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His brand, Eva’s Sand, is one of the most interesting of today’s Spanish ceramics. But before dedicating herself to it, Eva Llamas was dedicated to digital marketing. And she wasn’t bad at it. Here she tells how her process was to change her profession so radically.
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“I was born in Madrid and studied Business Administration. I remember myself, as a child, saying that I wanted to have a company I don’t remember if I knew exactly what that meant, I think I just I fantasized about being boss. Of course, there was no indication that in the future I would end up dedicating myself to Brick… What’s more: many people have had contact with mud already at school… But at mine there was never anything like it.
Just one at a time Before he made the decision to radically change his life, he worked for a German multinational in the world of marketing and digital advertising of the group Axel Springer. wore 12 years in the sector, between various companies (English, French and German), and had also lived in Pars. It can be said that he was at the top of my career professional, managing and supporting various departments such as director of media and business development.
But I realized that all that already it didn’t fill me up What’s more: I was bored. When you are young and everything is new it is easier manage and channel stress; when you’re already bored and you hardly learn anything new… it’s hard. I was only motivated by team management, teaching people to do things better, but that was no longer enough.
THE ‘BLAME’ WAS ON THE KITCHENWARE
I think the seed of my decision to switch from marketing to ceramics was my passion for kitchenware of kitchen. My grandmother took me to department stores and she always stopped in that section, and I looked at the bowls, the plates, the cups… Being bored and very blocked at work, I decided to sign up for some classes of something that would help me disconnect. It could have been paint, but I directly looked for ‘pottery classes’ without being very aware of why.
i felt like it create my own pieces, to my liking, let’s see what room… and the first day of class I liked it so much that I went home with a rush, thinking “this is what I want to do!”. The classes are usually focused on developing a hobby, you don’t learn everything that implies dedicating yourself to it, so I had to be very autodidact and to experience very much. The good thing was that I loved it and I had fun and it was also so creative that totally disconnected and simultaneously connected with a self that I had not known until then. Ceramics is pure creativity and a lot of experiment and Liberty. My job didn’t give me that.
My trip to Australia in 2016 was the turning point. It is a very powerful, super-inspiring artisan ceramics market with a great feeling of community and love. I was literally inundated with ideas and inspiration, but above all with motivation. It was time to go full throttle. The middle vrtigobecause he knew that the Spanish market, despite having a long tradition, does not appreciate many times the work behind the craftsmanship. And I don’t blame us… those of us who have always lived in big cities have never been taught to value it. There is a lot of work behind it that is difficult to show, that’s why in my instagram I have always tried to show the whole process behind the pieces, so that people understand the value and price of each one.
FUNDAMENTAL SUPPORTS
Me husband I was very encouraged to make the change, and it always was and still is my biggest fan and support. My brother loved the business idea, my father at first asust, but little by little he became convinced that if it was what I wanted, it was what i had to do. If the idea took away hours of sleep, it was because of so many things that occurred to me and I wanted to do, but not out of concern. I have it very clear. If I hesitated for a moment, I quickly looked at my colleagues from other countries and felt very motivated.
It was so clear to me and I was so tired that I just left the company. I needed that change and at that moment, without looking back. Radical, for sure. I also took it as a challenge, see what he was capable of how far could it go. I had often wondered, my mind clouded by the routine of office work, if it will be worth to do something else That it wasn’t that job. How blind I was, and what a satisfaction to begin to see that there is something else to be done, if you propose
I had a savings cushion that allowed me channel any anxiety due to income insecurity. I will also agree with my husband to give us a trial time with the business was important. I knew that I would not earn money from day one, but that little by little and adding up, I would advance. The least he did was look atrs, always forward, with the idea machine running at full throttle, and experiencing everything, enjoying and learning, even if it didn’t work the first time. You learn a lot from mistakes.
THE NEW MACHINE STARTS ROLLING
Instagram was key for me. I started using it as a main tool to show my progress in the ceramic world. It soon became THE sales channel. Little by little I began to be interested in the photographer and the culinary styling. Then came the prescriptions and many more things that I have been experiencing, and that have gone integrating naturally in me new life. The joy began very soon, when people began to write me nice things, to share my work, the first commissions!, and even little by little to ask me questions on a technical level and also about entrepreneurship. Lots of satisfaction.
The best of all has been verifying that with effort and perseverance you can achieve many things that you don’t initially think you are capable of. Also the recognition for my work, since at the beginning I had a little imposter syndrome by not having a specific background in ceramics. But I got over it.
The worst… is being right now more on a personal and emotional level… A great disappointment added to a very hard family event. But you always have to look ahead, and quickly, so as not to forget the value of everything you’ve achieved so far.
The mud has given me freedom, I wouldn’t change that for anything. And it has helped me get out of the maelstrom of big companies and appreciate the little things much more, especially if they are handmade; to live more slowly and more consciously, enjoying more of everything, but above all, of that freedom”
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