Close Window

Jamras Boonsong

"My name is Jamras Boonsong. I was born April 15, 1963 in a beautiful and peaceful village. I grew up with five siblings in a warm family. My parents were professional basket weavers. They wove bamboo baskets and boxes, rattan purses, trays, and in fact, everything they could weave with these materials. I grew up in this artistic environment, not only familial, because every house in my village also wove these items. As a kid, I also used to help my parents. I would cut bamboo and rattan and deliver the products. My brothers and sisters sometimes got together and we joyfully wove strange wickerwork. Playing with our imagination was a very fun thing to do.

"I originally envisioned a career as an accountant, and I joined the accounting department of a famed ceramic factory after graduating. But three months later, my life totally changed, as I unintentionally became a ceramist. As I say, it was not my idea, the production manager resigned and nobody else being available, my boss asked me to temporarily hold that position, at least until a new competent manager would apply for that position. Well, thirteen years later I was still holding that position. At first inexperienced, I slowly learned on the job; how to make and control the quality of the ceramic, how to manage the staff, how to contact the customers. It took me such a long time to manage and learn everything, but I loved it! However, in 2000, the new executives planned to restructure the factory, they brought many changes and made me feel that although I had been working there for a long time I could have been fired without prior notice. I was 37 years old and thought that it was the right time to try and run my own business. And of course there also was my family, whom I wanted to spend more time with.

"So I quit in early 2000 and established my own little ceramic workshop at home. Today I am really happy to be back full time in my village and to run my own business. Every day, I give out the tasks to the workers and set to work. I design the new shapes, I teach the workers, I control the quality, and I contact the customers. At night, I plan for the next day, drawing new shapes and thinking about material possibilities. But on Sundays, I stop everything and fully dedicate myself to my family. I drive them anywhere they want to go, the department store, the zoo, the library, etc. We often go fishing. This activity allows us to have a good time together and to rest. My children Oon and Ant play in the natural environment around the lake and if we catch a fish, we simply set it free. I love my family and my life. Working hard and making use of my imagination to keep my business going really makes me happy. I love my ceramics for they allow my family and I to be financially comfortable. I hope you will love them as much as I do. I would like to thank you for taking the time to hear my story and I hope that my creations will interest you."