Laima Ceramics — A Two-Woman Studio
In the very beginning, my website carried my first and last name. I changed it quite quickly. Partly because I felt and hoped that, as a woman, my surname might one day change — and in fact, it did. I was once Laima Grigone, and today I am Laima Pilina. I’m deeply grateful that the rebranding happened long before that moment, so the work was never tied to a surname.
Laima is a goddess from Latvian pagan mythology — associated with fate, happiness, time, and the quiet unfolding of life. Latvia holds one of the oldest living pagan traditions in Europe, rooted in nature, seasons, cycles, and continuity.
Choosing Laima Ceramics instead of my full name also created space — for collaboration, shared labour, and growth beyond a single pair of hands.
Today, Laima Ceramics is a two-woman studio: myself, Laima, and my assistant Oksana.
And in truth, this has been the case, in different forms, since the very beginning.
A studio built on collaboration
Since founding Laima Ceramics in 2013, I have never worked entirely alone. Over the years, the studio has involved apprentices, interns, assistants, and collaborators. Ceramics is physical, repetitive, and time-intensive work — and sustaining a practice over many years requires shared effort.
How we work together
I have never really thought of myself as the boss.
Becoming an employer has instead felt like taking on more responsibility — not only for the work we make, but for how we shape the small world we spend our days in.
Our studio days are filled with clay, repetition, problem-solving — but also conversation. We talk. A lot. About work, about life, about relationships, about our bodies and rhythms.
At one point, we spoke about countries like Sweden, where women are supported with paid days off during menstruation. We talked about how it works, and how it’s valued.
Latvia is not there yet.
And I realised: we don’t have to wait.
I told Oksana that I wanted her to be able to take Moon Days — time off during her period — with full pay. Not because the government requires it, but because it feels right.
Pottery is demanding work. It asks a lot of the body. And being able to listen to that — to rest when needed — matters.
In between throwing, glazing, and packing orders, there is also something quieter happening:
supporting one another, sharing perspective, laughing, trying to understand our partners better, and holding space for the realities of being women working with our hands.
This, too, is part of how the studio functions.
Different hands, different tasks
Oksana plays a vital role in the daily rhythm of the studio. Her work includes:
slab-rolled dinnerware production
wedging clay and preparing materials
sponging, sanding, and surface finishing
kiln loading and unloading
glaze mixing and some glazing or glaze clean-up
packing and shipping orders
resolving tracking-related customer queries
cleaning and maintaining the studio space
running pinching classes and several other local workshops
My role focuses on:
all wheel-thrown forms and trimming
glaze development and testing
most of the glazing process
kiln loading and unloading
all social media, newsletters, and written communication
building and maintaining this website (from scratch)
product photography on plain backgrounds
filming and editing reels
inventory management across Etsy, our website, Faire, and Wescover
the majority of customer communication and emails
developing new collections and long-term design direction
Different hands, different tasks — one shared studio.
A studio, not a persona
Laima Ceramics is not a single pair of hands frozen in time.
It is a living studio shaped by routine, repetition, care, and shared responsibility.
Every piece that leaves our space carries more than clay and glaze.
It carries hours of preparation, coordination, trust — and the values we choose to practice daily.
— Laima
