The Potters Cast: Recent Episodes
The Potters Cast
Naomi Peterson | Episode 1250
Naomi Peterson is a full-time ceramic artist based in Kansas City, Missouri. Naomi received her MFA in ceramics from the University of North Texas (2021) and her BFA in ceramics at the University of Wyoming (2017). Naomi has been an artist-in-residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, participated in the Neltje artist-in-residence program in 2018, and recently participated in the Winter 2025 Pentaculum at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts; currently Naomi is an artist-in-residence at KC Clay Guild. In 2024, Ceramics Monthly selected Naomi as a 2024 Emerging Artist. Naomi has taught at various institutions nationally such as the Glassell School of Art and Art League Houston in addition to teaching workshops online and in person.
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Do you ever use Procreate to design the body of the work, also like the body of your pottery?
You know, very, very rarely. will often sketch in my sketchbook because I do love physically sketching. But more often recently, I’ve been sketching in 3D, making my objects out of clay and kind of just running with it, making multiple pieces and kind of creating iterations from those repeated forms.
It sounds like what you said was in the interview in The Potters Cast before we hit the Mud Meets The Bat Round that you like to take a photograph of a bisque piece and that’s when you start doing your design work for your surface design. When it comes to surface, with all the colors you do, has this allowed you to become even more bold because you can pre-plan it?
Definitely, yeah. I will use many, many, many layers of, on just one form. And I’ll catch myself not using the first or the second or the third iteration in Procreate, but usually, maybe the 6th or the 7th. It takes a few times to feel like the piece is actually feeling good color-wise and like there’s a good transition between the layers.
So are you using Procreate also to be able to test out those color combinations for the complementary and contrasting colors? Is that kind of part of the big idea there?
Yeah, it kind of really is just whatever I’m feeling. It’s not really trying to make them complementary or contrasting or even monochrome, but if it feels good, if I’m liking what’s happening visually, I’ll kind of run with it. But it’s I’m never trying to make it fit within a set palette, although that would make it probably a lot easier in some cases.
Does doing this work with Procreate help you to understand a flow for a collection that you’re trying to make?
Oh, yes. I find that it’s easiest when I’m making a bunch of cups. I really want all of my cups to be a little bit different, have their own personalities. It’s kind of like having a variety cupcake box in my mind. So I’ll take a sketch or a picture of my cup base and then I’ll superimpose attachments or colors, patterns, so that I’m collecting and creating a bunch of different ideas around, say, the cup. But I don’t usually do that for other forms, like, say, jars or more sculptural forms.
SAMSUNG CSC
Is there ever a time when Procreate falls short because it doesn’t quite do the 3D as well as you’d hope to?
Yeah, and I do feel like it really depends on the form. So I’ll often feel like, oh, shoot, I’m not capturing what this kind of looks like on the interior, and that’s needing to relate to the exterior in some way. And so in that case, I’ll have to go back and take a couple different shots of the, say, not just the profile, but maybe the three quarter view and maybe some other views just to be able to try to capture the 3D-ness, like the dimensionality of the form. But it is a 2D medium. I don’t foresee trying to paint with like an Oculus, those.
Do you feel as Procreate has made you a better potter or has it made you a better designer?
That’s a good question. You know, I kind of feel like both. And I say that because there have been instances where I’ve collaborated with other artists and it’s such a great tool to help me figure out how am I going to approach these forms that are not fully my own. Or if I’m making a piece that is for a specific purpose, like I had a commission that was recreating a cake from a bakery that no longer exists. And so it’s like, how am I going to get kind of these details and also these colors, but in my own style, which is what they requested. And it’s been such a great tool for that to not only plan, but also to give me the plan as far as design, but also give me the confidence to be like, okay, I’m going to draw it out and then I’m going to make it.
Book
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Contact
naomipeterson.com
Instagram: @n.ceramic
Nicole Kluba | Episode 1249
Nicole Kluba is the owner of Kluba Ceramics and lives in the town of Seagrove, North Carolina. Seagrove is a small, rural town which also happens to be the pottery capital of the US. Nicole has grown up in Seagrove and has been exposed to pottery not only in the community, but in her family as well. Before Nicole began creating pottery full time in March 2024, she worked in emergency services for four and a half years until she left at age 23 to pursue pottery as a career.
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Do you feel like that pottery became a real job on the day that you started to treat it like it was a real job?
I think so, absolutely. I think it definitely took me some time to, like I said, I feel like I was raised not really having that as an option to be a business owner. Like it never really was presented to me. So I feel like I kind of had to not really talk myself into it, but kind of train my brain to think like, okay, I can do this, you know, as a real job, so to speak. And so I definitely think it took me some time. But, you know, obviously, I mean, like you said, I mean, it is a real job. I mean, I’m doing it full time. I’m putting in my hours. I have a shop, we have customers come out. I mean, it’s definitely a real job. Like I said, I think it definitely just kind of took me some time to change my mindset on it, if that makes sense. I think I kind of didn’t really, I don’t want to say that I didn’t believe it, but I kind of didn’t believe it. I didn’t think that it was possible. And so when it actually became real, I think I just had to see it to believe it.
Would it be safe to say that the commitment defines it as a job?
I think so. I think it was all the mindset. I definitely don’t think it was the the paycheck side of it. Um, I definitely think it was, I mean, like you said, treating it as a real job. And, you know, I feel like going from, you know, having like a, so to speak, a normal job and having to transition, um, cause it was a very big transition into being a business owner, into being an artist. And so I feel like I really, I mean, like I said before, I had to train my brain. and figure out that transition and really figure out, for one was, I guess, since there wasn’t anybody to make me do things, I did have a problem at first, I guess, holding myself accountable for like, what I needed to get done if that makes sense. And so I feel like once I got past that and, I started planning my days and I guess actually seeing the progress being made, Then it really started to click like, okay, you know, this is a full-time job. This is what I’m doing. This is working And we went from there, but I think it definitely was all I guess the mental aspect of it.
There are some that say that a professional doesn’t doesn’t wait for inspiration, they clock in. It sounds like that’s what you kind of did. Did you have to ask yourself, would you hire yourself based on how your work ethic was?
I would say, well, I mean, I would say yes and no, if that makes sense. Because, you know, like I said, when I was in the workforce, I had people telling me where to be, when to be there and what to do. And absolutely I would hire myself then because I would show up and do what I was told and then go home. But when I, guess had to start listening to myself, obviously that is a very, very big change. At the beginning when I was first starting my business, I don’t think I would hire myself then. Like I said, I had such a very hard time with that transition. I guess just staying, not really staying motivated, but figuring out how to get things done, I guess, and keep myself from getting distracted. Because that was, I mean, that was my biggest problem for months was just getting things done. And I don’t really know what it was, but I guess because I didn’t have anybody there to tell me what I needed to be doing and when I needed to be doing it. I had a really, really hard time with that for some reason.
Some people say if you want to be a working artist, that you have to stop thinking like an artist. Not all the time, because obviously you have to create like an artist. But there’s times when you have to think more like an entrepreneur, which means asking questions like, Who’s my customer? Who buys the work? Why do they buy it? Is it hard for you to do that transition from turning off the artist think and turning on the entrepreneur think?
Now, I do not think so at all. I actually, I mean, I really enjoy the entrepreneur side of it. I love like trying to figure out, you know, because I feel like my pottery is very niche in a way. And so I love thinking like, okay, what is the next thing that I could do that this very specific group of people would like. I love thinking like that. I love planning the business parts of it. I love thinking about what events I should plan that, you know, the community that I’ve created would enjoy. I love that aspect of it. I love running the business. I love all of that. And I feel like it’s gotten very easy for me, especially, I would say, I would say probably the last six months. to where it doesn’t really feel like switching back and forth between being an artist and I guess a business owner, it kind of feels like they kind of coexist together, if that makes sense. It feels very, very normal for some reason, which is good. But yeah, I haven’t really had a problem with it. Thank goodness.
There is that idea also is that at some point as a business, you have to make pots people want. And if you’re not making pots people want, that’s okay too, but you won’t have a business. So how much do you have to compromise your creativity to be able to make the pots that people want?
Oh, well, surprisingly, I really don’t feel like I’m having to compromise at all, which has been amazing because my first year when I was making pottery full time, I kind of made a little bit of everything because I really wasn’t sure, I guess what I wanted to stick with, like what my style was, what I wanted to do. And things sold, but I felt like I really didn’t have like a set customer base, if that makes sense. Like I kind of feel like I was just making whatever. And I mean, I feel like I always hear people say like, people will buy, you know, what you love or like what you enjoy making. And I feel like when I actually started making what I wanted, which is more of the alternative style, like scraffito pieces, I mean, that’s what I love to do. And I feel like when I did start going that direction, I feel like people could definitely see that that was what I enjoyed. Because ever since I started doing this graffito, I mean, that’s really when I felt like my business did start to take off. And I felt like I have found a very niche community that really enjoys it and really loves it. And it’s what I enjoy making and what I love to make. And so I feel like people can see that. And that definitely helps A lot. So I really don’t feel like I’m having to compromise, which is amazing.
Somebody said that that in order to become an overnight success, all you need is 10 years of effort. And I kind of really love that perspective because it really means it takes patience. How much does patience come into play for your building a successful job, real job?
Oh, yeah. I have definitely had to learn how to be patient. because I am unfortunately not a very patient person. And so I’ve definitely had to learn patience because obviously, you can’t start a business and it just blow up overnight. I already made for some people, but it definitely has not for me. Obviously, it takes a very long time. And like I said before, with being able to make a clay body of 100% wild clay, I mean, it’s two years in the making. almost two years and I’m still working on it. So I mean, I definitely have to be patient in a lot of ways. I mean, the same thing for getting my forever shop built. We started off selling pots out of a little shed in our backyard. So that whole year we’re working on fixing this place up. So I had to have patience then with resting the process and getting everything situated just how we needed it. fixing this place up and now we are in the forever home of my business and so I definitely I’ve had to learn patience and I think it comes in pretty much all aspects of pottery you know pottery the whole process of everything but then also the business side of it so I feel like it’s definitely definitely been a very big part I’ve definitely had to learn how to deal with, I think.
Book
Jugtown Pottery by Stephen C Compton
Contact
klubaceramics.com
Instagram: @klubaceramics
Joe & Emilie Bott | Episode 1248
Joe and Emilie Bott are the owners and operators of The Tilted Kiln and the creators of Clay Con West, which they founded in 2018. Joe and Emilie are passionate about bringing the clay community together through creativity, education, and connection. When they are not working in the studio or organizing events, Joe and Emilie enjoy spending time with their family and sharing their love of ceramics with others.Clay Call
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Have you all developed a team to help to pull this event together and pull it off?
Joe: Yes, we have.
Emilie: Yeah, we, yes, we’ve we’ve brought in some of our friends that we’ve known from NCCA that are supporting us and some of the local artists here through like the college university that help us volunteer wise to be able to do what we do. We have a lot of family that helps volunteer too.
How do you build a budget for something like this?
Joe: We take what we did last year and the previous year or so and try to structure that out of how much can we pay the artists coming in next year? How many can we bring in? What do we have to do as far as space wise with the convention center, do we have to get another room or two and just try to lay it all out in a quick outline?
Emilie: Mostly, again, the convention center side, trying to make sure what’s best for us. We’ve actually looked at having tourism help us a little bit too, because our conference has grown. So tourism likes to help people come to the area. Looking to get outside resources.
When do you start the actual advertising process? Like how far in advance?
Joe: I don’t know if we really advertise a whole lot. So we do our Facebook and Instagram posts about who the artists are and when applications and submissions and things open up for everyone to submit. But I don’t do any advertising, radio, TV, flyers, mailings, any of that kind of stuff. It’s just all social media. And it starts pretty much when the one conference is over, we jump back in and start getting it going to promote the next year coming up.
Do you guys do paid advertisements like through Instagram or Facebook?
Emilie: We haven’t done a whole lot. Honestly, I think it’s a lot of word of mouth and experience from the attendees, other artists and the vendors who have attended. We’ve luckily gotten enough out there that way that we’ve just not really had to look into it.
What are your expectations for your presenters and your keynote speakers in terms of getting the word out? Do you expect them to do anything?
Joe: To be honest, no. I mean, if I’m being really raw honest with you, no. They just have. I think the experience that they’ve had in the smaller community and the experience being here and having that one-on-one has spoke volumes for all artists and the speakers, attendees and the vendors, because it’s just, it feels more like family, like a friendship. So I feel like people naturally want to talk about that instead of it just being so grandiose and A lot. So I honestly, that’s, we don’t ask them the two, they just do.
Emilie: We do send them, you know, copies of the, or like files of like the logo, some of the the dates and things, and also give them privilege to take any of our information and put it on their websites and things and promote it that way if they want to. But we don’t require it by any means.
Contact
clayconwest.com
Instagram: @clayconwest
Esther Drone | Episode 1247
Esther Drone is a potter and ceramic artist based in Langford on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Esther has facilitated a variety of groups as a pottery instructor. Esther’s work is predominately functional and is currently available in a variety of shops in the Greater Victoria area.
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Esther, I asked you on the podcast about wholesaling, that you are a little bit of fulfilling a niche for the tourist community, but also you are a wholesaler on an island. Does that make it easier for you to be wholesaling when you know that bringing it in from the mainland is more difficult than it is for you to be the provider out on the island.
Oh, interesting question. I don’t think it does, because I know one of the places that only buys my work now, prior to that, they were just buying work from people on some of the other islands. So, Yeah, I don’t think that gives me an advantage because yeah, some of the in one of the other places I deal with, Side Street Studio in Oak Bay, they carry like a lot of different potters and they’re from all over the place. So like, yeah, I think I don’t I think honest, quite honestly, I think the advantage that I’ve built up over time, I have a lot of local customers. And there are, you know, the tourists and whatever. But still, I think what it is, basically, my work has kind of got its own look, its own style. It’s really based on being functional. Like, I’ve been set up at a Christmas show with maybe three or four with three or four other potters there and, and, you know, had somebody come around and they had looked at everybody’s booth and they came back to mine and said, yours is the most functional work. Unfortunately, that person also went and told that to the other potters, which did not make me very liked by the end of the show.
Do you feel like, wholesaling chose you or that you chose wholesaling?
It was it was very intentional. A year ago I had I had to have heart surgery. So it was I really it was time to slow down. And, you know, prior to that, I be working equivalent to two plus full time jobs. So it’s like it was time to cut back, cut back, cut back. And this this is like so much less stress just to be in my studio working away and and doing that and doing the wholesaling a lot less stressful.
As a production potter, so to speak, and wholesaling. What systems do you have in place in your studio to make things run smoothly?
Basically, I have basically just just the workflow pattern that I have, you know, where the clay is, where you start out, where you wedge, come around, like I just have a good flow, you know, and basically, it’s kind of like My husband used to be in the renovation business. So you had, I was on your sites, you had a flow of how you went out, you put all your tools and all your stuff and how you worked your way back out the door. So that’s kind of like the flow in my studios. Like, the clay comes in one door, then it moves to the next station, the next station, go into the kiln room, back out it goes, and then out the front door into the car and off it goes. So just a good flow.
What’s a big mistake you see younger potters or new potters make when it comes to pricing?
Oh, okay. I can’t say they make, if they can get the prices they’re asking for, that’s wonderful. My prices are, you know, what I have most people at shows go, oh, your prices are so reasonable. Basically, they’re saying your prices are cheaper than the other potter over there. Yeah, I just, you know, because I started so long ago and mugs were, you know, X price and I have tried to up them along with everybody else, but I just, I just can’t do what people are asking right now. It just kills me every time I have to go to the next level up. But you know, if those potters can get those prices, you know, that’s, you know, that’s great. But my other thing is I’d rather sell a lot and keep everything moving. I don’t ever have to put anything on sale or just keep everything moving and flowing out the door. So it, you know, really just depends on, you know, what you’re what your business model is, what you’re going for?
Now that you’ve moved into wholesaling and you take all the things into consideration, which is more profitable for you now?
Oh, it’s very similar. It’s similar. It can be similar, but it’s a different amount of work at different things. So, you know, like with the 20, 20 plus shows a year, there’s a lot more traveling, a lot less making stuff. Might make more per show. But some shows, really, you’re walking away after all the costs, you’re only walking away with wholesale, depending, you know. Other shows could be really good, but yeah, so– Interesting. Yeah, it’s just the amount of stress and whatever. So, you know, I know I can, you know, like, you know, in the new year, I’m gonna, I have a little pricing sheet. I do everything by size, get out my rulers and I price everything by size. And then I’m going to, change, slowly. I look at how much my materials costs have increased and I’ll slowly increase the prices of my pieces. But yeah, I would be bringing in more dollars, but I’ll also have a lot more dollars going out the door if I was sticking more to retail. Interesting. So the bottom line, I don’t think would be a lot different.
You’ve been making for shows and for wholesale, and you said that you’ve got your mainstays, and I’m curious, do you ever feel like you run out of creativity?
No, no, there’s just always something, a new thing you can play with, a new glaze combination. You know, like I do, I’m still teaching a bit, I cut back on teaching, so yeah, you know, there’s a lot of interaction with people and seeing ideas they have, but no, there’s always more to do. There’s, you know, like you can always delve into something deeper. Hmm.
Book
Amazing Glaze Food Safe Recipes by Gabriel Kline and Bill Collins
Contact
estherdrone.ca
Instagram: @estherdrone
Madison Smith | Episode 1246
Ceramics has granted Madison Smith the unwavering power to transform a simple pile of dirt into an external force of her subconscious. Madison creates sculptures to connect to her disorderly childhood and construct wares to spread joy. Madison’s overall themes include the magic of childlike wonder and the undeniable reality of the life she has been forced to reckon with.
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In dealing with trauma, how important is accepting the idea that healing isn’t necessarily linear, it’s sometimes all squiggled up like a bowl of spaghetti?
Yeah, I think, I live by that. I I have lived by that my whole life. And if you live that way, then you will have so much more patience and respect for yourself because you just, you have to be patient. And I feel as if, yeah, recovery isn’t a goal, it’s not something you’re gonna reach, it’s an everyday, it’s work, it’s work every single day.
Do you feel that it’s important to tell your story when you’re ready?
Yes, I definitely, I don’t like to talk about myself at all. It’s very uncomfortable for me. So I will opt out of it and choose not to. unless I can tell that the person in front of me, I look in their eyes and I can genuinely tell that they want to know what’s up. You know, that they’re not, they’re not looking at me like, oh, I want some sensational, like artist way. Like, what’s your inspiration? Like, that’s not what I want. Like, if you want to have a real conversation with me, I got to look in your eyes and trust you.
You mentioned the reason you left Humboldt and the reason you landed in Portland and the things that you loved here is relationships and community. How important is staying connected?
I didn’t realize how important staying connected was until I was. I think that it really has. I have a problem. I have very, I have deep, deep social anxiety. So whenever I do connect with a person, it feels like a win. Whenever I do go out of my comfort zone of being, of my social anxiety issues, it feels like I’m making progress, not only personally, but artistically as well.
How important is it just to be compassionate and patient with yourself?
It’s essential. I am a year and a half sober, a year and four months sober off of alcohol, and that has been a real test of being patient with myself. And that has truly impacted every single aspect of my life. and has taught me that the only way for me to move forward in a healthy, more in a healthier way of life is to just be patient at the process, whatever that looks like for you.
How much are you now living a life of appreciation for life itself?
Yeah, I think that sobriety has a lot to do with that. But also, it’s so wonderful having the opportunity to live the life how I want. Because I feel as if I know. that I didn’t get to do that for my entire childhood. So now it’s like, it’s almost, it’s such a powerful thing to be able to do whatever you want. I mean, I’m not, obviously I’m not doing whatever I want, but like having the power to construct your own life is priceless. It’s no matter how financially well off, like, that’s not what it’s about. It’s just being able to own your own life is just something that now that I have, I’ll never give up.
What got you really excited? Like, what are you champing at the bit to get back in the studio and make?
Honestly, my will to create comes in massive, massive waves. My will to create sculptures comes in huge waves, and I can’t force myself to do it. So sometimes it’ll be six months. Sometimes it’ll be two months, but one day, I don’t know when I’ll wake up and I’ll be like, this needs to happen right now. I need to make this right now. And I can’t. It just happens when it happens. So right now I’m preparing for some little, some little things that I’m doing in town, but I don’t really have anything. I don’t, the wave hasn’t come yet. I feel as if it is on the way, but it’s still about a couple miles out in the deep.
Book
In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Contact
Instagram: @madisonmudworks
Jordan Gale | Episode 1245
Jordan Gale is a ceramic artist working at the intersection of sculptural and functional pottery. Jordan’s embrace of organic textures attempts to blur the line between utility and expressive form. Born and raised in Eastern Iowa, Jordan attended the University of Iowa, where he was introduced to pottery. Jordan currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
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I’m really intrigued with your journey from photography into pottery and how that transition happened. How does photography impact your making?
It’s hard. There’s definitely been times where I’ve had to go on the road and essentially be gone for a week or two. And when I come back, there’s You know, all my pieces are dried out. I’m starting from scratch. But not not too much. I, I make my own work. I’m freelance self-employed, so I make my own schedule with photography and I work primarily on long term documentary projects. So it’s it’s all kind of up to me, which.
.
How about then, how does being a photographer influence you as when you’re making? Do you think through like how it would look in a frame?
Not at all. I actually think they are two completely different processes. And that is really what I, I really enjoy that and I didn’t really anticipate it coming back into pottery. photography is a very outward process you’re really sort of putting on this hat of like a used car salesman and you’re going out into the world and trying to convince the world you know of these ideas you’re you’re exploring this sort of notion of truth and and documenting um your experience with it and and it’s all kind of like up in the air and random whereas pottery is this for me at least, this meditative alone process with just me and the clay and, a lot of kind of thoughts back and forth, about the clay. It’s very, I don’t want to say isolating because I enjoy it. Meditative, I can’t use that word, but that is the best that I can. I think that’s the best word for it.
What kind of things can only be captured from or in ceramics compared to photography?
That’s a good question. I think Pottery is, you know, this relationship with the earth. It is this, like I’ve been saying, this tactile experience, something that comes from the ground and and we form into, you know, a cup, something that we need, something that gives us nourishment or provides us, you know, as a vessel for for beauty. And that’s that’s very special. I think photography, on the other hand, is a great way to exhibit our relationship with one another. And it’s a human to human experience. You know, it’s community. It it’s about the person in front of the camera just as much as actually it’s about the person behind the camera. And there’s a lot more sort of like to that, whereas For me, again, I’m repeating myself at this point, you know, pottery is that intimate one-on-one experience with the vessel and yourself.
Has pottery thus far at all influenced photography?
I don’t have an answer for you on that one. And I just don’t think that I’ve thought about it. I think that I have, yeah, tried to maintain the two very separately because they both give me something that I need in a roundabout different way. There probably is, though, some influence. And you know what, we’re going to get off this call and I’m going to go on an assignment and notice it instantly. Or, you know, I’m gonna be going and photographing like down the block someday and I’ll be like, shoot, I have the best answer for that. Okay.
You mentioned during our conversation earlier, before we got into the mud meets about round that one of the things you were thinking about is that you wanted a different stream of income. How does selling your photography versus selling your pottery, how does that differ?
I don’t know if it differs too much, primarily because when I got into selling my pottery, it was with the background and experiences I’ve had with photography. You know, this these years that I spent simply trying to be a working photographer, it didn’t really matter what I was shooting or, you know, or if it said anything about me that then eventually changed. And now, you know, it has to be something that really is representation of myself and my process and my interests. And so when I thought about selling my work with clay it was it was it had to be under those same stipulations you know it had to be on my terms and and the way I wanted to do it um with that being said it it’s strange you know I I’m still new to it and that’s that show that we met like I said was the third sale that I’ve ever done and so I I don’t want to act like I know what I’m doing or or or know what to expect from all this, I’m sure a year from now, I might have a different answer for you or a different philosophy on it, but I want it to very much feel cohesive and, you know, like you are getting something that is me. And I think if you come to anything, with honesty and with that individualistic intent, people will respond positively. I think if you come into any artistic endeavor solely as a monetary means, it’s going to feel maybe a little soulless, and that’ll show.
You mentioned earlier in the podcast that you were into your third sale. Without giving us numbers, how’d you do?
I did good. I went in blind. I’m just happy to be here. It’s always it’s always crazy when someone wants to buy something from you. Like, I feel giddy and sort of like, not embarrassed, but just seeing like, you know, when I get hired for photo jobs, it’s cool. It just feels kind of affirming, like, all right, great. You know, like, I’m out there. I get to do this thing, you know, like my this matters. It’s kind of the solidification, but when someone buys a cup from me, it’s like, I don’t know. It’s such a shock. I hope I never get over it because I’m just consistently flattered.
Book
White Noise by Don DeLillo
Contact
Instagram: @mayormcrib
Yoon Hee Kim | Episode 1244
Yoon Hee Kim is a Korean ceramic artist and educator based in the United States. Through Yoon Lab Ceramics, Yoon creates contemporary Moon Jars inspired by Korean heritage and nature. Yoon teaches wheel throwing internationally and online, helping potters create taller, stronger forms while sharing the mindfulness found through making.
Clay Call
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What is it about a moon jar that keeps pulling you back to want to make more?
For me, moon jars is a way to reconnect with my Korean heritage and learn about my ancestors and take pride in the traditions they left behind.
So there are round pots in the world. At what point does a round pot stop just being a round pot and become a moon jar? What makes a moon jar a moon jar?
So moon jars are traditionally made in two separate half-spheres joined together at the center, and the joining process creates a subtle asymmetries, and those imperfections are considered beauty of moon jar.
So imperfections are okay for a moon jar? That’s part of the characteristic of the actual form? Is that accurate to say then?
Yes.
Okay. What’s something that you would think most people who admire moon jars misunderstand about a moon jar?
Just like you said before, that a circular form with the opening rim is a moon jar.
Does it always have to be thrown in two pieces?
Not really, but traditionally, moon jars are considered a moon jar if there are about over 40 to 50 centimeters in height and width. which is about 16 to 20 inches. And because it’s so tall, it was difficult in the Joseon dynasty, which is late 17th to mid 18th century when it was first made. It was difficult for potters to make in one piece.
Do you follow the traditional method and always join 2 separate pieces together?
If I’m making large moon jars, yes.
Have you ever, have you ever had a moon jar come apart?
I never had a moon jar that came upon me.
What has the moon jar taught you that no other form has been able to teach?
It taught me to learn about my ancestors and have the pride in my traditions they left behind.
Book
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami,
Contact
yoonlabceramics.com
Instagram: @yoonlab
Jordan Munro | Episode 1243
Jordan Munro. founder of High Country Art, is a ceramic artist based in rural Yellowhead County, Alberta. A graduate of Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Munro creates wheel-thrown pottery decorated with hand-drawn and screen printed imagery inspired by animals, landscape, and rural life, fired in a natural gas kiln.Clay Call
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What makes a good design for one of your pieces?
Yeah, I definitely think it’s a combo. You need to be able to be draw and do design with design. For me, it’s definitely it has to be usable. I have to be able to use it in every scenario. I have to put it in a microwave, put it in a dishwasher. go and do my goat chores and it needs to be used. So that goes into my design.
Do you feel like design is something that you notice or something you don’t notice?
I feel like good design is something you don’t notice. I feel like it’s something in your hand and you just, you know it feels right and that’s why you grab that mug every time.
Because your work is definitely functional, do you feel like the function is more important than a design or the function has to fit into the design?
The function has to fit into the design. And I feel like that’s how I come up with a lot of my designs is I think of what I would want something for and that’s what I make it for.
Have you ever made something that was technically correct, but still felt like it was a bit dead or a bit flat?
All the time.
What’s the difference between something that feels alive and when it feels dead?
I feel like you just have to make so many iterations of something and be able to use each one in order to know that. Because I feel like when you draw it on a piece of paper or you just make one of something, you don’t get that whole experience.
You have “decorations” on your pieces, but is decoration the same as design?
I don’t, that’s a hard question. No, but yes, I guess it depends on the potter or the maker. I feel like it would be very subjective on whether or not the decoration, because you could have what I have without the images. But I feel like it increases what I think each piece is worth in my mind and how I appreciate a piece if I add a design.
You don’t tend to clutter your work like a collage with a lot of stuff going on and a lot of moving parts. Why is subtlety or a simple look such a strong design?
I definitely find with screen printing, I’ve moved backwards with adding too many details. But it’s just that you you only learn from putting too much on a pot. And once you’ve put too much, you decide that that’s not what works and then you scale back. But I feel like you have to hit that point in order to find that that is too much.
Is it harder to design something beautiful or design something people want to live with every day?
I feel like it’s harder to design something people want to live with every day because I feel like you can make something beautiful and people will just look at it. But if somebody wants to use it every day, I feel like you have a competition with the 50 other mugs in their cupboard and just being beautiful sometimes isn’t enough. It has to be functional and it has to be beautiful.
Book
Developing Glazes by Greg Daly
The Kiln Book by Frederick L. Olsen
Contact
highcountryart.me
Instagram: @highcountryceramics
Wade MacDonald | Episode 1242
Wade was born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan by former opera singers. Wade earned a BA from Western Michigan University and an MFA in ceramics from Michigan State University. Wade has exhibited internationally and received the NCECA Emerging Artist award in 2018. He teaches at The University of Alabama.
Clay Call
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Do you find that the input you have, is it feeding what you already know or is it broadening your horizons? Is it important to have a distinction like that or a question like that?
Yeah, I think, I guess I get bored easily. So I want to keep challenging myself and a part of the way to do that is to not get comfortable in what you’re looking at or what you’re doing.
Well that’s an interesting answer because you said earlier in our conversation on the podcast about the idea that you don’t spend a lot of time looking at the work of other people, but you do find quite a bit outside of the field. So Is looking outside of your field for inspiration, is that what keeps your work fresh and unique?
I would say yes. I think it’s, for me, it’s important to look outside of the field for new ideas. I think it’s also important to kind of know what’s happening within the field. But at the same time, it’s okay to gather inspiration from other areas.
They say that constraints can be really helpful for creativity, where you give yourself these very specific constraints? I find it interesting that the wheel has a very specific set of constraints that felt limiting to your creativity. Whereas when you changed over to a mold, which is another type of constraint, because it’s a mold… why does one set of constraints inspire and another deterred?
I think it comes back to what your artistic vision is. And it’s, you know, If the tool constrains the vision so much that you can’t realize it, then you have to find another tool, a different tool.
Is there such a thing as a bad idea?
Uh, no, I’m going to say no, because I think bad ideas are can lead to breakthroughs. And I see it all the time in students. And I’m very reluctant to stop them from making mistakes. So they can, they may propose some project that I know is not going to work. And I kind of let them go through the process of failure and recalibration.
How does that showed up in your own approach to your creativity? Have you found a bad idea or a failure that then inspired you and made you better?
Oh, yeah. A lot of failing in grad school, especially in grad school. Yeah, I, I would make things that would just fall apart. They would crack apart. And I thought, this is the end. Like, I’ve got to just throw this thing out. And my teacher, Paul Catullo, would say, no, You’ve spent too much time on this thing. You need to just get the Bondo out and like fix this thing and paint it. And I just thought like, that’s sacrilege. I cannot do that. And it made me think about like my, the rules that I’m setting up for myself with clay. And that those rules, those only exist in my brain. I can do whatever I want, Interesting.
Do you give yourself room for failure now that you are a pro?
Yeah. I think a lot of my pieces are failed experiments. Like they’re not quite, they’re kind of getting there. They’re not quite there. And I just, I kind of keep trying to, like the next iteration is going to be better. It’s going to be better. And so I kind of, I’m always kind of only partially satisfied, you know, with the stuff that I’m doing. It’s scratching an itch, but it’s not quite there, you know?
