HAVEN:
THE GIFT OF GIVING: AN INTERVIEW WITH VICTORIA MORRIS
8 December 2025
As 2025 comes to a close, and the busyness of the holiday season swirls around us, I’m reminded of how easy it is to lose sight of the goodness right in front of me, while worrying about the next moment, the next to-do. The deadlines, celebrations, and traditions can carry us along without intention or presence. How do we slow down just enough to notice the beauty? To feel the connection that comes from giving and gathering? How do we stay anchored in stillness when everything around us is moving so fast?
I’m reminded of a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh: “Smile, breathe, and go slowly.” And so it is. That’s the practice.
The holidays are also a time of reflection—a chance to look back, take stock of how we showed up, and consider what we might do differently. One moment that’s stayed with me this year is the LA fires. As we approach the anniversary, I want to take a moment to honor an artist we’ve long admired and been lucky to work with: Victoria Morris.
Victoria was directly impacted by the fires, and yet her gracious, grounded, and resilient spirit continues to inspire me, a living reminder of strength, generosity, and the true meaning of giving. In spite of the devastating loss, she remains as determined as ever to create with her hands, to craft beauty one vessel at a time. If you’re looking for a meaningful gift for someone you love, consider one of her pieces—your recipient will thank you.
I hope you enjoy our short interview with Victoria below.
Wishing each one of you a peaceful holiday season filled with beauty and connection.
Much love,
Mead
Victoria Morris’s passion for ceramics and pottery began early. It started simply, when a high school elective class sparked an obsession that has never waned. Although she notes that pottery was “not cool” at the time, she loved it anyway.
I loved it so much, but I never had a sense that I would do this for a living. I just kept doing it because it made me happy."
She spent her 20s pursuing different avenues in her career, “as one does,” ending up in production design for commercials – a stint that lasted for two decades. She describes her time in production design as “fun until it very much wasn’t.” All along, she kept working on her pottery, taking night classes and honing her craft. She began selling her work, and her practice evolved slowly, organically, naturally. She recalls,
suddenly I had a little business, then just as suddenly I had a real business."
Then the Covid pandemic hit, and it moved the needle. She took the leap to pursue her craft full time, and her business continued to grow. 2024 had been her most successful ever.
Then, on January 7th of this year, she lost everything in the LA fires — her home in Altadena, her studio, her inventory of pottery. In addition to the physical losses, she and her husband, who work together in her business, both lost their livelihoods. They relocated to Ojai, where they had a house, friends and a community, to start over. The losses were devastating, but they were followed by a silver lining she never anticipated.
MQ: So many people dream of pursuing their passion, or their craft, but can’t quite make it happen? How did you stick with it?
VM: I’m tenacious, and I’m a hard worker. It’s been an interesting ride.
MQ: Last year you lost your home and studio in the Altadena fire. What helped you get through it?
VM: We were knee-capped for a while, but I’m a solutions-oriented person and we had bills to pay. We had to get going, but I wasn’t sure I could sit down and make art. Then the giving began. Our friends came and put a kiln in their garage. Another friend found me a studio space in Ventura, just 15 minutes from our new home in Ojai. The pottery community rallied around us to help us get back on our feet. We ordered new kilns and just put one foot in front of the other every day.
MQ: What a wonderful story of community and connection.
VM: The way people showed up, in a myriad of ways, but were all rooting for us, was the most beautiful silver lining. It showed us that people are essentially good. Ten months later, this place is humming.
MQ: How did it feel?
VM: It was hard in a way. I had to learn to accept help. We have worked hard all our lives, earning our way. But now we understand that receiving is part of the cycle of giving, and receiving graciously is a gift as well.
MQ: How did you find your way back to the creative process?
VM: The reality of what I owed back hit me hard. Did I really want to keep doing this? I wasn’t sure. Before the fires I had signed up for a two-week residency in France. I wasn’t going to go, but my friends encouraged me. It was there that I reconnected with my love of the process. When I came back, the new kilns were in the studio, and we’ve been in go mode ever since.
MQ: You are so positive, it’s contagious.
VM: We’ve learned how fortunate we are. When we go back to Altadena, it’s still gutting and sad, but we look at all the goodness in our lives and we’re grateful. We have all of these people rooting for us as we move forward.
MQ: What’s next?
VM: We just had a big show at Kalon Studios in LA, which is owned by friends who had made their gallery a “shoppable” donation center after the fires, allowing them to help people while maintaining their sense of agency and dignity — another gift. And we’re staying in go mode, with our first Open Studio in the Ventura Studio, and an Open House in December. Then maybe we’ll take a little rest.
In lieu of a traditional holiday gift guide, we’re sharing something a little closer to the heart.
Here are a few of my favorite local organizations, each one doing powerful work to care for our neighbors, strengthen our communities, and bring the true spirit of the season to life. If you’re looking for a way to give back this year, consider supporting one of these incredible efforts:
Harbor House: For 50 years Harbor House, based in Oakland, has served local children and families through programs that nurture the heart, soul, mind and body. Focused on relationship and empowerment, Harbor House was started by one caring teacher and has grown into a multi-faceted organization offering help and hope to hundreds of families every year. Learn more or donate here.
St. Vincent de Paul: Founded in France in the early 19th century and established in the United States in 1845, St. Vincent do Paul has a deep history of helping those most in need, and is now in over 4,000 parishes across the country. This organization makes a difference at the local, national and international level. Learn more or donate here.
Alameda County Food Bank: Local food banks are a lifeline for our communities. For forty years the Alameda County Food Bank has partnered with the community to address hunger at the local level. Following the unwavering belief that access to food is a basic human right, they distribute millions of meals every year. Learn more or donate here.
Make it Home Bay Area: An organization close to my heart, Make it Home Bay Area furnishes homes of those transitioning out of crisis with donated furniture and household goods, which they recycle, repurpose and curate. This virtuous circle of giving was founded by the amazing Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery, who saw a need and filled it — proof that one person truly can make a difference. Learn more or donate here.
