Hello, my name is Rui. I moved to the United States with a passion for exploring deeper into art and design, which led me to earn degrees in industrial design and graphic design. After two years of working at tech companies in the Bay Area, the pandemic hit, and I found myself working from home, feeling more like a robot than a human. Then, I found pottery—a practice that reconnected me to the human side of creativity. It's been my outlet for expression, a way to explore the boundless possibilities of form and texture. Pottery, for me, is the perfect blend of discipline and spontaneity, whether it's through the precision of wheel-thrown pieces or the unique, tactile quality of hand-built works.

My design sensibilities lean towards the minimalist, favoring simplicity and clean lines. Yet, the organic, imperfect beauty of natural elements deeply inspires me. This is where the concept of wabi-sabi resonates with me—finding beauty in the imperfections, embracing the marks of time and use that make each piece uniquely beautiful. I'm drawn to rough textures, raw finishes, and uneven glazes, all of which celebrate the flawlessness in flaws. My journey in pottery is about marrying the minimalist with the organic, seeking a harmony that reflects the wabi-sabi philosophy of appreciating the perfectly imperfect.

If you're curious about how I blend these elements in my work, integrating the sleekness of design with the imperfect, natural beauty of wabi-sabi through clay, I'd love to have you follow my journey.