Book
Northwoods by Daniel Mason
Contact
wfmceramics.com
Instagram: @wmacd.art
Michelle Grimm | Episode 1241
Michelle Grimm approaches clay with curiosity, experimentation, and patience. Shaping by hand, Michelle explores diverse glazing and firing techniques, often incorporating organic materials and research. Embracing unpredictability, Michelle’s work balances control and surrender. The resulting vessels—both functional and sculptural—are original forms that reflect a connection to nature, history, and the elemental forces of making.
Clay Call
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How many pieces would you feel you could actually do without being overwhelmed within a two-month period?
That’s a great question. I think it depends on what those pieces are. On the wheel, in a two-month period, I would say a hundred. It really depends on the piece. Yeah, it depends on what I’m making.
How important was that batching in the making process?
Very important. Having a schedule, I think, is what kept me on track. Knowing Knowing each step of the way and how long that would take and you have to factor in the drying time too So, you know, you can you could make all let’s say a hundred pieces at once But then you’ve got to make sure that they’re right for trimming for any other finishing work that you might need to apply So that that batching is is very important
How important is it to keep the simple the form simple but yet the decorations elegant enough to be able to meet the demands of being production, but also high aesthetic?
I think that depends on the… to the expectations of the project that you’re meant to deliver. For example, the plates that I the little catchalls that I made, those vessels, they were incredibly simple. The only thing that I think was decorative about them was the glaze that I made for the client. So with something of that scale, I think if you can streamline and make things as simple as possible and if that works for the client, that’s that’s the other thing. these pieces were incredibly simple to make. So that really cut down on a lot of the guesswork and a lot, I was able to know how long I needed for each piece.
Was there any part of the process that you could do that could seed up the process such as like candling your work or whatever the shortcut would be?
100% you could candle, candle. I didn’t have a kiln for the first part of it, so I did have to transport all 500 pieces to another potter to fire in their kiln. So that was just, I did add a couple days for that in my process. But that’s another reason why I chose to make everything with, you know, using a template as opposed to on the wheel, because that was my way of kind of What’s the word? Just making more of a production line so that I could also ask for help.
How much did you allow the “collaborative” input from the request from the customer?
For this project, the client already knew my way of working and I had, when I made the dinnerware, the four-piece dinnerware set for that long table dinner, they were aware of what I was working on and they came back to me and said, we want that. So that actually made it quite easy that they already kind of… were okay. They already knew what they wanted and they knew that I could give them what they wanted. They weren’t asking me to do anything out of my kind of wheelhouse or something that wasn’t authentic to me. So that really helped, I think, yeah.
As a handmade potter, how okay was it to have variations between pieces?
For my philosophy and the way that I work, where I strive to make every piece one of a kind, I was very okay with each piece being subtly different. And I wanted that because I wanted people to really know that they could see the mark of the maker, so to speak. I wanted them to understand that these are made by a real person, not in a factory. And that’s also something I value in the work that I make. And the client understood that and accepted that. And they knew that every piece was going to have a little variation of the glaze, there might be a fingerprint here or there that really gives it that kind of one-of-a-kind bespoke quality. So I’m okay with that.
Book
Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren
Contact
michellegrimmceramics.com
Instagram: @the_mgrimm
Hannah Groff | Episode 1165
Hannah Groff is a Brooklyn based illustrator and ceramicist, originally from The Gold Coast, Australia. After years working in Design, VFX, and Architecture Hannah now makes ceramics full time as the mind and hands behind G’Day Thrillseekers. All of Hannah’s pieces are handmade and hand painted without stencils or transfers.
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Your Instagram name is GdayThrillseekers. Where does that name come from?
That name comes from my very good friend, Ben who was trying to think of a gender-neutral way to welcome people to his lecture series he was doing at university. And another friend of ours chimed in with saying, “G’day, Thrillseekers!” And I thought, Man! That sounds really good. I’m going to take it! I don’t know if he ended up using it for his lecture series, but I have been using it since.
I noticed that on your website you have shop policies. My first question about that is, should every potter selling online have a set of policies along side with the actual products to be sold?
I don’t know if they should, but I think it is a really good idea.
Then my second question based on that is… In your shop policies why was it important to let people know about imperfections and differences?
I wanted to avoid any problems that would crop up. I have never had someone come to me and say, This sardine in a little more blue than this sardine. I have been lucky in that regard, but I personally strive to have measurements and colors exactly repetitive from piece to piece, but at the end of the day they are handmade. Sometimes with how people consume handmade goods through the screen and not necessarily holding them or having an understanding of the process to make this handmade good, that when they hear handmade, maybe they are thinking of product from a studio that does say they are handmade, but they are handmade on a die press and with a spray gun to glaze. So yes, they are handmade, but very different scale and equipment from this person to myself. I also want people to embrace the slight differences in a handmade piece, otherwise… what’s the point.
When you are making you said that tend to make in series. Does that help to keep things moving quickly?
Yes, exactly. I work in a very limited space; I share a desk within a community studio. So even thinking with how best to store my pieces, if everything is a consistent size, I can fit more pieces at a time on my shelf cause I can really cram them on there. But you also get into the flow state, you get into the grove and you know that I have to make a piece this by this, I’m going to put an audio book on, and crank them out ’til I have a line of 50 pieces that are the exact same size.
You mentioned that you are part of a community studio. Do you ever feel in a community studio that you don’t have any privacy?
Yes and no. I is a mixed studio of students and members. My desk partner and I ended up moving our desk to have a little bit more privacy. People are just curious and when they see you working on something, they come and want to ask you about it or even just pay you a compliment. Which is very nice, but I am someone who really likes to get into a flow… I have my phone on Do Not Disturb, I have a lot of work to do, I just want to get it done… interruptions throughout the day can really add up to a lot of time. So that is one aspect of it. The flip side of it is I am also a very nosy person in the community studio. If I see someone doing something that is amazing or looks really cool or something that I have never seen before, I’m up in their business leaving them notes, asking what glaze is this? even though I never step out of my glaze comfort zone. I still like knowing what everyone is doing.
Back to your website, I see that you have a way to capture people’s email. How often are people going through that process and giving you their email address and how do you care for that email list?
I have to confess that that is through MailChimp and I have sent one newsletter. I have sent to the kind people who have subscribed to my email list one newsletter. I figured out how to put that on my website and that is it.
Do you know how many people are on that list?
Enough that MailChimp has forced me to bump up the next subscription tier, but I am not entirely sure. I have to take the “L” on that one. That is a tool that I need to use more, but it’s just one of those business admin things that gets kicked down to the bottom of the list every month.
You are living in New York and you are living off your ceramics. How much time do you have for free time and how do you spend it?
That is a great question. I have been trying to reclaim my free time, specifically in the past few weeks because I fell into that trap that I am sure every creative out there knows of working seven days a week, every hour in the day. But when I am not at the studio, which is often, I love spending time with my husband and my dog. I love hiking, trail running, training for the marathon. So I am either running around New York City or I am on the pottery wheel. And that is my life at the moment.
Book
The Underworld by Susan Casey
Contact
gdaythrillseekers.com
Instagram: @gday_thrillseekers
Lincoln Mayne | Episode 1164
Artist, sculptor, and ceramicist Lincoln Mayne is fascinated by how we communicate through art and design. Drawing upon a 25-year career in multiple mediums and influenced by Dada’s rejection of logic, Lincoln has worked across Australia, the UK, and the U.S., and is now based in Los Angeles.
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You also add wood to your clay. I’m curious. Why the marriage of the two?
First of all, I think they both work together. And I don’t limit myself to any medium. I do what’s required for the idea.
We said earlier that limitations make you more creative and I’m curious why do limitations give creativity the freedom to blossom?
The way I think about it is creativity is the spirit you bring to a problem. And the world is full of problems. The world is full of limitations. Creativity wants limitations because that’s when you can actually involve your creativity and use it. It’s not just about having a million different ideas. Fo me it’s about, Here’s the resolution. How do I get there? I use creativity to get there.
Can you teach creativity?
I personally think that everybody is creative. Although not everybody has access to it. I like to think that I can teach the tools for people to access their creativity.
Why is clay such a great medium for expressing significant ideas?
It has the history which helps express an idea, I think because there’s almost knowledge that comes with it and that comes with time. It’s the simple fact that I think primally everybody gets it if worked in it or not. It’s accessible and warm, I would say visually warm. It attracts people’s attention.
Can you create ceramics without the finishing touch of firing?
Oh absolutely. I’ve witnessed it. A friend of mine did a whole exhibition of greenware that would be swept up at the end of the show. Also, why can’t ceramics be a photograph? Why can’t ceramics be a story? Why does it have to be the physical object?
Does an artist have to be in galleries to be taken seriously?
Absolutely not. I am not sure what taken seriously means but the gallery is kind of a limited way for an artist to think. There’s lots of different things you can do in your life as an artist that don’t involve the gallery that I would still consider.
Book
The Paradox of Stillness by Vincenzo De Bellis
Contact
lincolnmayne.com
Instagram: @lincolnmayne
Israel Davis | Episode 1163
Israel “Izzy” Davis is an artist, professor, and head of ceramics at Central Michigan University. Izzy has taught over 50 workshops and has been included in over 100 exhibitions. Izzy produces functional and non-functional works ranging in content from personal narratives, observations, and fun. Izzy lives with his wife and twin daughters in Grand Rapids, MI.
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Does having your artistic expression allow you to not be free from pain, but to understand the pain?
I think it helps process it, absolutely. I don’t think we can ever be free from those things because we are always going to grapple with those challenges presented us, and then the challenges that we create for ourselves, perhaps through those experiences. I do believe they help me process those experiences and find some measure of peace within myself.
How has the artist community helped you to process the heartaches of life? I know you are not living in pain all the time but when it comes to hard times how does community help?
Oh dude, I am going to speak to the clay community because that is mostly what I am in. They are number one. Absolutely. I have so many life long friends that I have been able to share these ups and downs of the artist’s life with.
How does having the next thing to do help a person in life to be joyful?
I think being productive brings about a sense of accomplishment, which adds to a measure of happiness in one’s life.
You are not only a maker but a teacher. How does being a giver like that make your life richer?
Oh boy, it’s something else. I have students who I have lifelong friendships with. At this point they are not even students. I may refer to them as students, but they are people I have the utmost respect for because they have embarked upon this way of life that I have in similar ways to create a lifestyle of creativity. They have enriched me probably more than I have enriched them.
How is that possible to be the teacher and come away richer than the student?
I think it’s a matter of perception and reception. What are you willing to receive and how are you perceiving it. So if you perceive yourself as the person always who teaches and that’s what you are, then maybe you are not going to receive what the student can offer you.
My last question for you is: Speedball or Amaco? Who makes the better underglaze?
(Laughter) Speedball baby! Their underglazes are cost effective. I have been working with Speedball for almost 20 years and they work well for me.
Book
American by Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Contact
israeldavis.com
Instagram: @israeldavis_artist
Steven Brown | Episode 1162
Steve Brown spent 25 years in film and VFX before becoming a full-time ceramicist this year. Steve makes reduction fired tableware which he sells via his website as well as supplying a Michelin-starred restaurant and recently exhibiting in his first gallery this summer. Steve now hopes to explore more sculptural forms, constantly pushing his work into new, expressive directions.
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I’m kind of curious about this, this new fame from being on The Great Pottery Throwdown and being a finalist in this 2025 season and how that has brought you some fame. How do you deal with the new recognition that has come your way?
I don’t mind it, really. It’s quite nice to chat to people, and it is a bit odd… sometimes because people think they may know me quite well because I’ve seen on T. So I just have a good chat with them. I know it will disappear over time because they’ll have a new season out soon and then it’ll all disappear. So I’m kind of just enjoying it while it lasts.
I remember that there was this thing called the Oprah Winfrey Effect : People would go on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and then they would have a sudden inrush of interest. I’m curious about how your experiencing The Great Pottery Throwdown Effect… How do you know when to say yes and no to all the new opportunities?
I think it’s very difficult to say no. If it’s a very exciting job like the Japanese restaurant in London that contacted me. I love Japanese ceramics and my work is very influenced by Japanese work, so that’s an obvious yes. Where maybe a coffee shop that wants 300 mugs and they want me to sell them for £15 each. Then I’m going to say no. At first I was quite overwhelmed by it all. My partner, she’s quite good at organizing she’s more realistic than myself, and she helped me. So now I just say yes to the jobs I really want to do.
Nice. You mentioned your partner and she’s being kind of that rock for you. And I’m curious… is that kind of a bit of a secret is to not go it alone?
That’s a good point. I’m not very organized, but my partner used to be a teacher, so she’s really good at. I think so. I don’t know how I could not have coped without her. She helped me plan the year. I’ve even started to plan next year. So she’s really good.
So it sounds like even with the with the help of a team like you and her working together, how do you balance chasing opportunities versus being committed to responsibilities?
I just think that comes with experience of things and learning from mistakes too. I took on this big job for the restaurant. I was also trying to have an online sale. I find myself in the evenings working and in the mornings and just not seeing my partner. I think once you’ve made that mistake, you just get too busy. Yeah. I think it comes with experience after a couple of years. So it’s been a lot of learning this year.
How do you maintain your values and ethics for yourself and making?
I think there’s a certain percentage of things you just have to say yes to. And maybe it’s not quite what you want to do, but you do. It’s all about trying to earn that money. So I’m going to spend this month making these mugs for this coffee shop or for do the restaurant work. And then I think what’s really important. And what I’m realizing at the moment is to spend now and again to spend a week just doing your own work and doing your own R&B and just really doing that.
How are you preparing for the potential decline, the potential popularity decreasing, and to be able to maintain kind of long term focused sustainability for making when the fame is gone?
I’ve thought about The Pottery Throwdown for the last couple of months, and I’m kind of ready to move on. I’m looking forward to the next stage now and moving on. To be honest, it was great while it’s lasted. I think this year will slowly fizzle out and I just look forward to it.
Book
The Complete Guide to Mid Range Glazes by John Britt
Contact
stevebrownceramics.com
Instagram: @steve_brown_ceramics
Jeremy Kalin | Episode 1161
Jeremy Kalin has made pots for 35 years – first full-time, woodfiring, in his 20s, now making porcelain pots in his basement studio while also practicing law. Jeremy is a dad, husband, volunteer, collector (like most potters), and a former state lawmaker who worked at the White House for a bit.
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How is it different being a potter in your fifties compared to your twenties?
Our bodies have changed. I noticed that. I think I am a tiny little bit slower and more careful about details, without getting too fussy. I want to get the balance right and make the most of the time I am in the studio. And obviously my process has changed.
How is life different compared working in the woods compared to working in the city?
In the city my studio is in the basement of our house and I have to move pots several twisty flights of stairs to get through the mudroom and then out to the garage and then stage the garage to load the electric kiln. And then bring the pots back inside and down back to the studio. There’s a lot of schlepping because I bult the studio within my life of parenting and working and supporting my full time doctor wife who’s constantly delivering babies etc.
Whereas as a full time county potter I would get up and make pots all the time and then maybe go down to the coffee shop and hang out for a little bit and make more pots and just keep making, making, making, and one day realize you have enough pots to start thinking about firing, firing, firing.
What are the advantages of being a collector and a maker?
The pots I learn from are not my own. I mean, I love, Linda Christianson is a dear, dear, friend and oh, my goodness, the way that her two fingered cup fit in my hand this morning. I had a cup of coffee at home this morning and took the cup with me driving to work and I just learn so much from seeing other people’s pots and using them. I love learning and being surprised by other people’s pots all the time.
What are the similarities of being a politician and now being a marketer for your work?
As we were talking about authenticity and just be yourself, live within yourself. Accept that you do the best you can and it’s going to be what it’s going to be. If the pot isn’t perfectly round, tell people why. Tell them about the process.
Why is it good for your kids to see you, a busy person, also being a potter?
I think the kids get to see that I care about having beauty in the world and also that, I remember someone asking me very early on, one of the teachers who taught me how to work with wood a little bit. Tell me what the definition of success is? And it’s not bottom line, it’s not money, it’s not something that’s on paper, it’s how much good you bring into the world and how much beauty you bring into the world and improve the world. And I think my kids get to see that. Plus, since they were 4 or 5 they would pick out their own pots at sales and the have their favorite plates and bowls and mugs and they get to see what it’s like to be surrounded by beauty.
What’s got you most excited in the studio right now?
I am excited to figure out, I mentioned this a little bit in the glaze exploration, I am excited to figure out whether I can take the glaze colors and combinations that I have redeveloped for porcelain and find anew way to apply them so that I can get layered patterns that make sense to me, that kind of mimic or echo some of the pattern work that I was doing with simple wax resist and dipping and cleaning up and letting the wood kiln bless it with its flames.
Book
Wendel Berry selection of poems
Contact
jeremy-kalin.com
Instagram: @jeremy.kalin
Jennifer Hill | Episode 1160
Jennifer Hill is a studio artist and traveling instructor based in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Having called several interesting places home Jennifer was most artistically influenced living on The Garden Isle of Kauai. Jennifer has taught ceramics nationwide and attended art residencies in diverse places including Missoula, Montana and Rome, Italy.
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Do you ever feel like you have done or expressed all that can be expressed with that idea?
Oh no, I have only just begun.
Do you ever feel blocked when you are looking at a clump of clay or at a blank plate? Do you ever feel like what should I do now?
I have kind of the opposite problem I have to sort through all the things I could be doing. And have to stop and just say. It’s time to do this one, the others will wait. There are too many things I want to do.
How do you cultivate a creative mindset?
Daydreaming is very helpful. I need to be out of the studio and doing something completely different and I get ideas constantly that way.
Do you bring a notebook with you to capture them?
Unfortunately, I don’t. I should. That’s a great idea, Paul.
I’m laughing because I have trouble with that. I get a great idea and forget it 5 minutes later. Does that ever happen to you?
I will tell you a funny thing, I once read about an artist who did big public installations and whenever he was submitting a proposal they needed a sketch and if he got accepted he could do the piece, but he was like me, he would do the piece and then sketch it an then submit the sketch and the piece was already made. So, I am also kind of in reverse. I kind of make stuff and then put it in my notebook so I will have it for later.
You said you like to have time of daydreaming, is that different than brainstorming?
No, it’s basically the same thing for me. I am just constantly working out thoughts and ideas usually when I am working out something inconvenient and not being near a notebook. Maybe I am out on a walk or somewhere completely different and I will be thinking about what I am going to do and hopefully I will remember them when I get back.
How do you manage your time for the studio so it’s used efficiently?
I basically mentally clock in and go to work. So I think of my space as my work space, even though it’s in my house, and that’s another story for another day. But basically I have to separate myself from the rest of the house and just be at the job. I don’t answer the phone or return messages when I am working and save it for a break. And I just pretend I am at some job with a terrible boss.
Book
The Eyer Affair by Jasper FForde
Contact
jenniferhillceramics.com
Instagram: @jenniferhillceramics
Drake Bialecki | Episode 1159
Drake Bialecki is a Bend, Oregon-based studio potter and organic farm specialist. With a BA in Organic Farming and pottery apprenticeship with Dark Horse Pottery and The Leach Pottery, Drake’s diverse background spans international pottery residencies, winemaking, and renowned art shows. Drake’s founded Pacific Stone Pottery in 2017 and advocates for handmade ceramics and farm-fresh food.
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How important for you is time management and being realistic about what you can do about your clay time?
Yeah, time management is the name of the game. I feel like if I set realistic goals for myself in the studio it allows me to keep the rest of my life on track with my fiancé and having a dog and trying to hang out with friends. So, it’s setting realistic goals. Trying to be more specific an focused.
Does that mean you block specific time out? Like Thursday evening is clay time? Is is something as simple as that?
One hundred percent. Not to be so locked in that there isn’t wiggle room for other aspects of life, it just allows me to have that focused time and I can just clock into the studio and I am there for X amount of hours and if I do need to adjust to make it to dinner on time or to make it beer on time with a friend. Being more consistent and scheduled helps me out.
Are there times of the day that you are more creative or do you just have to show up creative?
That’s an interesting question. I’ve never thought about that. I would say it’s really easy for me to lock in once I am in studio. I guess I prefer afternoons and evenings or even late nights. I will definitely spend time well past midnight on certain days.
Do you ever have to set boundaries with your day job to keep life in balance? Like I won’t work overtime?
Fortunately, it’s built into the job. My supervisor is such a legend and saint in so many regards, I don’t have to work overtime at any point with my job.
On a practical level, do you leave your work ready to go and all set up ready for you?
Yeah, I am pretty neurotic to be honest and so I always try and go the extra mile and make sure all my tools for a certain project are ready the night before so I can just show up and put on my overalls and get down to brass tacks.
Do you utilize being efficient to keep things moving quickly?
Yes, being trained as a production potter and having that be the cornerstone of my apprenticeship, I feel like it was all about hacks. Not compromising quality because that is the utmost importance to maintain our accounts and keeping our customers happy and keeping ourselves happy with the work we were making yet I am so grateful in being trained in that because the way that I position my elbow, where I keep my wedged balls of clay while I am throwing, and how I can stack my bats, I try and keep my studio as organized and tidy as possible.
Book
The Darkest White by Eric Blehm
Contact
pacificstonepottery.com
Instagram: @pacificstonepottery
Lucien Koonce | Episode 1158
Lucien M. Koonce, a North Carolina native, earned BFA and MFA degrees in Ceramics, studying under notable professors. Lucien founded Horsepen Kiln Studio, living in pottery-rich regions of NC before relocating to Massachusetts in 2008. Lucien’s wood-fired ceramic works, both functional and sculptural, are exhibited nationally and internationally.
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Has there ever been a piece that you got totally attached to and when it didn’t come out you were quite frustrated with?
I have an attachment problem. (laughter) I will say I am often my best collector. But yes, there has been pieces that I liked and they didn’t turn out but that’s the way it is.
How do you keep from becoming frustrated in your work when a piece isn’t quite working out as well?
By not working. I walk away from it. I may be gone a week. Come back and there it is. Fresh mind.
Is it true that just the act of making, even if the success isn’t coming, is worthwhile?
I think it is. It’s all thrown together in one ball, yeah, the making is very important.
How does your mental state impact your making, when you have a session for making?
I think when I get in the studio and start working that’s what I focus on and anything external is just gone. It doesn’t affect me.
Is there ever a place for saying, That’s good enough. ?
I don’t know, I have a sense, I guess from doing it so long I can say, Okay , this is enough. Where it needs to be. It’s done.
When does work stop being about you and being more about the piece?
I think it’s always about the piece, for me what I make is…I am just a maker. I don’t really know how to answer that. When I sit down to make something, I make it. It develops as I am making it and when it’s done it’s done.
Is that suggesting the clay wants to become something?
No, I think for me It’s in the way I work and in my forms. I might say, Okay I am going to make a saki cup but I have no clue what that looks like until it’s done and it just develops as I do it. All my work is like that.
Book
Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland
Contact
lucienkoonce.com
Instagram: @lmkoonceceramics
Haakon Lenzi | Episode 1157
Haakon Lenzi is a lifelong New Yorker. Haakon maintains an active studio practice out of his East Harlem studio, where he produces his signature “Lenziware” pottery.
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Why is handmade work still important today?
Wow, that’s a very big question to give a concise answer for, but I would say that handmade work is important because human beings have a connection to making things. It’s one of the fundamental things that humans have done, and that’s why if you go to any museum, you’ll see. That the long history of people is often represented by the artifacts that they’ve created, whether those are in some cases pots as well as jewelry, and certainly utilitarian things like spoons and tools and that sort of thing. I think in a time where the world is becoming increasingly immaterial, we’re focusing on we’re getting lost perhaps in social media and sort of commercialization of things to make handmade pots is, On the one hand, a rebellious act, but also something that can connect you to the entire history of humanity and preserve something that could very well otherwise be lost. It seems like we’ve all lost a little bit of the humanity in the last few years.
Why is the local potter, important to her or his community?
That’s an interesting one because my community is New York City and in a way, I don’t know how much I have to do with my city. Certainly if I walk down the street a lot of people know me in my neighborhood, but they don’t necessarily buy my work or have it. And that’s a really tough question that to answer, I think there are places where, say if you’re in the Hudson Valley or in western Massachusetts, where people have really developed an authentic client base where they sort of educate their community on the virtue of having ceramics… Then of course those communities perhaps have the expendable income to afford it. But certainly I would say that at the very least, whether they’re your direct customers, it is incredibly important to be engaged with your community.
There was a short clip that was bouncing around social media that was stating that you can’t make a living off selling your pottery. But I am seeing you living in one of the most expensive cities in the world and you are living off your pottery. How does that ring true or how is it false?
Well, I know the clip that you’re talking about, and I think they were specifically saying you can’t make a living selling a $45.00 mug. Now I think that there are parts of the country where certainly many people do make a living selling $45.00 mugs exclusively. I don’t think that you could do that really here in New York City. First of all, I sell my work for quite a bit more than that. Secondly, the part of why I’ve been able to do what I do is that I did not incur a lot of debt when I went to school. I went to a state school, Alfred University, which is a state program. So I came out of school with a very low debt ratio. My father and I ran a bar and I lived with him and I just put everything into paying the loans off. So that gave me a degree of freedom to do it that a lot of people like my peers were not able to do. And I think that you need other streams of income of some sort or another, whether that’s teaching or renting studio space or something like that.
For you, how many different streams of income do you require to keep your work life going?
Well, just being totally real, none of my career would even be possible if it was not for my wife’s stream income. We are a two-income household. My wife previously was a web developer and has run a very successful jewelry business called Spur Jewelry where they refurbish or redesign antique jewelry. And my income is from selling pots, and, up until recently, a lot of my income was from teaching.
Why is making a cup so high on your love list?
That’s a great that’s a great question. Financial doesn’t make a ton of sense because it’s usually the cheapest thing we make. But first of all, that’s the entry point that most people have into ceramics is buying cups and it’s something that we all use. If I were to say why I love functional pottery is that people use it. That’s an incredible gift to be that heavily featured in people’s lives. There’s no item that is used more regularly than the cup. Let’s put it this way- your lips are space that are reserved for very few things in this world: eating food the embrace of a lover, or perhaps sometimes your family, and my pottery. And that’s a really special thing.
Book
Contact
haakon-lenzi.myshopify.com
Instagram: @haakonlenzi
Evgenii Pokidaev | Episode 1156
Evgenii Pokidaev, born in Siberia, Russia is traveling the world and doing pottery. In addition to making pottery, Evgenii also teaches pottery throwing online in which he teaches starting with the very basics and students from around the world.
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What kind of difference can a good teacher make in a potter’s life?
Sometimes we can see an amazing potter or thrower, but not everyone who has good skills can teach. In my opinion, the difference is the way of thinking. When someone tries to explain things and use words that are understandable for himself or herself, or when someone uses words understandable for students.
Then how does a teacher know they are using the right words for the students?
I’ll tell a short story… I recorded an online course before I came to Bali, and then I went to teach real people who really wanted to learn throwing. I tried to teach using the words from my course based on how I understood it. The people didn’t understand. So I tried to explain a different way, with different explanations and the students could finally understand. Then I wrote down what was working and I started to use it. I also took my video course and deleted it because it didn’t work. So if I teach and they don’t understand, then I start from the beginning with explanations not from my mind, but from my experience with different people.
That make me curious then about feedback for a student… Why is it important for the student to receive feedback on how they are throwing?
This is the main difference between a Youtube video and an online course: my students have the opportunity to ask me any questions, they have opportunities to send me videos of them throwing, and I can then watch it and give feedback. When people are throwing and learning how to throw, they are thinking, Okay. I am doing exactly as the teacher showed, but I don’t understand why it is not working. The different point of view is essential- especially for an experienced person to watch and give feedback.
When a person signs up for a course, what should their attitude be?
I can teach anyone. Some people I can teach really fast, and others need more time. But people really just need to want to learn. Of course it is impossible to teach someone if he or she doesn’t practice. So if people are willing to practice, and if people really want to learn this skill, then it is really not a big deal. I have taught so many people and it works.
A final question that is more personal… What is your favorite part of traveling?
My favorite part is meeting people, the local people. Especially if it people from the pottery community. When I go anywhere I meet my students or my followers and we have a really good time.
Book
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
Contact
edu.moonjar.online/get_centered
Instagram: @pokidaeff
Francine Hampson & John Reid | Episode 1104
Francine Hampson and John Ried are the owners of Mudpuppy Studios, a production pottery studio producing functional ware. The studio wares are mainly thrown on the potter’s wheel with alterations and additions done by hand building. The clay is high fire stoneware fired in a 15cu. ft. gas kiln introducing salt/soda at 2350F. The effects are spectacular but unpredictable. The wares are sold locally on Salt Spring Island through the Waterfront Gallery or Artcraft/ Wintercraft shows.
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Being on an island do you ever feel cut off from the rest of the world?
Francine: I don’t. I had some really good advice from the first year I lived here. An old, old, woman who had lived here over 40 years, My advice to you is to get off the island at least once a month. Because if you don’t you’ll go cuckoo. So I don’t get cabin fever. We are coming a going and doing different things and getting around.
John: I don’t feel that need to get off the island. In fact I think I have become more of a recluse. I kind of like it on the island. It has everything I need. There’s over 400 musicians on this island and I have two musical groups that I play music with and then I’ve got my studio time. I am also quite involved in the community and a lot of people recognize me around the island, so I really don’t need to go off the island.
How is the access to ceramics supplies?
Francine: Well, we don’t have a ceramics supplier on Salt Spring. We are too small. But Vancouver Island, which is where the city of Victoria is. It’s one of the largest islands in the world and in Victoria is Victoria Clay Arts but then we drive up that island in the other direction there’s Vancouver Island Pottery Supply in Parksville, British Columbia.
John: And we use Amazon. I recently had some Raku gear delivered from Toronto, so that is always a possibility.
Because it is a tight knit community do you ever feel competition among artists?
Francine: I don’t feel that at all because I work in salt-soda and I do high-fire. It’s not very common here. Most people are doing cone 6 or lower, electric firing.
John: I think it’s more a supportive community than a competitive community. I think everybody just networks and if you have an issue you can ask somebody else and everybody is really forthcoming with information. That is the beauty of a small community.
Book
In Good Hands by Ellen Easton McLeod
Soda, Clay and Fire by Gail Nichols
Contact
mudpuppystudios.ca
Instagram: @mudpuppystudiosssi
Rita Vali | Episode 1103
Rita Vali creates joyful pottery that blends modern design with a mid-century vibe, inspired by her love of the intricate details she finds in nature. Rita makes her pottery with others in mind, as she believes people are connected through the use and display of thoughtfully hand-crafted objects. Rita’s career as an artist is made full by teaching various classes where she shares my craft.
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How important is it to simply network? To get your name out in various places?
Networking is always good because it brings opportunities not just to get your work out in the world but to do other projects or teaching opportunities. I still think the best way is meeting the people. People that buy art like the connection of knowing about you a little bit.
Does the education process of showing process videos of your work play a key role in your online presence?
I wish I knew the answer, I mean I get the most watches, I mean sometimes it is a ridiculous amount of those. Sometimes I see who those people are and I think they just want to learn which is great because I teach and I am happy to share anything I know. As far as converting them into sales I am not so sure.
How do you take the step to asking people to be a part of your email list?
Well back in the day it was just a notebook sitting there by the cash register. And now it’s, Here’s my card go to my website. And I have run a few gimmicky promos but they don’t feel right to me. Mostly it is just word of mouth, like you said, reverberating out into the community from events.
So you will offer incentives?
I’ve done it a couple of times. We tried a few of those and they never feel really great with me because as a consumer myself on the other side I don’t love gimmicks.
