Online Ceramics Class

I really wanted to take a ceramics class in Seoul. I followed a few Korean artists, and really love their style in creating bowls, mugs, and plates--usually in pastels color combination.

Months ago, Ava tagged us in an Instagram post of Mess We Made Manila, a new ceramics studio located just here in the city where I live. Our group planned to take one of their classes in Southbank Café + Lounge in Westgate Alabang, but they're always sold out! I think they only offer it to a maximum of 4 persons per class to practice social distancing. There are available slots by June, but that's also the month Ava's due to give birth! So we patiently waited for early slots to free up.

Months later, while browsing their page (kating kati na ako may gawin na exciting, haha), I chanced upon a new tab on their site that says "Private Class". Finally! The best part is their rate is still the same per head as enrolling in their other classes (Php 3500), as long as you gather 4 sure people to book the session (Php 14,000 total for 4 students). I messaged my friends, and Ava, Ash, and Paul agreed to take the private class with me.

We booked a class end of March, still a good month for Ava to go out albeit her pregnancy. We were so excited, but ECQ happened! They were good enough to ask us if we want to refund or rebook, and we always picked rebook for latter date since we really want to take ceramics classes. It was pushed several times to a latter date, until we got a message about the online Zoom class option. Btw, they are very responsive with all our messages via their Instagram--plus points for that!

Days prior the class, we already received our box that contains the materials we will need via same-day courier. We don't have to pay anything, everything's part of the fee. Both the day before and the morning before our class, we also received text reminders on what to prepare via a group chat. I really appreciate that they are very organized. 

Our task is to create 1 medium sized plate, a bowl, and a saucer. The clay given to use were pre-colored, and enough to accomplish these three projects. The published duration of the workshop is about 2 hours, but we weren't rushed which I also appreciate. It's my first time ever to try my hands on ceramics, so I had blunders here in there. Our teacher -- even though it's through a computer screen -- was able to teach us the correct ways and remedies for some of our beginners' mistakes. We were taught basic techniques and design ideas, but teacher is also very open to guide us when we showed photos of our "pegs". 

Overall, my friends and I had a great time learning ceramics. It's our first ever online workshop experience together, and we're on a high even a day after the session! Hehe! We can't wait to get our finished projects soon. 

Showing our favorite works, before ending the 2.5 hour class:

By the way, after the class, the team went personally to our houses to get our wet clay projects on the same day. They can opt for public same day deliveries, but were so considerate with our works getting damaged that they picked them up themselves! Take note, we live in different areas in Metro Manila--from North to South! 

They will take our projects to their studio for firing and glazing, then send them back when they are ready in about 3-4 weeks. Again, all deliveries are already part of the fee.

My works, while waiting for pickup:

What I Like About This Class:

1. Very neat and organized. Materials sent were sanitized.

2. Fairly priced, considering inclusions of Metro Manila deliveries.

3. Instructions were easy to follow, considering it's my first online crafting workshop and ceramics experience. They used two cameras in their studio so we can see the demo in different perspectives.

4. The team is easy to talk to, my friends and I all agree they're super nice and we were at ease the whole time!

5. They offered variety of projects and techniques, but teacher is also super open to our wild ideas (lol). Creativity was very much encouraged throughout the session.

Aside from the class we took, Mess We Made Manila also offered a Picnic Home Kit class before, mugs workshop, etc. They also sell ceramic pieces on their site, which are all very beautiful!

Anyway, will update this post or write a new one when we finally get our creations back! 

Visit https://www.messwemademanila.com for more information, or to book class!