Today we’d like to introduce you to Tayna Gonzalez.
Hi Tayna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been mildly versed in clay art since high school, after graduating in 2015 I took a break from all things art to focus on the life path I thought I wanted to pursue. In 2020, I think me and the rest of the world decided life was too short to not follow your dreams. In 2021, I birthed the idea of Cositas Studio but was still struggling to find the true meaning and mission of the brand. In 2022, I launched Cositas Studio on Instagram, creating a documentation of the journey for myself and for others to follow, I never imagined it would turn into the blooming business it is today. I come from a beautiful and bright Puerto Rican background that is so rich in culture and history. Though I was born and raised in Orlando, I never wanted to lose sight of the superpower that is my culture and I want Cositas to speak to that, always. I want it to speak to my childhood, my roots, my grandparents memories of the beautiful island, the food, the music, and the massive amount of love that I’ve experienced through all my life. Today, I am vending local markets here in Orlando, sharing my business online and collaborating with other wonderful artists. I have yet to crack the surface of what I want this business to grow into!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
At the beginning, I really thought as long you loved something, you’d be motivated to pursue it every single day but sometimes it’s just not that simple. Along the way, I’ve struggled with my identity as an artist and what I really wanted my art to speak to. I feel sometimes as humans, in the day we live in, we compare a lot of our self to what we see on social media. We all pull inspiration from things outside of ourselves like nature, social media, experiences, memories, other pieces of art that we’ve seen, etc. but I feel sometimes I was under the impression that if I wasn’t coming up with ideas straight from my brain, I was not being authentic. I am full of emotion and my heads is always up in the clouds so I thought “why is this so hard?” That being said, I had taken a few months away from the business to really hone in on what I want Cositas Studio to mean to ME and I think I’ve finally found that.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The main medium I work with is clay. At the moment, I specialize in all things home decor and custom art. A big goal of mine for this year is to join a local studio here in Orlando and become more comfortable with natural clay, wheel work, and operating kilns. Currently, I work with air dry clay, making my art solely decorative and non-functional. I try my best to deliver odd, unique, one of a kind pieces. I think the medium I work with sets me apart because most people who aren’t too versed in ceramics assume I make mugs, plates, planters, etc. and it’s always cool to show people how different it is from natural clay. I am most proud of the fact that I hand-build all my work. Working with clay has always felt very ancestral to me so the hand-building aspect was very important to me. It’s how I learned to love clay art from the beginning.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I utilize Pinterest for a lot of my daily inspiration. Clothing, makeup ideas, hair inspo, art inspo, you name it. It’s such a cozy app where you can escape all the norms of other social media apps. No DM’s, no competition, no doom scrolling or soaking up negative energy that other “social” apps can sometimes bring. It has to be on of my favorite apps. Other than that, I truly do my best in life when I share time with my friends, family, and self. Nothing rejuvenates me more than being surrounded by love. It may seem cheesy but these days, making connections is what fuels me. The art community here in Orlando has been so kind to me and I only care to further indulge in the brightness is has brought my life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cositas.studio
