As a first-generation American on my mothers’ side, I have always felt somewhat of a disconnect to her home country of Ecuador. In an attempt to explore that side of my heritage, I researched the ceramic work of the chorrera community, a group indigenous to where my grandmother grew up in Manta, Ecuador. My research focused mainly on functional pottery by taking influence from the shapes and forms of pottery that I could connect to contemporary functional work I associate with my Ecuadorian family. Looking further, I studied the surface treatment of various pieces, specifically the tradition of carving into the surface, and decided to further pursue sgraffito carvings in my work. I surfaced each piece in a way that personally connected me to my family.