Hey buddies! (See what we did there?) We’re buzzed to share a special franchise we’re doing this month, dedicated to highlighting women in the cannabis space. We’re going to talk to female founders, policy experts, and more. Get ex-high-ted!

First up, we’ve got Riley Brain (she/her), founder of Wandering Bud. She and her team of 6 female ceramic artists make the most gorg smokeware out of their Kansas City studio. We caught up with her to see how she got into the industry and what her brand does to help others—both to have a more elite smoking experience and to make the world a lil bit better.

How did you start working in the smokeware industry?
In 2016, I spent a week in Portland, OR on vacation from my job as a public school music teacher. Tired of hiding my traditional glass beaker-style bong in cabinets, I was excited to head to a legal market in search of a bong or bubbler that could sit out alongside art objects in my home. After realizing the selection of smokeware in Portland mirrored what we had in head shops in Kansas City, I decided to try my hand at making the bongs I wanted to see in the market. With very little ceramic experience, I set up a small studio in my basement and got to work.

Way to be the change! What made you decide to work on these products as opposed to other ceramic goods?
There were few ceramicists making pipes at the time, and no one was making ceramic bubblers. The idea of entering a new and fast-growing market excited me in a way that making dinnerware or planters did not.

As a person with Crohn’s disease who has experienced the medicinal benefits of this plant, I’ve also been invested in the destigmatization of cannabis. I was drawn to the idea of creating functional art that can spark conversation and help dispel some of the misinformation the war on drugs ingrained in our society’s minds for such a long time.

Everything you sell is handmade. How long does it take to make these pieces?
We keep a massive spreadsheet that houses time trials for every piece we’ve made since 2020. Looking just at our studio series (products that are glazed one color and don’t have any extra details): on the low end, our Jay Holders take 19 minutes to make, and on the high end, our Flora Bong takes 151 minutes. These are hands-on times in production, so those are not reflective of passive time in production (ex: drying time, kiln firing time, casting time). This also does not include the time it takes to prototype, research, and develop our production infrastructure.

That sounds like a lot of effort. We know it’s hard, but which piece is your fave to make and which is your fave to use?
On both fronts: our Billie Bubbler. This piece has such a special place in my heart because it’s the first water pipe I ever made. As I mentioned before, I started Wandering Bud specifically because I wanted a highly aesthetic bubbler or bong, so when I realized Billie was as functional as it is beautiful, I felt like all the skill development I had been working on had finally paid off. The hit is incredibly smooth, and it’s been so fun to dream up different surface designs for limited edition Billies.

Your team is made up entirely of women. Why is this important to you?
This is something we evaluate every time we’re hiring someone new to the team. I’m not averse to hiring a man, but I’m also sensitive to maintaining the positive studio culture we’ve developed within our team of women. I want to make sure whoever we bring into the studio melds well with the team, and so far, that person has always been a woman. My team has voiced that they feel most comfortable working with women and queer folks, and providing a comfortable work environment is important to me as an employer.

You don’t just make ceramicware. Can you tell us about your and your brand’s investment in the cannabis justice space, as well as in the art community?
Our studio sits on a historic racial dividing line in Kansas City (Troost Avenue). Working on this street everyday keeps social justice at the forefront of our minds as we can literally look across the street and see that those communities have been most harmed by the war on drugs. So we do a few things: We donate to 2 equity-oriented organizations monthly; we hire and contract with BIPOC whenever possible; and we educate our large social media following on topics like the history of cannabis stigma and why it’s important to shop with intention. We use our newsletter to do this work, too. Our subscribers are familiar with our features of other artists and perspective about the state of the industry.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I feel so lucky to be able to do this work. Some days are really hard, but I’m aware of how rare it is to create your own job from scratch and even rarer to be able to provide careers for fellow artists. To anyone who wants to support our work, please join our email list via our website, and if you’d like to give monthly monetary support, we have a Patreon that starts at $4/mo. We love sharing BTS with our Patrons and value that community very much.

Ok, and a final fun Q: Indica or sativa?
Sativa, 100%.