Masa Sasaki is an Atlanta-based ceramic artist whose work features bright colors and fanciful details. His whimsical yet functional ceramics have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the United States. In recent years, his work has found popularity on Instagram (@masasasakiceramics), sparking an influx of orders from customers around the world. <\/span>Here is the ever-busy Sasaki\u2019s life story, in all the flow of its connections.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n High school: First encounter with America\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Sasaki first came to America in high school while participating in a year-long exchange program at Buhl High School in Idaho. This short-term foreign exchange experience was his introduction to the United States. Living in a foreign country in a city of 3,500 people in the late 80s was a culture shock to say the least.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the late 1980s, Sasaki first came to the United States, as a yearlong exchange student visiting Buhl, Idaho. Making the leap into Buhl High School and a town of 3,500 people was a bewildering, yet also enchanting, experience.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOf the four people who also were in the exchange program, two of them were unable to overcome the challenge and returned to Japan right away. However, I had already fallen in love with the U.S. and felt that it was just right for my personality. American schools place a bigger emphasis on individuality, unlike Japan, and I found that to be very comforting,\u201d said Sasaki.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once in love with his new country, Sasaki dug deep to find a way to stay. Upon graduating from high school, he started community college in Idaho with his parents\u2019 blessing.<\/span><\/p>\n Life in America and my family\u2019s support<\/b><\/p>\n Sasaki\u2019s family was very supportive of their son\u2019s decision to make a life abroad.\u00a0 His parents believed in the saying: a pampered child learns little, and it is best to send them out into the world.<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, Sasaki\u2019s move to the United States likely inspired his father, a country music singer who performed under the name Hank Sasaki, to follow him. \u201cMy father saw me taking part in an exchange program and said, \u2018I\u2019m going to follow my dreams and go to the home of country music,\u2019 and went all the way to Nashville.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To be closer to his father, who was starting his second life in the home of country music, Sasaki continued on to Western Kentucky University, about two hours away from Nashville, and began studying graphic design.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The reason he started his career as a ceramic artist<\/b><\/p>\n Sasaki stumbled into ceramics by pure luck, and it took a while for him to realize his true vocation. \u201cBy chance, a ceramics class that I took was interesting, and I was completely taken by the feeling of transferring two dimensional art onto a three dimensional canvas. However, my major was still graphic design, so I didn\u2019t really think about advancing into the field of ceramic art.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Making a local connection through art festivals<\/b><\/p>\n After college, Sasaki moved to Atlanta, GA. Since his life revolved around a different job, the days without art felt empty to him. He started going to a ceramics class, and once again became engrossed. He began selling pieces of his work at local art festivals. Slowly, his fan base increased, and, eventually, he caught the eye of a local gallery.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAfter having my pieces put up in galleries they started to sell very well. Starting with the Kentucky Art Museum (KMAC), and moving on to the Atlanta state \u201cHigh Museum,\u201d and many other galleries reached out to me and now my pieces are placed there,\u201d Sasaki said. From his days selling pieces at local art festivals, he had created a large network of people who helped him grow his business. By the time museums discovered him, he could make his living from his ceramic art alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 The gifts that ceramics gave to me\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n In Atlanta, the first thing Sasaki did was connect with the locals. \u201cHaving conversations with customers at the local art fest and receiving feedback, I really enjoyed that feeling of connecting to people. From the relationships I made at the art fest, making plates for local high end restaurants or making flower pots for the local gardening store, collaborating with the local people is also fun,\u201d said Sasaki. In addition, by holding ceramics workshops, gallery events and teaching college students, Sasaki is teaching others about his love for ceramics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The emphasis on \u201cstories\u201d in his artwork<\/b><\/p>\n The fresh, colorful, fun images in Sasaki\u2019s artwork arise from his earlier study of graphic design. \u201cThe step that takes the longest when creating a piece is the painting and glazing. This step is kind of like putting clothes on the ceramics. It is not just drawing something on the ceramics, instead I believe it is important to add a story within the artwork.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n (Photo): This popular mug uses a colorful, fun alien as a motif. At the bottom of the cup lies a human, abducted by the alien. The idea is, if you drink coffee in the morning, you can save someone from an alien!\u00a0 Sasaki\u2019s works constantly encourage this playful attitude toward art.<\/p><\/div>\n Frustrating experiences and future goals<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I\u2019ve never had anything I can call a frustrating experience in my life. I\u2019ve always been someone who doesn\u2019t really get upset. However, when I first came to America and crashed into the language barrier, I regretted not studying English more. To make up for my deficiency in English, I drew and played piano and was seen as a sort of a popular guy. Thanks to my friends and the people who were there for me during my struggles, I was able to find where I belonged.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As for the future, Sasaki wants to try sculpting and object making, ideally in the new backyard studio he is planning. He also wants to build more connections and show more of his pieces in his homeland, Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n Advice for people pursuing a new career<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t think too much. If there is something you enjoy, keep doing it without giving up. Wait for a chance to come by and then turn it into something real. Even if others tell you that it is impossible, don\u2019t believe them. For me, too, that is how I got to where I am now,\u201d Sasaki said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n His decisions at age 18 helped turn his father\u2019s dreams into reality, and his determination also helped him gain the motivation to turn ceramics into his full time career, Sasaki reflects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/activ8.ckmsol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Activ8-Graphic-Interview-Template-New-pic-numb-92-1-300x157.jpg\")
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