We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ceramic a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ceramic, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Aguste: I’d say probably just like practicing at home and making sure that I know what I’m doing.
Nicole: I built my confidence and self esteem by it being torn down and criticized in order to build it up within myself and make something positive out of it without receiving it externally.
David: For me, it’s an ongoing thing where I just have to trust that what I do helps others. I also remind myself that no one truly knows what they’re doing and we’re all just figuring it all out as we go.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Ceramic consists of Nicole Bandoquillo, David Antonio Garcia, and Aguste Sharma.
David: Ceramic is a project I started back in 2016 but over the years has since shaped to be this amazing band I’ve been thankful to still have as my creative outlet. Currently, it is a 3-piece shoegaze grunge project with my super talented friends Aguste Sharma and Nicole Bandoquillo and we have an EP coming out soon titled “Endless Noises” on Oct 13th, but you can look out for our single “Kingdoms” on all platforms on Sept 29th.
Aguste: For me, what excites me is the live shows we play and how its fun to meet new people who do similar types of art and how it affects the audience in unique ways.
Nicole: What excites me the most is making connections with people with similar experiences and being able to create and also allow people to escape everyday life and enjoy music!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Nicole: Communication!
David: Definitely communication by learning how to say hi to anyone and bond over art. I also think learning how to do as many skills as you can outside of playing an instrument.
Aguste: I’d say learning how to improvise musically and practically too.
Nicole: I’d say also listening to different genres of music and studying what you like about those genres. Also respecting and appreciate world music in general!
Aguste: Definitely being open-minded and learning how to truly be objective and not leaning into your biases.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Nicole: I’ll usually take 2-3 edibles, take a nap, order my absolute favorite meal on DoorDash, and cuddle my dogs after eating!
Aguste: Meditate, play guitar, and/or spend time with friends
David: Go to the movies and/or go out to nature.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/ceramicofficial
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ceramicofficial
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ceramicmusicofficial
- Other: https://ceramicofficial.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Photos by Robin Truong of RGMT Studios “Endless Noises” artwork by David Antonio Garcia “Kingdoms” artwork by Nicole Bandoquillo
