In this month’s YKRA Faces, we sat down with Anikó and Dorka, the duo behind one of Budapest’s most welcoming ceramic studios. What started as a shared need for creative space has grown into a community where people can slow down, experiment, and find joy in working with clay. Between teaching, creating, and raising their kids, the two have built a studio that feels both grounding and inspiring. They opened up about how they met, how they run the space, and what keeps them passionate about ceramics. Read on for their story!

Tell us a little bit about yourselves, how did you get to know each other?

Dorka:

I used to teach wheel-throwing at a studio. That’s where I met Anikó - she attended my classes. This was her “me time” after her first child was born.
At one point - if I remember correctly - it was actually Anikó who came to me with the idea that we should create a studio together.

I also have another form of creative expression - dance, particularly contact improvisation - but it’s not something I make a living from.
Beside that I’m a single mom of  a 14-year-old teenage boy, I have my “mom weeks” and my “free weeks”, and I carefully juggle my time and energy. So I regularly teach at the studio, create my own pieces, and occasionally fulfill commissions. During my free weeks, I meet up with friends or participate in my dance projects.

Anikó:

When my older child was around ten months old, I began attending Dorka’s wheel-throwing classes. It was a relief to escape the hamster wheel I was caught in back then, and the classes became a kind of therapy. The level of focus they required allowed my mind to truly rest.

Still my main focus right now is my children - the younger one is only two - so there’s still a lot of mom-duty in my life.
I also have a job outside the studio, so I usually spend one day a week in the workshop, fitting it in between the kids and work.

When and how did the idea of creating the studio come about?

Anikó:

I fell in love with wheel-throwing, and after a while I felt like it would be great to have a place where I could practice what I had learned - without necessarily taking more classes or paying for a teacher.
Then one day, everything seemed to fall apart for both of us. My day was terrible, Dorka’s was equally rough and we agreed that we need to do something - this can’t go on.
And that’s basically how the idea came: we want to have our own space. We had no clear idea yet of what form it would take or how it would function. We just knew that we wanted to break out of the environment we were in.

What inspired us was creating a space, a vibe, a place that functions the way we want it to.

Dorka:

And then we searched for years. I think it took a good two, almost three years until we found this place.
We finally found a rental setup that felt acceptable to us.

Anikó:

During that time we talked a lot about how each of us imagined the studio, and what’s important to us if we were to open our own.

Dorka:

For me this is my main profession. I’ve been working with clay since high school, and made a diploma at Mome.
There was a time when I left it all behind - I closed my workshop, convinced I would never touch clay again. Somehow, life had other plans and brought me back. After various detours, I found myself in a ceramic studio again, and it was through teaching that I truly found myself.

At first, I really enjoyed being able to pass on what I knew to people with very different personalities, helping them with topics that they found difficult, and through this, a kind of philosophy of life emerged. I learned a lot about myself, the human psyche, failure, coping strategies, letting go, and flexibility. Then, after about a year and a half, I realized that I was thinking again about what kind of objects I wanted to create. Slowly and gently, clay crept back into my life.

What inspired you both in the process?

Dorka:

For me, teaching was important, but so was having time to create my own work. And we knew very clearly that this is not the kind of hobby you can do at home in your kitchen.
You need proper infrastructure, and it’s messy - so it’s hard to do it in an apartment.

Anikó:

Yes, I knew I wanted to have my own wheel someday, but since I work and wouldn’t be using it all the time, I loved the idea of sharing it.

Part of my vision was to create a space for people who don’t have the opportunity to set up their own workshop but need a place to practice.

How would you describe this studio? What does it represent, and what makes it special compared to others?

Anikó:

Few studios allow members to use the space independently on a daily basis.
Most operate through workshops, classes, or courses, with supervision at every step.

I think what makes our studio special is that members are completely independent - they even open and close the studio themselves.

Dorka:

We really value the community aspect. Friendships are formed here.
People often check the schedule and think, ‘Oh, X and Y are coming today, so I’ll come too - we can catch up.’ But it’s equally fine to put on your headphones and say, ‘I just need some time for myself today.’ 

The studio offers both a social and a therapeutic dimension, and the community is incredibly welcoming and flexible.

How do you run the studio?

Anikó:

Dorka is on-site most of the time, so she can keep an eye on everything and respond quickly if something breaks, we run out of glaze or clay, or the kiln needs to be emptied.
I focus mainly on administrative and behind-the-scenes tasks, like the website or social media, but of course, running a studio involves many other things as well.

Dorka:

I’m really grateful that I don’t have to deal with social media - that’s my weakness.
 We’re in constant daily contact with Anikó, and if one of us says “I won’t have time for this today, could you handle it?” - we just share the responsibilities.

What does a typical day look like for you at the studio?

Anikó:

In the mornings, I drop the kids off at school and daycare, then head to the workshop. I check what we’re running low on - glaze, clay, coffee or other supplies - and make a note of anything that needs to be prepared for upcoming classes.
Next I check what’s going into the kiln whether it’s a glaze firing or a bisque firing.

