MUD The Clay Studio in Leslieville aims to "foster a deep appreciation for the art of ceramics while providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone," according to their website.

It was founded by Hannun Lyn, who put it together quickly and thoughtfully. After signing the lease on October 1, 2023, she and her husband got the space ready to start offering classes in mid-November.

Nearly everything in the studio, from the shelves to the glazing stations, was built from scratch by her and her husband. 

The journey to finding this space was no easy feat. Lyn spent months searching across the city for a studio that had her must-haves: concrete floors, ventilation, windows, and high ceilings.

The unit they're in happened to be the last of ten she saw in the building – and immediately upon entering, she knew this was her spot. 

Lyn, a seasoned artist, has worked with clay for 20 years. She'd been taking pottery classes at night, and after hearing her boyfriend – now husband – say, "You're a much nicer person when you come back from your pottery classes," she decided to dive right in and enrolled in ceramics at Sheridan College in Oakville.

During her training, she learned how to work through the full process from sculpting to firing to glazing.

Initially, she was just creating pottery herself, but she felt compelled to move into sharing her skills and teaching others how to work with clay. So in 2017, she shifted to teaching, offering courses in various museums throughout Toronto.

Setting up her own studio felt like the right next step in her path. Lyn put a lot of care into this space, wanting to provide a "welcoming and inclusive space where artistic expression knows no bounds, and where the tactile beauty of ceramics comes to life."

Her skills as a teacher are remarkable. Being in her studio, I was moved by her special way of guiding and empowering while she teaches, which gave me newfound confidence in my skills as someone newer to the art form.

Her sense of calm is reflected in the studio — a space where she and her husband put a great amount of detail and thought into it, ensuring there was a natural movement and flow felt throughout. 

The space in the studio is generous, considering they have eight pottery wheels. This was an important factor for Lyn, as she wanted to make sure that all her students would be able to move around and feel empowered in the space. 

At MUD, there are two types of classes you can enroll in. For those who are newer to pottery and want to try their hand at it, there's the Trial by MUD, a two-hour workshop where you can learn how to work on the wheel, as well as the history of clay and how it works.

For $75, you get access to the class and also get to keep one or two pieces you created that will be finished and glazed for you.

If you're looking to dive further in and learn more about the full process, you can do their six-week pottery class, MUD 101. It's here where you spend time exploring wheel throwing, handbuilding, glazing, and firing.

The class sizes are kept small, so you can benefit from more guidance and mentorship throughout the process. By the end of the six weeks, many students leave with several pieces that they get to build from start to finish. The cost for this class is $400, with each of the six classes running for three hours.

In terms of future goals, Lyn would love to expand the space to be able to accommodate more artists who could create there more regularly. But for now, she's enjoying getting to know the students who come to her classes and helping to foster their sense of creativity in the studio. 

The name of her studio has a special origin. When she first registered a business name, she called it "Mud Koan" — mud, referencing the clay she was working with, and "koan," a Buddhist term that means "a paradoxical anecdote or riddle."

Two decades later, it felt right for her to go back to where she started: an appreciation for what this art form and material is.

As she tells blogTO, "That's all this is. It’s clay — it turns to mud."

MUD is located at 388 Carlaw Ave in unit 101C.