ABOUT
TheLilyPad was built on a simple idea: when you make something with your hands, something shifts inside.
In the heart of Willimantic, Connecticut, our studio is a place to slow down, try something new, and leave with more than just a finished piece. It’s where first-timers sit beside artists, families make memories on rainy Saturdays, and a few hours of painting pottery can turn into the best part of your week. Whether you come in to celebrate, unwind, or just see what happens, you’ll leave with something you made yourself and a good reason to come back.
Daniela de Souza
Co-Founder & Creative Director
Daniela has been one of Willimantic’s most loved creative voices since 2017. As a ceramics professor at Eastern Connecticut State University and a longtime pillar of Spiral Arts, she has spent years making ceramics feel welcoming, joyful, and deeply human, not just for art students, but for anyone curious enough to try.
At TheLilyPad, Daniela leads the creative heart of the studio. She shapes the curriculum, designs seasonal projects, develops original tile designs, trains instructors, and helps create the look and feel of the space itself. What matters most to her isn’t just what ends up on the shelf. It’s the moment someone lights up and realizes, “I made this.”
Irem Elci Tansug
Co-Founder & Managing Member
Irem’s path to TheLilyPad began in a very different world. After a successful career as a corporate lawyer, she found ceramics in 2021, and quickly realized it offered something rare: focus, calm, and the kind of joy that comes from making something by hand.
She brought her legal expertise, strategic mindset, and financial discipline into building a business that could carry Daniela’s creative vision forward. At TheLilyPad, Irem leads operations, governance, and long-term growth, making sure the studio is built with both heart and structure. And because she’s a maker too, every decision she makes is grounded in both practical thinking and genuine love for the craft.
Together, Daniela and Irem have created something Willimantic didn’t know it was missing, a place to gather, celebrate, and come back to again and again.
Come make something with us. We can’t wait to see what you create.