Susana Gutiérrez Babío

I am Susana Gutiérrez, designer and artisan ceramist specialized in porcelain. I was born in Bilbao (Basque Country) but since 2003 I live and work in Valencia. The utilitarian porcelain tableware that I produce in my workshop is a reflection of my two lands: the love for the gastronomy of the Basque Country and the admiration for the ceramics of the Valencians.

My first contact with ceramics was from sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts. Years later, and determined to learn everything about this discipline, I entered and studied at the Escola d’Art i Cerámica de Manises where I graduated in artistic ceramics. In ceramics school, I decided that my future work was going to be linked to designing and producing crockery, both for gastronomic restaurants and to dress the table at home.

My tableware is always produced of porcelain, a material that since I discovered it, I have been passionate about.

My business objectives are:

My business objectives are to have a sustainable business over time, which allows me to live from it, to be able to grow and scale it if possible.

The world of crafts is booming, a trend that we, as artisans, must take advantage of it, but I also believe that we must prepare ourselves with solid businesses in case this attention to craftsmanship declines, to be able to continue living quietly from our work.

My learnings from the Crafting Business Programme:

I have learned that my work is important, that it counts and is necessary for many people, but above all, I have learned to set a goal for myself and focus on it, know where I want to go in order to put all my energy on that point and focus the entire business to try to get to him.

I have learned that numbers are significant and that you have to attend to them and take care of them, that they often give you the key to where the focus of the business should go. I have also learned that in a business each part of it is connected and that you have to attend to all the different branches in order to reach the goals you set for yourself.

Reviewing the accounts, the money, I have understood that the public I was addressing is not capable of paying the prices I need to ask in order to survive and that I need to address myself to a higher niche. This decision involves analyzing, reviewing and rethinking all parts of the business, from the type of product I offer, through how I have to communicate it or the quality of the porcelain I use.

My 5 top tips that I have learnt on this journey:

1. Your work is necessary for many people. Artisans not only produce objects, we transmit ideas, emotions, and sensations with products that have a lot of the people who make them.
2. Ask for help, outsource, delegate. Pretending to be everything in a business is not viable. There are tasks such as accounting or marketing that I think are necessary to leave in expert hands to be able to dedicate myself to other aspects of the business that are my speciality.
3. Collaborate with other people/professionals. Getting out of the loneliness of the workshop is enriching and necessary. Thinking together and co-creating with other professionals can give you a new vision of your own work.
4. Understand numbers and money. Although I am passionate about my work, I do it for a living. In order to live from it, the numbers have to come out and be allies.
5. Serve the needs of your customers, but do not sell motorcycles. Truth and sincerity must always be present in my work. I am what I am, and I do not sell anything fictitious to please. Be transparent so that others perceive my product as it is: quality and made with love.