Meet Veronica Medina | Educator, Artist, Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Veronica Medina and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Veronica, how does your business help the community?
Community Clayworks is an inclusive ceramics learning facility that offers classes, memberships, parties, and a weekly BYOB Sip N Spin. At its core, the mission of our business is fostering community while sharing a love of clay. In order for people to take risks and be creative they need a safe space. Genuine community emerges when people spend time together openly listening, encouraging and supporting one another. For us, facilitating a culture of community is critical and requires among other things, being sensitive to how people learn, helping frame and work through difficult moments, and meeting people where they are. By connecting people and providing the environment for creativity, our business has helped people find work, friendships, and emotional wellness. We collaborate and support other small businesses and nonprofits in our area through experiences, donations, and art work. Our staff provides art education for local public, and private schools. By integrating ourselves within our broader Santa Ynez Valley community as well as our robust (primarily Los Angeles) tourist population, we link people to an ancient human craft and bring art into people’s lives. Our hope always is that the constructive conversations had, and relationships formed amongst decidedly different people, from a variety of socioeconomic, political and cultural backgrounds continue to have impact beyond our little studio.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
It started with a Facebook post and a flier at the local market and my business, my dream, was launched. I was teaching evening classes for the community out of the high school ceramics studio where I taught full time. All the while I had one particular fear in the back of my mind, “can I do this and still be a present mother?” My daughter Emilia was two years old at the time and I had recently transitioned back to work after taking more than a year off to raise her. Ceramics is my career and passion so I’ve always sought out studios wherever I’ve traveled curious to learn from others. Before opening up my own brick and mortar I did a lot of research. I spoke to people who created or directed ceramics studios, spoke to their employees and participants hoping to narrow in on the processes and culture I wanted my own business to have. During one of these research visits to a ceramics studio, I encountered a business owner who shook my resolve. When I asked her what advice she had for me, she emphatically told me I should go home and “raise my baby,” and that if I still wanted to own a studio I could buy hers in 15 years when my daughter was grown. I appreciated her candor and honesty about the difficulties, expense and intensity of starting a business. I was agitated by the encounter mostly because it struck at my insecurity. My own insecurity was the greatest hurdle I had to overcome in taking the plunge to open my own studio. Ultimately, I needed the grace to know that I would be a better mom for doing it and I’d be setting an example. The worst that could happen was failure and never attempting it would have eaten me alive. By the time I opened the studio, Emilia was 5. When she asked if she could have her 6th birthday party at the studio I melted and of course went all out. Instead of resentment, my child was excited to share the studio which is like a second home to her.

As a middle and high school ceramics teacher for most of my career I approach my business much like I would my “classroom” studios of the past. I still care about my students and the experience they have while in the studio. When you think back on your educational experiences do you always remember what you learned or how you felt while doing it? What encouraged you to keep at something? Framing matters, for example, when someone approaches learning with trepidation it’s important to reframe their experience; instead of fear, make what they are learning a challenge to be conquered. I like to encourage students to “fail gloriously!” I am constantly reminding students that one learns much more from their mistakes, and that those failures will ultimately lead to real growth. I try to remind myself to practice what I preach as I learn things like bookkeeping, and marketing! I have poured my soul into my business and worked to create a learning community I want to be a part of. That fact, combined with an incredible team that supports our mission makes Community Clayworks have heart. It’s a place where people matter above all else.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite restaurants in the area for food and atmosphere are Industrial Eats, Santa Ynez Kitchen, and Pico. There are lots of little shops to visit like Campover in Los Alamos and Onderchild in Solvang. I’d recommend doing something out of the ordinary like an olive oil tasting at Global Gardens.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have always received a lot of love and encouragement from my family so I must firstly credit them with instilling me with confidence and compassion. Of the many wonderful teachers I have had in my life, Mike Perrotta and Carol Mulligan both challenged me to think more deeply and understand the responsibility of leadership. The Carpe Diem style lyrics, “I can’t believe that we would – Lie in our graves – Dreaming of things that we – Might have been” by Dave Matthews have always resonated with me. I find myself hearing the song when I need to be brave. Most importantly though, my students inspire me – knowing that I have impact as an educator has always filled me with a deep sense of purpose. Most of my employees are actually former students and I am so profoundly grateful for their help and proud of the people they have become.

Website: https://communityclayworks.com/

Instagram: @community_clayworks

Facebook: @communityclayworks2021