Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa and Jessica Russell. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Studio Ember started as an idea that co-founders (and sisters!) Melissa and Jessica Russell had in November of 2021. Ever since they both finished school, they had casually talked about wanting to work together creatively. More and more people began showing interest in their work which encouraged them to start their own businesses. Things started to align last year when they found a place to live in McEwen and heard about a studio space near downtown Dickson.
Before Studio Ember, Jessica’s previous job was managing a college ceramic studio for over 3 years in Savannah, Georgia. She also took on several independent commissions using her ceramic, design, and photo-editing skills before taking the leap and co-founding Studio Ember. Melissa’s training and interests complement her sister’s skills perfectly. She has degrees in journalism and architecture, and her organized nature and well-curated creativity keep the studio together and growing.
Both sisters have put a lot of time into making their shared vision a reality, and know that they will keep improving as they continue to grow and learn.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Studio Ember’s biggest struggle so far has been marketing. Neither of the founders is naturally gifted at self-promotion, but they are slowly learning how to balance their social media presence in a way that feels authentic to them.
They are also both new to living in the area, so they have steadily been building relationships and learning more about this community and their familial ties to the area.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Studio Ember is a multi-disciplinary design studio based in Dickson, Tennessee. Right now they specialize in designing and producing ceramic work and hope to expand into textiles and different forms of digital media, like photography and video. Their co-founder Jessica has been working with ceramics for over five years, and she loves to throw terra cotta planters into unexpected shapes and use molds to create hanging planters out of slip-cast stoneware. She also enjoys developing products and manufacturing them for other designers, such as making ceramic sconce parts for a home goods design company in Savannah.
Within this next year, they are restructuring their studio to make it available for classes and developing new lines of products. They currently working on a new mug design, and different sets of planters.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to keep in touch with Studio Ember is through their Instagram @studio.ember. They post about all aspects of running a design studio – from product development and production to daily life in the studio. As of this month, they are also offering classes at their Dickson studio!
You can visit their website at www.studio-ember.com for more information and to reserve a spot in one of their upcoming clay classes. They also love to collaborate with other artists and take on custom ceramic orders, and they have details on their website about how to start that process.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.studio-ember.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studio.ember/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioEmberLLC
Image Credits
Jessica Russell
