Meet Sharie and Logan Meyer | Mud Manipulators (or Ceramic Artists)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sharie and Logan Meyer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sharie and Logan, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
While quality is the number one element to the success of our business, it is, in turn, driven by our commitment to our product. When we create, we think to the form and functionality from the start, and deliberately handcraft each item with purpose. We keep our branding simple and consistent, allowing everything we make to be the real representative of what we do. The care we invest in every step leads to elegant, high quality results that we believe in and anyone can love.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
At Mountain Mudworks we aim to craft beautiful, functional art. To make our products we employ slip casting; we pour liquid clay into plaster molds leaving a hollow casting, which must be kiln-fired, glazed, and then fired again. The cornerstone of our brand focuses on plant care by way of our unique plant tenders which slowly disperse water through a porous spike at the bottom of any number of forms. Even though many artists work with the same materials, and some even create the same types of products, we create our own niche using a few simple, but special techniques. For one, we’ve invented ways to make watering spikes out of many playful forms that would otherwise be stand alone sculptures. Another way we set ourselves apart is in the way we paint. The majority of our items are meticulously hand-painted with special attention to details including life like eyes and particular color choices. The most exciting way to differentiate ourselves is by creating new plaster molds from our own hand-built sculptures, a time-consuming process that leaves us with completely unique pieces.

Creating art professionally is a challenging position to put yourself in, building a brand that stands out and supports itself while also retaining an artist’s spirit takes hard work and dedication. To us, a big part of our success is sticking to the values which have helped to set the tone in our brand. Customer satisfaction is one of the most important things to provide and we do so regularly by using a simple philosophy: under promise and over deliver. Using this as a baseline for service has been an invaluable tool in fostering top notch customer service, we always meet the expectations we have set for ourselves and can even go above and beyond in some cases. Another foundational principle of our brand is to aim for sustainability; we source our materials as close to home as is possible. Our packaging is often made of recycled materials and wherever possible we give a second life to discarded packaging. We are also committed to giving back to the planet, we donate 1% of business earnings to environmental stewardship. As a two-person operation, our small business is built with lots of love and is fueled by our commitment to creating good in the world through art and healthier plants.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Colorado, there is no end to exciting adventures to be had! We love to pass our time in the wilderness of the Rockies, and in particular Buena Vista is our favorite town to spend time away from home in. Backpacking along the Colorado Trail near the Collegiate peaks is a wonderful experience that has a perfect natural stopping point at the Cottonwood Hot Springs resort. After a peaceful day of soaking in geothermal mineral water and massages, we could head back to our home in Colorado Springs, where we could have a few pints at our favorite brewery, Fossil while enjoying the best pizza in town from Slice420. If there was time some hiking or mountain biking in some of our great open spaces would be an absolute treat!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our creative endeavors and business venture can be easily traced back to an individual who exemplifies all the love, support, and mentorship anyone could imagine. Lex Dodge, a man of endless talent, knowledge, and positivity, has been the stepping-stone to unlocking our artistic inclinations and entrepreneurial spirit. After introducing us to the limitless craft of ceramics he helped to guide us to mastery of the primary skills we use every day, and emboldened us to question the rules, take chances and learn by doing. Every step of the process has been illuminated by his insight and hard-earned expertise. Quite simply, without Lex, Mountain Mudworks would not exist.

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/MountainMudworks

Instagram: @mountainmudworks

Facebook: Mountain Mudworks