and mothers.

The feedback and overwhelming support I received while doing this project has given me the confidence to launch this Crowdfunder and start Biscocho. 

In January 2020, my daughters started at nursery part-time and I returned to part-time work. I felt more balance in my life and more myself than I had in a long time. I was a mother, a potter, a teacher and I had a bit more time to think, to breathe.

When I saw the Advanced Masterclass run by Orkney potter Andrew Appleby advertised at the Edinburgh Ceramics Workshop, I was so excited.  I jumped at the chance of throwing pots every afternoon for a week. I asked favours, organised extra childcare and signed up. I'm so glad I did. My cup project paid for the course, which felt great. It also felt great to be throwing something other than cups! I set myself that week to throw bigger pieces, something I lacked the confidence to do. I learned a great deal and I felt the benefits of the course when I returned to Mudstation the following Saturday to continue my cup project. 

I now feel strongly that I will be a better mother if I have pottery as a regular part of my working week and I look forward to learning even more about myself and running a small business as soon as I can get throwing pots in the new studio. 

I am aware that this is a difficult time for so many people globally and I have given the launch of this Crowdfunder much thought. Not being able to practise pottery for nearly 2 months during lockdown, was a real reminder of how much I need it and I have decided to take the risk of signing a lease at the new studio, despite the current climate. Life is too short to not follow our passion and pursue our dreams, isn't it?

I have included some rewards which I hope will encourage people who do not need more ceramics in their lives (does such a person exist?!), to pay their generosity forward to those who cannot afford to buy some themselves. This is "Pay Pottery Forward" in the reward section - I will be taking nominations for people to receive ceramic gifts as soon as I launch Biscocho. This might be an NHS worker, but it also might be someone whose mental health has struggled during the challenges of the past months, or a teacher, a supermarket worker or a delivery driver. Anyone can be nominated to receive some pottery in the post. 

The reward list also includes giving a mother who is doing the unpaid work of looking after their child/ren the chance to have some time out to learn how to throw pots. You can make a donation and whatever total is reached will be used to fund a free class or course for a mother who cannot afford it. 

The idea is that your donations can brighten other people's lives. Using handmade ceramics can bring joy, and learning to make your own pots can bring vital disconnection from the stress and strain that everyday life can bring as well as a lot of enjoyment. 

I can't wait to move into my new studio in WASPs and make all your rewards. They will be the first pieces I make under the name of Biscocho Ceramics and they will be made with love and care. I look forward to delivering them to you (or perhaps someone else)  so that they can be enjoyed in homes for years to come. 

This project successfully funded on 30th June 2020