How do you keep your customers engaged?
Probably through my sporadic emails, the events I do, and invitations to events. I do ship so I get a fair bit of business through my website and through Instagram via my website. But the bulk of it is local. I live in a populated area so people can show up to my events and support me.
How important is a speedy response to either questions or order fulfillment?
I think it’s important. I know as a consumer I appreciate it. And I kind of pride myself in trying to communicate with people when they reach out to me whether it is a question about a piece or the safety or a custom order or a teaching questions and whether they should take one of my classes or something like that. As a small business owner I think really good customer service keeps really good pr with people that reach out to you. It sets us apart from the big companies. No chat bots on my website. (laughter)
Book
Playground by Richard powers
Contact
ritavali.com
Instagram: @ritavaliceramic
Yesha Panchal | Episode 1102
Yesha Panchal was born in Gujarat, India, and is currently living in Suwanee, GA. Yesha earned her BFA with a concentration in ceramics at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. Yesha is currently a ceramics studio manager at the Hudgens Center for Art in Duluth, GA, an organizer of the Clay to Table, serves on the board of NCECA, and is a maker. Yesha’s article “Working Potter” and work were published in “Thoughts on Collaboration” in the June/July/August 2022 issue of Ceramics Monthly
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Is there a specific routine one should think of for cleaning a studio?
When it comes down to studio practice in keeping things clean and neat I always try to make sure to have a practice of wet sanding, cleaning things with a wet sponge, not letting dry clay in the studio to kick dust around. Making sure when I move canvases around or any tools around the space I just try to be very mindful of how I am moving things and I try to clean up as much as I can.
Is a vacuum cleaner a good or bad thing?
I don’t vacuum things a lot. We try to make sure that we wet clean as much as we can. We mop almost every day in the studio.
How do you keep everything organized so everything is not mayhem or lost?
Giving things a home is a way to keep things organized, especially in the community studio. I always think if you give a home for a thing, that this thing is always here and you should always put it back where you found it. If you go to a place where it’s messy and it’s everywhere then people will leave it everywhere.
How long does something sit unused before you all toss it?
We have a routine, at the end of every session we mark things down and move things to an orphan shelf. Things will stay on the shelf for one more session and then we move it to the dumpster or recycle it or do something with those materials. And then we do end of the year clean up so that will allow us to make sure that everybody takes their stuff home and we wipe everything down top to bottom.
When the studio is your workplace how do you keep yourself creative?
I make sure that I have a schedule that I follow, and I make sure that I get into the studio. Very few people know where my studio is and those that know really know to respect my time while I am in there. I close the doors because my studio is in the art center where I work so it is really hard to keep that time separate, but I tell them, I am going for my me time and I will be in there and I will be back. And people are pretty respectful of that.
Book
Who Moved The Cheese by Spence Johnson, M.D.
Contact
yeshaart.com
Instagram: @yeshaart22
John Ellefson | Episode 1101
As a sensitive and intuitive person, working with clay is a perfect fit for John Ellefson. Clay slabs are minutely sensitive to the slightest touch, allowing John to create the subtle forms that he loves. It’s incredibly satisfying for John to breathe life into clay through touch.
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Do you see a change of pets going from being a family pet to more of a family member?
That’s an interesting question. My answer to that is definitely yes, but I have never thought about that before. It could be that I live in a city that at one point and time had more pets than children. And so pets by nature of this population have a lot of importance but I think definitely, for sure.
Why is a beautiful urn an important thing for a pet owner to have for their pet?
Well, that’s a good question. I think that my urns serve to honor memory of the pets or people that are inhabiting the inside of that urn. It just feels really important to me that the outside is going to do the inside justice.
Do you ever have conversations before and make a kind of collaboration or do you make the product and then someone buys the product?
Definitely some of both. Some people have specific visions of how they want the urn to be and other people are like, Can you make this in that color? And they are fine. There is a really wide range of people and personality type about how they approach that.
Why do you think there are people who want to keep that connection with their pet in their home like that?
Well I have definitely come across people for whom their attachment to their pet is way stronger than it could have ever been for a person. And I can speculate a to why but I have seen that first hand and so it makes absolute sense that they would want something special.
Is working with a veterinarian or a local cremation place a recommended approach to take?
It has been the key to success for me, doing wholesale work, for sure. I think wholesale work can be difficult because you are not earning the full value of the piece that you are selling. But for me the market is very specialized. I don’t necessarily have access in a way that a pet funeral home would have or that the veterinarians would have.
What do you do to have fun when you are not in the studio?
Well, spending time with my family for sure. I enjoy coaching my daughter’s soccer team and as a family we like to go on family bike rides. And I also like designing tools, (laughter) which is also done for fun.
Book
The Gift by Lewis Hyde
Contact
touchformedmemorials.com
Instagram: @john.ellefson
Erin Louise Clancy | 1100
Erin Louise Clancy is a ceramic artist based in Queens, New York, with over 25 years of restaurant experience and a BFA in printmaking. Focusing on collaborative custom work, Erin’s pieces unite these influences with functional design.
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Do you find that when you work with someone else that you see an increase in creativity?
Yes, definitely. I feel most creative when there are actual constraints put on me. So when you think about a collaboration I love that there’s this structure. The structure allows you to be creative.
Is there an other side to that? How could collaborations be a restriction on creativity?
Well I think it just depends on how you work. For me because I like the problem solving elements of collaboration that’s exciting to me. To solve a problem, whether it be the best type of bowl for service or survives a dish pit, I mean that’s where it gets interesting. The question is one that is very personal and you have to ask yourself, are you a person that likes those constraints in which you can thrive or are you a person who needs no external parameters.
Is there a higher potential for conflict working in collaboration rather than working by yourself?
Working in the studio with no outside forces, I think to be honest, those are often the moments when I sit down to make my own work or this moment that doesn’t have any goals…I think conflict is kind of strong word, I think there is a kind of tension. A tension between whose needs are happening. But to be honest I sometimes get writer’s block when I am just working for myself. So that conflict feels very present just when I am by myself.
Does having deadlines on your work make you a more focused maker?
Absolutely. I think deadlines for me are way to hold me accountable. Right now on my board I have both sort of client based work and then work for myself. Even for my own collections we need to put deadlines down so we follow through with the project.
How do you mitigate against deadline failures? Like you have to redo something.
Oh yes, so over the years the best thing that I have ever done for myself in a contract or in emails is I never say a hard deadline. I say every single deadline is an estimated delivery window. And before I take on the work or before I take on the client there is a always a conversation about the handmade ceramic process and that things can happen. I don’t give any delivery dates until I unload the kiln.
What about payment? Do you have them pay some before hand or wait until after the process in completed?
Yes, my policy has always been before I begin any production I require a 50 percent non-refundable deposit and I don’t start any work. We will have fleshed out design at this point in a consultation but in order for me to actually start working on the job I do take payment of 50 percent and the remaining balance is only due upon completion.
What is your favorite thing about collaborative work whether with a restaurant or with your friend?
People. People, at the end of the day collaboration is the just getting the opportunity to be curious about each other and about what we need and want and like. At the end of the day ceramics is the way in which we can further those connections with each other.
Book
Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal
Contact
erinlouiseclancy.com
Instagram: @erinlouiseclancy
Rachael Sewell | Episode 1099
Rachael Sewell is a ceramic artist and candle maker based near Bristol, in the South West of England. After graduating in 2020 with a degree in Buying and Merchandising, Rachael combined her business acumen with her creative passions, launching a line of sculptural candles in 2021. Driven by a desire to explore new mediums, Rachael soon discovered her love for pottery during an intensive course, which ignited her current practice in ceramics. Rachael’s work is a playful yet thoughtful exploration of artistry and everyday utility.
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Do you start from the premise that all things are learnable?
Yes, I do think that, especially with me I learn best on the job and I make so many mistakes behind the scenes. People don’t see but I have made so many mistakes, especially with ceramics it is so easy to put something in the kiln and it comes out just completely gone wrong. I put a lot of time in and it is a lot of trial and error.
About your style and color palette. Do you try and make sure your colors fit together?
I think that is part of it, absolutely. That could be part of your style if you stick to one color palette it is just easier in that sense and make things look cohesive. But I do think it is important to take inspiration from things that inspire you. So that your work reflects you.
Do you have a Pinterest that you keep track of, do you have bookmarks? Tell me how you keep track of the things that are inspiration for you.
Yeah, absolutely. I am not against Pinterest, I do look on there. I take inspiration from all sources. I take inspiration from other artists. I take inspiration mainly from the world around me and what makes me feel the most impacted. And with that it’s different architectural forms and I just try to translate that into my work.
How do you get feedback from trusted people?
What do you mean by that? You mean my customers?
I mean before you put it out in the world. Or is it just an internal thing that is self initiated?
I think if I am going to be quite honest, whenever I have made work to try and please other people it’s actually been my worst pieces. So I actually always say make stuff that you like and just trust that people will find you. As an artist that is the way I like to think.
Does the style of your presentation matter also?
As in the image of my brand?
Yes.
I actually just try and keep it quite minimal and quite clean. I think it does matter. I try to keep it as professional looking as possible. When I started I wasn’t very good at photography but I have definitely learned that along the way.
What has got you excited and what has got you challenged in the studio?
Excited to make bigger and more intricate lamps. And challenged to keep getting on the wheel because I don’t go on that enough and I would like to continue to get better at that.
Book
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Contact
araybyrach.com
Instagram: @araybyrach
Jennifer Waverek | Episode 1098
Jennifer Waverek has 30+ years of experience in brand strategy and graphic design, working both in-house and as a principle partner in her own creative agency. Jennifer is worked for fortune 500 companies such as Martha Stewart Living, Clinique, and Donna Karan to local boutiques and art collectives. Jennifer holds a BA in Visual Arts and Art History from Columbia University. Jennifer has shown work in the disciplines of painting, printmaking, graphic design, and handbuilt ceramics. Jennifer is the creative director and brand strategist behind BKLYN CLAY.
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Do you have something you use to keep a schedule for people to sign into and grab the space that they need to?
No, we don’t. We do have a schedule if you want an outside firing appointment though and if you are not a member at the studio you can sign into that.
How do you stay organized so you dent have people waiting for a the wheels or waiting for the hand building stations to open up?
Mostly it works. It just happens to work out. I suppose there is a Sunday or a Saturday afternoon where it will be really busy but mostly things just manage to work out. We have a classroom that is open for Open Studio hours so if the members room is too full you can always bounce over there. Somehow the numbers are right and the amount of space is right.
When you have classes going on do you also have Open Studio space for people to come 24/7?
Correct. Members have their own space where they always go. When a class is happening there is always a space open…that’s not always true because sometimes in the evening we have classes overlapping but we mostly try to create Open Studio space so that you can always get stuff done.
How often are you guys doing classes throughout the week?
Everyday. Everyday we have at least…I mean I think we have light days where there are maybe two classes, but there are five classes most days.
How far in advance are you planning out your class schedule?
Well right now we are getting ready to start winter and we will in a week start on spring. We will start confirming spring. And that will be 12 weeks from now that that will start.
Did you write out job descriptions for the various positions sort of like what the E-Myth kind of describes?
Yes, we actually have a pretty extensive operations manual that we’ve managed to write over time. And within that we were able to define job descriptions for everyone so it’s clear what you are doing and what’s expected of you. And the teachers are all independent and we want them to be, we want a rich mix of people coming out so they have different things that they are bringing to the table. But there is a general syllabus, there’s a sample that we ask them to adhere to, well not adhere to but if they are working with beginners they are hitting certain benchmarks and if working with advanced there are certain benchmarks, that kind of thing.
Book
Arranging Things by Leonard Koren
Contact
bklynclay.com
Instagram: @bklynclay
Andrew Cooke | Episode 1097
Until age 40 Andrew Cooke was a car body repair technician until he was forced out of his career due to being diagnosed with arthritis. Andrew then went back to art as therapy and, after a foundation in fine and applied art, Andrew completed his degree in 2013 in University of Ulster in Belfast.
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When you approach a new piece you want to make what kind of inspirational sources are you drawing from?
I do go online and search or else I try to take something from our culture. Tiki is such a mix of different ideas and cultures type of thing so I really go with that type of thing. It’s hard to explain.
How does being the only Tiki maker in town impact your relationship with the community?
It’s funny because I was heavily involved in the local craft scene and all and it was probably Covid that really knocked everything back so I actually don’t see an awful lot of them now. Funny enough I had seen one the other day and she asked if I was still making Tiki mugs, because they do know I make Tiki mugs, which is nice.
What motivates you to continue to be a maker?
I think it’s in my genes, it really is. I am that type of person. I am just a hands on guy and I just love the satisfaction of making something and looking at it and doing it the best that I could possibly do. It’s a challenge, every day it’s a challenge.
How do you feel that your work impacts the world when people reach out and bring one of your pieces into their lives?
It probably gives me as much satisfaction as it gives them. I just shipped a piece to Australia and I can’t believe that somebody on the other side of the world took the time and energy to reach out and buy one of my pieces. It just blows me away. It absolutely blows me away.
Where do you see your work being in your life in say five years?
I would like to do more of my sculptural work, which I really enjoy, but I want to take time to do what I want to make if you know what I mean. I am not a big commercial maker by any means.
How has your education helped you as an artist and a maker?
It probably actually gave me more self confidence than anything. I am very much my own man would you call it. I do things my way. I find it very hard to follow instructions so it really just gave me the confidence. If I had not been to University I could not have reached out to you. I would not have had the confidence to do it. So I think that was the main thing I got out of it.
Book
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Contact
kookietiki.art
Instagram: @kookietiki
Terri Kern | Episode 1096
Terri Kern received her MFA in 1991. Terri left teaching to open her own studio. Terri has exhibited internationally, been featured in ceramics publications, received awards, artist grants, nominations, started a teaching website, had work on the Great Pottery Throw Down, and is now showing at the Taft Museum of Art.
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How important is knowing the value of what you do?
It’s very important. I think often as artists we are not taken seriously so it can be very easy to devalue our time and our efforts and knowing how hard you work it is paramount because you have experience, you have knowledge, you have skills and you have to respect that before any body else will respect it.
You said he said you have to do the meet and greet approach. What did that mean?
That’s basically when someone walks into your studio or into your booth you say, Hi, I’m Terri Kern and this is my work. Come one in and look around and let me know if I can answer any questions.
So sitting like a lump on a log in the corner of a booth doesn’t help? (laughter) Is that what you are saying?
Surprise, surprise. I might be reading a book or when I was younger I just didn’t know how to approach people, I felt like maybe that was not appropriate. But he gave me permission to do that. People want to learn.
What happens when someone comes in your booth and grabs a piece to look at?
You walk right up to them and say, Hey, let me tell you a little about that. Either it’s this is how I made it or look at the color palette and check out the bottom of the piece because there is a little painting on the bottom as well.
Sounds like you would have to think through an elevator pitch. Would there be any practice for that then?
Absolutely. Roy told me to practice twenty minutes a day until it felt natural and relaxed when I talked to a complete stranger about why they should want to buy one of my pieces. And I practice faithfully to this day.
You tell them a little about the piece, does that mean when you are standing in your booth can you safely say that you would have a story about each piece?
Absolutely. I have a story about each piece. I title all of my pieces. Making sure to carefully select the words that describe the story that’s painted on the surface of the pieces. That’s very important. It is also important to give someone a reason to be curious about what you have created.
They say you buy from someone you know, like, and trust. How do you get that like part of it with someone you just met?
That’s a great question. I think it’s allowing yourself to be real. Telling a funny story of how you first got the idea in the middle of the night when you were going to the refrigerator to get a snack you had this idea. Everyone can relate to that. Everyone thinks those kinds of things are funny because it’s happened to them as well. So that makes you not necessarily friends but friendly acquaintances.
If you were doing an interview of yourself what do you the think that best last question would be to ask yourself?
That is a great question, Paul. And I guess it would be, After all the failure what makes you get up and go back to your studio and get back to work?
And what is your answer?
The answer is you have to really love ceramics because it is a heart-breaker. It’s fifty percent art and fifty percent science and sometimes the science fails you. You think you know a lot and science goes, Excuse me. (laughter) It’s time for a little reality check and you get a hairline crack after a glaze firing and so you have to love it more than anything so no matter what failures you have you just pick yourself up and you may cry a little bit and have a beer or something and then you get back to work the next day and just move forward.
Book
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Contact
terrikern.com
Instagram: @terrikernstudios
Hannah Simpson | Episode 1095
Hannah Simpson Studio, established in 2020, serves as a creative haven for Hannah Simpson, providing an escape from the demands of everyday life. For Hannah, creativity has long been a therapeutic outlet, allowing her to navigate and control her emotions. With her work, Hannah aims to spread joy to others.
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Did you take time to document the systems that you have in place?
I have systems that we use every single day. So when an order comes in we put it on the white board and then it is put in time order for example so we all know where we are. There is a whole system to our making process which is passed on to each new person that comes in. They do change but it has stayed quite the same since the beginning.
So you have delegated and brought in the right people to continue the vision?
Yes. Delegation is the best thing that I have learned to do since starting the business. It is being able to access where somebody is and know how much they can take on and what their skills are. And put their skills into practice.
How much empowering do you give trained people to make decisions?
I think that is one of the most important things when you have people working with you is to give them a feeling of autonomy because, I mean that’s why I didn’t want to work anywhere else, (laughter) I don’t like being told always what to do. I like to build someone up so they can have a whole part which feels like their own and it just makes them feel more valued.
What technologies are you using right now to be able to grow the business?
Social media 100 percent is what helps create my business from day one. Chat GPT is amazing. I use it way too much. That’s a new one actually and I want to see how it will develop in the future.
You mentioned you use such ancient technology such as a white board so you are not completely immune to using older things though right?
Yeah, my brain is not actually very good on the computers So I much prefer things written down on paper and written on white boards and things like that.
So you as the entrepreneur are willing to be flexible and to adapt to the team as long as it still achieves the end goal, correct?
Yeah, I think a happy studio will create the best work, right? So it’s making sure to just check in with everyone and make sure they are all feeling good and enjoy what they are doing. Obviously there are some jobs that are super boring but you have to do them, but as long as everyday overall you are doing a job that you enjoy that’s what we are hoping for.
How do you as you bring in other people to make your vision and you work, how do you still control the quality?
Well, luckily we all work in the one studio. I am not looking at them constantly but when they are making the work I can see the whole process. It’s not like something leaves the studio without me seeing it. I am here for the whole journey of that piece.
Book
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Contact
hannahsimpsonstudio.com
Instagram: @hannahsimpsonstudio
Melissa Weiss | Episode 1079
Today we are talking with Melissa Weiss. She has been on The Potters Cast twice before- Melissa’s second appearance was in episode 624 in which we talked about her book she had just released, and her first was in episode 183 where we got to hear her story of setting up a community studio. In today’s episode we now hear her story of going through the hurricane, Helene through which she lost her studio. In the picture below you will see a photo from her Instagram feed where you can see the roof of her studio circled in red and the waters completely engulfing the building.
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Book
Hand Built by Melissa Weiss
Contact
melissaweisspottery.com
Instagram: @melissaweisspottery
Michael Sherrill | Episode 1078
Hurricane Helene was devastating for so many people. Many potters were hit very hard with the storm. Mudtools, founded by Michael Sherrill, was hit so hard that their building was swept away as the waters rose. In todays episode, Michael tells his story of the storm.
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Contact
Mudtools.com
Instagram: @mudtools
Tamara Solem Alissa | Episode 1077
Tamara “Solem” Al-Issa is a Syrian/Filipina Toronto-based sculptural artist with a focus on conveying preservation of time. Solem’s work pulls from memories of the architecture and practices within SWANA and Southeast Asia through exploring familiar shapes, colours and textures from these regions. The Deep Blue series presents hand-built traditional shapes in a custom mixed cobalt blue which is a colour that evokes a familiar sense of nostalgia and wistfulness. In the SWANA region, the colour blue (particularly turquoise) is known to have mystical and protective qualities.
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What is the clay body that you use in your work?
I use a commercial clay from Tuckers pottery supply in Toronto and it’s called mid-white. So it’s pretty standard cone 6 stoneware.
Why did you choose to make your own recipe for your underglaze?
I guess I just couldn’t find the right blue. There’s so many blues but non of them fired right especially with the texture. A lot of underglazes have a lot of flux in them. Which make it shiny so I don’t really love that.
I noticed that you get a lot of press attention. Do you seek it out?
God no, not at all. I never sought out that attention. I mean obviously I am grateful to have it. Yeah, I guess they just like the blue. It’s kind of come out of the blue. (laughter)
How important is social media for you getting your work out in the world?
Yeah, so it’s just Instagram that I use but it is very important. And I wish it was less important but these days it’s kind of hard to separate art form social media. It is my portfolio so you have to stay relevant and keep up, you know, make reels and connect with my audience.
What is a shape or a piece that you are trying to master at this point?
I think it’s called a fluted shape with a really thin neck on the wheel. A big base with a really long, thin neck that you could barely put a straw through. That’s what I have been trying to perfect. Just for fun.
Book
Panegyric by Guy Debord
Contact
solemceramics.com
Instagram: @___solem
Karen Dance | Episode 1075
Peacefully working from her home studio on Vancouver Island, Karen Dance pursues her desire to create out-of-the-ordinary pottery pieces. Karen is inspired by the human form, natural movement, expressive features, and all the wonders found in nature. With over 35 years as an artist in many mediums, it was the melding of Karen’s education at CMU Creature design and prosthetics along with Ceramics training at Sheridan college that led her on this path of exploration.
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Do you start with an emotion when you make your characters?
I would say no. Emotions will come forward but I don’t necessarily start with an emotion before I put my hands to the clay.
Do you see a monster in the clay when you start? Do you see that character before you start working on piece?
If I have been asked to make it, no. If I am doing it just because I want to, yes. I can see it there.
Why does that change how you approach the piece?
The pressure. The pressure of trying to make something amazing for somebody and they give you free reign and having absolutely no pressure, just oding whatever my hands want.
Do you ever repeat a piece? Repeat a monster?
Occasionally, if I have a customer who saw something in my shop that they would really like me to make. I will make several of those but they are not always the same. How can they be?
Do you find that the majority of the personality comes out in the eyes or is it the mouth. Where is the seat of the personality in your work?
There’s a real nuance when you are putting to character to life. When you are introducing yourself to it. It can be really subtle. It can be the eyebrow. It could be the smirk. So I would say mostly from the eyes but it can also be from something really subtle.
What would make a monster a second?
It would have to be a glaze flaw or a crack, that’s sort of thing. I tend to not sell them if they are duds.
How much time in a week is spent in the studio? An average week?
An average week I would say six to eight hours a day. Upwards to ten off and on. More than I should. Less than I could.
Book
Arthur Spiderwicks Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlrizzi
Contact
tiltedkilnworks.com
Instagram: @tiltedkilnworks
Michael Bridges | Episode 1075
Michael Bridges is a potter living in Chicago, Illinois. Michael is a hand builder that identifies as a wheel thrower. Skulls, jack-o-lanterns, and spookiness are right at home in Michael’s work.
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How do you fire your work?
I work with as many different firing processes as I can. Soda fire, earthenware. 04. sculptural, I do a little bit of cone 6 as well.
How much time to do you invest into each piece?
Too much. (laughter) I work on it until it’s done. Sometimes that’s an hour, sometimes that’s four or five full days.
Your work has very child-like features although I know you are a skilled potter. How much effort are you putting in to make sure it’s not too refined.
Learning how to walk away from a piece is harder than making something look perfect. In my opinion. It’s taken me years to learn when to let it go.
Do you sell your work year round?
I do sell year round, often by appointment or email or direct contact. In terms of online sales I generally put most of my work online towards the end of the year in October, November, December. And that allows me the freedom earlier in the year to explore new ideas. So I don’t have that pressure of constantly having to sell.
Is there a piece that you would like to make but your skill levels don’t quite reach?
I would really like to work large. That’s a big want is to work five, six feet tall. Life size. I don’t have the facilities for it now but that is the vision at some point is to make life-size work.
What is your favorite holiday?
Hmm. Favorite holiday. I am going to have to think on it. As a side note I grew up working on all holidays. I worked in a vacation town so I never took holidays, I worked through every holiday. And then in the bakery industry I also worked through the holidays. So I kind of hate holidays for that reason. (laughter) So that’s a tough question. So I am an antiholiday guy. I guess I am going to have to go with Halloween. It’s the one where you get to dress up , that’s probably the closest that I’ve had to enjoying a holiday would be Halloween.
Book
The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay
Contact
Etsy: michaelsmug
Instagram: @michaelsmugs
Dennis Blatchley | Episode 1074
Dennis Blatchley is a ceramic artist living and making in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Dennis makes a wide range of slipcast terracotta tableware with a distinct matt finish. Dennis’ work comes in a choice of colours, that can be ‘mixed and matched’ to create a variety of exciting colour combinations.
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What makes this attempt different from the past?
It is certainly different because I have the support of my partner. I wouldn’t be able to do it if she didn’t have a steady job, if we couldn’t afford to possibly lose money. It’s all in the end about the capital that had to go into making the work.
What does a making day look like for you? What does it mean for you to make your garden shed area work for you?
I get up in the morning, I put on my wellies, I go into my shed and put on what is a terrible little heater, it doesn’t really give out any heat. I think it’s psychosomatic and makes it feel like there’s some heat. And I don’t have running water in there so I have to get various buckets of water, I put on some music, I clear the space, and I start making some pots.
How often are you able to fire your kiln?
Probably on average every couple of weeks.
You are a growing business. How do you keep track of your customers?
I don’t and I should. And that is something I need to set up. I need to have a mailing list and I don’t at the moment. People contact me mainly through Instagram.
What is the next piece that you would like to develop?
At the moment I am trying to work on what’s essentially just a large bowl with a lid. It’s quite big, like a large salad bowl with a lid but it’s proving very problematic. The biggest problem I have with my work is warping. I fire my earthenware clay to quite a high temperature and so any sort of discrepancy in thickness it really punishes me for. So that’s the goal next year hopefully, if I can pull that off I will be pleased.
What is one thing you love about having a small workspace?
Oh well, the turn over. The fact that I can fire my kiln every couple of weeks. I mean opening the kiln, putting stuff in the kiln, and firing pots is basically what I love. It’s the drama. Making pots is a mini drama. Every pot I make, it’s a little drama. I’m trying to make that pot even if I have made that shape many times before, I am trying to make the best version of that shape every single time and then I stick it in the kiln and every time I am hoping it is going to be the very best version of it. Having a small kiln, that’s the joy of it. I fire a lot. I am opening the kiln a lot. I’m getting stuff out a lot, assessing it, feeling good or bad about it depending on how things have gone and then moving on. So that is the pleasure of having a small space and a small kiln.
Book
Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust
Contact
dennisblatchleyceramics.com
Instagram: @dennisblatchley.ceramics
Sarah Chatawanich | Episode 1073
Sarah Chatawanich has been a working artist for over 20 years within a wide range of disciplines. Sarah’s current work focuses on the Japanese art of nerikomi. Sarah mixes stains with porcelain to create colored clays, which are then layered into blocks and sliced through to reveal unique patterns. Sarah’s pieces are sanded at various stages and polished to create smooth, vibrantly colored surfaces.
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Do you actively try and grow your audience? To search out new people to reach?
I do not. (laughter) No, I’m sorry. I don’t. I don’t know, I’m just making my stuff and putting it out there. That’ just really all I’ve got time for right now.
How do you keep track of sales? Do you have any computer programs or software that helps you?
I use Shopify and that does a lot of that for me.
Is there something about Shopify you wish was better?
No, I think I like pretty much everything that they are doing on there. It’s really easy to use and edit an function. I think it’s a great platform.
Do you have any special shipping services that you use to get discount on postage or anything like that?
Shopify puts that in there which is great. I can tell them which shipping providers I want to use, what’s nearby me, and they do it all for me. And through Shopify I get a discount or better rates.
How do you stay inspired to continue to be a maker?
I feel like I have about a million ideas already in my head and I try to write them all down. It takes so long to get to most of them that I feel like I have a nice notebook filled with ideas. But anytime I am out anywhere I feel like I am inspired by just about everything.
Is making ever a discipline as opposed to a passion?
I think there are parts of it that are. I mean, I don’t enjoy every part of making nerokomi but you do those parts to get to the end and I think that sitting down and starting the block is definitely a passion. And having the idea and seeing if I can get anywhere close to it with layered clay is a passion.
Who inspires you to be an artist?
Well, I think I have been lucky to have a lot of artist friends in my life, especially from the early days when we had our art gallery and artists that I got to work with in the gallery with me. We lived in sort of an art community that was filled with art galleries and art owners and I guess they were my original inspiration and probably planted a seed in me that has just sort of grown over the years.
Book
Coloring Clay by Jo Connell
Contact
chatawanich.com
Instagram: @chatawanich.ceramics
Samuel Newman | Episode 1072
Samuel Newman, founder of Suay Ceramics, is a Portland-based potter who draws inspiration from his Pennsylvania roots and the values of community and craftsmanship. Samuel’s dynamic forms and atmospheric firings capture the creative journey, offering functional wares that foster meaningful connection and introspection through shared daily experiences.
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I’ve noticed that one of the things I love about your work is the handles. They are very important it feels like to you. Why is a handle such an important part of the design?
Yeah, you definitely hit the nail on the head there, Paul. I love the handles and I feel like there are three key elements to any pot. There’s the rim, the foot, and the handle and so I have taken a lot of time to develop the look of those handles and that’s how we humans often times interact with them. So the functionality of the work is important to me and so I put a lot of effort into the handles.
How do you know when a piece is balanced and all the parts fit together correctly and one part is not overpowering another? You have a lot of movement in your pieces so there’s a balancing act that is really important for yours. How do you know the balance is correct, is it a mathematical formula?
I think that’s right, there’s a real balance there. There’s not a mathematical formula or scientific process. It’s definitely something that I see and I feel and I get to that point through that iterative process and it starts with the forms and throwing and saying Yes, I like those proportions. I like the profile of the pot. I like the way it feels. But as I’ve evolved in my practice I start to do that same thing with finished pieces. Usually it’s like, This feels uncomfortable. It doesn’t feel right. I need to resolve that problem. Basically I continue to go until it feels resolved and feels right to me and that’s a very unscientific answer but that is the feeling it evokes.
Each of your cups is unique. Is that important for you to be unique?
You know, when I think about my origin story as a potter, something that I wanted and I aspired towards was to make something that felt different. The pots that you see day in and day out. So I was like, How do I throw something that just looks practiced and different. So I was really on a journey of trying to create a mug that felt unique and felt mine.
What’s got you excited in the studio right now? What’s a piece your working on that you are pumped about?
Yeah, I would say this Maker’s mug design that has added coils, it kind of looks like it was dissected or was it hand built or was it thrown? That’s one of the reasons I love the Maker’s mug because a maker picks it up and they are like, How is this made? But I have kind of moved past some of those ideas and I am trying some new things. So I have been having a lot of fun with these pitchers that have lots of different kind of curves and angles and I address the lip with those curves and the handle and the feet. My goal for 2024 is to take those same design aesthetics and turn them into a lamp and I just finished my first lamp this past weekend.
Is there a piece that you would like to make but you don’t have the skills yet to do?
You know, I feel like that might be the lamp. It’s kind of a hard question, Paul, I feel like I could make anything that I wanted to with clay. Whether it’s a tea pot or a plate, a bowl, a pitcher. Like I feel pretty confident in my ability to mold, throw, alter clay as a material but I started to get excited about how to get comfortable with other materials and the lamp, I think, provides a lot of opportunity for that.
