Adam Meistrell is one of the raddest dads on the planet. He makes art, runs, cooks, laughs a lot, tells great stories, has endless energy, and is married to Monica, with whom he parents their four children with passion and gusto. In addition to running Trek and Tern Studios, through which he and his wife sell their art, Adam also teaches ceramics fulltime at Barron Collier High School.
Tell us about your life and work.
My wife, Monica, and I are both artists and art teachers, and we share the adventure of having four kids together. We love to run, travel, make art, spend time with our chosen family (our dear friends), go to the beach, and camp. I would say we’re a family of makers; we’re a very creative, passionate band of people. Trek and Tern Studios was born out of our passion to create – to make things that are both functional and inspiring – pieces of beauty that didn’t already exist in the world.
How do you balance making art, family life, and teaching?
Fortunately, the Venn diagram of my teaching profession and artistic profession overlap quite a lot in content. But, it is still a challenge. The timing of being a high school teacher works well for me to teach during the school day, then come home and get in my studio for two to three hours each afternoon before spending the evening with the family. I’m thankful for the relationships I’ve built with galleries around the country thanks to my graduate work in ceramics at Louisiana State University and relationship with the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, and Companion Gallery in Humboldt, Tennessee.
What do you enjoy about teaching high school students? What is challenging?
There are a lot of challenges with teaching this generation of students, and there are a variety of reasons a high school student might not initially be excited about any given ceramics project. But, it’s the communication – the showing a student they are valuable, the noticing, the talking with them on an individual level. All of those aspects of teaching go a long way to impact student outcomes. And, it’s those relational elements inherent in teaching that I really love.
Is it a challenge to make time for a home life?
Yes. There is always an understanding of there is life beyond the four walls of my classroom. And that can affect your motivation for today. I try to build that in to the length of my lessons and my overall projects and work with the students.
What is your vision for Trek and Tern Studios?
I would love to, as Lorna Meade said, “cultivate my back yard” by growing our local market share here in Naples and Southwest Florida rather than relying on only national shows to which I ship ceramics. Monica is a painter and printmaker, and her vision for our business aligns with mine; and, moreover, the look and feel of the art we create aligns with the local culture here in Naples. Both of us draw inspiration from the beauty we see in the natural world around us in Southwest Florida, and the unique ecosystems in Florida as a whole.
We’d like to make the world a more beautiful, artistic place through accessible, functional, and original pieces. Monica and I are compelled to create – it’s at the very core of who we are. We wanted to spend more time making, and so we started Trek and Tern as a means of doing that.
What do you love the most and like the least about running Trek and Tern?
The process of making and creating is my favorite thing – by far. I love getting to know individuals who use and enjoy my wares. For me, marketing Trek and Tern Studios has always been a challenge. Utilizing online platforms, such as social media, feels forced and inauthentic to me, so I tend to struggle with that aspect of our business.
How do you see the process of running a business influence the process of raising your children?
Monica and I have individual studios in our home, and our children often spend time with us while we are making art. Our children sometimes talk with us as we make, and sometimes they participate by making their own art alongside of us. Often, we are discussing our work – what needs to be packed and shipped, what events or shows we are applying to, what we’re inspired by or working on.
We try to share our work with our kids; they are wonderfully perceptive of the changes we make within each body of work. They see how our work has changed over time. We have an ability to speak into our children as they home in on what they’re passionate about and what they want to pursue. We chat about the cost of materials and shipping, along with the value of our time and pricing our work appropriately. But we also emphasize the value of time playing and pursuing creativity and growth.
What advice would you give other dads about starting and running a business?
I have been keenly aware that my kids are young for only a short period of time; I have spent more time focusing on them than my business. I have better relationships with my kids, but I’m also further behind in my business than I would like to be. As a father, the balance of finding time with our kids is always worth it, but I would love to show them what it is to have a greater amount of success in my business and invite them to share in and celebrate that success together as a family.
How do you and your wife balance making art? How do you inspire each other?
We’ve both carved out spaces in our home for our own separate studios. We make it a point to seek out what each other is doing in our current studio practices and give each other ample time to make. We chat often and habitually encourage one another; we share household tasks equally. We love to be outside as much as possible, and we both exercise regularly, which is so important. Monica paints Florida wildlife, landscapes, and custom portraits, along with other more abstract and surreal subject matter, and I exclusively make ceramic wares. However, from time to time, we will collaborate on pieces, which I love!
Beyond that rhythm of daily life, Monica and I go on lots of dates and trips where we can see and discuss art that others make. For our 15th wedding anniversary last summer, we traveled to Portugal and experienced the everyday, functional art present in a handful of Portugal’s cities. We go camping in various places in Florida, and we take every opportunity to move past the ordinary and experience adventure as a family.
Our art is part of our family culture, and as a Floridian dad, I see inspiration everywhere I go. I’m thankful for the time I get to spend during the day creating wares for people across the country.
To check out Adam’s (and Monica’s) artwork, visit www.adammeistrell.com.
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