I usually have breakfast at the studio.
I only teach once a week, on Wednesdays, so after the class I spend time on my own work.
Later I pick up the kids, and we usually head to the playground or to the forest.

Dorka:

My mornings are similar: I see my kid off to school, and since we usually have breakfast together at home, I only grab a coffee when I get to the studio.

Some days I teach one class, other days two - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. If I have extra time afterward , I stay to work on my own pieces or load the kiln.
At the end of the day I tidy up, and if needed I take the dirty aprons home to wash.
After that I either pick up my child, head to a dance session, or meet up with friends if the schedule allows.

How do you manage to balance creative work with your family life?

Anikó:

I’m truly grateful for my situation. I have a six-hour job, and we run the studio, but it doesn’t occupy our entire day from morning to night.
I can spread the tasks throughout the day, and by five o’clock I’m usually able to step away and focus on my family. If I still have tasks left, I usually take care of them in the evening after putting the kids to bed.

Because the studio is largely self-running, we have the flexibility to take time off whenever we need.

Dorka:

Yes! We took part in a summer family camp in Csórompuszta (with Balázs’s family), where we ran pottery workshops.  We left the studio completely unsupervised for a week, and when we returned everything was clean and tidy, the tools were in their places, and the shelves were full of pieces waiting to be fired. The system we’ve put in place works really well, and I’m very grateful for it.

I feel that the balance between my creative and family life is working out quite well now. My child is growing up, he's a very cool, independent kid, so I have more and more space in my life to develop my creative ideas. Obviously, when he's with me, I try to spend as much time with him as possible, because I feel that the time will come soon when he'll only be home late at night.

What are the main steps of making a ceramic piece? What makes this art form playful and colorful?

Dorka:

What I love about clay is its endless variety - different colors, textures, qualities.
I enjoy experimenting with surfaces and colors.
Our studio focuses mainly on wheel-throwing, and my own work is mostly wheel-thrown as well.

The steps are simple but full of details.

First we wedge the clay - this is crucial, and students always enjoy it, because even the tiniest air bubble or unevenness becomes obvious on the wheel. But that’s part of the charm.

If I’m making several pieces of the same item, I weigh little balls of clay on a scale - same-size clay means same-size pieces.

Then comes wheel-throwing.

Afterward, we cover the pieces and let them rest for a day or two so they dry a little.
Once they reach the leather-hard stage, we trim the bottoms and shape the foot. Even a simple cylinder can take on many characters depending on the foot - round, square, inset, outside, deeper, shallower.

This is where all the tiny details happen, and I love this phase. You can give so much character to a simple form.

Then comes another drying phase, followed by the bisque firing in the kiln.

After that, it’s time for glazing. Glazing is both fascinating and unpredictable, you can plan but the outcome is never certain. There’s a sort of magic that happens in the kiln.

Glaze samples offer a helpful guide, but many factors influence the final result.
Even the same glaze can behave differently. I really love this unpredictability - it’s taught me a lot about flexibility and letting go.

Anikó:

Yes, you really have to learn how to let go.

Dorka:

After glazing there’s another firing.

And when we open the kiln, it’s always like Christmas - you either get what you hoped for, or you don’t. After that the pieces are basically finished.

Let's see what's inside Dorka's FANNY PACK?

Essential oil: Lately I’ve been using the “Light” essence, especially when my thoughts feel heavy or crowded.

Calendula cream and lip balm: I always need to moisturize my hands because clay and glazes dry them out. Why my lips are always dry is a mystery - I promise I don’t lick the ceramics :-)

Phone, hair tie, glasses: My everyday essentials.

Card holder: I sewed it myself for my IDs and cards and I love it.

Wallet: Made by my mom, and I adore it. I think that’s why I still like using cash - the feel of the fabric and how it has aged makes it special.

Pebbles: I’m an obsessive pebble collector. I can completely lose myself in the colours, shapes, patterns, and textures. This is just a small selection - I brought them to the studio as inspiration for glazing.

 

Now let’s take a look at what Anikó carries with her in her backpack?

Earphones: They have to come with me everywhere. A day just doesn’t feel complete without music.

Vitamin D drops: I keep one at home and one in my bag, so I never miss a dose.

Book: Always with me, ready for any stolen half-hour I can find in the day. .

Thermos: I don’t drink cold water, so it’s my constant companion on the go. .

Glasses: I’m afraid the time is coming soon when I’ll need to increase the font size on my phone. .

Lunch container: On studio days I usually bring soup with me. I love soups.

Camera: I took a break from it for a few years, but now it’s back in my everyday life.

Crayon: Often comes along—we love spending time drawing together with the kids.

Tomcsányi tote bag: My everyday bag. I always end up carrying something in it by the end of the day.

Wallet: One of zp concept’s more understated pieces.