Book
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Contact
suayceramics.com
Instagram: @suayceramics
Maria Loram | Episode 1071
Maria Loram is a ceramic artist, born in Russia, and is now based in California. Art has been Maria’s lifelong companion, and despite a detour into linguistics at Moscow State University and a subsequent move to LA, she has now built a career in private tutoring. Maria’s core fascination with art’s power to explore and understand the world remained dormant yet undiminished. The turning point came with a divorce, which serendipitously guided Maria back to art, Eastern philosophies, and meditation practice. In 2022, a pottery wheel from Facebook marked the rebirth of her artistic journey through the medium of ceramics. Diving into classes and workshops led by renowned ceramicists like Tortus and Moondobang, Maria has embraced the endless possibilities of shape, texture, and color.
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Do you see yourself as an artist?
Yes.
As you see yourself as an artist and you are working with ceramics what is it that allows a piece to be elevated to art?
I think it is a wonderful question that I don’t quite know that answer to but I would like to. I think first of all, if it’s sculptural or nonfunctional I think it’s a lot easier to call it art, while I would love the functional ceramic pieces to be called art and I think if there is a deep concept in it or some kind of unique way of executing the idea and the functionality of the piece then that is considered to be art.
So it’s the why behind the work that makes it elevated?
I think the difficulty of this question lies not in what the object is but what art is and what craft is. The definition of the word art and craft and I think it kind of reveals the very deep subjectivity of the term art. Because abstract art doesn’t even have to have the why behind it, but it’s the lack of why that makes it art.
Why do moon jars capture your heart?
I think subconsciously it’s the aestheticists and the perfection of the spherical shape. But I do put a lot of meaning to it and I connect it to the cosmos and the non-duality. I like space and all the objects there are round and spherical and made by the gravitational force. And at the same time the non-duality and the idea that all the vessels are vessels, they are carrying something, but they are empty to begin with and there’s the surface that different, but the vessels are still similar. If that makes sense.
How important was the summer residency that you just did?
I think it was very important. It gave me a lot of actual skills in working with wild clay and forage materials as well as wood firing. I think it just connects to my philosophy and to my approach to ceramics and to the materiality of it really deeply. So I am going to continue all of it.
Where do you the journey of ceramics going for you?
I think about it a lot. I think ceramics for me right now is not only the object. It’s the whole field with which I can express myself in various ways. It could be an online course. It could be a local business like the actual community studio. I could be a book about glazes. It could be so many different things, but I hope that I will work through my objects in different directions. One is interior design based and decorative and the other one is what could be called art. So something very innovative and unique. It’s far but it’s getting there.
Book
ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com
Contact
loramceramics.com
Instagram: @loram.ceramics
Don Katz | Episode 1070
Don Katz is a blind potter based in Los Angeles, California. Don became blind due to bacterial meningitis in 2001. After waking up from a month-long coma he had to relearn to walk and feed himself and adjust to his sightless reality. What began as an introductory pottery course at The Braille Institute of Los Angeles, has now become Katz’s obsession. Don’s ceramics teacher once told him as he struggled on the wheel that “you are stronger than dirt,” words he lives by today. Don appreciates feeling the clay take shape on the potter’s wheel and how the touch informs the form. He enjoys creating unique handmade functional and decorative ceramic objects.
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What does a day in the studio look like for you?
A day in the studio depends on what I am working towards but like anybody else we have to get the clay ready. Typically I am working at getting better on the pottery wheel and working on building my craft, is my direction at the moment.
Do you have a making schedule?
I do not have a making schedule. I am more at the mercy of what I feel like making. I don’t want to have a making schedule because then I am going to loose the joy of what I do pottery for which is to be creative and use whatever ideas I have in my mind. If I am told to do one thing or make something specific that kind of takes the joy our of it and it feels like a job and I am trying not to make it feel like a job. otherwise it will become less interesting and stressful and not enjoyable.
The clay is so wet and fragile on the wheel, how do you know that the shape is the shape you want when you can’t see the shape that you are throwing?
This is the biggest challenge of all of it. Is exactly like you say, you don’t know when to stop so either I check a lot, which I am really bad at stopping to check or I overspin it and it collapses. There’s that balance of finding when to stop. That’s my biggest challenge. Sometimes I will set a timer to stop. Because otherwise you can just go crazy and keep going for hours. And sometimes we like the form and we ‘ve made and sometimes we don’t so we just scrap it . But right now my big goal is working on tall cylinder because I hate asking to fill a glass of water so I am working on getting height on my cylinders.
Do you trim your work?
I should. (laughter) I mean I used to when I first started and I was going to membership studios and I was much better about trimming my work. Now I don’t because I have become lazy about trimming and I think it would probably look better if I trimmed and made more conscious effort depending on what I am trying to do.
What is a challenge in the studio that you are loving chasing down?
Oh, I love the challenge of throwing. I still think it is a challenge and I have not become proficient expertise at it and I don’t think I will for a number of years. So I love that challenge and that part of the pottery process.
When you are not in the studio what do you do for fun?
The studio is fun for me but my favorite thing in the world is to have a nice meal out in the world. I am a Foodie with a capital F. So yes, I do like good food. So I took my love of food and my past experience and my enjoyment of ceramics and we are going to try and combine the two and at some point my dream is to create all the plateware that I use and to have a dinner party and I’ve made all the recipes for it as well an have a dinner party with that is my ultimate goal at some point. And I am constantly working on my Blishware. Blind friendly dishware that helps keep the food on the plates. Stand by for a few years.
Book
The Adventures of Kavalier Clay by Michael Chabon
Contact
theblindpotter.com
Instagram: @blindpotter
Amy Rae Hill | Episode 1064
Amy Rae Hill is a ceramic painter who illustrates dramatic celestial scenes on pottery. After receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western Washington University, Amy worked at a pottery painting studio to develop her current craft. Amy paints with low-fire pottery glaze on earthenware to create her pieces.
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Because you are painting on a 3D object do you have a hard time finding the correct positioning for your compositions?
Yes, I feel like it has gotten easier to compose over time, but you do have to consider the shape of the piece. A tea pot is round and it and you will need to consider a distorted landscape if you are putting that on that surface. Or a cup might have a certain angle to it and that affects the way a spaceship might look on that sort of a surface. So it’s just getting to know your bisqueware shape.
Do you ever have losses for your work?
Very rarely. I usually commit to a piece and if something isn’t working I will wipe it off and then start fresh. It has been probably just a few occasions where I have gotten in deep and I realize that these colors aren’t working together or there are too many layers to go back and fix and really save the piece, so I have to scrap it and start over.
So your losses are more about the design than the pot not making it?
Right, so I probably have an easier time than all the other potters because if something is coming to me damaged then I can report that to my supplier and get a refund for those materials that I have lost and it will go towards my next order. So I have a way easier time with that.
Have you done collaborations with other artists? With other potters?
Yes, I did one with The Monster Inn and there was a couple of monster mugs that we worked on together and they shipped them to me from the UK and I painted a few astronauts climbing up a rocky surface on this monster design and another one had a galaxy on it. And that was really cool to be able to see all of the skill and building of piece and the design of the creature where I got to think about how to make an interesting surface on each of those different designs. A lot more interesting sometimes than a plain cup.
Have you ever used any of the Amaco underglazes?
I haven’t but I have been really tempted to use what all the cool potters use and they all look really good. (laughter) I would have to look into if it works on Earthenware or if I would have to work on more porcelain and stoneware. It seems like a lot of their stuff is higher fired in that case. I am not sure, I would have to research it a little bit more.
Is this your full-time gig?
Yes, it is my full-time gig. I do have a side teaching job a couple of days a weeks that does support my income as well but I am very lucky to have customers that want to buy enough of my work to live on.
Book
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Contact
amyraehill.com
Instagram: @amyraehill
Victoria Rickson | Episode 1063
Victoria Rickson is a Canadian ceramic artist based in San Francisco, specializing in nerikomi. With a BFA in Photography from Parsons School of Design, Victoria transitioned to pottery post graduation, mastering the technique of colored clay as a member of community studios. Victoria’s work balances precision with spontaneity, creating one-of-a-kind, color driven pieces.
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I am curious about how you as an artist structure your day?
I have a full-time job so my day is that I wake up and I work all day and then I itch to go down to my basement to work on pottery and I do whatever task I have until 9 pm when it is time to go to bed.
Do you have a way of slowing down your making process so you are not dictated by your clay as your clay wants it to be done?
I think the process is pretty slow on its own. I work in phases. I’ll do the phase where I make the clay and then I will make the block and then on a long weekend or weekend I will say, This is my building weekend. And I will spend all weekend making cups, vases, and plates. So I can monitor all week in the evenings that it’s drying well. And then the next week I am sanding and preparing for the kiln. It’s sort of like I go through each phase when I have the time.
When you are working through problems in your work who do you tend to reach out to to get answers?
I ask my boyfriend a lot. It’s not like it’s a technical answer. I think most of my problems are composition and when it’s a technical answer I love a good google.
Are you interested in exhibitions, in showing your work in actual juried shows? Is that a thing you wish to do?
Yes, that’s my biggest next goal is to get into more official competitions and shows. I am working on pieces that are a little larger, a little more gallery focused at the moment, to work towards that goal.
Do you have shows that you are currently applying for?
Not right this second. There are maybe three or four in the last six months that I made work specifically for and then just chickened out and ended up not applying. I think I am close. I am doing the research and preparing myself mentally but I haven’t actually done the applying yet.
Is social media a struggle or a blessing for you?
So far, it’s a blessing. It’s helped me find a community. It helps me get feedback on my work when I am not showing or selling that often. I don’t mind making, a lot of what I do I make reels to share my knowledge and I think that really helps me build my community.
What is the biggest challenge of working in Nerikomi?
Patience. To expand upon that I think each step of the process takes so much focus and attention and could go wrong at so many points, that having patience with yourself, things are going to go wrong. Try again. That’s kind of key.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in Nerikomi?
It’s weirdly just some of what I just said. It’s patience. It’s understanding that the first thing you make is probably going to crack into a million pieces or you are going to hate it. It takes time to learn every step and you just kind of have to stick with it.
Book
Nerikomi Thomas Hoadly
Contact
swimmer.studio
Instagram: @swimmerstudio
Lyndsey Roberts | Episode 1062
When Lyndsey Roberts was seven, her mother gifted her a toy potter’s wheel. That one gift sparked a bone deep, lifelong love for ceramics. Lyndsey went on to get her BFA in ceramics from UNCA, and has been doing her best to make her little seven year old self as proud as possible.
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What is your favorite tool in the studio?
Well, the Air Pen is definitely at the top of that list and I am not saying that because they pay me to say it. I also think the wet boxes are one of my favorite tools just because it gives me the flexibility to make work and take the break that my body needs in between the process of throwing and trimming. I no longer lose work in the meantime, every potter knows how devastating it is to spend hours making something and to miss your window because of the temperature outside.
What is a tool you don’t use very often but you would not get rid of?
Probably my metal ribs. I don’t like metal ribs very often because I tend to cut myself on them, but they are really great for specific things. If I am making a pot that I want a little extra detail I can take my Dremel and create a shape on a metal rib that will give me a template that I can press clay into and I can get a pattern from it. So, for that reason I keep my metal ribs around but I don’t use them for any other reason.
Who is one maker who inspires you to be better?
Danny Meisinger. I hope I am saying his last name correctly. I follow him on Instagram and I am lucky enough to have some of his mugs from NCECA. He throws big and throws these really big round jars, not jars, they are vases or bottles with tiny openings. I watch him to kind of learn and be inspiration for what I can do and hopefully one day I will be able to make large, round forms.
You devote so much of your time to making, how does art improve the world?
I think it makes it a happier place. It sparks our imagination. Which I think adults need more of, we take ourselves way too seriously. And art kind of demands your attention. It’s a wonderful opportunity to take yourself out of your own life and to immerse yourself in something somebody else has made that isn’t something that you would see normally and just allow your imagination to play with it.
When people describe you what kind of words pop up?
Lately I have been described as intense. (laughter) Creatively intense. I have very specific ideas of what I want to make. Usually people say that I am very funny. I definitely make people laugh a lot. Probably they would say that I’m a little weird or eccentric.
Book
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch
Contact
lilacmoonceramics.com
Instagram: @lilacmoonceramics
Summer Brendlinger | Episode 1061
Summer Brendlinger’s philosophy is centered on enriching everyday life through her pottery creations, aiming to bring joy and a handmade touch of artistry into people’s homes. Summer’s journey began in 1994 with a high school ceramics class. After a career in teaching, Summer returned to her passion for pottery, creating a studio in her backyard and teaching ceramics workshops at Talent Maker City.
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What were the cues that told you change was needed?
The cues would have been a lack of satisfaction with my life as it was. Knowing there is something better for me and my family really.
Why is balance so critical for a person?
I can speak for myself; balance is incredibly critical because without it things don’t get the attention they deserve and when we ignore important things is our life like family or passion, we become lopsided and I think we quit growing and we quit appreciating life as it is. As beautiful as it can be.
It seems like we think if we stop we are going to lose the progress we made. Why is it important to not care about progress if it means we are going to lose our sanity?
Such a good question. I think all the progress that you’ve made at any point that you decide to change carries on into the next chapter. So it’s not wasted progress, it’s actually prior learning that gets you to the point you are supposed to be at in that time in your life.
That doesn’t mean that goals are irrelevant. Correct?
Goals are necessary.
It’s properly placed goals then. Would that be better said?
I think so. Properly placed goals and for me you’ve got your big goal of what you want to see your life become. And that one you are constantly reaching towards and the goals that are smaller and quicker to attain those ones you reach them or you are on your way to reaching them and you decide this doesn’t feel right to get to that over arching goal of the life that you want to live.
Why is variety important for you?
It’s way more fun for me. If I am doing the same thing I don’t get to express myself. And you know, just as the seasons change what I make changes because life is changing. And what I find beautiful in nature usually shows up in my work and it’s changing. I mean I have to have variety.
Studio life. Do you like it quiet or do you like music or podcasts in the background?
On par with me and variety it changes. I’ll do podcasts. I love audio books. I still want to call them books on tape. And then music and if it’s music it’s classic rock, Tom Petty is my number one. It changes, I recognize what my mood needs and it’s rarely ever quiet in my studio.
Book
Mastering Hand Building: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coils, and More by Sunshine Cobb
Contact
kilnedwithkindness.com
Instagram: @kilnedwithkindness
Alison Brannen | Episode 1060
Award winning Toronto artist, Alison Brannen makes one of a kind hand made ceramics. A creative risk taker, educator and avid sailor, Alison can’t get enough of the wind and the fire! Inspired by her summer voyage on the Atlantic Ocean Alison creates dynamic patterns that ebb and flow along the surface of her beautiful organic vessels. Alison’s work has been exhibited in Canada and the USA, with Fusion Clay and Glass, the Art Gallery of Burlington, Clay and Glass Gallery Waterloo, Oeno Gallery and Craft Ontario among others. Alison teaches pottery and Kintsugi workshops in her downtown Toronto studio where she lives with her husband Craig and her two beach loving dogs Ruby and Tilly.
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Is it really critical to have the big pot to put the smaller pieces in? Why can’t you just put it straight into the kiln?
I could put it straight in the kiln and the big pieces I do but the saggar that I make contains the smaller pots. I like to fire, if I can, fifteen small pots at once.
So the big pot is to contain the small pots and not necessarily to get the impact of the finished product? Is that accurate?
No, I think it helps the impact for the smaller product, I find that large pieces that aren’t in the double saggar, they are not quite as strong and not quite as consistent in color.
When you do fire straight in the kiln with your larger pieces do you have to clean out your kiln specially after the fact?
Oh yes, of course.
How do you go about cleaning the kiln?
Vacuum, sweep it, check the coils. Sweep up the ash.
It’s usually done outside so is it really important to have a well ventilated area?
Absolutely. Very important. I don’t think you should do it without it.
What is the risk?
Your health risk. My risk is zero because I am never in the kiln room when it’s firing.
How much material do you actually put in the kiln?
Well, a lot of the carbonate is actually in the slip or on the slip. And salt, I use maybe a tablespoon. Two tablespoons of salt, table salt, and it’s sprinkled. I have seen firings where they actually pour cups of salt on top of the carbonates, and I don’t use anywhere near that much.
You mentioned you like to wrap your pieces in aluminum foil. Does the metal impact the product itself?
I use aluminum foil just to hold the clay and the clay slip next to the pot. So I really just use it as a wrapping material.
Is there anything that I missed or wish I would have asked you about?
Yes, I wished that you would have asked me about fusion clay and glass. So we have an association in Ontario and I am the vice president, I have been the vise president for a few years, Catarina Gold is the president and we put on conferences and exhibitions and workshops. We have an Instagram and we hold interviews called Faces of Fusion. I really want to give fusion a plug because guilds and fusion help to promote ceramics in Canada and in Ontario.
Clayandglass.on.ca
Book
Alternative Firing for Ceramics
Contact
alisonbrannenceramics.com
Instagram: @alison_brannenceramics
Meghan Yarnell | Episode 1059
Meghan Yarnell grew up in Northwest Ohio. Many of her happiest childhood memories include the time she spent exploring the field, creek, and woods behind her home. She graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2005 with a degree in 3D studies and has been teaching art in the public school system ever since. She is currently working as a high school ceramics teacher in Perrysburg, Ohio where she maintains a home studio alongside her husband and three children.
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What are the advantages of using Cricket versus scissors and paper?
Well the Cricket is a lot faster and more precise. The Cricket can cut little tiny things that would be really, really difficult to cut with scissors.
What material do you use?
I have used regular computer paper. I use vinyl, a couple different types of vinyl. I have used sheets of decal paper. I have used craft foam in my Cricket before.
Which one works better for the long term?
Well, when I was working with porcelain, I used a lot of paper and those are mainly single use stencils. But then when I switched over to this dark clay I switched over to this vinyl and you can use these vinyl stencils hundreds, even thousands of times. They don’t really wear out.
How much is a piece of equipment like that?
I bought mine over five years ago and I want to say it was around two hundred dollars. I know that there’s different models though. So I think that there is a higher one and more recent one and I also know there is a lower model too.
How does Procreate help you size a stencil?
Procreate doesn’t really size the stencil at all. I do all of that in the Cricket application. Procreate I just draw the image, and I export it as a jpeg. And then in the Cricket software I make it into a stencil. That might not be the best way to do it. I am not a Procreate guru but it works for me.
What is the application you use and do you have to add water to get it to a specific consistency.
So I don’t add water at all. I use these generic squeeze bottles that I got from Amazon. But I really like these fine point applicators that I also got from Amazon. I think you can get them from any art supply store. They have a needle in the cap so when you put the cap on it keep the applicator from getting clogged. I think it’s called Fine Point.
Book
The Anxious Generation
Contact
Etsy: MeghCallieCeramics
Instagram: @meghcallie
Nicole Thomas | Episode 1058
Nicole Thomas is a high school Ceramics Teacher by day and a Potter by night. Each summer season, Nicole takes a deep breath before diving deeper into her home studio practice. Nicole’s wheel-thrown ceramics focuses on incorporating her Signature Style with a colorful surface full of movement and visual texture.
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What is a pin on Instagram?
I pin on Instagram is when you take content that you have posted and you pin it to the top of your profile page.
How many are you allowed to pin at any given time?
You can pin three different pieces of content at the top of your Instagram page.
What does that visually do to your page?
So the thing that is interesting about pinning content to the top of your Instagram profile is it gives you an opportunity to highlight the three most important things that you want people to see when they come to your page.
It’s an opportunity to show people where else they can find you and what other offerings you have for them besides what you are offering on your page.
If I make a pin is it forever?
No, it’s not forever. You can change them out as often as you want to. And you can curate the pin to be whatever you want it to be. So something that is interesting is a lot of the time if creators have content that go viral they will pin that viral piece of content to the top of their page. So when you visit their page you will see that content. I don’t prefer to use that strategy because I think that is a piece of content is going to go viral the algorithm is already going to roll that content around out to people so pinning isn’t going to do much to boost it. But having one of your offerings at the top of your page will show someone that did come to your profile through a viral reel what else you have to offer them. For example I have pinned the supplies I use from Amazon, my Etsy shop, and my YouTube videos.
So you pin things for other kinds of content and other places of engagement?
Absolutely. One of the key words that people sometimes use would be funneling. So you could pin those first three pieces of content to funnel people to where you want them to go next.
How does a person go about pinning a post on Instagram?
If you want to pin a post of Instagram you can make your Instagram post with still photos or you can make a reel. You can post that piece of content and once the piece of content is posted you can tap the little three circles in the top right hand corner and you will see an option to pin it to the top of your profile and then once you do that that piece of content will stay in one of the top three squares at the beginning of your profile until you decide to unpin it or replace it.
What do you do when you are not teaching or making?
That’s a great question. When I am not teaching or making I do a lot of hiking. I do a lot of road trips with my husband and our yellow lab, Lacy. And I also do a lot of cooking. I have always been interested in food and nutrition and being active but recently I have started joking around with people and telling them I want to make art until I’m a hundred years old and I feel like if I speak it out into the universe it will happen. But more important than that I also need to be taking care of my body so I can be making art until I’m a hundred years old. Just like staying active, walking my dog, trying to focus on cooking healthy meals as much as I can. Those are the things I focus on when I am not teaching or in the studio making work.
Book
Art and the Fear of Making
Contact
Instagram: @classicclayworks
Marie Kouyaté | Episode 1057
Marie Kouyaté’s artistic practice is characterized by three guiding elements: retrospection, exploration and rehabilitation. Through her art Marie looks back to preserve and share her history, traditions and culture. Marie is a descendent of a long line of Fulani Griots – the nomadic chroniclers, storytellers and poets of West Africa.
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Do you plan the image of a piece before you start?
Kind of. So I usually have a pretty good idea of what it is that I want to do. Especially now that I have two kids. Even before I know I have a set time to be in the studio and I really need to make the most of it. So before I go into the studio I usually create a little Pinterest board with ideas of what I want to do. And then when I get into the studio it kind of meshes all these ideas or I use them as inspiration and it turns into what ever it turns into.
Do you always start with a feeling?
Not always. Sometimes it’s an idea but feeling is definitely an integral part of the production, if that makes sense. A feeling is what kind of guides the work.
You mentioned when you get to the carving stage you can get into this trance like state, some people would call flow. Do you have any prompts to actually get you into that state?
Yeah, I think music is a huge part of getting into that state. I always have my headphones in. Sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s listening to a podcast, but usually it’s music that really gets me into that state where I am just really lost in it.
What kind of music are you listening to?
That’s a really good question. I am a huge music head, meaning like I listen to everything. Again I am kind of guided by my feelings so if I feel it I like it. So I don’t really have any specific genre that I listen to. I listen to just about everything. But right now I am really into alternative R and B at the moment and a lot of great artist coming out recently.
When you finish a piece do you think, Ah, that’s an expression of me.?
That’s a really good question. I think more so I find creation as a form of exploring my identity. If that makes sense. I am getting closer to figuring that out through the process. I have a sense of self. I know who I am and where I come from but I also find that through creation I am also discovering parts of myself that I didn’t know existed. So yeah, I think there is a vulnerability that goes into creating and being open to what you experience and what you find out through that process.
How long does a typical piece take for you to carve?
It really depends. It depends how the flow goes really. So there are some pieces that I can do in one sitting, I can do the etching in one day and the rest is really just carving and glazing. And then there are some pieces that take me maybe three or four sessions which can turn into weeks, as you know. Depending on when you can get in the studio. It really just depends on how it comes together but I would say the average from beginning to end is maybe a week or two.
Book
An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi
Contact
kouyateclay.com
Instagram: @kouyate_clay
Marian Daper | Episode 1056
Marian Draper is a vivacious personality who is passionate about the Ceramic Craft. Originally from Rome, NY, Marian is a graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology where she earned her bachelor’s degree in studio arts. Marian is currently located in Asheville, North Carolina completing a residency at Odyssey Clayworks.
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How has the publication impacted you as an artist and a maker?
Yeah so for starts I have been contacted by several galleries to have opportunity to put work in a show there. Which is huge. Also having the pressure of the award behind me it was a good impact in that it forced me to get my act together as an emerging artist and really focus on important things whether it be my website or Instagram or having enough work to have multiple shows going on at the same time.
What is something that surprised you that you didn’t expect to see happen?
Something that I didn’t expect from that award to happen was probably I felt like overnight there was at one point I woke up with 400 more Instagram followers and I was like, Oh my Gosh, I almost doubled my Instagram followers in one night. It was such a surreal moment, I had pretty bad imposter syndrome where I was like, Okay this is the big kid league. But that really surprised me, I did not expect that at all.
How do you think having that on your resume will impact your future work?
So having it on my resume while it’s really a wonderful accolade and I am so excited to have been chosen for it, it’s something I don’t want to be like, Oh I received this award, everything will come to me. I am hungry for it. I want success and while this award is so wonderful it’s not the only thing that is going to get me there. So for my work it was definitely the fire under my butt I needed but now I have to keep the flames going with my own ambitions and things that I would like to achieve.
What do you listen to while you are making?
So, it depends on the day. I am a big T Swift fan so I listen to Taylor Swift just about every day. I have really gotten into podcasts lately and recently I have been listening to a podcast called the Ancients which is about historical happenings and things like that from Ancient times, big history nerd over here. So that has been really lovely and moving to the south has fostered a love of country music for me that I didn’t know that I had. So I usually have folk music or country music on rotation as well.
When you are teaching are there things that you hold back that you kind of hold for yourself?
Never. If my students have a question that I know the answer to regardless if it’s in my own practice or not I will give them the answer with my full heart and with all the knowledge I have to give them. That is one of the most beautiful things about the ceramics community I feel like it’s a very welcoming and giving community in terms of knowledge and creating and all of those good things. I have been given a lot of good information and I want to share that with others.
In a year, when you are done where you are how are you going to keep the community aspect alive?
So obviously there are several different avenues that you can do that in right. After I leave Odyssey I will probably head to a different residency or a graduate school. With that being said to stay connected to the people at my current studio email, social media, all that good stuff is a great way to stay in touch with them.
Book
Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger by Lisa Donovan
The Boy in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Contact
mariandraper.com
Instagram: @mariandraperceramics
Kerri Louisa | Episode 1055
Kerri Louisa, an emerging ceramic artist from Australia, channels her lifelong passion for creative expression into each of her works. Originally from the Adelaide Hills, Kerri spent two decades living and working across Australia and abroad before settling on the Southeast coast of Queensland with her husband and teenage daughters. Kerri’s journey into ceramics began in 2019 with a Visual Arts Diploma, where she discovered an unexpected affinity for clay. Post-diploma, Kerri embarked on a self-guided exploration of hand-building techniques, refining her unique artistic voice. Kerri’s work, branded under the name Nioka Clay, has been showcased internationally, including exhibitions in Paris with 1000 Vases and in Perth with Anfisa Design. Her pieces feature in styling campaigns and adorn prestigious designer homes. Kerri continues to explore new dimensions in ceramics, blending her diverse inspirations into future creations that promise to captivate and inspire.SPONSORS
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Why do you think a new role or a new endeavor stirs up such an imposter syndrome like thought process?
I think because if you haven’t got a background in that thing you don’t feel credible. Like do I have permission to be good at this if I am self taught or if I have only been doing it for a short amount of time? And the answer is yes. But I think it’s being aware that other people might look and say, This does not compute.
Why do you think a positive mindset is important to help us “imposters” out?
I am a positive person by nature. I think it’s something I was born with and something that I think has always helped me try to overcome incredible challenges is to always hold onto hope as well and I think that positivity and hope go hand in hand. I think that being positive, it’s kind of like having this little hand on your back and gently nudging you forward.
Is it important to choose ahead of time whose opinion to value?
I haven’t deliberately kind of thought of that before. I think even since being really young and struggling in school growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia I had to find ways to overcome a lot of those types of challenges where at the end of the day it was my own opinion that needed to be what mattered. And sometimes that can be dangerous if we don’t have a positive opinion of ourselves. So I would say the people that are closest to me for sure, but also in a more spiritual context I am thinking of the opinion of my Creator and what would he/she think of what I am doing and how I am doing things and does it line up with those values that I was brought up with.
Someone said, Trust in direction, not in destination. Do you think that’s an important ingredient in deciding it doesn’t matter if I am an imposter or whatever, what matters is the direction I am going in?
Yeah, again I would say it again comes down to people can kind of say what they want but at the end of the day I made this so…(laughter). Do you know what I mean?
Yes!
I don’t know if that’s a good enough answer…
It’s a great answer!
it’s just come at me with what you want to say but the proof is in the pudding type thing. Here’s this vase and it speaks for itself.
So well said.
Someone said, Celebrate wins and admit areas of growth. How does that help us to have a balanced view of ourselves?
Because I believe we can’t have wins until we have had many failures because to me a failure is a positive thing. Because every time we fail we learn how to improve. The win doesn’t come unless there has been growth and we all have to start somewhere. When you teach a child to tie their shoelace you can’t expect them to tie it straightaway. They win at the end of the trying.
Book
1000 Vases edited by Pier Paolo Pitacco
Contact
Instagram: @nioka.clay
Eli Akins | Episode 1054
Eli Akins of Waldo Street Pottery is a mostly self taught ceramist in downtown Atlanta, GA, with a focus on large bonsai containers. “Finding a voice within a rigid set of parameters while making art for other artists is the challenge with Bonsai Pots”.
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How did you grow after the diagnosis?
Coming out of what I refer to often as a fever dream which was a couple of years of those brain tumors causing a lot of problems. I couldn’t believe the energy that I came back with. I started walking slower, thinking slower, everything was slower and I just came out of it with a ton of energy and a ton of drive. And I have been in this studio every day, when the sun comes up it’s that time.
This is a little tongue in cheek but how is clay better than the music industry?
I can speak only to myself and I am just doing my own creative thing, but instead of supporting others with their creativity I am supporting myself with my own. I think that’s what’s satisfying about it.
How many hours a week do you spend time in the studio?
Fifty or sixty hours I think. I am in the studio a lot, I love it. I live across the street from it. I walk to work every day. I walk home for lunch and come back and work until the sun goes down.
Do you have a specific style of Bonsai that you like to make your pots for?
Not necessarily style because I appreciate all of the styles. What I really appreciate the most is deciduous trees and broadleaf evergreens. Pines and junipers don’t really speak to me like maples and elms and beech and hornbeams do. I appreciate trees that drop their leaves in the winter time.
What do you typically have on coming over the speakers in your studio?
A lot of Grateful Dead. Live Grateful Dead shows. What I have learned from that that is they have made thousands of shows and in my lifetime I will make thousands of pots. None of their shows are perfect but they all have a little bit of magic in them. I don’t think any of my pots will ever be perfect but hopefully they have a little bit of magic to them.
What’s your other hobby?
Other hobbies? Bonsai! A lot of time if I need a break I just go outside and prune or water or feed the trees or whatever I need to do. So Bonsai is a big one and I have a wonderful support group of friends that I like to take breaks and go see a show and go hang out and have fun and have a good time together.
Book
Theo of Golden By Allen Levi
Contact
waldostreetpottery.com
Instagram: @waldo_street_pottery
Anton Sidko | Episode 1053
Anton Sidko, a Moscow-based ceramic artist with a background in Chemical Engineering and medical research, began his pottery journey in 2011 as a hobbyist. Anton has exhibited his work in ceramics and contemporary art shows since 2021. In 2023, Anton invented the PORFIR method for shaping ceramics.
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How do you put the slip on the fiberglass?
I tried to dip it but the brush works better.
Does all the fiberglass have to be covered with slip when you put it in the kiln? Can you have any loose fiberglass without any clay on it?
I didn’t try it but the temperature of melting is about cone 07 and it will be melted away and you just find thin dust.
