We had the good fortune of connecting with Blaine Tiongson and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Blaine, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in San Diego, which I genuinely, and maybe biasedly, believe is America’s Finest City! I was fortunate to grow up on 3 acres with multiple ponds, creeks and a beautiful variety of plants, trees, and flowers. As a child, I spent countless hours playing outside, discovering nature, and helping my parents with their gardens. Through gardening and my parent’s guidance, I learned the importance of patience, thoughtfulness, hard work and not being afraid to get your hands dirty! I can honestly say that nature has been the best teacher and has largely impacted who I am today.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I wanted to create a piece of beauty that attracts people back to nature and inspires them to see the natural beauty around them. Nature has been there for me through many of life’s challenges and I always found working in my garden to be incredibly therapeutic. The way the flowers bloom in the spring, the way the trees dance in the wind, the way succulents grow babies – it’s all exciting and extremely beautiful. When I’m in nature, I feel healthy, alive and happy and I wanted a way to bring that joy to other people which lead me to start Momma Pots! Our pots are one-of-a-kind and I truly love creating and designing them all. I find inspiration in the most unconventional places; architecture, travel, magazines, fashion, basically any colors and angles in the world. In additional to our hand painted pots, we launched our Gemstone Collection last year and it’s food-grade, high-quality porcelain makes this collection perfect for plants, dinner parties, dog dishes etc. – Our versatility sets us apart! This journey hasn’t been easy, but life isn’t easy and we just have to roll with the punches. I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way and what helped me most through my challenges was not losing sight of my goal, remembering why I started in the first place and surrounding myself with people who believed in me and supported my vision. My best advice? Find your people!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d start the day by having breakfast at Cantina in Pacific Beach, everthing on the menu is to die for! Visiting Balboa Park is a must, especially the cactus and rose gardens. I’d finish the day by catching the sunset at Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach then hitting up The Joint for a delicious sushi dinner.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Website: www.MommaPots.com
Instagram: @Momma_pots
Facebook: Momma Pots
Image Credits
Nicole Taugher Photography
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