Co-Creating Norms & World-Building in the studio
One of the greatest gifts of being an artist and small business owner is co-creating a creative space and the cozy, intimate, welcoming concept of Waveform that goes beyond the physical structure of business.
Part of me has resisted articulating studio norms, because defining the studio culture feels rigid and pretentious and ingrained in a compulsive need to, well, define. But a larger part of me wants to reaffirm the space we’ve co-created at Waveform over the past three years, and share powerful ways that a playful art space can build a sustainable resource for collective liberation. A political party, government or doctrine cannot erase who we are and how we treat one another.
If you are thinking of starting something, or currently working on your own business, project, space or collective, it can be helpful to pay attention to the norms already emerging in your circle, and the norms you dream of.
Important Questions
What behaviors foster the norms that feed your soul?
What norms are detrimental to your values and to collective flourishing?
Waveform Norms
Below are a handful of norms that have solidified over time at Waveform that I work to foster whenever I show up to the space.
Writing them down this week has helped me stay grounded - when I feel scattered and discouraged, or when my nervous system is strategically under attack by systems that feel out of my control, I can refer to this list and settle my mind and body. Having clarity around studio values and norms feels like having a trusted friend or mentor by my side, supporting me through each day no matter the spiritual weather.
1. People of all backgrounds belong and are loved at Waveform.
2. Trans and non-binary identities are beloved and valid.
3. Queerness is celebrated and non-normative relationships are respected.
4. Through instruction, program design, the nature of clay in motion and personal work, we challenge, repeatedly, characteristics of white supremacy culture that show up in the way we treat ourselves and the clay (Such as Quantity over quality, urgency, right to comfort, fear, one right way, either/or & the binary).
5. Illness and disability is reality, and our relationship to it is important and valuable. Whatever you feel like sharing in relation to your body and your physical experience is heard with curiosity and respect.
6. All ages and stages of life contribute to collective learning in the studio (kids must be 4+though, for now! lol)
7. With strong consent, my guiding touch for your hands is available. But I'll never touch your clay without you or do things for you :)
8. Your emotions do not upset me - a spectrum of feelings is welcome.
9. I am relatively neutral about your work - I don’t weigh in on if it’s “good” or not - your feelings, impulses and instincts guide the process. I’ll weigh in on the structural integrity and technique… but feeling something is “good” is something you generate on your end - I don’t check that box for you.
11. Discomfort, vulnerability and risk is a key part of art-making.
12. Your hobbies and the activities that bring you joy, or brought you joy at some point in your life, are relevant and important.
13. Sensory needs, neurodivergence and different styles of learning are embraced and integrated into studio design and curriculum flow.
14. We make time for the pronunciation of names, naming of pronouns, comfort of and concern for body and respect for various cultural experiences.
15. We continue to mask in the studio to protect one another.
16. We value each other’s time and energy: arriving on time, moving through the session in a timely manner, tidying up, contributing to and appreciating the studio.
17. Sliding scale is available if tuition is cost-prohibitive with no explanation needed, with an emphasis on making pottery accessible to groups often excluded or priced out of fine art spaces. BIPOC and Bay Area natives to the front.
18. I am profoundly imperfect, and open about it. Just because I’m “in charge” and the teacher doesn’t mean I know everything or have it all together.
19. Mad respect to nurses and educators <3
20. The playlists are fire – sing along and do a little dance!
Here are a few resources I found helpful for noticing and fostering norms in a studio, business, collective / home or general community:
Value Sort – A common exercise for folks studying to become social workers or therapists; helpful for anyone aiming to create a life more aligned with their values. I do this exercise every year for myself, and have a separate set of values for the studio that I am consistently thinking about and orienting towards when I make choices.
Radical Healership – A book written for therapists (by a Bay Arean!) and applicable to anyone working thoughtfully with people. Helpful for anyone starting a business who struggles with the dehumanizing capitalist system that you end up having to navigate and be a part of.
White Supremacy Culture - Another body of work generated in the Bay Area! A crucial resource especially for white folks in leadership positions. I think about my relationship to my whiteness a lot, and work internally and in conversation with others, to navigate my privileges, unravel internalized white supremacy culture and connect with humanity.
Trauma Healing at the Clay Field – Excellent resource for pottery instructors and art therapists – also for anyone working closely with people, engaging with physical processes and materials. Art-making brings up emotions, and having a base of knowledge around how trauma shows up in creative spaces is important to me, so it’s something I research and think about regularly.
There are many thinkers, writers, leaders and community members who have influence the studio norms - Angela Davis, Noam Chomsky, bell hooks, Adrienne Maree Brown, my friends and family, my art teachers - especially Denise Pelletier and Matthew Duke.
What are norms in your life that align with your values? What world do you want to create? Visit me in the studio and let’s talk it over with some fresh clay :).