How long does it take once you brushed on the slip before you can start working with it?
It really depends on the surrounding conditions. It takes maybe one to five minutes. It just depends on the temperature and moisture. If you use plaster it will be extremely fast. If you use plywood it would be a bit more time.
How do you cut the clay?
Well actually I cut the fiberglass before it. So I cut the fiberglass and make patterns. And then cover the patterns with porcelain and after that I combine it in construction.
Is the clay, when it’s fired, stronger?
No. It’s not stronger because the exact composition of clay is still the same. Just the size and shapes are different. You know the most stable structure is a sphere of course.
Have you come up with any more unique approaches to ceramics?
Well, I may mention one. Full body candles.
Book
The Craft and Art of Clay by Susan Peterson
Contact
Instagram: @anton_sidko_ceramics
Gabs Conway | Episode 1052
Gabs Conway is a sculptural ceramic artist based in Missoula Montana. Having grown up in Missoula, she was excited to return – as she relentlessly considers it home – after earning her BFA at the University of Wisconsin – Stout. Gabs’ work stems from the playful, mundane experiences of living. She explores relationships, such as that of siblings, friends, and lovers. Interested in creating forms for the reflection of human experience; asking the viewer to consider their appreciation of life, and to humble the adornment of our physicality. Gabs remains curious of the inherent biological responses of living, and what it means to exist together in an ever changing world.
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What do you think of other people suggesting about what and how you should be making your work?
Firstly I hate it (laughter) but it’s not your work, it’s mine.
Instead of telling you how to do your work what is a supportive way for people to talk about your work?
I think just saying, This is what I think this is what you are doing well. It would be interesting to see this. But not so much saying, Do this.
How important for you to have a supportive community around you for you as a maker to be confident that you are going in the right direction?
I don’t know if I lean on my community to tell me that I am going in the right direction. I think I am going based on how I am feeling about what I am making.
What do your folks think of this journey you have been on?
My dad was definitely a potter. I know that they are both supportive but I think they both have their moments of wondering exactly what it is I am doing.
Do you believe that teaching workshops is a critical component for your personal growth, to be giving away your knowledge to others?
I think that I love teaching. I love teaching. I think that they are giving me a lot of information as well. Working with kids is absolutely unreal. But I think just having the opportunity to talk to other people and how they can build things is awesome.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to garden. And I like to take my dog to the park and I like to go to gymnastics with my dad.
Book
Stiff by Mary Roach
Contact
gabsconway.com
Instagram: @gabsconwaymakesdirt
Darren Jackson | Episode 847
Darren Jackson got a random postcard at his day job (K-6 general music) to attend Arrowmont. When Darren’s first choice was full, he ended up in hand building. After getting a wheel that fall, Darren hasn’t looked back! When Darren is not in mud, he’s on his front porch, picking his banjo!
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Does having some of your students on Instagram create challenges for you in how you present yourself on social media?
I don’t think so. I think it’s a good thing to know that you always have an audience. I think with social media, and this is a big rabbit hole we probably don’t need to go down through, it’s easy because we are not face to face so much of the time. On social media our inhibitions are down I guess and we can get in a comment war with people we would not say on a Facebook post with somebody. So I think it ‘s a good thing to always know that we have an audience and that they are real people.
Why humor for kind of one of the bedrocks for your feed?
I just like to have a good time. I can be pretty serious too and I’ve recorded myself teaching, we have to do that to pass certification and what not, but when I watch back on the video I thought, Man, I sound like a jerk. I think I am having a good time and being hilarious, Man, no wonder those kids hate me. I like to laugh and joke around. If you can’t do that then what’s the point.
How was your transition of selling on Etsy to selling on your website. Did you loose customers?
No, I don’t think so. I still keep my Etsy up to date during Black Friday and big events. I haven’t had a whole lot of online sales. Something I’m thinking about doing is announcing a shop update. I know a lot of other potters do that. I think when you lead up to it over a series of days people know it’s coming.
Do you find the reels tend to make more traction than the short videos?
I definitely think that Instagram is pushing the reels now and to buy into their algorithm and do what they want you to do so to speak, I think that’s the thing. I have heard if you do thirty reels in thirty days that that will really help you take off.
What do you do when you are not in the studio and you are not playing the banjo?
Oh man, teaching kids, but other than that…that’s about it. That really fills up my calendar. I just got a 3D printer for Christmas so I have been implementing that into my pottery. Other than that it’s banjo, clay, and teaching kids.
Book
Love Does by Bob Goff
Contact
lovehandleclay.com
Instagram: @lovehandleclay
Matthew Gaddie | Episode 1050
Matthew Gaddie’s work exists inside the frame and philosophy of practicality. It communicates the underlying connection Matthew sees between the rural, hard-working days of his youth and the life he want to live as an artist. The cyclical pattern of throwing, trimming, glazing, and firing are comfortable for him. Matthew is a farmed-raised laborer who has wonderful memories of planting, weeding and harvesting. In the age of quick marts, high speed connections, fast food, one-stop shopping, Matthew tries to live his life slowly and with purpose. In a time of massed produced uniformity, Matthew tries to create works that are unique, each piece having recorded its own tale of creation, a tale of struggles, of successes, of failures, of imperfections and of hopes… it is a human tale.
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How does clay improve a person’s life?
Number one, at least for me the time at the wheel is a time of reflection. When you are at the wheel your hands are busy and your mind is allowed to kind of wander over your life in a kind of meditative state. That’s what my students find, there’s a kind of addiction to that and they find it so meditative and it’s so healthy. I think at the same time when you are in a studio and making work you are constantly asking yourself questions like, Is that the best form I can make? Is that the best attempt at a handle that I can make right now? And that simple act of evaluating yourself is something I don’t think people really do that much in our world, in our hustle and bustle. Somehow the process of asking those questions cracks open a door that then can get swung wide open as you are sitting at the wheel.
Why does community come into play so much with ceramics as apposed to some other art forms?
I think number one, it’s the space. We all gotta share this space and respect the space. We all have to share kilns and we make our own clay. We are not quite at the point where we have a clay body formula but we do have dry mix shipped in and we do have a clay mixer and a pug mill and we mix our clay body from dry mix. We do not do the box of wet clay because I want the students to experience that process in a communal way.
Are rules and standards critical for having a good community?
Yeah, absolutely. And I think the students will take on whatever standards you present to them. I find that students rise to your expectations more often than not.
From your perspective what makes a good student?
Humility. Humility. I do this exercise where I get out my contemporary mug collection and I serve tea to everybody and there’s always one student that I prefill their cup with water and I go through this exercise of pouring tea for everybody and they say, I need to go dump my cup out , and I say, Stop, that’s the whole purpose of this little exercise. I understand, in order to be filled up you have to have room. The cup has to be empty first. Or at least not full. I will take half full. I can teach that.
From your perspective what makes a good teacher?
You know, probably just energy and enthusiasm. I think that can make up for a lot of short comings by just being really passionate about what you are doing.
Book
Clay by Suzanne Staubach
Contact
Instagram: @gaddiematthew
Cathy Terepocki | Episode 1048
Over the past fifteen years of Cathy Terepocki’s ceramics career she’s had a diverse practice exhibiting, teaching, designing, and producing multiple collections of work. The backdrop of Cathy’s studio is a large expanse of forest, with a river close by and the Cascade Mountains in view on a clear day. The influence of living close to nature is also something that has worked its way into Cathy’s design practice. Cathy is most keenly aware of it in her choice of surface decoration – patterns abstracted from nature, vertical lines that mimic bare trees or grids that reference orchard rows. Glaze surfaces are inspired by mossy fence posts or the speckled smooth matte finish of a river stone.
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Are there challenges with wild clay that you didn’t expect to find that you ended up having to work around?
Yes, so many. For example there is gold that sticks to the clay and the walls of my pots are blowing out constantly because of flecks of gold. Which is kind of hilarious because a prospector came to my studio a few months ago and he thought it was hilarious that I was sifting out all the good stuff months ago and keeping the garbage. (laughter) Like who would have thought!
Do you feel like the whole process of making is a richer experience for you?
Oh my word, so much. And it has also changed in that sometimes I feel like a farmer/artist, like I feel like my work is more…there are certain things that I do in certain seasons. I just structure my whole practice differently. I go out in the spring and the fall and collect the clay. I do, obviously, the processing outside. My studio is very small and I have a ram press so I do a lot of the production outside and let things dry in the sun. Yeah, it is totally different.
Why is community important to you in the aspect of harvesting clay?
I have never been asked that question before but actually, I think this is what it goes back to, I was raised in a Swiss Mennonite community in south western Ontario and so I grew up around quilting bees and barn raisings and that whole thing and harvest parties in the fall. I don’t know if that’s why or it is purely coincidence but it might have something to do with it.
Why do you have to dry the clay before you go onto the next step?
It just slakes down better. Is that what you mean, before I mix it?
Yeah, what does slaking down mean?
My clay is not terrible, I can kind of mix it when the clay is still damp but it works better if I dry it out completely then add water and it just mixes in with the water better. It’s easier to mix if it’s perfectly dry and then I add the water. So I try to do that.
Once it’s dry do you have to break it up into a kind of powder?
No, I don’t do it. I try to avoid any steps that are really dusty.
Do you make this a big part of your story when you are sharing your work with people?
I think it has become a lot about the story and I like to tell stories so it’s fun to share the story of where the clay comes from. But I want it to speak for itself and also be well crafted work.
Book
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Contact
cathyterepocki.com
Instagram: @cterepocki
Rachael Kroeker | Episode 1047
Rachael Kroeker is a full time ceramic artist based in Winnipeg, Mb, Canada where she has been creating tableware for over 13 years. Rachael specializes in slip casting and mold making. Along with creating her signature style of marbled pottery, Rachael explores bold colour and pattern combinations. With a modern, contemporary feel and exquisite craftsmanship, Rachael’s pieces are designed to beautify life, and enrich daily routines.
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Do you find yourself to be more creative at different times of the day?
Yeah I do, I think late morning to early afternoon is when I find is my peak creativity. I get up early because my partner gets up early, but I need several hours to actually function. So mid day I guess.
Are there times of the day that are better for getting work done, the workhorse work?
I guess when it’s crunch time and it’s 1 or 2 pm and I don’t want to work until 8 so I just powerhouse through and check things off my list. But to be honest I am kind of…not a slow poke…but I am a medium speed worker.
Some people have said that slip casting isn’t real ceramics. What is your response to that?
Eye roll. (laughter) Thanks, Paul. There’s just a huge design process with slip casting so I think it’s an uneducated comment. You need to design a model, make a plaster mold, and then make a piece. And it needs to be thought out and well designed otherwise you are starting right back at square one.
Do you ever do seconds sales? And how to do you determine what is a second?
I do do second sales for a variety of reasons. Just to reduce my environmental impact and reducing waste. So I think it’s really important. I just can’t smash functional pieces that can still be used but are imperfect. If something had a warped rim I would consider it a second, a small hairline crack underneath a handle attachment or something. No cracks that are actually going to leak or no longer be functional. That’s for the trash bin. Kind of a glaze blip or a marble that I am not wild about.
What does a balanced life for a maker look like in your eyes?
In my eyes, enough time to do your yoga or your workout, moving your body three to four times a week. Enough time to make quality home cooked meals. Enough time to go to the garden and go hiking and get outside and be with your friends and family for important occasions. And still have a thriving pottery or ceramic practice. It’s taken me many years to figure out that important balance and in the beginning you do need to work extra hard when starting a new business.
Book
The Essential Guide to Mold Making by Andrew Martin
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Contact
rachaelkroekerceramics.com
Instagram: @rachaelkroekerceramics
Lisa Orr | Episode 1046
Lisa Orr is a professional potter and has been a student of ceramics for more than 40 years. After completing her MFA in 1992 at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, she received a Fulbright and an MAAA/NEA grant to continue her studies. Her work is shown in numerous public and private collections including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, and the permanent collection of WOCEF in Korea. A full-time studio potter, she also teaches, lectures, and shows nationally and internationally.
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What kind of bricks do you use for the base? Can you get them from Home Depot?
I would not get them from Home Depot because they are a little bit more expensive. Here is a list. It says here 67 fire brick. 12 half brick. So somewhere around 80 hard brick. You really need hard brick in the burn tunnel because the sticks are kind of landing on there. And also, it does get really hot in there. It will melt house brick.
How long does it take for the average person to build a kiln?
We built one yesterday with two beginners and instructions including cutting the special Swiss cheese shelf with angle grinder and drilling the holes, in around two hours. I’ve built one in thirty minutes.
How do you monitor the temperature inside the kiln?
I use a pyrometer, just a cheap one from Amazon and that I use to gauge the rise of temperature of the kiln. And also cones. I use cones. Old school.
Does wood quality matter?
Not at all. Pine is probably the best. Oak burns slower and makes more ash and so we don’t like to use it as much. So whatever kind of wood you can get is good. I get the cut offs from a casket company and the main thing is they need to be thin. It needs to be small diameter wood. Anything smaller than your wrist.
Is this something one could do within the city limits?
It’s completely smokeless except right in the beginning and if you choose to reduce. So there is no visible flame or fire coming out of this thing at all.
So within city limits it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
Not at all. You could put it in the driveway. If you don’t mind assembling the bricks and stuff like that you can put it in a driveway, fire it and then move all the bricks and kiln and stuff.
How much protection does it need from weather? Does it need significant protection?
I don’t know about significant. I would throw a tarp over it if I was leaving it out there because electric kilns can really absorb the water and get heavy. I would say it’s great if you can have a shed and if not you just throw a tarp on it when you are not using it.
Why did you open source this project? Why not monetize it somehow?
I guess I feel like the permaculture people open source their rocket mass heaters for the most part. I mean I have paid for workshops and I have paid for a book someone wrote about it and that’s really paying someone for their labor and their hosting. But the plans are available at the wood fired Rocket Kiln Facebook page. They are on my website under the projects. And we just had a live workshop so if you want to watch somebody build it, we built one on video and you can watch that workshop.
Contact
lisaorr.com
Instagram: @lisaorrpottery
Shannon Hogarty | Episode 1045
Shannon Hogarty, a New York native, is a ceramic artist living and working in Austin, Texas. Shannon’s work combines traditional techniques with contemporary designs, featuring unique surface decoration and vibrant glaze combinations. Shannon is especially passionate about atmospheric firing techniques, with a particular focus on wood firings. Shannon contributes to the to the Austin arts community through her roles as an educator, studio assistant, and artist in residence.
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Would you consider yourself a studio pottery?
Sure, yeah. Why not. Yes. (laughter)
Do you see a difference between a studio pottery and a production potter?
Yeah, I just hear people talk bad about production potters. I mean a lot of people have a lot of things to say about production potters and studio potters. I don’t really know. I am a potter for sure and I am on the journey of being a full time artist. Pottery is the only thing going on now. So if that makes me a studio potter, sure.
I know throwing can be hard on your back. How do you keep yourself healthy to keep the sport going?
Yeah, I have a lot of sad injuries from a bad car wreck I was in, to my back and my wrist. So I do stretch every day and I also really love Pilates. Potters out there, try Pilates. It’s like slowly strength building and low impact. Just a lot of stretches though, for sure.
Do you have any studio hacks that help you?
Yes! So right in line with having back injuries, I use a mirror. I feel like most of us should when we are throwing on the wheel. Don’t be ashamed about it. Look at yourself and what you are doing in the mirror. I put a mirror in front of my wheel. It helps so much with leaning over to the side and trying to see the side angle of your work. So that’s the first one that came to mind.
What is a favorite business tip that you would pass on to someone who is asking, How do I make a living at this?
I would say, Y’all should look at your website presence. I am a website designer, that was my career before pottery and I sort of made it my mission to get everyone off of Etsy and put the power back into your hands of having your own website where you are uploading your own products to and maintaining that yourself. And you can take that and get off Instagram entirely by having your own mailing list and just putting the power back in your own hands and actually maintaining your own web presence I’d say would be my business advice.
Do you feel that as an artist that being organized is important?
I think so. I think it’s like a balancing act but there does need to be a little bit of structure to the chaos that is being a creative person. And just finding that balance and that balance can look like a lot of different things. Like maintaining a little bit of a calendar or making time for yourself or having someone in your life that balances your energy out. I can be a little too type A sometimes. I have in a past life. I was in business school and was kind of academic growing up and very organized so I like to have someone who is getting me to be a little more chaotic. And some people are chaotic and need that organization and that balance. It is only meant to empower you.
Books
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Contact
shannonceramics.com
Instagram: @shannon_ceramics
Asha Serra | Episode 1044
Asha Serra is a mother to three very cool kids, a wife, and an artist. Her love for clay started in high school, but she didn’t take it seriously until she was well into college. Asha received a BFA and a MFA in ceramics from Montclair State University. Soon after graduating, she became an adjunct professor of ceramics at MSU. After teaching for 4-5 years, she decided to grow her family. Currently, she is juggling motherhood, teaching private lessons at her home, and working on her own art.
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What is the difference between the academic teaching setting and the private community studio teaching setting?
There really isn’t that much of a difference, to be very honest. In the academic setting you get to explore certain techniques and glazes. You get to do glaze making and clay making. There’s a little bit more involved in the academic setting.
Why was it a creative endeavor that you wanted to chase down? Why creativity?
I think creativity was just in me. When I was not teaching or doing my ceramics I was doing other things around the house that allowed my creativity to come out. And so it’s just in me and when I had that time even though I was a bit hesitant, I take that back, I wasn’t hesitant, it was more what do with it. I didn’t know what to do with ceramics. I had shown a couple of times way back when I was in school but I had never showed on social media, I had never showed in markets and tried to sell my work. So I guess I wanted to, with some encouragement, I wanted to explore that.
You mentioned you want to get back into teaching, is that because you are an extravert? Could you be a studio potter day in and day out or do you need that social interaction?
That’s a really good question. Because I do not consider myself an extravert at all. I think I have a lot of information that I just want to share. And when I am able to share it it feels so good. And it feels so good to be able to help people get beyond what they are having problems with in ceramics or they are just beginning or just learning to center. And getting to center, that is really exciting for me.
My last question is more of a lifestyle question. How do you keep yourself healthy?
I love yoga and I do a whole bunch of gardening. I am a vegetarian and so I do watch what I eat. That’s pretty much what I do. I no longer dance but I think the yoga helps a lot. Yeah, between yoga, gardening, and my diet, that’s probably about it.
Book
Amazing Glaze by Gabriel Kline
Contact
serramics.com
Instagram: @as.serramics
Alan Perillo | Episode 1043
Alan Perillo is a potter living in Tenino, WA. Alan makes thrown, functional pottery that is wood-fired in his anagama-style kiln. Alan has been throwing pots since high school and studied as an apprentice in North Carolina. Alan is currently a vendor at the Olympia Farmers Market.
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In general how much does it cost to build a wood kiln?
That’s a hard question to answer because there are so many different kinds. I would say it can range from 5 thousand to 15 thousand to build the same kiln. If you used new brick or if you insulated it more or less, if you hired someone to help you, so I would say the range can differ up to 5 thousand plus or minus on a medium sized kiln just one design.
What do you think the pay off time is to pay for the kiln?
Well I think with my kiln we could make up for the total costs in three to four firings of the kiln.
Do you have to have a shelter? Is it required?
It is in Washington.
For the rain. But does it help the kiln itself?
Well you want to keep it dry because if it’s not dry then the energy you are getting from burning the wood is going to be used to just dry out your kiln. The ground all around your kiln is going to get wet, the sub floor or brick is going to get saturated with water and that stuff can take time to dry out. Another disadvantage if you don’t have a covering is it could wash away your skin coat, if you call it that, which in my case is a layer of stucco.
How many firings can you expect to get from a kiln? What is the lifespan?
Again that’s something that depends a lot on the kiln and how it was built. I am hoping I can get 100 plus firings out of my kiln with maybe one or two significant repairs leading up to that point. I would be happy with that.
How many firings are you able to do in a year? How often do you fire?
The plan is to fire twice a year until the possibility that I have a surplus of work built up and I have a shop so filled with greenware pots that I could turn around really quick again probably sometime during the wet season and fire again. But for now the plan is April and October, spring and fall.
Do you bisque your work before you fire your work?
I don’t no. So far everything has been single fired greenware. But I have some glazed that I am introducing to the next firing that I have tried raw glazing with and it doesn’t work out so I will probably bisque as needed for certain glaze applications.
Do you really look forward to the community of firing together?
I do look forward to it, yeah. I think it’s a big component of what I enjoy about the whole process. Along with, obviously, the results of the firing and the rest of the experience and the whole life style that goes along with being wood fire potter. But I do feel really lucky that we have gotten to know and found a really supportive, friendly, hard-working group of ceramics arts people in the Olympia area.
Books
The Kiln Book by Fred Olsen
Pioneer Pottery by Michael Cardew
Contact
perillopottery.com
Instagram: @alanperillopottery
Andrew McCullough | Episode 1042
Andrew McCullough is a studio potter based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. After taking some time away from pottery to further his education–and work in New Brunswick politics–he appeared as a competitor on The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down’s first season. He is now opening a community pottery studio in downtown Fredericton to make pottery more accessible in his area.
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The people on the show The Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown seemed very kind and without nastiness. What the show really kind?
The show was just as kind as what you would imagine from watching it. All the relationships that we had were super genuine and we truly wanted every person to do as best as they could.
Did you feel prepared?
I definitely felt rusty going into the show. I was one of the only people in the cast who wasn’t doing it close to full-time before hand. However I was confident of my ability on the wheel so I said if I can shine there I’ll be happy.
Were you given an opportunity to practice the things that are being presented for you to do that day?
Yeah, we had some of the challenges given to us in advance, so we could plan and prepare at home. While we were in Vancouver we also had one time a week where we could go to a place called Mud Lab studio in Vancouver to practice whatever we wanted in preparation for the show.
When the show aired how did that impact your life?
The biggest impact the show had for me was giving me a chance to step back into the pottery world on my own terms. Like I said, I had been out of the world and now with myself being reintroduced to Canada nationally I can take the opportunity to do what ever I want which is to open a community pottery studio.
Do you feel like your business is going to be stronger as a result of being on the show?
I absolutely feel that being on the show will help my business and the studio that we are creating here. Getting that sort of national attention can only be helpful. Now what matters is what we do with that little bit of extra platform.
What is one thing that you would do differently if you were on the show again?
That’s a really good question. My answer is not going to be what happened on the show but I would have wanted to spend even more time with my fellow contestants outside of filming. We spent all of our free time together I wish the times I stayed home in the hotel room I would have actually stayed out with them because they are all amazing people.
Book
A Potter’s Book by Bernard Leach
Contact
nuceramics.ca
Instagram: @nuceramics
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Juliet Macleod | Episode 1041
Juliet Macleod makes wheel thrown porcelain decorated with slip. Juliet’s work imparts an evocative exploration of the Scottish coast. Juliet repurposes shoreline waste such as metal, plastic, and rope into handmade tools for abstract mark-making. These tools are used to generate painterly, unique marks which reference coastal landscapes and the effects of changing weather and light.
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When you are trying to be abstract how to you find a color or form to represent? What is the hook you are trying to look for as the artist?
That is incredibly difficult to answer because I think abstract artists work in so many different ways. For me it often starts with what you call a hook. It’s something that I am trying to express, a particular memory, a particular place, and that could be a fence or a shape that I have seen somewhere, a view that I have seen, a texture. I am very interested in textures and mark making. And I will go through a process of sketching those ideas. Sometimes I make tiles just to try different mark making. I try different tools and just do expressive marks. Quite often to start with there may be no agenda as to what the image is going to be so I will just loosely make some brushstrokes. It is kind of a process of discovery and at some point in the experimental phase I will see things that spark my memories. I think abstract art or abstract expressionism is just that, expressing those memories and shapes and textures in whatever way suites you.
Do you find then that a sketchbook is critical for you pots?
Yes, absolutely. I have sketchbooks. I spend a lot of the summer when I am not at shows, for example this summer I am going up to a beautiful, tiny little island called Berneray. It’s a very beautiful part of the world and I am spending a month there this summer and I did this last year as well and I will just paint and photograph and sketch and immerse myself in the landscape and it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing.
When you are working on a final design does the idea less is more come into play when you decide what to keep and what to release?
Yes, I suppose it does to a certain extent as a graphic designer it is very much what is simplest is best and trying to pare things back. Whereas as an artist sometimes you want to do the opposite. You want to have lots of textures and layers. The graphic designer in me likes white space. If you speak to any graphic designer you learn about the joy of white space, having areas that are undecorated. It gives freedom to the designs you are making to breath. So to me it is important to pare things back a bit.
Are all of your surfaces trying to tell a story?
Pretty much. Pretty much, I mean some of the one off pieces may be less location specific and more expressive. But the regular designs that I use are very much telling a story.
Is feedback from your audience an important part for you? You said you used to sell in galleries and now you like to sell at shows? Does the feedback have anything to do with that?
Yes, I think that sense of connection basically is a big part of it. The opportunity to discuss how things are made. People are really interested in why and how things are made and I love those conversations and I love the mutual education that goes on in the conversations.
You mentioned that your husband encouraged you to do this when your children were quite young and here you are now. When your husband describes you and your work what does he say?
Oh my goodness. That’s very difficult, I should have asked him. I think probably quite driven, very committed. We are very different, the two of us, but also very similar and we are a really good pair. He’s a scientist, I am an artist. He is practical and I’m , but he’s a tremendous sounding. I have absolutely no idea how he would describe me other than slightly bonkers, arty wife who loves making pots in the shed in the garden. (laugher)
Book
Between Mountain and Sea by Norman MacCaig
Contact
julietmacleod.com
Instagram: @thecloudpottery
Purvi Fumakiya | Episode 1040
Purvi Fumakaya is a fashion designer turned potter, shaping composite forms inspired by her journey of balance amidst life’s challenges. With an eye for order and flair borrowed from fashion, Purvi crafts pieces that harmonize structure and creativity. Each creation tells a story of resilience and beauty born from adversity
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How do you go about asking a cafe if you can have pottery class in their cafe?
Those place had already hosted art workshops and a couple of them had already hosted a clay workshop so it was pretty much they already had that concept in mind with what was going to happen. So it was easy to ask them for time that was available.
How much does a cafe require, is it a percentage or a flat rate?
Yes, it is percentage. Most of the spaces there would be a cover charge where they could purchase something worth that much.
How many students do you need per class to make it worth your while?
I wouldn’t take anything more than eight students the reason being is it is a little difficult to give that much justice to each and every person because clay being a new medium for most of them. It is difficult for them to use at first so they always need help. It is always a guided demonstration so eight people is the max I would take.
Do you have all your teaching tools packed up in a bin so that it is easy to take?
Oh yes. I do keep them separately for the workshop so once I come back I will just clean them up in a box where all the workshop tools go. The canvases and everything I will just clean them up and put them together. So it’s easy to carry for next time.
How far in advance do you start advertising for your workshops?
I would say a week before. I would start on Monday if it is on a Saturday or Sunday.
Wow. That’s short notice.
Well generally people don’t decide what they are going to do on the weekend until it’s Wednesday. So Wednesday is when people start to register early. Some people call Saturday morning saying they want to join. I mean definitely it is a pre-registered workshop so if there is a spot available they would ask for it in the morning.
Have you had a chance to connect with potters in Connecticut?
Yes, I have. I made an appointment to meet some potters. It is a great community out here.
Book
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Contact
Instagram: @tattva_kala
Kayla Noble | Episode 1039
Kayla Noble is a second generation potter, born and raised in New York’s Hudson Valley. Kayla is the current Woodfire Artist in Residence at The Clay Studio of Missoula in Missoula, MT. Kayla enjoys exploring the potential of clay in atmospheric conditions and the possibility for conversations that can happen with an ember-bed.
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What do you love most about the community that is gathered around wood fired pottery?
Oh man, it’s just so much passion. Everyone there is really excited to be there.
Is there a sweet spot in a kiln that you want to see your pieces in?
I like the fire box right in the front of the kiln. I like to have my work touching the ember bed because I really like the texture and color and all the action that happens there. So I want them in the fire.
Is there a right way to bring leadership to a wood firing?
I think it’s having intention because whether you are intentional or not as a leader you are still going to be influencing and impacting people. So I think it means coming with awareness, coming with the ability to listen, and then also coming with the ability to make decisions and be decisive and communicate that in, I guess, an elegant fashion, with grace.
How do you have control while being a leader in community of where you want their pots to turn out good and you want that sweet spot for your pots?
It’s a mutual trust that has to be involved. The community that comes to fire with me, they are coming to fire with me hopefully because they trust me and they are going to trust my choices. And when you are going to choose to work with someone and you choose to fire with someone you have the opportunity to look at their work and decide if their firing style might or might not work for you. And what’s great about this residency is it changes every two years. If my firing style does not suit someone’s work there is opportunity to work with other people. So I do my best to ensure that everyone’s work is placed in the kiln to best serve the work and the community trusts my choices.
When you build larger pots is there a danger spot where you have to get through this part and then you are good but everything has the potential of falling apart before then?
Like with construction?
Yes.
Not that I have found, for me. I have had a relatively easy time building the forms that I make.
How thick do the walls have to be to support a three foot tall pot?
With my clay I am building about a half inch wide. So objectively thin, it just depends on your clay body, really. Different clays might need to be thicker or thinner. I am building table top size about a quarter of an inch and then the bigger pots I try to keep as thick as my thumb.
How important is wood type for firing?
I feel like the answer is just, Yes. (laughter) Different woods will burn differently. I’m now from moving from New York to Montana and firing with a completely different type of wood. So that means I am adjusting my clay bodies and firings to suit the wood. The wood is extremely important and what you get is what you get too. So it’s just learning how to work with what is growing near you.
Book
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Contact
kaylanoble.com
Instagram: @mud_wench
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How much time in general are you investing into each cup?
I am investing, in general, I am going to say about two and half hours into each cup.
That is a chunk of time.
It is and that depends on the cup because there are some that are more time than that. I am not making those right now. I haven’t made any of those for about a year, but in average about two and half hours goes into a cup.
Do you make a series and then after you have done enough cups do you throw the plates away so they can’t be repeated or do you save them for the future? Are you making in series?
So that’s a great question. It’s the Dutch in me okay, I don’t throw them away and I know what you mean. I see people who do a lot of ceramic molds who retire their molds after awhile and I understand and I don’t know anything about those but as far as these plates go I have never thrown any of them away because for me they don’t seem to break down. They last and last and last. Sometimes I want to come back to a plate for a little particular reason and it’s nice to have those available.
How important for your work is a spray booth?
So a spray booth is very important for my work. I should add that last summer was the first time that I ever sprayed any kind of underglaze or paint or anything. I had bought a cheap Harbor Freight ten dollar paint sprayer a couple of years back and it sat on my shelf forever. I was watching other potters spraying and finally I decided to pick it up last summer and now I have bought another one and I have an air brush gun as well. I even built a spray booth last fall so I didn’t have to do an outdoor set up.
Unique is one of the words I would use to describe your work. Is unique a goal or is it result of your creative approach?
Wow, that’s a great question. I would say it is definitely a result. Definitively because I will often times start out with a goal but it ends up just being a result. Yeah, that’s really interesting, I’ve never thought about that. And as I am answering your question I am going to say it is a little bit of both I suppose. Somewhere in the deep down back of my mind there is part of me that wants to make something different. I always tell people I am making work that I don’t see and that I would like to buy. That’s really what it is.
How are your handles made?
So my handles are all extruded. I can pull handles. I prefer not to. For me, the reason I extrude my handles is because a hand pulled handle is great, but it’s not for me. It’s not the thing that makes my mug what it is. The ones that you are seeing that are stamped, I am taking that same handle and pressing it between two plates and then it squishes it. That’s why they look like that.
How do you keep your heart enthusiastic and in love when there is the daily grind of making work?
From a few different places. One is from the sort of cumulative memory of all the jobs in my life that I have not enjoyed and I am fifty years old and I have had quite a few. And then the other side of it is that I know the alternative, I know what else I could be doing and it’s not appealing to me. I don’t know, I suppose it’s a daily reminder that I could be doing other things. And even when it’s not going so great it’s better than X, Y, and Z and that is enough for me. It keeps me coming back. It really does. And my wife is really supportive an my family is supportive so if I am really having a dark day I can always call them and they can remind me where the light is.
Book
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Jared Tso | Episode 1037
Jared Tso is a fourth generation Dine’ potter and a grandson of famous Navajo potter Faye Tso. Jared currently resides in Nahata Dziil, Arizona and completed his MFA at the University of New Mexico in 2021. Not only does Jared make pots, he also has an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering. Since transferring to full time artist, Jared has won the prestigious “Tony Da Innovation Award” (2022) at the Santa Fe Indian Market and “Best of Pottery” at the Heard Market (2023). In 2022 Jared was featured as a “Dwell 24”, a group of rising stars in the world of design. Jared’s pots are coil built, stone polished, and fired traditionally.
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Who would you like to overlap your work with?
Right now I want my work to overlap with my Uncle Irvin. I want to make pots with him because I have memories of him making pots and he recently started making pots and we’ve been trying to find time to do that.
How would you define your story?
My story in relation to clay?
Yes.
I think I would describe it with it was a subconscious effort to have a better relationship with my dad. I wrote about it a lot in my thesis show. Like I fell in love with clay as a way to nurture a relationship with my dad. Because he bonded over it, we bonded over it and it brought us a lot closer.
I asked you earlier where you feel like clay is taking you and you mentioned freedom. What is freedom for you?
Making work that I don’t limit myself with based off of how it might be perceived. And that takes a lot of vulnerability and a lot of confidence.
How do you honor both your community tradition and your personal expression?
I separate them. Like the work that I make for the art world or a gallery, for my business, I make very different work compared to my interactions with my community. For example, I get requested to make pots for ceremonial use for my community but the price I sell work in galleries does not make sense to be the same for someone who needs the ceremony done. I have come up with a policy that I do not charge for money, I do trades. It’s great if you are another artist. Or one of the best trades this year is someone stocked my freezer with some elk meat.
Why do you suppose there is a such a large division between “high art” and “low art” ? Or fine art and craft?
You know, I think it came out of a kind of European perspective of status. Fine art coming out of Europe was stagnant, it sat on a wall, you displayed it in your home, it was a way to show the values that you hold as a society. Whereas coming a experiencing the rest of the world and seeing work that was functionable, that wasn’t about status, it was about your intimate daily life, and labeled as a lower case a or folk art.
If you are compared to someone, who would you want to be compared to?
I think my answer for the current stage of my life would be my dad. I think growing up we always hit a phase where, you know we have a hard time with our parents, and whether it’s in music or literature people always try to express the concept that we become our parents. I fought that a lot growing up when I would see a mannerism or a phrase or something I did that was verbatim my dad. And now reflecting on his life and my relationship with him, he was not a perfect person but I sure am proud of the step up he gave me.
Book
This Wound is a World by Billy-Ray Belcourt
Contact
jaredtso.com
Instagram: @jaredtsopottery
Lisa & David Dault | Episode 1036
Lisa and David Dault are a husband-and-wife team growing a pottery business in the Dayton, OH area. Lisa and David focus on function stoneware pottery and enjoy enhancing the beauty of pieces through carving, faceting, and underglaze transfers. In the midst of running and growing the business, Lisa and David are raising five wonderful daughters.
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David you seem like a “ready, aim, fire” type of a person and Lisa you seem like a “fire, aim, ready, “ type of a person. How do these two approaches help and how do they hinder your business?
David: We definitely help balance each other out and if it was just me we wouldn’t get anything done. And if it was just her she would probably be in jail for not doing some kind of paperwork just because she was forging ahead.
What are your thoughts Lisa?
Lisa: I think it’s kind of like…it’s how you look at an issue. If you look at David and me we are so polar opposite as far as personality. I am very aggressive and outright and he is very peacekeeper and is gentle and kind .And that can seem like oil and water but then we shifted our mind set on how we worked together and we have so many gifts that we work in tandem with each other. So I think his personality really tempers mine and really helps light a fire under him and together we make a really good team.
Lisa how does setting goals mix with your jump ahead style?
That’s an interesting question. I am very strategic on what I spend my time on. I don’t want to waste my time. So if I am just doing busy work then I am not interested. I want to what I am doing and why I am doing it. And once I decide this is what I am doing, then I am going to get it done. I feel like goal setting is very important to me and having lists and not wasting time.
David are you a goal setter too?
Yes, I am a goal setter. Some of that probably comes from being in the business world and knowing the importance of setting goals. I would probably sit around setting goals for a lot longer than actually just going out and achieving them. I think that’s the balance for us.
How are you finding new customers to keep the engine running?
David: So we do in person shows and that always exposes you to new people. But I would say most of it comes from Instagram and Lisa’s continual effort in developing an Instagram account.
Lisa: Yeah, I treat Instagram like a job. It’s a way to be connected to people. To start conversations. But it’s something you have to show up and put time into consistently in order to get a return.
You have five girls. Do you bring them into the studio and have them making?
David: We can’t keep them out. (laughter) And it’s wonderful, yeah. We love to bring them in and have them be involved.
Book
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
The Creative Call by Janice Elsheimer
Contact
daultpottery.com
Instagram: @daultpottery
Celina Frisson | Episode 1035
Celina Frisson lives and plays in the canadian rockies with roots on the west coast. Celina is a multidisciplinary artist with expertise in ceramics & design. Celina’s studio is located in Jasper National Park and she believes it is in her greater purpose to create art that connects people to their natural environments. Celina is here to create work that reflects fluctuating landscapes, activism with functionality to impact generations beyond my existence.
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Are there types of nerikomi?
Technically, yes, because you can have different variations of throwing it or hand building it. I believe the term for throwing nerikomi is called Agate and if you are hand building it is nerikomi.
How difficult is it to transition from marbling to actually creating a repeatable scene?
I think it takes a fair bit of planning if you want to do something like a repeating pattern. You have to almost think backwards because you are working at the cross section with nerikomi. You are never really ever working with a flat design. You’re always working with 3D blocks and working in their cross sections, so it’s very hard to actually manipulate a scene out of that.
Is it important to start with a white clay body?
That’s a good question. I think it’s totally users choice. I personally use a white stoneware but you can use porcelain or earthenware if that’s even available.
Are you also able to create nerikomi by layering clay bodies?
I think it is always worth trying before I go and tell you, Yeah, you should go and do that! Because honestly if the shrinkage rates aren’t the same that’s when you start to get the cracking. One of the biggest issues with nerikomi is where the seams join and if the shrinkage rates are different you might get some of the clay shrinking faster than the other clay. I like to stick with one clay body because it is the most predictable and your margin for error is so much smaller.
You mentioned two methods. One is agate using the wheel. Which is your go to method for nerikomi?
I think I definitely do a lot more hand building. So it’s nerikomi for sure.
Book
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Contact
thecreativetraveller.com
Instagram: @thecreativetraveller
Andrew Tarrant | Episode 1034
Ceramic artist Andrew Tarrant is an accomplished practitioner of sprigged decoration. Andrew’s work is a contemporary view of classical pottery forms influenced by historical and mythological themes and a modern humor. Born in the United Kingdom, and moving to Canada at a young age Andrew’s early memories of England promoted the evolution of his artistic career.
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Who do you respect in the ceramic world and why?
That’s kind of a tough one. I respect so many people in the ceramic world, but I kind of take myself out of it because I don’t want to be unduly influenced by them. I think the longest running person I respect most is Greg Pace. He is one of my first instructors, not one of my initial instructors but he was there through me going back and teaching at the same college. He always does his thing. He doesn’t do anybody else’s thing. He does his thing.
How has your work changed over the years? Can you see an arc?
A long and slow arc, yes. (laughter) It’s maybe gotten a little darker and definitely more refined. Certainly the walls are getting thinner. (laughter) But yeah, I feel it’s gotten more refined and polished over the years despite certain road blocks I still keep moving forward trying to make it better.
If you are being asked about your work, how do you describe it?
I try to describe it as dark as it may be there’s a certain sense of humor to it if you look at it right. And I try to make it as personal as I can for each person so, like despite me saying I don’t make cutesy things I have made a cat mug for somebody, for their cat that passed away. I made a portrait mug of their cat. Sculpted and everything.
When people are handling your work what feelings do you want your work to invoke?
I want them to feel like it’s theirs. And they look at everything, even pieces that are similar they are all completely different and they found their piece. I see people picking up different multiples, like I will make the same faceted skull mug again and again and they keep picking them up until they feel the right one in their hand. And when that moment hits that’s great to see. That’s great to feel.
You can only make one form for the rest of your life. But it’s your choice. What form would you want to make for the rest of your life?
Bowls. That comes from a long time ago a friend of mine who has since passed away gave me this quote from a magazine she found. From a book called Cracks in my sidewalk. It was just a quote that started off, Three lifetimes ago I made 400 different types of pottery, blah, blah, blah, and then as you get older as I am now the muscle starts to go and the bones start to creak and you realize, Yeah you can make butter dishes and rabbit feeders and all that but really, what do you need? You can drink out of a bowl, you can eat your food out of a bowl, you can wash your socks in a bowl, you can Zen out and get in the bowl and view the universe from the curve of the bowl. You can do everything with a bowl. So I will dig out that quote for you and send it to you. It’s a wonderful quote, but yeah, bowls, because you can do everything with a bowl.
Book
Dune by Frank Herbert
Contact
trespasser.ca
Instagram: @trespasserceramics
Gabrielle Ione Hickmon | Episode 1033
Gabrielle Ione Hickmon is an artist and incoming History PhD student at the University of Michigan of, in, and focused on the African American Midwest. Gabrielle also hosts WORKING PROCESS, conversations with Black women ceramic artists about their work and process.
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How does ceramic craft interact with black history in the Midwest?
Oh wow. So part of this I think I will end up studying and exploring more in my PhD program, so this answer is purely based on a few things that I have seen but not any definitive knowing that I have. But we talked about the face jug tradition earlier and there is evidence that those were made in the Midwest as well. And then obviously you think about the intersection between Black communities, African American communities, and Indigenous or Native American communities and there’s a pottery tradition everywhere but especially in Indigenous and Native American communities, and again I don’t know this, but I would be curious to see if there is any connection between the two of those, specifically between tribes and communities in this part of the country.
Can ceramics tell a significant story?
Absolutely. I think it is all about the level of intention that someone comes to their practice with. And what are you grounding the work in and what do you want the work to do in the world once you are finished making it. I think that is how you determine what your ceramics are doing, the story that they are telling and what they are hopefully creating in the world.
Is it important to really know our roots?
I think so. And I think no matter who you are it’s important. There is a concept in the African diaspora, of You can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been. And so for me being able to…I wouldn’t have arrived at what I want to study in my PhD if I didn’t know my roots and my history. All of those questions and this whole project emanates from that. So a shout out to my cousins who have done the genealogical research and put a lot of this together for us. But also in creating a better world for us to live in, everyone has to be willing to do their part to interrogate how they are existing and what they are contributing to the world today.
What happens if we forget out roots?
History repeats itself. And I don’t know, is that what we want? Maybe some people do, but I think in a lot of cases I would say no. We don’t. We want to be creating a world that is free and just and safe for everybody.
What is your favorite piece to make? Do you like to make something that is functional or statement oriented? Tell me your favorite piece.
I think everything is functional. They just have different functions. Right? Some things are functional that you can put water in them and you can eat on them and some things are functional in that they can add beauty to your home, and beauty is a necessity of the human experience. So I like to make functional objects that are beautiful and have a history and tell a story that you cannot necessarily use in the traditional ways that we think about using functional or ceramic objects.
Book
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Contact
gabrielleionehickmon.com
Instagram: @__gabrielleione
Cheri Downey | Episode 1032
Cheri Downey, a ceramic artist originally from Northern California, is currently live in Huntsville, Alabama. Cheri began working with ceramics in 2014 in high school classes. Cheri has had home studios since after college and has owned a commercial studio for the last year in Tennessee. Cheri focuses on dinnerware sets, mugs, and luminaries.
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How do you go from dreaming to doing?
It all starts with really simple steps and it think it starts with buying your wheel used. (laughter) Just starting really small and getting connected with a local studio, setting up a little home studio, and figuring it out as you go. I don’t know how else to explain it.
How significant is belief? How significant is it to believe you can do it?
I guess it’s less so belief but more so passion for me. So figuring out how passionate you are about something leads to that belief. I feel like all this started with a little bit of imposter syndrome. Am I really an artist? Did I really just make this mug? But I don’t know, it just takes practice and it just takes time and it takes commitment and I think what drives that is passion.
What kind of safety nets did you have in place in case it all fell through?
That’s a good question. I honestly don’t know if I had a safety net. I mean, my husband works full-time. He’s an engineer. He made enough, let’s say, to pay the bills. What I made was anything outside of that. My safety net would probably have been to go back into the mental health field if this wouldn’t have worked out.
Is it important to be ready to pivot? To test and pivot?
I think one hundred percent, yes. Because the tides are going to change at any moment in my opinion. For all careers but especially, I think, for pottery. You kind of have to take the next opportunity as it comes.
I’m curious. What is your dream developing into next? Another way to say this is tell me what it’s going to be in five years?
This is something I am still thinking on doing as well. Well, this might not be a super short answer, Paul. (laughter) I will try.
Give us the nutshell.
Have you ever heard of Mid-South Ceramics in Nashville?
It sounds familiar.
It’s a super large pottery community. Multiple potters rent out spaces. It’s just awesome. It’s incredible. Well the eventual goal, maybe not five years, maybe more, would be pretty much to have a miniature Mid-South in maybe Huntsville or where ever we end up in the next five years. And what’s cool about that is Jordan also has that dream so there maybe a partnership there in the future. That’s all I will say about that.
Book
Art is a Way of Knowing by Pat B. Allen
Contact
cherceramics.com
Instagram: @cher_ceramics
Frank & Julie Korb | Episode 1031
Frank and Julie Korb began Korb Pottery in the summer of 2022. Frank is an artist and visual art educator and Julie is a pharmacist by day and potter in her time off. Korb Pottery makes functional, colorful, and expressive everyday tableware and houseware ceramics.
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How has communication improved since you guys started working in clay together?
Julie: I feel we have more in common to talk about rather than, How was your day at work? Now we have something that we have in common that we can discuss in many different ways.
How do you maintain your individuality in your work?
Frank: Well for me the throwing has become a lot easier so the forms have really been what I have come up with but a lot of it is in conversation with Julie. What is working really well? What do you want to glaze? So a lot of times the forms are mine but I go to her for some inspiration about what should I be throwing right now?
Do you see each other’s influence in the making process? Like does Frank show up in your work? Do you show up in Frank’s work?
Yes, I think, I will see a color or a shape that I really like and then I will say, Okay Frank, now make this. Or I will see something he has glazed and it’s very structured and I will kind of take that idea and make it my own and make it looser.
What’s got you excited in the studio?
Frank: Just the making. Getting down into my studio every morning before school. Getting up super early to just put my hands in the clay and make. It’s the process, for me it’s the process.
What’s got you challenged in the studio right now?
Julie: Frustrated that I can’t center clay. One day I can do it and the next day I can’t. I am not going to give up.
Books
Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel
Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Contacthttps://frankkorb.com/korbpottery/Instagram: @korbpottery
Ike Lobel | Episode 1030
Ike Lobel is a Ceramics major at Suny New Paltz. Ike’s work focuses on the use of 3D printing in ceramics and the potential results of it. Ike has been working with clay for the past 16 years, in this time Ike has developed his style focusing on high precision and creating results that respect both the history of ceramics but also technological advances.
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Why 3D? What is the draw towards 3D?
I think it is something born inside me but I was watching Youtubers from when I was six building things with 3D printers with plastic. I think it just left something inside me and having my two worlds combine in printing clay it was just meant to be.
How does 3D printing lend itself to more creativity?
Well I have really bad handwriting. Most people cannot read it. And so being able to design something on a computer and then have it come into the real world is kind of magical and it’s nice that I do not have to worry about what my hands do and instead I can just worry about transmitting my brain to the computer and the 3D printer.
Do you see the irony of you pursuing 3D printing and you won a potter’s wheel?
Yeah, we’ve been thinking about this for awhile. My family is like, What are you doing with a potter’s wheel? I think it’s going to be co-ownership between me and my dad.
How does taking a break from ceramics help you be a better ceramicist in the future?
I think in school there is so much pressure for it to be graded and you are always trying to make work for your professors and that’s a lot of pressure and so I think taking a couple of years off and letting it reignite the love for ceramics could be amazing. And then I could start making ceramics for myself again instead of for a grade. I miss making mugs and stuff just so I could give them away.
What is the first thing you are going to do when you graduate?
I am graduating on the 19th and the first thing I am going to do as ironic as it sounds I am going to drive home and build a wheel. (laughter) I haven’t been home in five months so I am excited to go home and build that wheel.
Book
Advanced 3D Printing with Grasshopper by D. Diego Garcia Cuevas
Contact
Instagram: @ikes_pottery
NCECA is always a blast and has so much to see and do that it is completely impossible to show up and do it all. With that in mind, I tended to miss the annual NCECA Cup Show just because I was so busy doing other things. This was to be different… Not only did I add a cup to the show, I also attended and interviewed a number of people. Below are some pictures from day. Sorry, a couple are little blurry, but it gives you sense of the event. Included is a picture of the cup I added.
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Jody Lewis | Episode 1028
Born and raised in Alabama and Tennessee, Jody Lewis is a transplant to Canada. Having earned a bachelors in biology and a master’s in public health, Jody assumed that he didn’t have a single creative bone in his body. But things started to change for Jody when a friend showed him all the work she had in a pottery class and he knew he had to give it a shot. After talking a 10 week course, Jody was obsessed! Jody has since turned this new passion into a small business venture that is thriving.
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Do you have a making calendar for your year?
Yes, I have a few. I am not an organized person but I try to fake it as best I can and I just have to have physical things to write things out. So I do have calendars, I have a yearly over arching where I write in the month what I want to do in those months and then I have weekly where I go Monday through Friday what I am actually going to do. And then I do a daily. What are my todays tasks.
Could you do what you do and be profitable if you were willy nilly in your schedule?
Oh man, I hate to say no because I know some people are. But there is a practical side of my brain that I try to fight that with everything. A lot of potter friends who are willy nilly , I don’t know, we talk about this a lot because people think I am so organized. But it’s the only way I can function. I can’t see making your income year to year if you are just changing all the variables. You have to keep some variables the same to carry over to the following year.
How do you balance out your income when you come to months like January and February?
I think this is probably a good point to bring up my partner. She is great for me and the business, she’s a huge supporter. She is sort of the reason I started doing this and she encouraged me to do it. She has helped so much with this business so I am in a privileged position that the pottery doesn’t have to pay all of our bills so it allows a lot of freedom to be able to kind of structure the business.
Do you do things related to ceramics, like teaching or demos to make ends meet?
I do teach. I love teaching. I don’t have the space for it so I have to work with my local community studio to do classes. I want to do more classes but it’s such a high demand teaching wise. The teachers have been there many years teaching their classes. There is a bit of shortage of that. I know virtual classes is something else to do. So I don’t really do a whole lot of that but I would like to get into that more.
As a creative how do habits make you a better and more creative maker?
Yeah, so I think structure for a lot of people feels like boundaries and it feels like limitations of them, but for me structure allows more time for creativity. So if I don’t structure the things I need to do, like making mugs or glazing or going through the process, if I don’t stick with the basics then I won’t have the time to make vases or have the more creative time. I am not sure if that really makes sense but in my brain it is like, Yes that is exactly how I work. I don’t know if there is a better way to say it but structure makes me be a better creative.
Book
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Contact
goodwheelceramics.com
Instagram: @goodwheelceramics
Gerit Grimm | Episode 1027
Gerit Grimm and I sat down at NCECA to talk about her journey with clay. In our conversation we also talked about her moving from being a dreamer to being a doing. She gave us insights from the importance of dreaming to taking action on the dreams.
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Why is it important to dream?
There were seven years of my life where I didn’t dream. My dad died and I lost all my dreams. People may not know but for seven years I had such a heavy depression and actually following something bigger than life, like the sailing dream, out me back onto my feet. Because now I have goose bumps. I realize people get depressed because they underchallenge themselves.
Underchallenged.
And so when you are underchallenged you get depressed but when you follow big impossible assignments, and even failing and falling on your nose…when I posted I was afraid people would laugh but for me I wanted to fail big. So I realized that is the key to living is to not underchallenge yourself.
When you have a new vision for life or for your ceramics what are your first steps of trying to achieve it? Do you have a notebook or scrapbook that you write them down in?
I tried writing them down but it doesn’t work for me and what people suggested doesn’t work for me. I already heard from real big go getters that you don’t write it into your notebook, you write it on your calendar. And for me if I have an idea I just book the airplane ticket right then. Because you do it now or never. It goes away if you let it too long wait. I go to the studio if I have a vision and I try to make it. If I think too long about it I become hesitant and weak and then I don’t do it.
So it’s taking action that gives you the drive to do the next thing?
Oh my God, once you start you meet all these people who already started and you are like, What took me so long? Why did I waste seven years with depression? I think I got really slapped into my face in those seven years and now I have to make up for all the lost time I was a chicken, I was scared. Why would I be scared? I want to fail big at this point. Because I have only a few years left. I want to do it all.
Why do you think having the dream and taking action…why do you think that is such a great medicine for depression?
I don’t know. I experienced it. I experienced it and people are watching me and are like, Wow, you smile now. I don’t know, I guess it is because you really get to live what you were thinking as a child, you know? My dad always wanted to circumnavigate the world and he could never do it health wise and then he didn’t figure out how and I wanted to live it for him and I couldn’t figure it out and now I figured it out and now I got all the tools, you know. I got all the tools, I can do it now.
What about road blocks. When we have a dream things get in the way. How do we get around them or over them?
Little steps. Either we do it or time runs away. It’s hard to age too. I love that everyone around us ages the same. (laughter)
Who is a woman who inspires you to chase your dreams?
Well I don’t know enough about the sailing world but I know a bunch of artists in America. I would love to transform into them. Tip Toland. Cristina Cordova.
I also have two artists in Europe that I adore. I adore Margaret Cottach and Vally Viziltear. One Austrian and one Hungarian. They were not alive but I adore their work. They sculpted using the wheel and making
Book
Author: Tahlia Aghily
Contact
geritgrimm.com
Instagram: @pricelesssailing
Yael Braha | Episode 1026
Yael Braha is a ceramic artist of North African descent who applies her formal studies in Graphic Design (BA) and Cinema (MFA) to ceramics. In 2021 Yael received the Multicultural Fellowship Award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). Yael’s work has been exhibited in Museums and Art Galleries in the Usa and Japan, and is part of permanent collections in the Usa. Yael has been a Ceramic Artist in Residence in the United States (Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Starworks Ceramics) and in Japan.
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How would you define your work?
I would define my work like minimalist. Minimal ceramic objects for daily use with strong, bold surface pattern designs.
Who is your work for? When you are making who are you thinking of, or do you?
I don’t have a particular audience in mind. I have been advised a number of times to make the work that would please me and if I am passionate about it and if I love it then it would eventually transpire and please other people. So this is what I have been doing. Trying to design work that I am passionate about and see if that resonates with others.
Earlier in our conversation you talked about how when you go to shows and people are picking up your work you then know what they are responding to. That has to inform what you make next. How do you balance receiving information from your audience to still being able to make what you are passionate about?
I think when I was referring to that, what I noticed when I was in Japan people didn’t tend to gravitate towards my cup for some reason, In Japan there is a strong history of Yunomis so maybe my style of cup didn’t really resonate with that audience so I decided to focus on different forms , on vases. And just that decision influenced my work in that I dedicated a big chunk of time working on vases and those were amazingly received and now I am back in the United States and now I integrate those forms as part of my rotation of forms. as well as cups. I think the audience’s reception informs my work in a sense of which forms they gravitate toward rather than is going to change my work in substantial way, at this point.
So you are not changing your passion, so to speak, you’re responding through your passion of what they are responding to, then you are saying I will focus more on that or I will add that. Is that what I am hearing?
Beautifully put. Yes.
How would you define creativity?
That’s a big question. For me creativity is a way of life. It doesn’t end when I leave the studio or it doesn’t begin when I enter the studio. It is a continuous flow of inspiration and thought and process that happens on a daily basis. Whether being inspired by a conversation with people or the sight of a particular gesture of kindness from person to person, or a color, or a piece of work, or a sound, or a smell. I think if I try my best in the way that I approach life and be open to what happens even if I don’t necessarily know where I am going and trying to maintain that trajectory, but creativity I think is a way of life.
In three words what would you say is your favorite NCECA experience?
Talking to people.
Book
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Contact
ceramics.yaelbraha.com
Instagram: @yaelbraha.ceramics
Marko Biddle | Episode 1025
Marko Biddle, an artist/educator from Pittsburgh, PA, discovered his passion for ceramic arts at 15 through classes at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild. With over 20 years of art education experience, Marko now resides in Louisville, KY, teaching clay to students in grades 5-12.
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What is one the your favorite things you get to do at NCECA?
That’s a hard question honestly because every year, every conference, it’s different. So solving problems. Solving problems and getting things done for Josh so he doesn’t have to deal with those problems.
Which perennial shows do you want to see every year?
Sadly because I am so busy during the conference these last several years I don’t get to see many of the shows that are outside of the convention center. Like today we got to go for a short walk and see a few shows, I didn’t get to do that at all the last few years. So really if it’s not i the convention center I may not get to see them.
Because of the time schedule.
Correct.
You are a big foodie guy. Were does your love of food come from?
Well if I am spending all day making a plate I am not going to serve you a frozen pizza on that plate. So especially making functional pottery I feel like they go hand in hand. And also Josh has been a huge mentor of mine and that man can cook. Not many people know that and as a teenager he would have these big…he would bring in all these amazing artists and have these artists and big dinners at his house with fifty people and he would cook all this food. And working in restaurants throughout college and even after college and working in the service industry food is one of the best sensory experiences we have.
You are in your early forties, where does that drive come to still want to be a learner?
As an arts educator I have to model for my students all the time. An ideal situation they know how to make and they are making and I am making along side them. And I am always trying to do something new and something I have never done before just like I want to eat a food I have never had before. I am just curious and I want to explore and I try to model that to my students.
How do you define the word creativity?
To create you need imagination and you need to take action. You can’t just let those thoughts live in your head so to create anything you have to act. So you set a goal in your head, plan out how and what, act on that goal, and evaluate the results. Is this what I envisioned? Do I want to revisit? Do I want to explore further? So for me I always ask myself, What do I want? What am I doing? And do they match?
Book
Finding One’s Way with Clay by Paulus Berensohn
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Contact
markobiddle.com
Instagram: @markobiddleceramics
Louise Deroualle, Jessica Gardner, Bobby Scroggins, and Rebecca Hutchinson | Episode 1024
Louise Deroualle, Jessica Gardner, Paul Blais, Bobby Scroggins, and Rebecca Hutchinson
This is a recording from NCECA 2024 of a panel called Clay Doctors. It was recorded by Clay Collier, organized by Ben Carter, and co-produced by NCECA. The session was led by the audience who asked questions directed to a panel of experts: Louise Deroualle, Jessica Gardner, Bobby Scroggins, and Rebecca Hutchinson.
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Louise Deroualle
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Jessica Gardner
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Bobby Scroggins
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Rebecca Hutchison
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Sarah Kaye | Episode 1023
Sarah Kaye has always been drawn to the tactile world of 3D creation. Fond memories of her mum’s homemade play-dough and her insistence on clay projects in art class foreshadowed her future path. Sarah studied Product Design at Parsons School of Design and dug deeply into her minor in Ceramic for Industrial Production under the guidance of Marek Cecula. However, recognizing the practicalities of life after graduation, Sarah ventured into advertising as a Strategic Planner, where she discovered unexpected parallels of the design process and understanding consumer behavior – thinking about product use and the consumer’s experince of them. In Seattle, Sarah was accepted to the two year Pottery Northwest residency program, the last group of residents to be guided by the delight that is Wally Bivens. Starbucks recruited Sarah for a project while still in the program there, as did a local espresso machine manufacturer. Twelves years later, SKaye Ceramics is based in Seattle’s Georgetown and Sarah has close ties to the coffee community who have been the patron saints of her small business.SPONSORS
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Why is a pat on the back like what Starbucks gave you so important to us?
Oh boy, this is a big test, this question. I think we are human creatures and we seek affirmation from others. I learned recently that the way we learned to speak is that we watch our parents using words and then we say a word, like mama or bus, and we are rewarded for it. Yes, mama! Right? Like the reward that we give children when we say a word that we recognize and we are built to become reward seekers as we engage with the world.
Why do you think the doors opened so widely for you after that?
That’s a really humbling question, Paul. I think that we have to believe and trust ourselves. And we have to believe and trust our path. And if we do that the doors open. And I am so aware that that is speaking from extreme privilege. But I think a big part of success is trust and faith that you are on the right path. And so to begin is to have the universe come with the solutions that you need.
How do you keep your creativity so upfront?
I think by having boundaries. I think it is counterintuitive. And for someone who has no kids this is crazy thing to say but if you give kids rules they behave better. Three of my references have been around children. But if you give kids rules they behave better. Right? If you give yourself boundaries you open up possibilities to creativity. So you are free to create.
What does your typical work week look like?
Monday to Friday. And I put in a seven to eight hour day every day during regular times. If I have a show coming up, a festival, or if it’s December it will 12 to 16 hour days in the studio. but it’s a full time job.
What is your favorite part of the making process?
Probably the bisque stage. My favorite part of the making process, there’s just something delightful about the bisque stage where it is so full of promise and nothing has gone wonky in the glaze fire and everything looks like it could be perfect and you know there’s going to be seconds in there. But that bisque is a really good phase.
What would be your dream place to live?
Am I creating a fantasy land where I get to have everyone I love in one city?
You can do that, yes!
The favorite place I have ever lived is Melbourne, Australia. It’s just perfect. Don’t all move there because that’s part of what’s perfect. But, you know. I don’t have my family there and I desperately miss Europe living here in the States. I go home to Europe and I feel home. I am English so it can be London or it can be Paris where I spent a ton of time growing up. It can be Italy which feels like a second home to me. So I don’t know how to answer that in other to say, yes. (laughter)
Book
After the Fire a Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld
Contact
skayeceramics.com
Instagram: @skayegram
Heather Knight | Episode 1022
Heather Knight opened Element Clay Studio in Asheville, NC in 2007, after running a retail studio in Asheville’s popular River Arts District, Heather moved her growing family to Savannah, Georgia.Though the business has grown greatly over the years, the backbone of the studio has remained the same. Heather is committed to remaining a craft based business, and all of the porcelain dishes, tiles, vases, and decorative objects are 100% handmade and don’t use any means of mass production. Adhering to these values allows Element Clay Studio to continue to produce only the finest, heirloom quality work. Heather’s work has been featured in many art & design publications, including Interior Design, Elle Decoration, Rue Magazine and American Craft. She works with designers across the globe to place custom art installations, and provides custom tableware for celebrity chefs like Eric Ripert, Jose Andres and Gordon Ramsey.
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When you are looking at your vision board does it help you see the future of your work?
