Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Grammer.
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My first career was actually in the hair industry! I was a hairstylist for about 15 years, and while I learned a lot, I felt deeply unfulfilled. Eventually, I worked up the courage to step way outside my comfort zone and try something completely different, while still staying within the creative realm.
In my early 30s, I went back to college and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. Fresh out of school, jobs were tough to find, so I took the first one that sounded fun: an after-school fine arts teaching job for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. It was genuinely enjoyable, but I knew it wasn’t my forever career.
What I really dreamed of was being an independent artist, even though I knew that making a living that way was ambitious, to say the least. On the side, I was making ceramics, primarily little ceramic cats. I sold them at markets and started filming myself making them for social media, just for fun. Then one day, a reel went viral. Like viral viral, for me at least! Nine million views and 100,000 followers later, my inbox was suddenly full of people asking for ceramic cats.
So I leaned in. I started making cats like it was my full time job, and eventually, it actually became that! I made enough money to quit teaching and go all in on ceramics full time.
After about two and a half years of working solo in my home studio, I realized I really missed having a creative community around me. I casually toyed with the idea of opening a community ceramics studio but went back and forth on it. Then one day, a super cute historic house opened up for lease not far from my home. It was definitely in rough shape, but I walked in with full rose-colored-glasses energy and thought, “I can fix this.”
So I signed the lease and got to work!
I renovated the entire place, keeping the charm of the old house while filling it with color, quirks, and personality. Now it’s home to a vibrant community of truly fabulous artists. Somehow, it all worked out!
I’m endlessly grateful that I took a chance on myself. I honestly couldn’t be happier.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was tough in the beginning. I had to take out loans to get started and hire people, which was honestly terrifying. I needed to make enough money to cover rent, utilities, employees, and loan payments, and it felt like a lot to carry. Most nights I would lie in bed with a racing mind and a heart beating way too fast to fall asleep, worrying about money. There were times when I had only $50 left in my account after paying everything. I would panic about whether I could cover the next month’s expenses, and stress about being responsible for other peoples’ livelihoods, but somehow I always managed to pull it together.
My studio is in a small, quaint historic mountain town, so it is not consistently busy. That said, we are a tourist town, which means weekends are incredibly busy. I spent large chunks of money on advertising and posted on social media as often as I could. I drove around nearby areas handing out posters and made a point to befriend local business owners in hopes of building helpful connections. Getting started took an enormous amount of work and was financially very tough.
As you know, we’re big fans of June & Gem Ceramics Studio. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
June & Gem Ceramics Studio is a community pottery studio offering workshops, multi-week courses, private lessons, and studio memberships. We are known for being a little silly and very quirky, and that is completely intentional. Many pottery studios have a warehouse-style feel, but I knew from the start that I wanted the opposite. When I walk into an art studio, I want to feel inspired, surrounded by creativity, color, and personality.
So I built exactly that. The studio is filled with murals, pink trim, mint green walls, silly cat art, and tiny “easter eggs” tucked everywhere. I love watching people notice the little details, like a ceramic bird head poking out of the ceiling or the cute faces on appliances and equipment. There is always something to look at, and that sense of playful curiosity makes the space feel more welcoming. When a studio is quirky and a little weird, it gives everyone permission to be quirky and weird too!
What I am most proud of, though, is the level of support we offer our students and members. I care deeply about continuing education because many people who join the studio are new to ceramics and have a lot to learn. We offer members-only classes focused on new techniques, along with weekly office hours where members can sit down with an instructor for troubleshooting, questions, or working through tricky parts of a project.
I am also much more lenient about mistakes than many studios. I truly believe mistakes are an integral part of learning, especially in ceramics. Glaze drips happen, and that is okay. I pay someone to help maintain our kilns and kiln shelves so students can learn without fear. I also allow outside clay bodies and glazes with approval, because experimentation is such an important part of developing your own artistic voice. On top of that, we offer 16 different dip glazes, which is a lot for a studio of our size, but I love giving artists plenty of options to explore!
Beyond making and learning, I also want artists to feel confident sharing their work. Studio artists have opportunities to sell their work in-store, online, and at local markets. I believe selling work can be a huge confidence boost, and I want that experience to feel supportive and fair. Artists receive an 80% commission on work sold through the studio, which is significantly higher than most places. It is not about maximizing profit for me. It is about giving artists a real chance to see what it feels like to sell their work and be properly paid for their efforts.
At the heart of everything, June & Gem is about supporting budding artists. I want to give people the space to try something new, grow their skills, embrace mistakes, and eventually feel confident enough to put their work out into the world!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you are in a position to follow your dreams, do it. Life is short and you only get one shot, so trying to build a life around something you love is always worth it. Starting something new is scary, and people will have opinions no matter what you do. Once I realized that everyone is judging anyway, it became a lot easier to stop worrying about it and just try. You do not have to have everything figured out right away. Take the risk, learn as you go, and give yourself permission to change your mind along the way. Even if it is hard, it is better than wondering “what if” later on.
Pricing:
- 2hr wheel workshops: $87 + tax
- 2hr hand building workshops $78 + tax
- 6 week courses $435 + tax
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.juneandgem.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juneandgemstudio?igsh=M3ZxZGFxMW9icjQy&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuneandGemCeramicsStudio
