Welcome, at last to Abi Motais, and her new venture
Lockdown effects people in many ways, but I suspect very few decide to start up a new business! Abi Motais is one such person, her new business barepotshop produces handmade pots with the female form promoting body positivity.
“It all started when I had a play of some clay in my friend’s workshop and decided to make a tit pot, this was July 2020. So here we are, a lockdown hobby turned into a small pottery business all from my lil’ old bedroom,” says Abi.
By day Abi works as a teaching assistant in a local primary school and also works part time in a bar. She explains
“my dream is to hopefully one day make this a full-time thing. I am still learning new things every day in the world of ceramics and what it takes to be a business owner - it's so stressful. I have a long way to go with Bare Pots but so grateful at where it is already.”
Before Christmas Abi approached us to help raise awareness of a raffle she was organising, but missed our deadline. It was to raise funds for CoppaFeel! (coppafeel.org) a charity dedicated to helping people understand their boobs and how it could save their life. CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity, on a mission to educate and remind people to get to know their boobs and catch breast cancer early.
Abi produces her pots in small batches of 8 to 10, which vary in size, colour or might even be seasonal limited-edition pots and she also offers custom pots from time to time. You can specify what your pot looks like, the size, colour, tattoos, piercings, imperfections, patterns anything your heart desires.
Abi’s original pots were made with air drying clay, hand painted with acrylics and finished with a water-based varnish. They were not waterproof or food safe. So if you wanted to put a plant in, you had to keep the plant in its original nursery pot, take out to water and pop it back in when dry, so more suited to plants such as cacti or succulents.
Today Abi has transitioned to ceramics and produces a range of hand sculptured stoneware handleless mugs which are delightful but need a little care to be kept out of the dishwasher. All the mugs are unique and may include the odd flaw, but this is what makes them perfectly imperfect.
Abi is keen to ensure her business is kind to the environment too. Her packaging is 100% recyclable and biodegradable, the bubble wrap and packing are plastic free and dissolve in water plus the tape used is plastic free paper tape and the stickers are made from recyclable Kraft paper.
“This year has been a crazy one, I always wanted to own my own business but never in my life did I think I would be sat here, running a ceramics business, with beautiful people who want to buy MY art! I can not thank you all enough for having the faith, patience and support throughout my startup,” says Abi.
You'll find barepotshop at:
www.barepots.co.uk
barepotshop
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