ElevAsian Artist: Art at Coark
We are thrilled to showcase the incredible businesses and performers led by Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) women at the ElevAsian Night Market Fundraiser! Our blog will feature these special owners and performers, allowing you to get to know these amazing women better.
Continue reading to discover more about Hannah Lim (she/her), her business, and what her AAPI identity means to her.
Tell us about your business and the products you offer.
We create and sell pottery. Additionally, we have pottery classes available at our studio in Centennial.
What inspired you to start your BUSINESS?
Pottery is a medium that allows for fluid creativity without limits. I fell in love with the craft because people can create what they want through various methods that combine other art forms (i.e. knitting, painting, screen printing, etc.)
I had been doing pottery for 7+ years, so I wanted to create a space that facilitates the artistic process without any financial or creative pressure. Many studios have a heavy upfront cost or they are not accommodating for beginners. Art at Coark strives to make the arts accessible for everyone.
How do you personally identify with your AAPI heritage and how does that shape your business and products?
I am Korean-American. While this has made me feel isolated as the token Asian in many art circles, it makes me take pride in my culture and personal background. Connecting to pottery has simultaneously made me learn deep and vast Korean history and see how pottery intertwines various cultures across the world. With this in mind, I wanted to create a space where everyone feels seen and welcomed to engage with this craft that has been alive almost as long as the human race has.
What can attendees expect when they visit your booth or experience your offerings at ElevAsian?
They can expect to see and buy handmade, functional art as well as feel welcomed to engage with artists.
Share any upcoming projects, events, or new products that attendees should be excited about.
I have a variety of classes opening up soon!
What message or advice would you like to share with AAPI girls and gender-expansive youth in middle and high school?
The worst thing that you can do is limit yourself. Self-imposed limits often come from fear or self-doubt. If I had followed the fears and doubts I had when I was starting this business, I would not have realized that dozens of people (especially strangers) who wholeheartedly believed in my mission were just beyond the horizon of fear and self-doubt. Fear and doubt, most of the time, come from a lack of knowledge. This fear can be about other people groups or topics that are foreign to you. The good thing about this is that people can learn. Sometimes you learn by preparing yourself with factual knowledge; sometimes you learn by falling and picking yourself back up. If lack of knowledge is the root of your fear and doubt, this proves that your fears and doubt can be overcome by learning.
I see the same thing when people come to my class for the first time. I see people who are nervous and scared of wrecking their pottery pieces before they even start. But once they learn and practice on the wheel for a few minutes, the fears that seemed so large dissipate almost instantly.
How do you like to celebrate your AAPI identity? You can take this opportunity to share your background/story.
I celebrate my AAPI identity by surrounding myself with people who empathize with my background and see me for my personality. I celebrate my identity by speaking Korean and continuously learning the language so that I don't feel like an imposter when surrounded by Korean conversation. I celebrate my AAPI identity by helping other folks from minority groups gain internships in the arts. While I do not make monumental milestones centered on my race, the celebration of my identity is a daily act ranging from simple conversations with strangers to being the person I wished to see in the western arts when I was younger. If creating spaces for Asian Americans in the arts is like creating a house, I am building that space brick by brick, lesson by lesson, and one pottery piece at a time.
Come meet Victoria and check out her pottery at the ElevAsian Night Market Fundraiser! Get your tickets today!
