Tatiana Ferreira x Miaskin
Hi Tatiana, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
Overall, I am a very curious and persistent person. That’s it, I could end it there, and this would be shortest bio in history ahahah! I come from an arts background and ended up going down the path of interior architecture, where I specialized in building rehabilitation. I developed my work in this area for a few years and quickly realised its versatility and beauty.
I had my first contact with ceramics back in high school, where I did continuous training for several years and had the privilege of being in contact with many artistic and plastic areas in addition to ceramics, such as silk screen printing, tilework, and tapestry. It was a special high school...and I miss that time a lot! I think that's where the seed of the desire to know more and to continue exploring the characteristics of clay was planted.
Six years ago, I came to live in the Ajuda neighborhood, where I rented a small studio that used to be an old jewelry store, where I have remained and developed my two projects - Pareidólia Ceramics and A'Loja, which was the name I gave to the studio where I give workshops and training in ceramics and engraving.
What was your childhood like and what were the influences that led you to this path you chose?
I come from a very creative and charismatic family where female image and strength have always been present. I have many memories involving my paternal grandmother, who has always been a very "contemporary" woman in her way of being and very funny, dressing up for Carnival in front of the mirror or dancing to the sound of Bonga in the living room! I have many memories of my father, who was a visual artist and graphic designer, spending hours sitting on the couch always sketching something. Music was also a constant in my house, all the time.
At those times, I remember feeling a true sense of belonging, that I couldn't have been born in another family other than this one ahaha. I think this vast array of stimuli and curiosity for everything, which has always been common to all members of my family, couldn't have led me down any other path rather than this one where I am.
Architecture, how did it come about?
As a child, I wanted to be something different every week, but I always had more inclination towards archaeology. I think I had a very romantic idea of what it was like to be an archaeologist, of the process of the excavations and the mystery involved until something was finally found. Meanwhile, my father had a small frustration in life, related to not having graduated in architecture. He ended up, unintentionally, putting that expectation on me. I followed my friends a bit as well and at the time, I ended up opting for architecture.
When did A-LOJA come to life?
A-Loja emerged 6 years ago, exactly one year after I started living in Ajuda. The space was an old jewelry store belonging to a neighbor's grandfather and had been closed for many years. When we rented the space, it still had many things from the old jewelry store, and I felt like an archaeologist during the months we were refurbishing ahahah!
Was the world of ceramics inevitable? Tell us about Pareidolia...
When I was in high school, I enrolled in an intensive course, a kind of extracurricular activity, which lasted for a few years while I was studying Arts. The teachers who coordinated the course were very special and proactive. They gave me many opportunities to be in daily contact with countless techniques, such as ceramics. At that time, I explored a lot. I went through the Fusing technique where we made pieces in glass that fused at high temperatures, painting on tiles, and molds for ceramics. I ended up sympathizing more with ceramics,
I think it was inevitable!
The idea of developing a ceramics brand came up in December 2021. At the time, I still worked at a Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and felt that I needed to drastically change my life. I was already doing ceramics as a hobby, and it was in January 2022 that I decided to take seriously what until then was just a sketch.
Choosing a name was almost immediate. The word and phenomenon of Pareidólia made a lot of sense to me, considering my creative process that often involves developing pieces that appear to be something else entirely. Or that start out as one thing and end up being another!
What are your days like in the studio? Do you have a specific routine?
I am a person who needs routines because I easily get distracted, especially when my work depends solely on me, at the moment. I always try to start and finish my days at the same time. And I'm a woman of lists and notepads! Although my days are very different, because when you work for yourself, and in an initial phase, you have to wear many different hats, so having a routine is something essential and important to me
Have you always felt comfortable in your own skin?
For many years, no. I went through many phases of great inconsistency regarding being comfortable with my body. I went through difficult periods in adolescence with acne and some excess weight. Over the years, I ended up developing much more the ability to like what I see when I look in the mirror, and that has to do with having worked on the emotional intelligence in a deeper way.
What is essential for you to feel good?
For me, it is essential and very important to be surrounded by my people, family, and friends. To live in a clan, to be able to share what I feel and how I feel whenever I need to. To feel supported and not alone. This was imperative in the last year, for example, when I decided that I wanted to work for myself and develop my own projects. Anxiety and fear always go hand in hand, but if we have people by our side to share these issues with, everything becomes easier.
Is nature important in your life?
Very much. I think this is true for all of us. Not only because I feel more present when surrounded by nature, but also because I gain a lot of knowledge and pleasure from observing it. There is always something exciting happening when we observe it with more attention.
What comes to mind when we talk about beauty?
Beauty for me is a conglomeration of diverse things. What makes something beautiful is a complex equation. Often, I find beauty in surprise or difference!
What do you like most about Miaskin?
I really liked the fact that it is a very uncomplicated routine. You only apply two products that are super effective and with ingredients that are easy to pronounce without strange weird names because you really know what they are.
Regarding the cream and serum, I couldn't have had a more complete experience!
My skin is very sensitive and having a mixed skin, it is often not easy to find a cream that meets my needs.
From the moment you apply it and feel the scent of lemongrass that gives you a feeling of tranquility, to the super fluid and non-greasy texture.
What is your biggest inspiration?
I don't think I have a specific inspiration. Every day I come across people or events that I later realise were an inspiration for something related to my creative process or as a construction of who I am. But in general, I can say that I am very inspired every day by the women who are part of my life: my mother's ability to reinvent herself in the face of adversity, my maternal grandmother's strength, tenacity, and persistent character, and my sister's super emotional intelligence.
And finally, tell us about the projects you are working on at the moment and what’s coming up next.
At the moment, I am quite focused on Pareidólia and A’Loja. These are two projects that, despite having distinct identities, go hand in hand and intersect as if they were two personalities of the same person. The last year was the embryonic year, mainly for Pareidólia. It was the year of understanding what language I wanted to establish and where I want to go.
Nowadays, I already have more certainties and confidence. For 2023, I have some projects and collaborations that are about to materialize, and I am embracing all of this with great enthusiasm (and some nervousness...!) it involves fairs and exhibitions already in March. Then it's just a matter of reaping the rewards and continuing to move forward with few certainties but with a lot of conviction and will :)
Pictures by: Rui Gaiola