A disabled artist opening a small-town ceramics studio in the middle of a pandemic? Hi, my name is Dawn Larson, and I am the owner and creator of Making Memories Ceramics in Otsego, MN. To tell you the truth, this was not my life-long dream to own a ceramics studio. In fact, I didn’t even know I had artistic talent. (Only one other known case, and no name has been given to my condition.) I was bor
n with an inside-out spine along with conjoined nerve root endings. What this means is that my nerves are on the outside of my spine, not in the spinal canal; they then wrap into and back out of my spine. And conjoined nerve roots means that I have several nerve endings for each of my nerves, not just one. I had suffered my whole life with pain, and spent most of it thinking I suffered from fibromyalgia. Prior to my first surgery I could barely walk. I have had 5 surgeries now to fuse my spine to keep my nerves from being pinched and to alleviate my pain. I still live with daily pain but it is more manageable after my surgeries. After getting the diagnosis of being permanently disabled in 2012, I discovered how much I loved to paint and that I was a lot more creative and crafty than I would have ever given myself credit for in the past. I figured out that I could duplicate anything I could see in paint. While on vacation visiting family a few years back, my husband (Greg) and I stopped into a little ceramic studio out west and we had so much fun painting and watching the interactions of other customers and talking with the staff that when we got into our truck, we both looked at each other and said, “I wonder if we have anything like this around our house in Otsego, MN.” For the remainder of our vacation, we often had fun talking about what we would do if we opened a ceramic shop, how we would do it, and just dreaming together about the potential of a studio near our home. When we returned home from our road trip and Greg pulled into the parking lot of our current location, I was in shock that he would even consider doing this: how could I run a store in my condition? Through a lot of prayer and faith, we decided to give it a try. I really felt that I was meant to run this store. By the beginning of March of 2020, we had signed the lease and started construction. With the help of our amazing family and friends, in 3 months we had remodeled the store, built all the cabinets, laid flooring, did electrical, ordered everything we needed to open, and on faith, Making Memories Ceramics was formed. Family and faith have always been very important to me. Through my journey, I have come to rely on my faith to get me through many personal struggles. And I really wanted to create a space where everyone, no matter their background, could come in, relax, forget about everything else for a little while, and just spend some quality time with their family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc. If I can help even just a couple of people find a creative outlet for their stress, or change someone’s day by putting a smile on their face, or reaching out with a hug when they need one, that would be more than enough for me. Making Memories Ceramics is so much more than just a Paint Your Own Ceramic studio to me. I hope and pray daily that every customer that walks through my doors can feel the love, passion, and genuine care that goes into everything we do. Being creative is a passion, but getting to share my passion with all of the amazing people I get to meet daily has been what my soul had been searching for. I want to take a minute to publicly thank my husband Greg for all the love, support, and faith he has had in me through everything. I love my job and feel I am exactly where I am supposed to be, learning and growing as I go. And thank YOU for the opportunity to share my story and my studio with you. I hope you enjoy your time with us and look forward to seeing you again the next time you are in Otsego. Please feel free to contact me at 763-515-6207 with any questions, I look forward to meeting you.
- Dawn Larson
