I create and design all sorts of things–including brands, businesses, websites, and ceramic bowls.

All of this has led me to establish my own business consulting company, co-found an experiential design agency, take countless photos, pursue a mix of branding, advertising, and web design projects... and create a ceramics line.

Running two companies is a lot of work, and I've had the opportunity to travel and meet other entrepreneurs. More often than not, we're so busy working with our heads down to really appreciate the journey and the process of how we got to where we're going–to see the growth, to celebrate the failures, to acknowledge the inherent beauty in the human struggle to create. Though I'm getting more diligent about documenting my travels, I've always been curious about what it would be like to document the entire creative process–from idea to execution. 

After being away from the wheel for 14 years, I rediscovered the magic of ceramics, and I saw it as an opportunity to start from scratch–to show the ugly and messy process behind the glossy photos of finished pieces.

Baleia Blu is a study in imperfection. The pieces, the process, the journal entries and reflection, the brand–nothing is perfect.* There's literal muck and toil. The path isn't linear, we're all making it up along the way, and we won't know when we've arrived–so we might as well revel in the wayward journey. Isn't it prettier to think so?

*Side note: Please email me if you see a typo, so I can fix it. Let's not get carried away.

About photo and homepage animation by Måns Swanberg. All other photography and design work by Adette Contreras, unless otherwise noted.