Artisan Crafted Hot-Air Balloon Themed Wind Chime 'Balloon Brigade' Item ID: 2671808028

“I am Eleazar Leal Olalde. Our passion for ceramics started as a hobby. We did not have any knowledge about ceramics. My enthusiastic wife spent time learning. I remember her saying, ‘I want to have our own business,’ and indeed, it became our main source of income. However, we first traveled a long path of learning, and then I decided to leave the job I had to join our project.

“When we started to make handicrafts, we had no knowledge of the manufacturing process, much less how to paint them. The worst part of the whole process was when we put them in the oven, because everything went wrong. Despite this, they all seemed very beautiful and we kept them; years later we gave them away and sold them. The next phase was not very favorable either. Our products were not very competitive in the market, despite redesigning new pieces and working more in the form of decoration.

“They were difficult times; we went through many seasons of ups and downs, days in which we did not have the money to continue working. However, we never gave up; we always tried to put effort into everything we did and thus improve every day of the process. Our family and God, they were fundamental pillars; and in this way we got ahead. Then two older artisans shared their knowledge with us.

“The satisfaction that we get when people like our products drives us to create new pieces, to capture what comes out of our mind and creativity, and to constantly reinvent so that the pieces continue to be successful.

“When making crafts, it is important to have knowledge of the materials that are used to have favorable results. Ceramic paste, colored paints, enamel, ceramic plaster (ground or powder), are the materials that have worked for our pieces. In the manufacturing process it is important to reuse the excess material so that it is well used.

“We hope that our crafts remain as a family legacy, that our people become known in other places, and that our work allows us to travel and get to know other countries. Our beautiful Mexico, with its landscapes, towns, colonial streets, churches, people and vegetation, gives us more inspiration to continue working with this art and thus generate sources of employment mainly for women in our community.”