Authentic Moments Series: River Of Ceramics

Meet Rima Sobh, the talented ceramic artist behind River Of (@riverof.ceramics).

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how it influenced your entrepreneurial journey?

Before starting my ceramic journey, I jumped from job to job, unable to find something that felt right. I was miserable and anxious, worried that I wouldn't ever find something that I really connected with and be stuck in a dead end job that I wasn't passionate about. I had tried a couple different entrepreneurial ventures, none of them panned out the way I'd hoped. But when I took my first ceramic class, it started as just a hope to try a new creative outlet. And with each class, I felt a fire flicker and grow stronger, this immense desire to learn as much as I could, to push myself to get better with each piece. I put every extra hour I had into practice and every extra dollar I had into the next collection of work. And it has taken me to where I am now. I am forever grateful, that although I had many failed attempts, I kept trying. Though there were years in between, some incredibly long and dark, I didn't give up hope and belief in myself. 

What inspired you to begin your creative journey?

It started with my mother. All the times she'd draw for us things we would request, or the intricate, many-stepped Lebanese dishes she'd make for us every night. She was a seamstress, making dresses for us and clients alike, I was amazed at what she created, can still see the pieces in mind. I remember slow Saturday mornings with her buzzing around the house while we watched the Fashion Network. We didnt have much, between four kids, individual attention and time was sparse. But baring witness to all the creativity she wove silently into our lives instilled a passion for it in me at a very young age. That's where it started, as everything did: with my mother.

How has your creativity evolved over the years?

I was always interested in creativity from a young age, but what has surprised me as I've gotten older is just how much it plays in everyday life. It's not just in the traditional arts, but in the meals you make. A full day, multi step, all consuming dish? Poetry. A microwave meal? It speaks just as loudly as its own song. I see creativity in the path I choose to walk my dog, in the way I wash my hands, in the stories and make believe my daughter plays, in the way each day unfolds. It's in the way the sun and the birds and the garden play with each other every day, creating something new every season.

As I've gotten older, and am in the thick of hectic early motherhood days, I've gotten less fixed on specific crafts and I see creativity in the smallest and biggest ways it plays into my every day, and that keeps me inspired.

What challenges have you faced along the way, and how did you overcome them?

I think we all go through seasons of doubt, when the haze of uncertainty, grief, and fear is so heavy and thick, it becomes paralyzing. I know I have. And I wish I had a clear answer as to how to get through them, but for me, I just know that through seasons of darkness, there comes a moment of light, and sometimes we let it pass by, but if you can, do everything to try and reach out for it. Because you never know which moment, which path, will be the one to completely and utterly change everything in your life for the better.

Can you share a pivotal moment when you began to truly embrace self-love?

I used to think I had a lot of self love, but I realize now, when I look at my daughter, how I lived so many of my years in defense mode, running from things I was sure I already understood. But since having her a few years ago, I look at things, especially myself, with so much more love and empathy, than defense. Instead, I hold love for myself, all the rights and especially the wrongs. When I look at my daughter, I am reminded that we are all just learning (even reflecting on parenthood, that sentiment stands too), and when we are met with love, the space it gives for growth through safety is undeniable. So I give that love not only to her every day, but to every version of myself as well.

What practices or routines help you maintain self-love daily?

Giving myself grace every day. Reminding myself that I am doing the best I can in each moment. I can have an awfully critical inner voice, so tuning it out is a daily practice. I am constantly reminding myself to let go of my expectations when they get ahead of my reality. The daily routine in letting go of control.

Can you share a specific affirmation that has been particularly powerful for you and why?

'I am constantly growing' - it allows me to accept each day as part of my path. Whether it was a 'good day', a 'bad day', or a day that felt like neither or anything at all. I'm growing, through all of it.

How do you integrate creativity into your everyday life?

It's there. It's in everything we do. You just need to look for it. To listen for it. To feel it. Celebrate it in its smallest forms so when you practice it in the bigger ones, you've built creative momentum.

What advice would you give to someone struggling with self-love in their creative journey?

Let go of how you think things should be or should've been. Being caught up in the past or future can truly keep you from appreciating the now as it is in all its beauty. All the moments it took to get to where you are right now, all the twists and turns, the highs and lows. In the moments you might doubt your path, when it doesn't look the way someone else's does, remember that no two paths are ever the same, and that is incredibly powerful. Yours is unique, it's all yours and it's leading you to exactly where you need to be. Keep going.