CREATOR SERIES: Alexandra Cadiz - Designer , Musician, Podcaster , Co Founder

22 Mar

I first connected with Alex a couple of years ago after stumbling across her brand, Ceramicah, online. I fell in love with her work and its ability to make you pause, consider and appreciate the beauty in its organic form and stillness. I love that her approach to design is timeless and purpose-driven rather than playing into trends, and that it carries through as a common theme in every other creative outlet she turns to.

A Los Angeles based multidisciplinary creative; one half of the brand ‘Ceramicah’, musician, podcaster, and ultimate hype-woman, Alex is honest and considered in her approach to design, navigating the hurdles of running a business with elegance and ease.

I’m thrilled to share my recent conversation with Alex, below.

Can you describe what inspires your work the most, and why?

For me, everything comes down to emotions. I genuinely want to make people feel something - joy when they reach over and turn on their Tera Lamp, empowered when they hear something that resonates with them on the podcast, or less alone when they listen to lyrics in a song I wrote. I try my best to notice when something moves me and really let it sink in.

On every app (instagram, tiktok, pinterest, iphoto, etc) I have a folder called Inspo and I save everything in there. The things I save range from weird visuals, to beautiful spaces and objects, inspirational talks, memes that hit a hard truth, photos of women who embody an energy I desire to have, the list goes on. I write thoughts and ideas down in my phone notes like a maniac and even record voice notes when I’m on the go. I am constantly trying to tap into my own emotions and channel them into my work. Ceramicah, the podcast and music are all different mediums for that.

Please share with us a bit about your love for design, and how you came to be where you are today.

Art and design run in my family. My grandfather and father were both architects who had their own companies and inspired me to follow in their footsteps. I was enamored by my father’s love for design and spent my childhood seeing the world through his eyes, learning about buildings and city planning, going to meetings and job sites, and drawing for hours in his office. He was my first example of a creative who worked for himself and built something bigger than just him, so it instilled confidence in me that I could do the same.

After high school I pursued design and eventually started my own architecture and interiors firm when I was 25, called Studio Cadiz. I ran Studio Cadiz for three years and worked on a lot of projects I’m really proud of, but burned out extremely hard halfway into the pandemic. I had dug myself into a physical and emotional hole and was starting to realize that the traditional path of architecture & interior design didn’t feel aligned anymore. I craved more artistic freedom and the opportunity to explore my other creative passions. So in early 2021 I made the hard decision to wrap up all my projects, step away from Studio Cadiz and take a break.

During that time Micah (my husband and the other half of Ceramicah) was making ceramics again. It was something he started in high school and picked back up in late 2019, experimenting with different forms that eventually led to the creation of the Tera Lamp. That’s when Ceramicah really took off, and by mid-2021 it got so busy that he needed help. We started working together and while there were many ups and downs figuring out our roles and how to have an effective work partnership, it’s one of the best decisions we ever made.

Now I have the best of both worlds - I am still in the design industry getting to create art that’s entirely our own, rather than channeling someone else’s vision. And the success of Ceramicah has given me the freedom, capacity and stability to make my podcast and music. Integrating all of these creative passions has been extremely challenging and overwhelming at times. The world often tells us that we have to focus on one thing in order to be successful, and for so long architecture was that one thing for me. But my true self is extremely multifaceted and I’ve finally realized that's what makes me unique. I am now embracing all parts of myself, allowing them to exist together and embodying being a true multi-disciplinary creative.

What would you say is your biggest career lesson?

Learning how to trust myself. It’s something I’ve been consciously working on the past few years and still work on every day. I wish someone sat me down when I was younger and told me that my most powerful asset was my intuition - that learning what it feels like in my body and how to listen to it would be indispensable to my career and life in general. I spent a lot of my 20’s trying not to disappoint or let anyone else down, but ended up losing myself in the process. I now know that making decisions from a grounded place of trusting my instincts rather than trying to please other people will always lead me to the right place.

How would you describe the Ceramicah person/customer?

Someone who really values art and design as a part of their everyday lifestyle and appreciates the time, effort and craft that goes into handmade products.

Last thing you listened to?

I've been obsessed with the album Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain and have her song Sun Bleached Flies on repeat.

Favourite travel destination and why?

Mexico! Growing up in five countries I had the privilege of traveling to so many amazing places, but I truly feel like Mexico is my second home. The art and design is incredible, the food is my favorite in the world and the people are the kindest. Micah and I have been going every few months since the pandemic and have traveled all over, we even got married and had our honeymoon there. It has so much to offer and is very close to LA, so hopefully we’ll have our own place there one day.

Three words that describe your style.

Comfortable, Chic & Refined with a bit of edge.