Meet Tara Block

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tara Block a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tara, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Bit by bit, and sometimes not at all. Honestly, throughout the whole inspiration, creation, design, and build-out of the business, I felt like I was drawing with crayons. Not that there’s anything wrong with crayons; crayons are great. But it felt like I was drawing stick figures with crayons and handing them to accountants, lawyers, and grown-ups and saying, “Here, take this seriously?”

I’m very blessed to have such a beautiful community, and wonderful friends and family who encouraged me and acted as a mirror. So even when I didn’t believe in it myself, I trusted the people around me to tell me that it was working.

It’s really only recently that I’ve been able to step back, look at it from a distance, and feel a little bit of pride or accomplishment.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

We are a community class studio located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While many of our classes are fairly straightforward — come in, make something — we have a unique take on clay. Our deeper intention is to create a safe space for people to explore their creativity. We believe creativity is a form of self-care, and it feels especially important and helpful in today’s climate.

We offer a range of workshops and classes, including hand building workshops, beginner-friendly wheel throwing classes, and six-week series for those looking to deepen their skills. We also run pop-ups at local breweries, collaborate with artists and healers for special events like our Tarot and Clay series, and are always finding ways to make clay more accessible and joyful.

One of the things we love most is that coming in and playing with clay is such a low-impact way to be in community. You’re in a room with others, but you don’t need to talk or perform. You can just focus on your piece, and it doesn’t matter how good it is. It’s grounding. It’s tactile. It gets you out into the world without pressure.

Our biggest privilege has been being a sacred space for people in vulnerable moments. Sometimes it’s the first thing someone does after losing a loved one or going through something hard. Other times people come in because they’re struggling with depression. Clay has a way of holding you gently while you come back to yourself.

We’ve always aimed to be welcoming and beginner-friendly, and what makes us special is the way our students connect, slow down, and surprise themselves. It’s not about making perfect pottery. It’s about permission to play. That’s the magic.

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?

1. Done is better than good.

It’s rarely going to be perfect on the first try, and if you wait six months to get it right, you’ll never get it done. Just start, and let it evolve.

2. Take care of your crew.

A person’s workplace is one of the biggest influences on their well-being, and that includes yours. The energy you set as a leader ripples out. If your team feels supported, seen, and valued, they’ll show up with more creativity and care. Building a culture of respect and kindness isn’t just the right thing to do. It makes the work better for everyone.

3. Take care of yourself.

If you are not well, your business won’t be either. This was really hard for me at the beginning, but I’ve learned how important it is to grab the life vest as soon as you feel yourself burning out. Your well-being has to be a top priority if you want this to be sustainable.

4. Find community with other entrepreneurs.

Especially as a femme-representing person, it’s so powerful to connect with others who get it. We all have different strengths, and sometimes we need to be vulnerable, talk things through, and remind each other we’re not crazy. I really wouldn’t be where I am without my girls.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

I’ve let go more and more of the day-to-day. Going back to what I said earlier about burnout, it’s so important to have a crew you can trust—people who really see and care about the vision. Once I started to feel myself slipping, I delegated as much as I could, and then kept delegating until I could finally start to breathe again. Now, the ecosystem survives without me struggling to juggle.

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