Have you ever found yourself watching Harry Potter and been left wondering what a Dementor's Kiss would actually feel like? Well, I can't tell you the scientific answer, but I would strongly argue it's the equivalent of working at a wastewater engineering firm in the Midwest. But that's just a very intimate, personal guess. Maybe civil sewer infrastructure appeals to you. Weirdo. 

Having a job that you hate is probably one of the most exhausting things you can do. This is coming from someone who once tried, and immediately failed, to take up long distance running—like for fun or maybe because I was subconsciously punishing myself for something, I still don’t know. But if you've ever had a job that you palpably disliked, you know what I'm talking about. Getting up every day and repeatedly doing a thing that you find joyless, totally without reward or personal fulfillment, is soul sucking, simply put. 

It was a sunless winter’s day in my cubicle, at first not unlike any other. The harsh, unforgiving sheen of the fluorescents reflecting on the spreadsheet I was avoiding when I realized I had truly never been unhappier. That afternoon I knew I could no longer live indefinitely in a perpetual state of despondency. I decided for the sake of my sanity and self-preservation I would pivot, drastically, and it would be to something I knew absolutely nothing about.

A few months before this precise moment, I was spontaneously asked by someone I love, what career I would pursue—in the case that I could start over and do anything at all. With little pause, I declared, “Tile. I would start a handmade tile company.” I know, I know, insert eyeroll here. I completely get that this line may seem as though I’m overtly pandering, but I swear, it’s really the truth. Now admittedly, this wasn’t a wholly unsolicited response. The idea of handcrafted tile and my admiration of it had previously blossomed from a book I stumbled on written by the owners of Heath Ceramics, Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic, entitled: Tile Makes the Room. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a jaw-dropping compilation of amazing, beautifully designed tile, showcased in a way I had personally never seen before. Discovering it made me feel intrinsically inspired unlike anything else. Apparently, I quietly held onto that inspiration somewhere deep down and didn’t realize it until I was put on the spot.

So, after my cubicle epiphany, I dove headfirst and enveloped myself in all things tile. When I say headfirst, I mean I went completely all in. I quit my job and enrolled in school under master ceramicist, Nicola Boccini, in the world-renowned ceramics region of central Italy. I was lucky enough to have enviable one-on-one instruction and with moderate assistance from Google translate, my pursuit of a career that didn’t bring me to tears, justly began. After the fundamentals were perfected, I returned home and have since received additional tile related coursework to develop newer techniques, including from the very talented Forrest Lesch-Middelton of Petaluma Pottery in northern California.

Well, there you have it. A transparent explanation and the more detailed About Us page you never asked for, all in one. Through endless amounts of dedication, a handful of setbacks, and newfound knowledge of the metric system, I quit the job I hated and have officially started a handmade artisan tile company. To any potential future customers—I promise a carefully made and well thought out product that will hopefully bring a smile to your face and make your home or business just a little more special.