Meet Ali Verdeja | Ceramicist

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

Hi Ali, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started ceramics in August of 2022 after being gifted a 5 week class by my parents. I quickly fell in love with it. I really enjoyed making things and using them myself or gifting them to family and friends to use. After about a year, I felt comfortable enough with my work that I felt I might be able to sell it. I was building up inventory, making pieces week after week with no where for them to go. I loved the idea of having people enjoy my work. So, Art by Ali was born.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am still honing in on my craft and figuring out who I am as an artist. I often get inspiration from shapes and forms of things in my day to day life or while traveling and I kind of just make forms based on those inspirations. I am trying to be more consistent in what I create because I think it will help me to define my brand better and ultimately make me a better potter.
Getting to where I am today has taken a lot of consistency. Ceramics is not my full time job. It’s more of a passion project and a creative outlet for me. I go at least twice a week after work to the studio. I make the time for it because it is really something that I enjoy and it often relaxes me, especially on stressful days. I plan on putting more time and effort into it in 2025 to challenge myself and find out where I can take this business. I am proud of how far I have come as a ceramicist and a business woman and I know that it is just the beginning. I am excited for all the growth that is possible for this business.
Ceramics has taught me several things. It has taught me that rushing the process is always a bad idea, to not be attached to things (there are several stages that a pot can be lost during the process), patience, and to just go for it. I have a little mantra that I say to myself often, “do your thing”. I think people can get really caught up in other peoples opinions of them and how they will be perceived, especially on social media. I have found that if you just enjoy what you do and share that with people, people generally have a really positive response. I have had a number of people, whether it be friends, family, acquaintances, or strangers tell me how awesome my ceramics are and better yet, just excited to see me so excited about something. I think that’s really cool.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them to Coconut Grove. My family has a boat so we’d definitely spend some time out on the water. We could pick up some sandwiches from Jolano’s Deli and spend the day on the boat. For dinner, it depends what we’re craving but some of my favorite spots to eat are Bombay Darbar, Ceviche 105, and Osaka. To go out, I would have to take them to The Bar in downtown Coral Gables just because it’s my favorite bar. If I was looking for something more chill, I would to them down to Ruka Winewood in Wynwood. It’s an awesome wine bar. I think that’s pretty much sums it up.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Well first off, I have to recognize my parents. They are the ones who gifted me the pottery classes that started it all. Not to mention how supportive they’ve been through this process. They have functional and decorative pieces of mine all around their house. They have also given me advice and direction on the business aspect of things. They’ve helped with posting on social media and gathering content as well as helped me to figure out the financial aspect of my business. I would also like to should out Gus Miranda from Anhinga Clay Studios. He is the owner and was my instructor for my pottery classes. I know everything I do about ceramics because of him. He is a great teacher and has helped me to push my limits and really challenge myself as a potter.

Website: https://artbyaligoods.etsy.com/

Instagram: @artbyaligoods