by Tara Joyce
Pam Abrahamsson: Innerpreneur Spotlight
I am:
Pam Abrahamsson, the founder of Rustica Gift & Pottery, a destination for the color, history and beauty that is Talavera pottery from colonial Mexico!
My passion is for:
Bringing the unique and beautiful to people in a way which helps other people have better lives.
My business helps you:
Make your world more colorful and beautiful by making it affordable to purchase original art pottery for your home – while helping others with every purchase.
My biggest challenge is:
To not be impatient! The artisans craft each piece carefully by hand…it cannot be hurried and I have to wait for the pottery to be created.
I make a difference by:
Helping Mexico’s Talavera artisans continue their centuries old craft through the sale of their work, and by donating a portion of the pottery proceeds to a wonderful organization named IPODERAC – dedicated to providing housing, food, education and skills training… most of all a sense of home!… to the street children of Puebla, Mexico.
I have lots of ideas about:
OH MY! Where to start???!!! OK…I have ideas about:
- It’s never too late: No really, all you have to do is wake up and take that one step down the path. There’s always an opportunity to live your dreams.
- It’s ok to learn: It’s perfectly great to not know something and be willing to learn. However, it’s never acceptable to embrace mediocrity.
- You can live with purpose: You may not be Ghandi (that position has been taken) but you CAN live with purpose, and make the world a better place through ways big and small..simply by being the best you can be.
- Don’t apologize for what you love: You were put on this planet to have purpose, and to create meaning from that purpose. Much of this purpose comes from knowing what you love, and acting on it. I love Talavera pottery; it’s history, it’s beauty, the dedication of the artisans…so why would I NOT create my livelihood by making this beauty available to the world?
I’ve learned:
- It’s not as difficult as you think: Small steps, tapping into that amazing resource called the web… and breathing deep goes far in making the seemingly complex simple.
- It is however, not as fast as you think: Learning, doing, creating does not always happen on the schedule you would like. I’ve learned the Talavera pottery wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful if it was churned out quickly on an assembly line. Each piece is made just for us at Rustica… slower, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
- There’s no point in doing something if it doesn’t deliver good: Why start a business if it can’t help others? Or make you smile and feel GOOD about what you do? My work won’t just simply sell dishware, it’ll bring original art into people’s homes, help the artisan’s continue their craft AND help homeless children get a good shot at a better live.
A favourite quote of mine:
What are you waiting for? – Lope de Vega
