Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Kim.
Hi Elizabeth, 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?
Sure, here’s how I landed in ceramics. I hadn’t given myself a creative outlet while finding my footing in my career that started in 2018, but it turns out corporate work brings out a side of me that is anxious, irritable, and generally unpleasant. I needed a change, especially after the pandemic hit and my workplace didn’t prioritize my safety. That experience completely shifted my perspective on work, which I now see more as a source of income than a source of fulfillment. Once I secured a job that prioritized my well-being, I finally had the emotional bandwidth to explore things that I enjoy.
On my birthday in 2023, I walked into a Color Me Mine for the first time and painted me, my partner, and my pup as silly, happy beans on a mug. Two hours went by too fast, and I left thinking how cool it would be if I could paint beans on something I made. I searched “clay class near me,” and the rest is history. I fell in love with pottery a few months in and started practicing every single day, early mornings before work and on weekends, and The Bloop Bean started to take shape (hehe).
I used to value the end product more than the process, but practicing pottery changed that. The nature of throwing, specifically, requires you to be fully present. Your whole body is involved, from your hips to your fingertips. Something small, like a slight change in pressure between your hands or your thumb and forefinger, can be the difference between an even or wonky wall. A sudden tremble in your body can influence that pressure and throw everything off center. As someone who struggles with anxiety and has had to actively learn how to interpret my body’s signals, this practice has helped me tangibly feel how my overall mental state can influence my physical body. Sometimes a poor throwing day will inform me of how I’m feeling, and I’ll be more gracious to myself that day. Maybe take a break, cuddle my dog, then get back into it when I’m not feeling so tense, and it’s always a smoother throwing session. I like to say I “practice” pottery because it really is a practice: engaging in it regularly helps me improve both in craft and in understanding myself.
About a year into making, I started teaching wheel throwing and handbuilding (shoutouts to @makersandclay in Monrovia for trusting me to teach at their new studio and @gbclayhousepasadena for inviting me back to teach after setting me up for success at the start of my practice). Teaching became a way to share my love for clay with my community, while also rebuilding the social and public speaking skills that had taken a hit after some really difficult experiences in a toxic work environment. Even though I still break out in a sweat pretty much every class, I’m putting myself out there and building a community around a shared passion. I’m excited to share the joy of ceramics and feel rewarded by each person who leaves clay feeling a little bit happier, proud of themselves for trying something new, working towards something just for them. This little life is short, and we exist in a world that pressures you into systems instead of allowing you to just exist. Practicing pottery can really get you to just exist, which is so valuable for understanding where you’re at and how you are, even if only for a couple of hours.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not, haha.
Being creative requires a level of vulnerability I wasn’t used to, or comfortable with, showing. Outside of pottery, I tend to be serious, critical, and hold myself, and others, to very high standards. I created The Bloop Bean as an alter ego, something playful and separate from what I understood to be my identity, to make it easier to dive into this creative journey and share it on social media. I hadn’t used social media since the early 2010s and was generally a guarded person so approaching it as a character helped ease the fear of exposure.
Now I realize that The Bloop Bean isn’t a separate identity, it’s a part of mine. It’s the little silly, playful bean in me that wants to offer warmth, comfort, and joy to the world, and maybe even connect with other silly beans out there who want to feel seen!
That said, I still get nervous being in front of a camera, cringe when I look at playback of myself, feel vulnerable every time I create a piece and share it. But every time I face those discomforts, I learn more about myself, and I build more confidence in me and this thing I created that I know is mine.
And honestly I’ve found myself in the most supportive, encouraging community I’ve ever been part of, which makes every challenging thing easier to overcome.
Shoutout to my clay fam (including Instagram handles of my fellow potters whose art will be so fun to check out):
@it.jayyy, @kimchee_torres, @dummyconcepts, @potterandpoppy_ceramics, @aheartforclay, June, @winking_cat_clay,
@disasters.in.glaze, @jampottery.losangeles, Calvin, @handmadebyjessey, @tkh_pottery_designs, @james_l_pottery,
Mary Smith, @marlonmarinero_studio, @marianamichelistudio, @hendmadeceramics, @wolterstorffceramics,
@strawberryprincessonfire, @she_loves_corn, @mimi.visi0n, @potter_rhee, @santana.ceramics, @sarah.hayashi.art, @ceramics, @noon_ceramics, @gillypots_ceramics, @zacspottery, @derekdubler—
and everyone else I’ve met through pottery who have been nothing short of kind, generous, and encouraging.
Another big shoutout to all my students who’ve trusted me with this special moment of learning something new in their lives, and to all the folks who’ve supported my business by purchasing or commissioning my work. I hope you know actual tears of joy were spilt over each request and piece sold :’)
And a special shoutout to my favorite teacher, @fritzkeramik, for teaching me so much about clay in both technique and approach. Your words have, and continue to, guide me throughout this practice.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a ceramist and creator behind The Bloop Bean, my small business. I also record and edit videos of my process that I share on Instagram and YouTube (@thebloopbean). I make functional wares like dinnerware (plates, bowls, mugs, cups), incense caves, and luminaries, mini animal sculptures, and illustrate my bean characters. I’m early on in my practice so I plan to learn loads more (there’s always something new to learn in ceramics) and be making all sorts of things down the line, who knows what!
I’m most proud of starting something creative at all! It feels like a complete 180 from where I was. And I’m even prouder that I brought my bean characters to life. They started as little doodles I used to sketch on meeting notes during work calls that probably could’ve been emails. Now I paint them on pieces I’ve made from mud. That still feels surreal, to have actually accomplished the original 2023 goal of painting beans on something I made myself.
I think everyone has a unique perspective on life, so maybe what sets me apart is how I see you and me, just some beans trying to make the most of this little life, enjoying the quiet moments and simple pleasures, both alone and with our cherished beans.
Also, I’ve learned that I have an unusual level of fascination with animals. We could talk about them forever- especially pets. I love your pets, and I love how much you love your pets. I will sculpt your pets on anything!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
My favorite thing about LA is the diversity and access to anything you could possibly need, from food to resources to community. Also, I was born and raised here, so my bias runs deep.
My least favorite thing? The traffic, of course. The patience I’ve cultivated through pottery still can’t stop me from a proper moment of road rage on the 101.
Pricing:
- $45-55 Luminary (1-2 animals)
- $45-75 Cozy Cave Incense Holder (no animal or up to 3 animals)
- $70 Custom Bean Mug Portrait
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thebloopbean.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebloopbean/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVK-SeOFoCd1yJGj37Ek01g
