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How I work
Just me, in a small studio
If half the shop says "sold out" right now, that's completely normal, not a glitch on your end! Here's what's actually going on, and I promise it's a nice story.
November 2023
I started Isa Ceramics while studying to become a nurse (HBO Verpleegkunde), mostly as a way to unwind between shifts and assignments.
November 2025
Diploma in hand. I didn't want to give the business up, but I also genuinely wanted to go work as a nurse. So I decided not to choose.
Now
3 days a week you'll find me on the ward, the rest of the week in the studio. It's a lot some weeks, and I'm not going to pretend it isn't. But I get to keep both things I actually love doing, and that trade-off is one I'd make again.
hands at work
Most weeks it's just me in the studio. My parents jump in sometimes, or a friend when I'm properly behind. But it's never more than a handful of hands, and never for long.
That means I can't make hundreds of mugs a week, not even close. So when a restock goes live, it moves fast, because there genuinely isn't that much of it. Not a marketing trick. Just what one person, working part-time, can actually make.
Questions I get a lot
So why is almost everything sold out?
Because there's no back room full of stock somewhere, what's online really is all there is. A restock might be 15 mugs, sometimes 30, so once it's live it tends to go quickly. I know how frustrating that can be if you were hoping to snag something, and I'm sorry about that. It's honestly never on purpose, I just can't make more than my hands allow.
How often do you restock?
There isn't a fixed schedule, and I wish I could give you an exact date! It's usually around once a month, sometimes twice if the week is kind to me. I try to give a little heads up on Instagram (@ceramicsisa) a day or two before, so keep an eye there if you'd like some notice. And if a lot of you have a piece on the notify list, that's usually the one I try to prioritise making more of next.
Can I ask for something custom?
Sometimes, yes, and I love when I can say yes! I just have to keep it to a handful at a time, custom pieces take real back and forth and I really want to give each one the attention it deserves. If I have to say no every now and then, please know it's never personal, it simply means I don't have the hours free that particular week.
Why not hire help and scale up?
I've genuinely thought about it. But having every piece pass through my own hands, glazing it myself, wrapping it myself, means a lot to me, and I think it's part of what makes each piece feel special. Bringing someone else in would probably mean more stock, but it would also change what this little studio is. So for now I'd rather keep it small, even if that means you sometimes have to wait a bit longer. Thank you so much for being understanding about that, it really does mean a lot to me.
If there's something you're waiting on, hit "notify me" on that product, I'd love for you to be one of the first to know when it's back. I really do check that list before deciding what to make next.
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Isa ♡