Fanny Freund
History of Tierra Azul From humanitarian work to ceramics: a story of reconnection My name is Fanny, and my story with ceramics began in a rather unusual way. It started in Mexico, where I lived for six years. Six intense, vibrant, and profoundly impactful years. There, I worked for an NGO on social projects in slums and indigenous communities, with some of the most disadvantaged people. A demanding, challenging, and life-changing position that transformed me as much as it sometimes, to be perfectly honest, exhausted me. Then came 2020 with the pandemic. Mexico closed in on itself, the streets emptied, tacos became a distant memory, and the feeling of suffocation grew because the lockdown was strict. One day, driven by a mixture of fatigue, frustration, and a desire to breathe, I did something a little crazy (don't judge me): I cheated the lockdown and slipped into the small ceramics workshop next to my house, run by a woman in her sixties, herself the daughter of a ceramicist, who was struggling to survive during this time of crisis. It was there, between four silent walls and a slightly muddy block of clay, that it all began. I wasn't just shaping the earth… I was shaping a space for myself, a mental refuge, a breath of fresh air. Ceramics saved me. It became my anchor, my therapy, my escape during a time when everything seemed to be crumbling. Over the months, I realized that this encounter wasn't a coincidence. That after years of caring for others, I had found a way to reconnect with myself. So yes, I made what many would call a "slightly crazy change of direction." I left my high-powered job... to become a ceramicist. But this choice was the first one that truly felt like me. Since then, I have continued to train with passionate ceramicists in Mexico, Switzerland, and France. And today, I want to share this passion with you. Because ceramics isn't just about creating a beautiful object; it's a moment to disconnect from screens, to breathe, to reconnect with yourself. It's a space to feel, to slow down, to listen to what's happening inside. A massage for the soul, nothing more, nothing less. Every piece that comes out of the kiln, whether it's a work of art or a wonky cup, tells a story about you. Sometimes it doesn't look like what you initially imagined, but that's part of the charm: it's imperfect, alive, human. And as I always say, ceramics is like life: sometimes it breaks, sometimes it shines! Ceramics is a journey of patience and humility. You start with a magnificent idea, and sometimes you end up with a crooked bowl for storing your keys. But that bowl carries your hands, your energy, your present moment, your essence. And that's precisely why I make ceramics: to offer people a space for reconnection, a moment of authenticity away from the noise of the world, from their inner turmoil. At Tierra Azul, we shape clay… and a little bit of our own inner peace.
