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Ceramist’s attempt at ‘making connections’ grows into business
By Lina Allouzi, Jordan News
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AMMAN — What started
as a way to connect with people through art and ceramics out of a tiny
home-based studio, soon grew into a small business shipping internationally.اضافة اعلان
Reem Smadi’s business “Reeminkin”, which offers handcrafted ceramics as well as custom-made artwork designed to the customer's preferences, grew "faster than I had imagined," she told Jordan News in a recent interview.
The young Jordanian artist with a degree in Computer Graphics said that word of her small business reached many people outside the country's borders, and they started to request that her business starts shipping worldwide.
“After I started noticing that there were many people outside of the country who are willing to purchase their own custom-made ceramics, I realized that the business needed to break Jordanian borders and reach out to more and more people,” She told Jordan News.
“People's appreciation for art motivated me to expand my business, and my custom-made pieces made me even more conscious of how important it is for people to have their vision reflected in each piece they purchase,” she added.
The business started with the artist raising funds to accomplish her goal. Apart from saving her salary from working as a barista, she also received financial help from family members who believed in her idea.
Her concept of mirroring art on everyday objects took off pretty quickly, she said, as it only took some "6 months to create a network of satisfied and loyal customers."
“Instead of pinning my art to a wall, I have always wanted to reflect it on items that are functional and utilized every day, which would result in giving the customer a sense of experience.” she added.
“When you wake up and have a simple cup of coffee, the illustrations reflected on that cup will add joy and relief to improve your mood, and I believe that art should be felt, not just glanced at.”
Smadi's initial motivation for starting the business was to "connect with people," as she came from a diverse multi-cultural background. She started out with a motivational page on social media platforms, where she would “engage with people, spread optimism, and raise awareness on mental health issues.”
The young artist selected art as a language through which everyone can be "a part of the same circle."
“Regardless of how we go about it, we must all be aware that connecting with people is a form of art itself. This is exactly why I wanted to make limited quantities of tableware, since there comes a time in the day when you simply want to pause for a minute, take a breather, have a coffee, and have some alone time,” She said.
“This is where my ceramics come from. They are a colorful reminder to take some time for yourself, let go for a moment, and just connect to yourself.”
According to her, this is not the end of the road, but it “merely is the beginning of something much bigger,” as she plans to expand by entering the world of stationary, such as notebooks, bookmarks, sticky notes, etc.
“At first, I just wanted to connect with people on a deeper level, but I had no idea it would lead to me considering starting my own stationary line,” she explained.
Read more Trending Stories
Reem Smadi’s business “Reeminkin”, which offers handcrafted ceramics as well as custom-made artwork designed to the customer's preferences, grew "faster than I had imagined," she told Jordan News in a recent interview.
The young Jordanian artist with a degree in Computer Graphics said that word of her small business reached many people outside the country's borders, and they started to request that her business starts shipping worldwide.
“After I started noticing that there were many people outside of the country who are willing to purchase their own custom-made ceramics, I realized that the business needed to break Jordanian borders and reach out to more and more people,” She told Jordan News.
“People's appreciation for art motivated me to expand my business, and my custom-made pieces made me even more conscious of how important it is for people to have their vision reflected in each piece they purchase,” she added.
The business started with the artist raising funds to accomplish her goal. Apart from saving her salary from working as a barista, she also received financial help from family members who believed in her idea.
Her concept of mirroring art on everyday objects took off pretty quickly, she said, as it only took some "6 months to create a network of satisfied and loyal customers."
“Instead of pinning my art to a wall, I have always wanted to reflect it on items that are functional and utilized every day, which would result in giving the customer a sense of experience.” she added.
“When you wake up and have a simple cup of coffee, the illustrations reflected on that cup will add joy and relief to improve your mood, and I believe that art should be felt, not just glanced at.”
Smadi's initial motivation for starting the business was to "connect with people," as she came from a diverse multi-cultural background. She started out with a motivational page on social media platforms, where she would “engage with people, spread optimism, and raise awareness on mental health issues.”
The young artist selected art as a language through which everyone can be "a part of the same circle."
“Regardless of how we go about it, we must all be aware that connecting with people is a form of art itself. This is exactly why I wanted to make limited quantities of tableware, since there comes a time in the day when you simply want to pause for a minute, take a breather, have a coffee, and have some alone time,” She said.
“This is where my ceramics come from. They are a colorful reminder to take some time for yourself, let go for a moment, and just connect to yourself.”
According to her, this is not the end of the road, but it “merely is the beginning of something much bigger,” as she plans to expand by entering the world of stationary, such as notebooks, bookmarks, sticky notes, etc.
“At first, I just wanted to connect with people on a deeper level, but I had no idea it would lead to me considering starting my own stationary line,” she explained.
Read more Trending Stories
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