Artisan Crafted Brown and White Decorative Terracotta Vase, "Visual Textures"

"I'm Daysis Sanchez, a ceramist from Nicaragua. I began working with ceramics during a sad moment in my life. I was 14 years old when my grandmother died. She was very important to me because we shared a lot during my childhood and teen years. My family was very sad and we didn't even have enough money to pay for the burial.

"To help the family, I started to think about working in the crafts that are traditional in our town. I went to a relative's ceramics workshop to learn and later began creating more intricate designs. The major challenge has been to not get stuck in a rut but to continue developing new forms and designs to stay ahead of the competitors.

"Being an independent artisan isn't easy but, it's a very rewarding challenge and I'm also able to take care of my children. This art is now a part of my family. My siblings learned with me and now my children, nephews and nieces are also interested in learning.

"I'm most nervous when I create a new design. I'm anxious to see whether shoppers like it or prefer something else. It's exciting.

"Through ceramics, I hope to be an example of creative and hard work for my children. I want to teach them how to earn their daily bread by working honorably and with love. Someday, I hope to have a bigger workshop, better kilns and many customers so that more artisans can work with us and benefit from crafting ceramics."