Yes, I think it helps me look over and see all the things that I am drawn to and brings them all together. It’s really hard to explain. (laughter) I wish I could show you a picture of it. But yeah, color palette, things that inspire me, spaces that inspire me, photography, and the way that people shoot their own work. Just lots of different things that kind of gives me a cohesive direction.
When you are feeling a little jumbled in your mind does it help you to glance at that and bring clarity to the direction?
Yeah, I don’t reference it all the time. If I need a place to start a lot of the time I will go…like I love Pinterest and I will go and research and comb through imagery and look for what sparks my interest and then find a theme. I pick what sparks interest and I follow it and pay attention.
Do you have a physical vision board and also a digital one like Pinterest?
Yes.
Heather’s Vision Board
Tell me hope those two interact with each other.
In Pinterest everything is in a little file. Like I might have all plant imagery or I might be looking at vases or bowls. It is all in kind of different files and the big board in my studio is a culmination of all that.
Is your physical board collage oriented and sporadic and messy?
It’s organized chaos. I just try and arrange it beautifully. (laughter) It makes me happy when I look at it. Everything is just kind of living there together and arranged nicely. I like to be able to look over and have something tangible vs something that is living on my phone or computer.
How often are you adding a subtracting from your board to keep it up to date and keep it inspirational?
I haven’t actually updated it in awhile and that kind of tells me that it is right. (laughter) I am still drawing from the same things and I haven’t felt the need to edit it in a long time. I kind of have hit this moment where I understand what I am trying to do.
For you which is better the physical board or the digital board?
I thin it just depends on what I am trying to do . I like have the culmination of the entirety of my visual labor on that board. So it’s nice to be able to see it all together. They are just two very different things. When I am looking at my phone I am looking for a jumping off point, you know.
What has you really excited right now about what you are making?
I think I am taking a big creative leap right now. I don’t know if anyone else is noticing but I am making much larger pieces and they are getting a little weirder and drawing on a lot of succulents and Fibonacci. So really kind of pumped to be loosening my grip and working with kind of broader strokes if you will. And seeing where that whole process takes me.
Book
Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday
Contact
elementclaystudio.com
Instagram: @elementclaystudio
Trevor Youngberg | Episode 1021
This is Trevor Youngberg’s second episode on The Potters Cast. Trevor is a high school ceramics teacher and practicing wood-fire potter. Guided by a mindset that is focused on growth, discovery and creativity; Trevor finds that practicing wood-firing enriches every facet of his life.
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What is your favorite part of the wood firing process?
I would say my favorite part of the wood firing process for me is the final loading day. We finished our making cycle and all the hopes and mysterious quality of what is to come is live in the air.
What was your favorite thing about planning a wood fire conference?
My favorite part of the planning process would have been the opportunity to reach out to host kiln owners and develop that relationship because in the process of them deciding to join in I found that this idea was taking on a life of it’s own already.
What was the most challenging part of planning a conference?
The technological side. Thank goodness for google contacts. Just getting the message out to folks without sending them too much information too often.
Now the conference is underway and you are in the middle of it. What is your favorite part of the conference?
It was the pottery tailgate the next day because we had the dinner the night before and people had hung around the peak temperature of the firing but it was just seeing people re-connecting and actual friendships congealing and the pots to prove it. Not just the experiences but the outcome was there to be compared with that.
What was the most challenging part of the conference being in the middle of it?
It was probably in the day leading up to the conference and everything was happening the next day. We had a gallery to install, work to unpack and all the details in getting the gallery set up and ready to go. I was also making all the custom wood pedestals for each piece so it got to be a little much because a firing was going on at the same time as well.
What is one thing you would like to see done a little better at your next conference?
Well I think the thing that I could do that could improve the whole experience would be reaching out to others for help and finding ways to work with others so the overall experience is better, not just for myself, but for the conference participants and the host kiln owners.
Book
Grant by Rob Chernow
Contact
New England Wood Fire Conference
trevoryoungberg.com
Instagram: @trevoryoungberg
Rachel Vitko | Episode 1020
Rachel Vitko discovered ceramics early on in Highschool where she was introduced to wheel throwing and surface decoration, combining her two loves of illustration and clay. For college Rachel went to MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art and Design) to further her illustration and explore graphic design. Rachel now pulls from those skills when creating her whimsical but functional pieces. Rachel currently resides in her home studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Do you respond to that spike, that increased interest, that request, or do you not respond to it and do my own thing? As an artist is that an ethical question to respond or not respond?
I am sure it’s just personal however somebody feels about that. I feel a part of why I love it and what I do is spreading joy. And so when people find joy in something I certainly like to explore that more, yes.
I have heard that art should be for the creator first and then the audience. How do you respond to that?
Again I feel like it should be a personal thing. If that is the way you feel I don’t see anything wrong with that. But I also, if you are a working artist you need to pay those bills there needs to be a balance. I think it can be somewhere in between.
Is there such a thing as etiquette for the audience?
in their response to your work?
Yes, and how they approach coming to you…can you do this? Can you do that? Should there be an etiquette for that?
I would just say manners. (laughter) Honest to God. I choose. it either resonates with me or it doesn’t. But also manners. Most of the time it’s been really, really nice people. and I take note. I take note of it but I don’t necessarily react on it all the time.
How do you find a new audience?
I think that is an ongoing thing throughout your career is that you do have to revisit that often. And I think you don’t throw all your eggs in one basket. Covid changed things and all my eggs went into Instagram and so I sort of fed that machine. And then now things are open you do shows, you do galleries, you look for more places to sell your work. You sort of open those doors for new possibilities. You just sometimes have to take a leap, you know?
Can marketing be a form of art also for you?
I think if you really love it and enjoy it, it could be. For me it’s not. (laughter) I suppose Instagram is in the sense of the photographs I take is sort of another artform in itself. And that I enjoy. That’s nice. Once Instagram turned into TikTok videos with your art, I am not really into feeding that machine.
What is something that you have been working on in the studio that you have never shared with the world?
To be honest I think I eventually share most of it. Because, why not? That is part of the taking chances, you can put things out there and a response can give you direction sometimes. Maybe I should explore this further.
Book
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Contact
etsy: RachelVitkoPottery
Instagram: @rachelvitko
Ellen Duvall | Episode 1019
As an avid gardener, flora and fauna serve as the main source of inspiration for Ellen Duvall’s explorations in surface design. Beneath a layer of vibrant color, Ellen illustrated functional ware also weaves in personal narrative, finding parallels between the natural world and the human experience. Following a long career as an art educator in public schools, Ellen now works as a full-time ceramic artist in her home studio located outside Austin, Texas.
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Why is it important to you to have a background story to the work that you are presenting to the world?
because I think the reason I make is to process all of that. That’s my reason for making is because it is healing. This has been the reason I started because I needed this healthy outlet for myself and I think that it helps me process the emotions. Because it is layered with these moments of joy it also keeps this perspective in balance for me. The process itself is very calming and it centers me.
Why is your color pallet so vibrant and happy?
I am just drawn to those vibrant colors and they do evoke joy in me when I see them in my work and other’s work. But it’s also evoking this joy in my garden, when you are walking past and you see these bright moments of color when you realize something has bloomed it’s like this endorphin release and it is just this moment of joy. And I think I am not only bringing joy to myself through this process and healing and working through big emotions and finding joy in the process itself and sharing the process and connecting with others, but i really appreciate when people receive my work that they find it joyful and there is something about bright colors that do evoke joy.
What kind of feelings do you want them to have as they use your work?
Well I think people, based on their own personal experience are going to interpret the work and make their own connections their way. It may remind them of somebody in their family or maybe they are a gardener or they are just drawn to the colors. But I do want them to have a appreciation for the work that’s gone into it because there is just something really sacred about using something that has been built by hand by someone, created from their hands and their heart.
I noticed your work is sold out on your website. Do you ever feel the pressure of needing to make more work and fill the shelves?
Absolutely. Absolutely and my process is inherently very slow and because also in ceramics often things don’t go as planned. With ceramics you can make a mistake at any point. There’s always this potential for failure. A little crack in the handle, the glaze inside doesn’t do well, it might have a chip, there’s so many elements that have to come together beautifully for the piece to come out. So there is a pressure because you are inherently going to make mistakes and I am still learning and working through creative ideas.
How often do you like to do a shop update?
I would love to do them every two months but it’s realistically about every three months for me because i am constantly trying new clays and trying new things. And honestly to I have been struggling myself with time management and I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, at the age of 44 , and that can impact your ability to stay organized and manage time and plan and focus. Basically it means that my brain is wired differently, I am neurodivergent so there are challenges that come with that. So I would like to be producing more and that is a little bit of a challenge. Getting the diagnosis gave me some tools to help me moving forward with selling my ceramics. So I a hope that they will be more frequent with time and experience as I am navigating this new world.
Is there a project that you are currently working on that you have not shared with the world yet? And if yes, what is it?
So I have some ideas in the works. With surface I have several different techniques that I would like to explore. I am wanting to do underglaze slip transfer. One thing about the stencils while they give me a beautiful, bold line quality I wonder sometimes are they too rigid for such an organic subject matter. So I am wondering about different ways that are kind of more organic and natural to get my drawing to the surface. They other thing is I wan to revisit sculpture which first got me started with clay.
Books
The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
Contact
ellencduvallceramics.com
Instagram: @ellencduvall
Toprak Sencer | Episode 1018
Toprak Sencer is a ceramist living in the Aegean region of Turkey, specializing in primitive ceramic methods. Toprak is recognized as a pottery artist by the Turkish Ministry of Culture. Toprak aims to popularize the primitive methods of pottery.
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How would you define creativity?
That is a really good question. I define creativity as a gift from God.
Ceramics are readily available and mass produced today, from your perspective why does handmade pottery still matter today?
It still matters because handmade pottery has soul inside. It has some unique patterns and unique textures and unique colors and unique shapes. It’s not supposed to be an industrial product. It’s a unique product. And each handmade product is unique.
Why is primitive pottery important today?
Primitive pottery is important today because if I don’t light the fire it is going to be
Why is it important to keep the old firing methods alive?
It is important because lots of ceramic studios, modern ceramic studios…primitive is important because it is accessed. And I don’t want to give it to nothing. I want to hold in my hands. Industrial ceramics, each one look similar. I want to make it a unique way.
What do you want people to feel or experience when they are eating out of your bowl or drinking out of your cup?
My primitive work is not supposed to be food safe. For example if I use some glazes, ash glazes, it will be food safe, but I just make unique artworks and I seal it with bees wax and or sometimes I seal it with rice starch. This is an ancient technique.
What is your favorite piece to make?
My favorite piece to make…I can’t limit it to just one piece. I love improvising and sometimes I don’t think, I just make it from my imagination.
So you can’t name just one piece? (laughter)
If I name one piece I will name it back to the roots.
Book
Google Scholar
Contact
sencerdesign.com
Instagram: @topraksencer
Matthew Raw | Episode 1016
Matthew Raw’s work uses clay to explore community, language, and social history. With a particular focus on ceramic tiles, Matthew often involve social making, and attempts to strike a balance between the historical and future. Matthew has shown and installed work across the United Kingdom, in the United States, and throughout Europe. Matthew’s practice exists between galleries, museums, the public realm, interior design, residencies, and education establishments.
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Do you feel like there is a difference between craftmanship and artistry?
For a long time in Britain, I don’t know about the States, there was or there is conversation about the difference between craft and art. I remember first hearing it and not being interested and now I’m still not interested because I feel like it’s categorization and for the sake of I don’t know what. And I guess I enjoy my work being seen and moving between worlds whether that’s interior design, architecture, in a gallery, in an exhibition with fantastically skilled people whether they are crafts people or artists. So I don’t mean to sound blasé but it essentially doesn’t concern me.
Do you think it is the idea behind the work that changes the outcome?
Maybe. But I think it’s difficult because in the….there shouldn’t be a hierarchy essentially between art and craft, so if I were to say to someone my work is ideas led, which it is. It genuinely starts with an idea and then it’s how to express that idea. It’s just that I love working with clay and I feel that clay is the medium that I can do that with. Some people would say you are limiting yourself saying you only work with one material, but I have that connection and that’s how I do it. By me saying it’s ideas led I am not trying to elevate anything. I am just saying when I was at school instead of going into the workshop and playing around with material until an idea came I would go into the workshop thinking, I want to talk about the asylum process in Britain through the medium of clay. and then I would have to work it out.
Does that suggest that you have responded to the market?
It’s always nice when somebody wants your work and likes your work. It’s nice when someone like yourself says, That piece of furniture is absolutely beautiful. And I think That’s fine but what about my piece from three years ago. I am at peace with it now. I think I did respond to the market but I think I also responded to my being a dad as well.
Do you find it difficult to be self promoting?
I find it difficult to find the time to self promote, yes.
That’s a funny way to answer, you are saying, find the time and I am asking about the emotional weight that comes with it. So that’s not a difficulty for you then?
No, I like talking about my work because if I am talking about my work I am probably talking to someone interesting in an interesting place and learning about them and learning about our world or a different world. I like the butterflies and the nervousness and that chance and if that’s me talking about my work then I am happy to do that. But I do struggle to prioritize it and when I need help I get help with it.
Do you find difficulty living a life that has unpredictable income?
No, because that’s how I grew up. And no because I can. I have always been freelance and you have to back yourself in order to manage projects. It’s strange, it’s a global financial thing at the moment but I am having to hustle in a way that I didn’t have to a few years ago.
How are you helping to build the world?
I like the idea that I have a few murals out there. Furniture is going to be in people’s homes and that’s fine and hopefully they are going to enjoy those pieces but murals for the public really excite me because you are out there and you are open to scrutiny and you’ve got to get it right. But it’s an artwork so not everyone is going to like it. So I think if the ideas are good behind it and you have explored the area and who’s it for essentially, I like that challenge. And I like those pieces being out there. And I think I am excited to make more pieces and hopefully better pieces. But that is not changing the world, but they are in the world.
Book
Humanise by Thomas Heatherwick
Contact
mattrawworksinclay.com
Instagram: @mattrawworksinclay
Russell Kingston | Episode 1015
Russell Kingston’s work is deeply rooted in the North Devon Slipware and country pottery traditions and I hope to make Contemporary Slipware that has a good anchor in tradition, Marrying old techniques with newer ones, the goal of Russel is to be moving forwards while always looking backwards.
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Is it possible to unplug when you are a small business, a maker, an accountant, a marketing guru and all the other projects. Is it possible to really get unplugged?
No is probably the answer to that. I mean if you are trying to please the algorithms you’ve got to do the things to make sure your thing gets spread out. I have started recently putting my phone on do not disturb while I am out with the pottery. Which is good because you don’t get any pings. But once you open it, it’s a can of worms.
So in order to be productive you have set some boundaries for your work time, is that accurate?
You have to, I think. I work with lists a lot. I give myself vague goals and if I have done them I cross them off my list. It’s pretty good isn’t it? Crossing something off the list. (laughter)
Do you have any boundaries like that for out of studio hours? Do you have a time frame to schedule non-studio necessities like Instagram and accounting etc.?
No, but I should. I feel like I am just learning how to navigate to work-life balance because it’s just a learning curve, isn’t it? It’s like how much of yourself do you want to give away? How much do you need to put effort in? And how much can you ignore if possible? Not to upset people, because you need the headspace.
Do you plan your week out and put your lists together so that you know what you are supposed to do to give yourself direction, purpose, productivity?
Yes, when I am being really productive, yes. Sometimes I don’t do that and then I just float around. I still make stuff but not in the same quantities, because you can procrastinate between every job. So if you have got a list and you have crammed in as much as you can do and you haven’t got time to procrastinate then you are doing that job and you are looking through the list and moving straight on to the next job, if you have given yourself not enough to do that’s when the procrastination kicks in.
How big of a stumbling block is tech for you in your studio or even in your private life?
I would say I can get by. But I would say it frustrates me sometimes because some things I don’t feel I should have to do. Like sometimes you have to send in photos to get into shows or whatever and they tell you they have to be in a certain size, so many pixels for this and that and I can’t be bothered to work out how to change that because why should I? It doesn’t matter. I can just send you the picture and you can sort it out.
Do you ever recruit other to help you be more productive?
I have thought about it, more so on the internet side of things. I don’t want anyone to make my work because i think they should be making their work, not my work. I would like to have an apprentice at some point but that would be to help them blossom as a maker not to help them make my work.
Outside from the studio and away from clay what is your best non-potting activity that you find restful?
I would say there’s two. Walking with the dog, love that. And I really like cooking. So that was half the reason why I started functional pottery because I like to cook and make tasty food because eating food is nice, isn’t it? And then you get to display it and celebrate that food.
Book
Pots in the Kitchen by Josie Walter
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Contact
russellkingstonceramics.co.uk
Instagram: @russellkingstonceramics
Jenna Collins | Episode 1014
Jenna Collins is a potter making a difference. Having lived a life that included a long struggle with drugs, Jenna eventually turned her life around. Jenna eventually used her story and clay as a way of helping others get their lives out of the same struggle.
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Do people on the street really change? Are you an exception?
No. With the right setting and whether it is medication and therapy or any kind of spiritual counseling I think that anybody can change. I think there just needs to be a right set of circumstances for that person.
Can something as simple and basic as clay really make a difference in a person’s life?
Absolutely. I have seen it work in hundreds of women’s lives. Ans whether it was their season to grow or their season to grow a radical change happened in them and maybe we don’t get to see it come to fruition but their was a change because they got to leave it in the clay.
What is one thing in the studio that has you excited right now?
I am teaching women how to use transfer rice papers and I know that sounds so silly but just getting to teach them and see their creativity come to life. So right now, I know it sounds silly because I know a lot of people listening have already done that but yeah, I am teaching them how to do rice paper transfers onto our pottery.
Is there something challenging or frustrating in your studio right now that you are not sure how to address yet?
Thankfully we have a 3200 piece order right now and just trying to get all the logistics to work to get it out without putting too much pressure on the women. But also making sure that it gets done by the time the people that ordered it need it. I think that’s always a thing, trying to let people know we can’t mass produce in droves so just always getting large projects done in a manner that the women don’t feel too pressured by it.
Have you ever seen someone come into the program that is too far gone, that there is just no hope for that person?
I like to think that anyone having living, breathing breath inside of their body, that there is hope for them. I have seen some women come in who may never mentally recover from some of the things and they may need constant care but that doesn’t mean that there’s not hope for them to live a better life than what they started with.
Where do you see yourself in five more years?
I could tell you what I think I could be doing in five more years but what God’s got me doing might be a different answer but if I had my wish I am really passionate about after care. Immediate care is so important and just is important is after care. We can teach these women all they want but are we going to continue not to just send them out into the world in two years when it took me ten years to learn how to live. But I think God has me exactly where he wants me. If he wants me to stay in pottery for another five years I would do it.
Book
Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr
Contact
prodigalpottery.com
Instagram: @prodigalpottery
Peter Eastwood | Episode 1013
Peter Eastwood is an artist who studied Ceramics at NSCAD University from 1992 – 1997. Peter found his passion for ceramics under the tutelage of Walter Ostrom and Neil Forrest. After graduating, Peter worked in Continuing Education at NSCAD while starting his own Web and Graphic Design company, Eastwood Design. In 2007, Peter left his job at NSCAD and starting working for himself exclusively. By the summer 2016, Peter starting longing for a more creative outlet in his life and made the decision to invest in his creative passion – ceramics. Ceramics is a life-giving and joy-filling pursuit that gives life.
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Is there a big ceramic community in your area?
Not really. It’s growing but I wouldn’t say it’s huge. We have a guild here so it’s hard to say whether it’s big or not because I don’t really know what to compare it to. I tis close knit and what we are really lacking is studio space and if people want to take pottery lessons it’s really hard to get in. It’s so competitive that you have to have lottery to even register.
How fun is it to work with your wife in the business and in making?
It’s very fun and I don’t know, there will be days when she has something else and she in not in the studio for the day and it’s not as fun working alone. I don’t love working alone so being able to work together is great.
Does your job require a strong work ethic?
Yes, I think anybody who runs their own business needs to have a strong work ethic and being in ceramics it’s imperative. You have to just keep making. Because you fail so much you’ve got to work really hard.
How do you keep your love for ceramics alive when the orders are driving your schedule?
I always try to be making something new, something different that is not for our regular product line. Because I am always thinking about something new to make. As kind of one of my downsides I would say I start too many things and I don’t finish enough things. So I am always starting something new. Getting it across the finish line is something my wife has to help me do. Always trying new things. Always keeping things fresh.
What does your work week look like in terms of hours in a day or in a week?
Oh, this is probably going to be embarrassing. Because both of us do it…we start work at 8 in the morning and we have to drive our daughter to high school so we miss a little time there but other than eating we probably work at least 12 maybe 14 hours a day. And if we are not working we do a lot of running. If we are not working in the studio we are probably running.
You are in your studio with your wife. Do you work with headphones on or do you work with music in the studio?
Oh this is funny. I do not work with headphones on. I prefer working in silence and my wife loves her podcasts. So I listen to a lot of podcasts but they are directed by her. She has a podcast on one hundred percent of the time.
Book
The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones
Contact
eastwoodpottery.com
Instagram: @eastwoodpottery
Jack Orgill | Episode 1012
Jack Orgill, originally from Salt Lace City, Utah, is currently living in Logan, Utah. Logan received his associates degree from Tacoma Community College. Jack is currently in his final semester of his BFA degree with an emphasis in ceramics. His passion is collecting clay from the wild and using it for his ceramics.
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If you are out in nature digging up clay do you need any kind of permit to do something liked that?
It usually varies state by state so look at your local regulations and laws. The general rule of thumb is that it is as much as is within reason. So that being said, under a five gallon bucket.
When you are out hunting for wild clay how do you know that the earth you are looking at is actually a clay substance?
There are many indicating factors to what clay is. The best example that I could give would be looking at drainage marks. Anywhere that you see poor drainage or a delta-like pattern forming is something that can potentially be plastic or usable.
At what point do you start to actually bring it to the kiln? Is there processing that it has to be sent through before it is kiln ready?
Some materials need pre-processing before they go int he kiln, like if they are too large or if they are just stone. And so it does vary by material, the best indicator is actually just doing a small test in your bisque kiln.
When you start to test your work do you break it after the firing to see what the core of the clay looks like?
You have to do a certain level of testing or a certain amount of tests post firing to test for absorption, to test for vitrification, another one of those important ones especially in iron bearing materials is carbon coring. So yes.
How do figure out what temperature you can push the clay to?
I would say it’s incremental testing. So going from the raw material to bisque, then breaking it, analysis, thinking about that. And then after bisque you could fire it to cone 6 and then do the same round of testing. After that I would say stoneware temperature, cone 9 or 10.
When testing clays like this is there are fire technique that works best? Wood, gas, electric?
I would say go with what you would be potentially be firing those materials in. The most important word of testing being safety of your equipment. So putting that in a slab or making sure if it does run that you are planning for that.
Do you ever have to add other materials to the clay to make it more usable?
The easiest answer would be to say yes. In my personal practice I would like to get to the point on using a hundred percent local material and by doing that I have to practice that principle. So you could add things, that’s not how I would operate for my practice.
When you finish school what do you plan on doing with your making in the future? Do you see yourself a wild clay maker?
Yeah, I do see myself as a wild clay maker. It’s a great dream for me to be able to use material thar is specific to a region or specific to a certain locality because it’s not something that could be necessarily be replicated anywhere else.
Book
The Creative Act By Rick Rubin
Contact
Instagram: @jackorgillceramics
Ed Doherty | Episode 963 Ed Doherty is a production potter currently living in New York State. Ed also spent […]
I Was In An Accident | Paul Blais
I was in an accident. Today’s episode is a bit of the story of what is going on with me. Sporting the pirate vibes
Missy Graff Ballone | Episode 961 SPONSORS You can help support the show! GRPotteryForms.com diamondcoretools.com […]
PJ Hargraves | Episode 960 PJ Hargraves is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is currently teaching, technician-ing, and maintaining an […]
Melissa Hyatt Foss | Episode 959 Melissa Hyatt Foss is an instrument-maker, musician, and educator. Melissa developed her career as […]
Brooke Knippa | Episode 958 Brooke Knippa is an avid maker and lover of nature. Brooke grew up on the […]
Sondra Elder | Episode 957 As a self-taught artist, Sondra was not able to truly devote time to her creative […]
John Tilton | Episode 956 John Tilton was a graduate student working toward a Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University […]
Denise Joyal | Episode 955 Kilnjoy Ceramics is owned and operated by Denise Joyal. Denise is the adjunct Professor of […]
Roy Minarai | Episode 954 Roy Minarai began experimenting with making glazes and soon found that he enjoyed the process […]
Jeanette Stevens | Episode 953 From a young age Jeanette Stevens’ infectious positivity and enthusiasm has been at the heart […]
Eric Ordway | Episode 952 Eric Ordway is a potter and teacher currently living and working in Columbia, MO. Eric […]
Harley Weigle | Episode 951 Harley Weigle is a Ceramic Artist and Art Educator interested in functional vessels as a […]
AnaLuz Sainz Rodriguez | Episode 950 AnaLuz Sainz Rodriguez was born in Michoacan in Mexico but now lives in Kalamazoo, […]
Miranda Trostle | Episode 949 After years of play and study with clay, Miranda Trostle founded Sego Lily Pottery in […]
Michal Karen Gelman | Episode 948 Michal Karen Gelman makes contemporary functional ceramic homeware. Michal finds herself drawn to the […]
Gabs Conway | Episode 947 Gabs Conway is a sculptural ceramic artist based in Missoula Montana. Having grown up in […]
Tanner Gerstburger | Episode 946 Ever since Tanner Gerstberger was young, he has had a yearning to create. Like many […]
Bebe Federmann | Episode 945 Bebe Federmann Designs specializes in functional ceramics that are made to be used, whether it […]
Jacques Monneraud | Episode 944 Jacques Monneraud is a studio potter based in the south west region of France. Jacques’ […]
Carly Slade | Episode 943 Carly Slade grew up in “Big sky” Alberta, Canada. Carly’s work is influenced by her […]
Kieu Tran | Episode 942 Kieu Tran was born in Can Tho, Vietnam and is a first generation Vietnamese American […]
Sue Pryke | Episode 941 Sue Pryke’s work is concerned with functionality and the exploration of tactile surfaces to create […]
Micah Schedler | Episode 940
Micah Schedler started his pottery journey with a simple desire to learn a skill and improve. As his skills grew and his hands got smarter, Micah started to care deeply about making “nice” pots; pots that are functionally sound with good proportions and surrounding all of those things, beautiful pots. Surrounded by incredible makers in Minnesota, Micah is lucky to land in such a rich pottery tradition rooted in functional and honest pottery. Now Micah is trying to make his own pots informed by that tradition. Right now Micah makes his wares in a renovated two car garage. He uses dark stoneware covered in white slip which helps to create some visual depth in an electric kiln. The slip brings folks into those moments of making with finger marks, drips and swipes. Joy permeates his work. Micah and his partner Emma have two small kids and live in Minnesota. He works 3 days as a Registered Nurse, a potter 2 days a week, and a tired, happy dad 7 days a week.
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What was the first weight that you placed on the pottery side of the teeter totter?
It was making the decision to end my 60 hour a week nurse manager position, which wasn’t giving me any life, and to step back to floor nursing and actually move to part time. It was making a big life choice like that.
Did you see an improvement when you did the addition of your website, coupled with social media, did you see an improvement in the growth of your balance there?
Yeah, it made it more comfortable certainly, knowing that I was actually selling work and getting folks to follow me. But it’s still not quite there. I can’t pay for daycare yet with my pottery money and that would be the end all deal. That’s when I would quit nursing, if I could pay for daycare.
Does the clay community give you the support that you need for your kind of work?
Yes, I have found that every person that I have asked, whether that’s in-person or online, if they are a potter they give me an answer. They give me a gracious answer, they give ma a good answer, there’s this sense that they want people to succeed. And I feel that all the time. It’s something that I want to give out to folks as well.
Does the freedom of having another job give you leverage that you don’t have to be successful on every single test you put out there?
Absolutely. It is the thing that keeps drawing me towards pottery is making that next pot that I love. And if I was making the same forms over and over and over, not only would it feel like a job, it just wouldn’t be exciting anymore. Some people can do it but I just can’t. I need to be growing, I need to be looking at the next thing, the scent that keeps pulling your closer, I just love that.
What goes up must come down and that is true for a teeter totter. What do you have in place to prepare for the down?
Do you mean when I am a full-time potter or when being a full-time potter doesn’t work?
Oh goodnight, it’s going to work. Your ceramics are telling me it’s going to work. But I’m just thinking about the seasonal ups and downs that come.
I don’t have anything in place yet. That has been the hardest thing for me, is to not assign my worth as a potter to sales and to not assign my worth as a human to how my pottery is going. So that is something that I am actively pursuing and actively figuring out. Tell you what, having kids helps because you can’t think about much else. But it is hard, really hard.
Let’s talk about planning. Do you have a date in the future that you say, By such ‘n such a date I will…..” ?
I don’t. I…my wife will tell you this too…I have a hard time planning two weeks ahead in my life. It’s just not how my brain works. But I am doing things now that hopefully will pay dividends in the future. Those things include a lot of my work right now that’s actually making money is commissions. So I am really open to big commissions. I’ve done a lot of dinnerware sets, ramen bowls, things like that. But those are the things that I am going to fall back doing to continue to grow. So as I am making the work that I want to make alongside that is this commission piece that I want to learn how to market more and make a more profitable part of my business.
Book
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
Contact
schedlerpottery.com
Instagram: @schedlerpottery
Eliana E. Rodriguez | Episode 939
Eliana E. Rodriguez is a Latina artist of color who creates pottery, prints and illustrations. Eliana has served as a Studio Assistant at the Penland School of Craft, and is a Speedball Demo Artist. Eliana has a clay and printmaking studio in Asheville, NC where she continues to make work.
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Tell me what your work week looks like.
So essentially I work mostly morning to afternoon, so midafternoon is usually the times when I try to schedule my studio times and for me studio times can look like I am working in the studio or I am answering emails or creating content for social media. So I usually try to stick to doing that in the afternoons right now.
Do you have a mentor or a group that help to hash things out? That helps you head towards the dream that you have?
I don’t have an in-person group in Asheville right now but I do connect with a lot of potters through social media and talking to them and getting advice and supporting each other really helps me in that way.
Do you have a marketing strategy for getting your work out there?
I don’t think that’s the best question for me. (laughter)
I would say my marketing strategy right now is just kind of do it all. I’m doing the Instagram thing, website, I just launched a Patreon, I am working on in-person pop ups. So just trying to diversify my reach and do it all if I can.
Where are you putting your pieces right now to make them available for the public?
Right now I am mostly working through my online shops. So I have a shop update and part of my studio space I have a wall space that can be reached by the public so I sometimes put some work on display there. So people can grab it, Venmo me, and be on their way.
You created your own link tree for your bio. Where did you come up with that idea?
I came up with that idea a little bit through my work. From my work I have done some website updating so when it came to creating on my own I wanted to have that link tree without having to pay for it and I wanted to be able to customize it to what my brand colors are. So through Squarespace I created my own site that has buttons and links and that way I can keep it all in one place for myself.
Who is your clay crush?
My clay crush is actually someone you have had on your podcast, Courtney Hassmann. I love their work. I am trying to get my hands on one of their pieces, but I am obsessed a little bit.
