Words by Imala

We see so many different artistic individuals demonstrating their creativity in such an expressive manner that the world just stops and applauds their skills. It would not be wrong to say that each and every individual is unique in their own right with their inventiveness and ingenuity.

As such individual met with the team of Kaleo to show her skill in a very distinct field. When we walked into the brightly lit studio of Tropics.Mv the space emitted calm and serenity and the first thing that caught our eye was the beautifully crafted pottery items. It ranged from various jewelry dishes to candle holders with unique designs.

“Since I was a kid, I have always been into art. I always wanted to pursue art and didn’t know which field in art I wanted to go ahead. During this time, I started watching pottery videos on YouTube. From there my interest to do pottery came about. Hence, I started to learn and study pottery from YouTube. I created Tropics.mv six years ago on 27th October 2016. My main focus is to create products with a Maldivian vibe.” Maria started off by clarifying on how she established her pottery business.

Maria shed light on the types of products she makes, “I make jewelry dishes and trays, accessories stand, ring cones, candle holders, things that can be used for home decors. I do make customized key tags on customer requests as well. I have been trying to release a new collection every month with unique designs and I find my inspiration from the local trees, flowers we see all around Maldives and also from my memories with my family.”

“My Maama-Kaafa Collection is originated by the times I have spent in childhood with my grandparents. As I grew up with them, the most memorable memory I had was the times when my grandfather would wear his mundu and sit in a chair outside whilst my grandmother would make him tea with rose petals and white jasmine.” Maria described her fondest memories of how she found inspiration from her family.

Maria continued that since the start of her business six years ago, she has not been able to find any place that teaches or provides information on pottery locally. And that not many people are aware of the materials that can be used for pottery. People seem interested to learn but due to lack of an informative source, they find it difficult to continue. “As I have been self-teaching myself using internet platforms for the past six years, I am really happy that I am able to pass that knowledge to those participants who took interest in pottery.”

Maria shared her experience with her hand-built pottery classes she had recently started to host. “The classes were conducted in a room with a lot of participants. It was so peaceful to create pottery with a room full of enthusiastic potters. Each and every participant was in their own world fully immersed in what they were creating. It was a delight sharing my knowledge.”

The biggest challenge that Maria faces is bringing the materials from abroad as those are items that has a heavy-duty charge. “I feel that for most people not having the space to do something like this is also a big challenge. And to have that space, it would enable for a lot of interested individuals to kick off their passion.”

Enthusiastically, Maria demonstrated how she starts to make a product. She explained that to make a jewelry dish it takes approximately 2 hours to mold the clay. First, she wedges the clay to make sure that there are no air bubbles present. And then she rolls the clay making it smooth. During this process she double checks whether any air bubbles are present. After she cuts the clay, she waits for approximately one hour till the clay hardens because then she can shape it to the design which takes her a week. Maria also added that sometimes it takes another week for the final product to dry depending on the weather. Usually, it takes 48 hours to fully dry and depending on the weather it takes about a week. After that she paints them and spray a finishing coat to seal the artwork. All in all, two weeks is spent to make a product, from designing to making clay and painting. Hence, it takes her a month to release a new collection. Maria also expressed that the most enjoyable part of the whole process is painting. “As I am someone who struggle with anxiety, doing pottery has been really mind relaxing and soothing.”

When inquired about her customer feedback, Maria has to say that even though her products attract the feminine audience, there had been times that men have also approached to make customized products for their loved ones. “I do get a lot of positive feedback especially for customized products. They feel very happy with the end product and that’s more than what I could ever ask for. To be able to provide a product with full customer satisfaction.”

“For the foreseeable future, I am planning to broaden my business. I am anticipating to start ceramic pottery as it is a dream to be able to make kitchenware products like plates, mugs. It is a difficult process due to lack of facilities but hoping to achieve it despite the roadblocks at the moment.” Maria confided with what lies ahead in pottery.

Maria’s piece of advice to anyone who wants to find a path in art is, “If you have ever wanted to pursue a career in Art, all it takes is to have that willpower and strength. Because I believe with those attributes in yourself, you will be able to do anything you set your heart and mind to.”