On Choosing My Own Pace

Studio Letter from Simone Azevedo

Over the past few years, teaching private classes has been a meaningful part of my studio life. I’ve loved watching people discover clay for the first time or reconnecting with an old hobby — the surprise of a form taking shape, the excitement of getting a piece ready, fresh from the kiln.

Recently, though, I’ve felt a shift. Something important started to take shape.

I’ve realized that in order to keep growing — to keep discovering new techniques, pushing my own limits, and staying true to what matters most in my work — I need more time in the studio. Time without an outcome. Time without a schedule. Time to experiment, fail, and follow ideas wherever they lead.

Teaching requires a different kind of energy. It asks for structure, planning, and presence. All of which are important — but right now, I feel called to return that energy inward.

So I’ve decided to pause offering private classes and focus on my own development as an artist.

Bowl with a red macaw and a cup with a green parrot painted. Photo and work by Simone Azevedo.

This isn’t a closing of doors. It’s a narrowing of focus.

I want to work at my own pace. I want to discover new surfaces, new forms, new conversations between clay and thread. I want to stay close to the values that brought me here in the first place: attention, patience, and honesty in the making.

Thank you to everyone who has learned with me, asked questions, and shared the studio space. That exchange has mattered deeply.

For now, you’ll find me here — experimenting, refining, and letting the work evolve, or you can join one of the three classes I will be teaching through NCE (Needham Community Education) or JCC Greater Boston. The link for these classes can be found on my website.

— Simone