Going Small to Go Big | Jon Almeda | Episode 291

Jon Almeda | Episode 291

Jon Almeda is a miniature ceramic artist located in Tacoma, Washington. Raised in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest Jon finds inspiration in the ever changing cloud formations in the sky and the movement of the tides. Jon’s practice is a response to the colors, energies, textures and composition of his life. Years ago he came across a book called “Creating Ceramic Miniatures” that dramatically changed his outlook and approach. He went the opposite direction and started to see how small he could throw. He discovered that working small was much harder than he imagined. After 15 years of creating miniatures he is still challenging himself to improve and to try new things with each kiln load. Almeda’s pieces are so impressive because without any scale or context they look exactly like their larger counterpart in detail and proportion.

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Of all the works that you are doing: photography, pottery, you are now also and inventor/manufacturer of potter’s wheels, which is your favorite thing to be working on?

I love the fact that a lot of the things that I am doing right now, documenting the process, is kind of a combination of everything really. There are so many amazing parts of the process, the throwing, glazing, trimming, everything. There are so many different beautiful things that happen within those stages of pottery, being able to document that with the camera, I just love that it is kind of encompassed together for me. I guess it’s all of them.

How do you get in the mode to start making your work? Let’s say ceramics specifically.

For me it’s more being out of the mode really because I am always in the mode and I am always ready to be creating something. It’s harder for me to not do something than it is for me to get motivated to do something.

Which is more exciting for you, making the work or displaying the work?

I think making the work. I am still just entranced. The throwing process, I am still just amazed at. Taking mud and making it into something beautiful.

In the process of building your business, what kind of mistakes have you made that gets in the way of you being able to move forward?

I think for me just having enough time to get to all the things that need to be attended to. I still struggle with that. It really comes down to having time to do everything.

What is your most success approach to marketing?

I think for sure, really my marketing is Instagram. I don’t do much outside of that. The Instagram platform is pretty amazing for that. Just showing the work, showing the process, I think it is my best platform for marketing.

What is your best tool for capturing emails?

Mail chimp works very well for that. Then of course doing art shows, crafts shows, things like that.

How do you manage your mail list?

I try not to bombard people with the newsletter, but I try to keep people in the loop through the newsletter. So maybe once a month, once every couple of months with updates with what I am up to.

Who is your personal hero and why?

I don’t know, there are so many different things that I am interested in, music, photography, just all different arts. There would be too many to list just one. I pull inspiration from all different places. If you wanted to narrow it down to the ceramics field I would probably have to say Hans Coper or Lucy Reed, there are just so many. The Naxtlers as far as being a couple and the way they collaborate together. The pieces that they produce are just incredibly intricate.