Book
Reclaim the Stars by Zoraida Cordova
Contact
elianaerodriguez.com
Instagram: @eliana_e_rodriguez
Amy Song | Episode 938
Amy Song is a ceramic artist working in Plainfield, IL. Amy holds a BA in studio art and ceramics from Hope College and fell in love with wood firing at Waubonsee Community College in 2013. In 2018, Amy founded River Song Pottery in Plano, IL. Since then, River Song has hosted its first workshops bringing nationally known potters to the area and is excited to be spreading the love of wood firing in the greater Chicago area. Amy is the lead organizer of the Northern IL Pottery tour, which was launched to celebrate and lift up the incredible work being created in the area.
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Can anyone put together a tour?
I think you would probably need to be somebody who is willing to take on a lot of different tasks and wear a lot of different hats. And to really enjoy marketing.
So is it the administrative skills you are kind of pointing to saying that is kind of a big need for this position?
Yes, I think the person in charge has to be really good at delegating in communication as well as seeing the big picture and figuring out what the priorities are. So that’s a pretty big task and probably requires a specific person who is motivated to take all of that on.
Does that mean you did a lot of delegating and asked the members to push some weight?
Yes, absolutely. It is a team effort so figuring out who is the best match for which ever tasks are on the to do list and what they can take on what they consider not to be their strengths, so that goes to other people. Also I am very grateful that folks on the tour have volunteered time to help with various tasks, like working on graphics with me for a dinner party.
How did you decide who could be a part of the tour?
So it has basically been talking with folks who have a home studio and will accommodate a tour stop. So a lot of it is stopping by the place, making sure that parking was good, restroom, things like that. And also geography makes a big difference. And then every single stop, then they have a lot of autonomy of who they invite. There’s some discussion where a lot of the times I was advocating for us to be considering diversity, not only of who we are inviting but also the diversity in the type of work. So some of it is cone 6, some of it is wood-fire, etc.
Do the hosts have the option to do things like live music, food, drinks, things like that to make it a little bit more enjoyable for the customers?
Absolutely. It’s pretty important to have some snacks and have some beverages and things to make it fun for everybody.
How far ahead of the event do you actually start advertising to get the general public coming in?
So aside from a general save the date that happens at the event the prior year, we really start to think about our list at the holidays. And we really want to know from our people three months ahead of time if it’s on their schedule and they are definitely in. And now we are starting to do some of the general advertising and in a few weeks we will start to really go deep with all the artists that are one the tour.
Book
Mastering Kilns and Firing by Lindsay Oesterritter
Contact
amysongceramics.com
Instagram: @amysongceramics
Benjamin Cahoon | Episode 937
Benjamin Cahoon is a ceramic artist and arts administrator based near Portland Oregon. While managing a studio and working in social media consulting/content creation, Benjamin has been professionally practicing art for over 10 years and teaching for 7. Benjamin’s practice contains atmospheric firing, large scale installations, conceptual sculpture, and illustration.
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Why is it important to keep your profile up to date on social media?
Absolutely. It’s important to have information that is update so that people are spending less time trying to understand what you do and more time enjoying what it is you are there to do. You know? Your job as a maker on social media isn’t to try to find your audience, it’s truly just to make the work and make sure all the things on your page point back to your work so that the people can find you, I would say.
Is it important to plan in advance what you are going to do with an app or some other way? Is it important to put your social media interactions in a schedule?
I think that a schedule would provide a lot of structure for people to be able to vamp and play around because once you have a set structure then the stress of not having that structure is taken away and there is a lot of energy that goes into stress. So when you are able to put that energy into what you like doing. making pots, you are going to be a much more efficient and happy person.
Is it better to have a diversity of platforms that you are on, just because any of them could change the rules of the game on you and you could be left out in the cold?
I am going to say yes with a whopping caveat. (laughter) Baseline, yes, having the same content on multiple platforms, say you have work on Instagram, Facebook Reels, Tik Tok, and YouTube shorts, but it’s the exact same content, you can be reaching four completely separate and equally as effective audiences with that same content. However the whopping caveat is you need to access your personal availability and capacity because if you do not feel you are able to keep up with four platforms or don’t want to invest the time and energy into those things then it will not add to you. It’s going to take away from yourself. So it really goes back to that stress is energy, you get to choose where to put your stress and where to put your energy.
Does it matter about frequency of posting on these platforms?
Yes, for those people who are listening who are looking for specific eureka moments from me this answer is going to be a little bit, meh. But that depends entirely on your audience. Each one of these platforms yields a completely different data base of people and so if you find you people are responding well on Fakebook and not on Tik Tok then pour your energy into Facebook.
Do we need to stress and make a perfect post or do we need to just make a post?
One hundred percent, just make a post. Vulnerability is absolutely the way to people’s hearts. Showing the true authenticity of the moment, of your pot, of your failures, of your successes, of the hardships, is how you are going to connect with people and show that you are a real person. Not one of the machines that is throwing pots. People want to connect with people on social media and not a product.
How does one go about doing a special promotion or sale like a mug sale?
Yeah, that’s a big one and it’s very fun and the whole thing is drumming up excitement and drumming up silliness and novelty of the event itself beforehand. And then making the process as easy as possible and as quick as possible for the user to look at a mug and say, I want that, and then give you the money. Absolutely that is the most important thing. You could have marketing skills, marketing skills, marketing skills, but if it’s hard for a person to buy your pot they might give up half way through. So make your process for the transaction as simple as possible.
Book
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Contact
benjamincahoon.com
Instagram: @benjamincahoon
Marissa Childers | Episode 936
Marissa Childers earned her BFA from the University of North Alabama, worked as a ceramic intern at Anderson Ranch Art Center, and completed her MFA at the University of Oklahoma. Marissa was an NCECA graduate fellowship recipient in 2020 and was chosen as one of Ceramics Monthly’s Emerging Artists of 2022.
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You said you made your ottoman without really being sure it would work. When should one take a chance without becoming reckless?
I think for me, when you are talking about taking chance you just want to make sure you are not being too crazy. I would not have just taken the piece there and thrown them together without any kind of knowledge of what I was doing. I think that is where working with my dad’s background helps. But it’s also if you are feeling a little bit too comfortable with things taking a little bit of risk I find very helpful within my process.
Do you ever struggle with Ah, it’s good enough. ?
I struggle with the other aspect of that where I think nothing is good enough. Which could be also dangerous. I think that you have got to find that happy medium of knowing when to stop nit picking something but also not just throwing pieces together and saying, Oh, this is good enough, I’m not worried about it.
You applied to be an emerging artists for NCECA and Ceramics Monthly, when you are putting yourself out there like that there are two things that are happening, you’ve got gumption but also you’ve got a certain sense that it’s okay to fail. Where does that grit come from?
Personally for me it helps with the way that I was brought up. I was always told that it is okay to fail. You are not going to learn as much if you get every thing every time you do it. Failure is very much something that I have sort of rooted in my process of it’s okay to fail, it’s not that big of a deal. And I think that for a lot of people the fear of failure is real. That is a big thing that you have to overcome.
Where did you get the impression or the idea that your voice matters?
That was a hard one. I feel like until this past year I didn’t feel like my voice mattered and that was what made grad school so hard for me. Not hard in the sense that I didn’t think I could do it but it was a struggle daily to kind of figure out what I was wanting to say, until I stopped and separated myself from that and starting thinking, No, what could my work be if this was like an extension of myself? And that kind of started helping me figure that out a little bit better.
How do you know which opportunities to pursue?
I am not sure if you know that right off the bat. I know right out of undergrad I applied for a lot of residencies and got nine rejection letters in the same week. So that brought me down to earth a little bit. But then it’s also I think I sort of had this feeling when I was finishing up grad school that I finally felt that I was in a place where I needed to be with my work. Things started feeling right and connecting and just clicking into place. And then that’s when I started applying to things.
In the future you said you may want to teach at the University level or maybe you want to chase down living off of your work. Elizabeth Gilbert talks about not putting that responsibility on the work. Do you feel that by teaching that takes the responsibility off of the making, off of the production process?
I think it does to an extent because you have that sort of fall back, you have that stable income. But for me it’s almost like I am not…if I am teaching constantly, I am not getting that quality time I want with clay and that time to just sit and reflect about what it is I am making. And so I think that it does help but it has its set backs as well if you want to look at it that way.
Book
Little Stories of Your Life by Laura Pashby
Contact
marissachilders.com
Instagram: @marissa_ceramics
Adam Meistrell | Episode 935
Adam Meistrell was born and raised in Naples, Florida. Adam’s first memories are of making art and traveling. After graduating from Penn State, Adam spent a few years seeking out adventure: driving to Alaska, jumping off cliffs in Italy, and surfing in Costa Rica. Adam earned his MFA from The Louisiana State University.
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Is there a difference between confidence and skill?
I think they’re hand in hand. The more skill you gain the more confidence you have. You just have to have enough confidence to overcome that inertia to start trying the skill.
Do you have a different teaching approach to be able to develop either one of those? To get the student to be more skilled or be more confident? Do you have approaches for those?
I think that comes from initial low entry point projects, where I get to evaluate students skills and abilities initially and then work with them individually to build their skills where they are needed.
How do you avoid having favorites?
Avoid having favorites? Well, I think people will joke with their kids, if their kid asks them who their favorite is they will say, You are my favorite right now. Whoever is asking the question, that’s fine. If your sibling asks the question, they are also my favorite. I think it’s always a challenge because you are always excited about something and you can always find something you are excited about. There do tend to be some students that have more times of excitement but there is always something to find that you are excited about with each student.
Do you find yourself having to make room for a chaotic or disrupted homelife?
Yes. There is always an understanding of there is life beyond the four walls of my classroom. And that can effect your motivation for today, I try to build that in to the length of my lessons and my overall projects and work with the students. I think it’s also time to give them the responsibility that they are to speak with me about what they need and we can have a conversation about moving forward together. Rather than me iron fisting saying, This is what it has to be and there’s no exceptions. So, I would rather it be a conversation.
I’m curious about that, it is a class and there is a grade that comes with it. So how do you keep a student motivated to get the job done but also to instill a love for the project?
I would say that is the million dollar question. There’s lots of challenges right now with kids addicted to social media and just not excited about your class or it may not be their first love. So there’s a variety of reasons that a student wouldn’t’ be excited about the initial project or anything. I think it’s just a lot of again, the communication, the showing the student that they are valuable and noticing them, talking with them, being willing to go to speak with them individually. That seems to go a long way.
When you are making what really gets you excited?
I think it’s discovery. If you look back at my work there’s similarities. Hopefully you can tell it’s all made by me, but it’s not all the same. You know, I try to get in there and discover something new or change something, adjust something, learn, discover. You know there’s a familiarity of the material and a familiarity of the some of the processes but how do I combine them to make something new for each time? How do I get excited about the studio?
Book
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Contact
adammeistrell.com
Instagram: @trekandtern
Justine Allison | Episode 934
Since leaving Camberwell College of Art in 1998 Justine Allison has been primarily working with hand-built porcelain. Justine’s work addresses the boundaries between function and decoration. Form is paramount; function is a driving motivation, but it is the aesthetics of a piece that are key to Justine’s making. The early influences from London; buildings, windows, streets and sounds remain with Justine although living in rural Wales.
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Do you see yourself as an artist or a craftsperson?
Both. It’s all one, I think. You need a bit of both.
Do you feel there’s a difference between the two?
Yes, I do. There’s definitely different approaches, there is, but I think everything has a thought and everything comes from somewhere and that’s why it is too close to call sometimes.
I would say your work is refined. Would you say that refined work raises the level from craft to art? Does that make sense?
It does make sense. I would hope not because I think there’s a place for everything and there’s a different use. That’s quite a trick one because I have a lot of mugs that I love using and they give me as much pleasure as something that I don’t use, in fact I probably get more pleasure from them.
Your work has striped patterns, how do you go about getting your stripes so fine and precise?
I do have a really steady hand. I use tiny strips of tape so it’s applied but it’s all done by eye and it’s all done by hand and the other ones are done with drawing.
Do you ever have to write sales copy for your work?
Yes, I do.
Does that come naturally or is it a struggle?
It can be a bit of a struggle. I think you feel as if you have to keep writing something new but my problem is because I am not a writer when I ‘ve written one good thing I think that still applies, so I know that I have to refresh it. I quite often start something and get in touch with some of my contemporaries and we will all have a look at it if it’s big.
Did you ever have a struggle finding a place for your work? Finding a home for your work?
What do you mean home?
An audience, people that actually take it into their lives.
I think it took a while for people because I wouldn’t say my work is easy work. People are intrigued by it but a lot of people are not sure where they are going to have it. So it does take somebody with a different vision, especially now because a lot of people think they have to have the space around for it, to enjoy it. I think with earlier pieces of work it was easier. It had more of a function.
Why ceramics? Why didn’t you chase down metal work or jewelry or why didn’t you chase down painting? What was it about ceramics that captured you?
I think I know the answer to that, my foundation, I had a go at metal work,
Book
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Contact
justineallison.com
Instagram: @justineallisonceramics
Robin Turnage | Episode 933
Robin Turnage is the host of the podcast, Potters of Color 2.0! Having been a listener of show, I was so excited to finally meet Robin in Cincinnati at NCECA. We sat down at the convention center in the food court area and had this conversation while conference goers were eating lunch all around us.
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If someone is working in the studio all by themselves how can someone get more involved in the community from your perspective?
I would say just try to widen your social sphere. Start with eye contact and good morning. That’s always nice and that could grown into a lot, you know. I don’t say be open with no boundaries. I say be open, know who you are, know who you are not, and if you feel like you want to offer some artistic activities to a person or people, I would say work with some senior citizens.
You are working with your high school alma mater. Does that require a degree or can you just come and volunteer?
Well here’s the first thing, I have no degree. I don’t need a degree to tell me that I am creative and communicative and a community person and able and willing. That piece of paper is wonderful if you got it, I am proud of you and I won’t say I don’t want one, I don’t see myself going into debt for something I am already doing.
So you can just straight up volunteer and that will work?
I mean, that will work to some extent. There is such a thing as a teaching artist. Of course you have to show up as an artist and have the work to prove it. A lot of times going to a community art center and doing great work, you’ll get recognized. Go ahead that join the student exhibit roster.
Your mentor, Mr. Leroy Johnson said to you, Give time for the kids to come and just hang out with you. What does that mean to you?
Well not just sit and let the kids hang out with me, like I said, I have a rapport with everybody in my neighborhood which starts out with, Good Morning. How are you doing? I don’t stand around and wait for a response. I am walking my dog and whoever I pass I say hello to them. And I don’t care if it’s something people popularly do or not. I am going to say good morning , good afternoon, or hello and after awhile people will say the same thing to you because they know that you speak. You build community one positive greeting at a time.
What’s your favorite piece to make?
I don’t have a favorite. I like throwing, I like hand-building, I like sculpture, like painting, I like silk-screening, I like doing indigenous techniques in pottery. I like all of it.
Do you have a favorite go-to tool you find yourself grabbing?
My fingers. My favorite tool. The help that I need is at the end of my arm.
What has been your favorite experience so far at NCECA?
Being with all of my housemates. Every Afro-American potter across the country, we’ve met up. Either at one of the houses, working with The Color Network, working with Kaabo Clay Collective. That is something that the great Osa Atoe created. Much respect to everybody stepping outside of what our pigeonholed nine to five lives are supposed to be and I am talking every artist in the universe.
Book
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Contact
Potters of Color 2.0 Podcast
Instagram: @potters_of_color_podcast
Tatyana Ahmed | Episode 932
Tatyana Ahmed is a Multicultural Fellow for NCECA. I am so thankful I got to meet Tatyana while I was at NCECA and we decided to meet at a coffee shop first thing in the morning… 7:30! The sun wasn’t even up yet! So we were a little groggy. A tea and coffee and a light pastry came to the rescue to give us the energy to have a coherent conversation. Tatyana is our first guest from Pakistan and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.
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What was the process like for applying for the fellowships? Was it simple, difficult, intimidating?
It was fairly simple. I think it was back in September or October when I applied for it, a very simple process. I filled out a form, I sent a couple of images of my work and then I forgot about it because there were thousands of people attending NCECA and there were thousands of people who apply for these, but I got lucky. I’m just so happy that I got it.
What is the commitment for fulfilling the fellowship? What do you have to do for the fellowship when you show up?
So basically they had us come here. this year I think there are 21 people who got the multicultural fellowship. There are actually a couple of different categories, there’s multicultural fellowship, there’s emerging artists category. This year they have started a couple of new categories as well. But it’s all about inclusiveness and bringing people from underrepresented communities together.
Now that you are a part of the fellowship how are you being represented by NCECA now?
So one of things that NCECA did for the fellowship recipients was they brought us here together and then they are arranging for tours to exhibitions. We got to meet Roberto Lugo and spend time with him and met him and yesterday we went to a couple of other galleries. We saw the work of the emerging artists this year, we saw their exhibition and not just their exhibition but the multicultural fellowship recipients from previous years. And I hope to apply for that next year so I can be part of that exhibition.
So this year you have no work on display but the hope is next year you will.
Correct. So this time we got to attend it and then for next year we will be eligible to apply for that.
What does this kind of support mean to you personally?
You know, I want to see more people from Pakistan. I actually don’t know anyone and if there is any potter from Pakistan please get in touch with me. I would love to connect.
Yes.
You know what. There are people from Egypt who are attending, there are people from The Philippines who are here, people from Iran who are here, and I would love to see more people from Pakistan to apply for this fellowship and to come. I don’t know a single potter from Pakistan in Austin. I have a lot of Indian friends but nobody from Pakistan. It means so much to me to be here. I don’t know, maybe I am the first Pakistanis that got this fellowship. I could be wrong. I just don’t know, but I would love to connect with them. And it just means so much to represent my country.
Where I come from I see a lot of “mes” walking around. What’s it like seeing another “me” or see a lack of “mes” there?
So to me there are people like me and there are potters from Pakistan but I think it’s all about putting yourself out there more. Right? And connecting more. This community is extremely welcoming so I would love to see more people come out and just connect.
What has been your favorite experience of NCECA?
Meeting Paul Blais. (laughter)
Get out of here. You have to say something real. (laughter)
I think it’s very difficult to just pinpoint to one thing. Because me first year, it was extremely overwhelming. There were so many things happening at the same time. But then the second day I came in much prepared and planned and I got to make such amazing connections from people that I look up to, people that I follow and I have been following for a long time. To see them, to talk to them, it’s just been amazing.
Book
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Contact
Instagram: @ikaihaus
Ben Clark | Episode 931
Ben Clark is the co-owner of Queen City Clay in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ben isn’t the founder of Queen City, but he is the buyer. In this conversation we talk about his journey with ceramics, Queen City Clay, and business ownership.
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Do you think you would be willing to start something like this from scratch or did buying the business make it less daunting?
I would absolutely start something from scratch and I think having all of the owners that I could watch beforehand and see what I liked and didn’t like about their process was a huge bonus but I don’t think it’s necessary. I think anyone can do this from scratch as long as they are driven and they are a people person.
You have a partner. Would you be willing to run a business like this without someone who has skin in the game with you?
No. I cannot do the money side and the people side and still be the positive person that I am. I would hate my life dealing with the money side all the time. It would be a soul crushing venture at that point and so I would say 100 percent I need the partner in this process.
Couldn’t you just hire that position out?
I could but the fact that I have 100 percent trust in my partner to have my best interest at heart, that is a hard thing to come by when you are just hiring someone to do that. I know people say don’t go into business with your friends but this scenario worked out so well that I would do it again and again and again. Just have a good contract.
Do you see other teaching studios as competition or as part of the community that you team up with?
I think there’s room especially in a community this size for several teaching studios to all work together and be successful. I think that every time you create an enemy and fight for the ground you are standing on you are failing to see the potential of a partnership. I always go for the partnership before trying to take a business down. It’s not who I am. I don’t like to work that way and I’ve seen it work over and over again where you create a partnership and everyone succeeds.
Do you ever struggle with that, not from your perspective, but people maybe bad-mouthing queen city?
Absolutely. And the way we deal with that is we look internally and we say, Are we succeeding with what we are doing and what we are good at? The answer is yes, so let’s continue to focus on that. It hasn’t hurt us in the past so let’s keep the process going. And that seems to be a great kind of guiding star, is just focus on what you are great at and keep that up and things will keep happening.
Do you look at the books at the end of the month and decide, Oh this is how much I have left over, therefore I get paid, or are you salaried and you get paid every week like everyone else in the company?
So the way we are set up we are salaried but at the end of the year or if it’s necessary, the middle of the year, for some life crisis or something we can take a distribution if needed. But for years we saved everything we could to make sure we had a giant buffer if there were any problems.
I know you have a long way to go before you retire but do you and your partner have an exit strategy planned for whatever reason?
We have hired and kept people that we hope will take over the business in the long term. My education director, our chief operating officer, those people are so invested in the business that we would love to see it go to them. And we would also would love for our kids to be a part of it if they chose that. So we have plans for both of those things and we would like those things to work together if possible.
Book
A Potters Workbook by Clary Illian
Contact
queencityclay.com
Instagram: @bcpottery
Instagram: @queencityclay
Michelle Gawedzki | Episode 930
Many wonderful things happen at NCECA! One of the events that is so amazing is the student pottery throwing contest that is sponsored by Skutt. Students compete for 3 days and the winner of each day wins $100 and then the three winners pieces are judged for the grand winner. The grand place winner is awarded a potters wheel. And Michelle Gawedzki was the grand prize winner!
Steven Hill with Michelle Gawedzki
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*these notes have been edited for ease of reading.
What was the drive like coming to NCECA with four friends all in the truck?
It’s honestly really, really fun. I actually drove us here. It was my friend’s truck but it’s listening to music, talking about everything we are so excited about. We were reading the program and talking about every exhibition we want ed to go to, every lecture, every demo. And talking about all the things we want to buy.
Did you end up going to any pop ups?
Pop ups, yes! We ended up going to a pop up on Wednesday and Thursday after the conference was over. We went to NKU for their pop up at their school. It was really nice actually, the Korean artists got together and had a show together. I was really inspired by their work because some of them were made by Sam Chung . I admire his work so much, it’s incredible.
How does it inspire to actually see the work in person as opposed to seeing it all on social media?
Oh wow! So in person I think it’s more like you’ve got to see it to believe it almost because on social media everything becomes 2D. And for me in my mind I think seeing it on social media yes, I can definitely be inspired and kind of imagine what it would be in real life but seeing it in real life I think it changes my perception of it in a good way because I see things I wasn’t able to see in the photograph and it makes me think about the whole process more. It makes me think about the glaze and how they sat there and decided each and every aspect of their piece and it really helps me to appreciate it better.
How do you think your work will change as a result of being at NCECA?
Oh yes! It will definitely change. I am very much still learning. I am early to this entire ceramics genre basically. I just changed majors not even two years ago and I believe being at NCECA and even the opportunity that I have here where I entered this competition I think this will forever impact me and change me and will help me explore my work and make my pieces exactly like me.
As a college student is it worth the expense to go to this conference?
Absolutely. We have no money. (laughter) We are so broke. Yes, so just even coming here and being able to see everything, it’s very much worth it. It’s not only being able to see it in real life, that is the biggest thing, but it’s meeting new people and making all the connections that you can, socializing with these people and you end up following them on social media and you can support them and grow the community that we already have. That’s pretty wonderful.
As a student how important are mentors who are doing the life that you are inspiring to?
I think it’s very important. These people that become mentors and they mentor other people, this impacts someone like me who is just starting. I am listening to these lectures from these people and just being under their wing, sort to say, is just so helpful beyond what people can think because you can get lost in your own head and you can go off on different tangents but once you see something that inspires you in another way, it almost opens another door to an entire universe you haven’t seen before.
Book
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Contact
Instagram: @michellesceramika
Brandon Christy | Episode 929
Brandon Christy is a studio potter living and working in Berea, KY. Brandon received his BFA in Ceramics from Western Kentucky University in 2002. After a 14-year hiatus from clay he started Bark Camp Pottery in 2016. Now Brandon makes intricately decorated wheel thrown handmade pottery.
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Tell me about your studio. Is it at your home or off site? Tell me where you actually make.
I have a home studio that me and my father-in-law built from the ground up to save money. In 2021 we started that and then in 4 weeks my 72 year old father-in-law and I had a 24 by 24 garage studio built, that’s 575 square feet and then there was an existing little shed that I turned into my kiln shed.
How did you optimize your space for making? Did you make stations?
Almost everything in the studio is on casters where I can move it around to different spots. I even put my wheels on casters so I can change its position throughout the entire studio. But I do have a glaze area that is in the back of the studio and you can go out the back door straight into the kiln shed. So everything kind of works its way around the wet area in the front, small office, photos, shipping, and then the back corner is kind of the mish mash of projects that I need to finish.
You have a station set up specifically for photos?
No, it shares my shipping area. It’s int he darkest corner of the studio. I have several windows in the studio so that was kind of my idea to keep it in the darkest area and keep as many reflections down as possible.
What do you do for lighting then?
I have a light stand that I have actually attached to the wall and I put my actually photo light on it and take it down every time I want to take photos.
You said everything is on casters including your wheels. Are they locking casters?
Yes, they are locking casters. I try to get the most stable heavy duty casters that I could find, that would work. So far they have worked quite well. There is a little wobble at really high speeds but I don’t pay attention to it. I got used to it after a little while and slowed down. Which was good because I needed to slow down.
Do you mix your own glazes?
For the majority I buy commercial glazes and mix them in five gallon buckets at a time.
So dry glazes.
Dry glazes and most of the glazes that I paint with are commercial glazes. There’s so many commercial glazes that are viable and useful it’s hard to pass up. I do love mixing glazes but it’s just not in the cards at the moment.
How do you keep the concrete floor clean?
I wish I did a better job of it. I am what they would consider a dirty potter. I need to mop more. But I have an air cleaner that I will run every once in a while. But mostly it’s just mopping.
Do you hose it out or squeegee it out?
I don’t. Unfortunately I wasn’t a great concrete person and I didn’t add water and I didn’t add a drain. So I just do a regular old mop and change the bucket of water out.
What’s the favorite family fun time for you all?
Probably hiking. We’ve got tons of great hiking trails nearby. Within a mile we can be on top of a small mountain from our house, it’s kind of great.
Book
Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
Contact
Etsy: @BarkCampPottery
Instagram: @barkcamppottery
NCECA 2023 | Episode 928
NCECA 2023 was a great year for the conference. It felt like the “good o’ days” of pre-covid conferences. And one of the things I really love about NCECA are the PopUps that occur that are sponsored by various potters. The events are always magnetic and full of great people and pots. This year was no different. I wasn’t able to make it to all the PopUps, but these were two excellent examples. Though the PopUps were pre-planned, these interviews were not. I showed up unannounced, pulled out my mic, and started asking questions.
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PJ Hargrave
Contact
pjhargraves.com
Instagram: @patgraves
Savanna LaBauve
Contact
savannalabauve.com
Instagram: @savannalabauve
Tuile Fionnuala
Contact
tuile-fionnuala.com
Instagram: @tuile_fionnuala
Claire McCauley
Contact
cmccauley.com
Instagram: @clayremccauley
Charlotte Grenier
Contact
charlottegrenier.com
Instagram: @ateliergrenier
Harley Weigle
Contact
harleyweigle.com
Instagram: @weigleceramics
Troy Bungart
Contact
troybungartstudios.com
Instagram: @troybungart
Amy Song
Contact
amysongceramics.com
Instagram: @amysongceramics
Rebecca Ickes Carra | Episode 927
When I was at NCECA a few weeks ago I was given the honor of interviewing Rebecca Ickes Carra of The Maker’s Playbook. In this conversation we talked about finding and keeping customers. Rebecca is a brilliant entrepreneur and has some amazing advice to share.
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Contact
makersplaybook.com
Instagram: @themakersplaybook
Cam Waller | Episode 926
Cam Waller is a Japan-based, Black American ceramicist interested in using craft and natural materials to subvert expectations and explore various themes, including communication, identity, and value systems. Cam received their MFA in Ceramics at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2022 and is currently pursuing their Ph.D.
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How difficult was it for you to prepare for that time commitment of your graduate program?
So I knew I would be coming over here for at least three years and I think a big factor that helped me prepare for that was just having support and knowing that when I got here that was what I really wanted to focus on. Beyond that I just happened to be the type of person who gets super, super into whatever it is that I am invested in. So being able to spend that much time focused on things felt like a privilege.
What’s one thing that family and friends can do to support you when they are not there?
I really think just knowing that they would be here if they could. Knowing that they are proud of me and when I disappear for weeks on end knowing that they will still be there to receive me when I do get in touch again. I tend to be the type that goes into what I call survival mode where I am super, super laser focused and I can shut out of everything and everyone and they people who I know are still going to be there for me when I come out of that have helped me get through.
You mentioned that you are the type of person who gets really into what you are doing. Do you ever get burned out?
I absolutely do get burned out. I tend towards pushing myself too far and I tend to set myself up in routines that kind of allow me to go on autopilot for most things so I can invest all of mental and physical energy into whatever it is I am focused on. Which of course has been ceramics for the past few years. But I did go too far and made myself sick during my graduate program and I do not recommend that. I think that we all need to recognize, particularly doing work that is so physical, that we do need to make sure we are looking out for ourselves that we can continue to do what we do.
You can’t do everything so how do you stay focused when there are so many shiny objects?
So when I struggle to figure out exactly what it is that I want to focus on, to be honest, sometimes I just go with that. You know, particularly and for sure in my PhD, I started doing photography and performance and exploring all these other things and they still all kind of ended up bring me back to deepening my ceramic practice in some way. And so what I have tried to do is to not sure out those impulses when I am really, really interested in a lot of things because that tends to happen. I kind of let it come in and filter through because if I try to ignore it it’s just going to distract me that much more. Letting it in allows me to invest in whatever amount of time or effort it’s going to need and that really has helped me hone in my focus a lot more as apposed to trying to force myself to be entirely focused on one thing.
Is it critical. especially someone in your circumstances, but just to have someone that you can go to and say, Help!?
Yeah, I think that that is really important. I tend to be, like I am an introvert and I am generally pretty comfortable with solitude. So I often fold into myself when things get hard, but the more I have done that, especially being over here, the more I’ve recognized how important my people are and how much I need them and how human it is to accept that and to lean on each other when we need to. Yeah, having someone that I can say, I am not okay right now, please help me, is important.
Book
Brown Enough by Christopher Rivas
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
The Good Enough Life by Avram Alpert
Contact
Instagram: @gnomadink
Alex Olson | Episode 925
Alex Olson makes pottery and works as a freelance photographer in Brooklyn, New York. Alex fires most of his faceted and textured functional pots in wood and soda kilns. Alex studied studio art at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he focused on ceramics, photography, and woodworking.
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This interview was edited for ease in reading. Extended version is on our podcast.
Is it important at least in these early stages to have varied income? To have different sources for money to be coming in to your life?
Yes, right now having a variety of sources of income is definitely important. I mostly do pottery but also some freelance work, websites, photography, videography, and having those alternate income sources allow me to both have more consistency with the money I am making but also there is more variety day to day, week to week. And that helps put less of a strain on my body because as we all know pottery can be taxing on the body.
I think you said, Life is real. You’ve got real expenses and there’s a reality that comes with trying to live the artist’s lifestyle. Is it good to have kind of have those “reality checks” that you’ve got real responsibilities that have to be dealt with?
Absolutely. I think it’s important before diving into a creative life, kind of have a little bit of a road map as to how you want to pursue what you want to pursue. And I think it’s important to recognize that it may not look like pottery one hundred percent of the time right away. It could be that you have a part time job in addition to what you are doing creatively. You might have a full time job at first. I think those reality checks, being honest with yourself about the cost of living, whatever you are doing has to be at least sustainable in the short term.
Do you have a monthly budget that you live in, a plan for how the money is going to be spent?
I do have a rough plan based on what my expenses were in previous months and obviously that varies depending on where you are living and what sort of lifestyle you live, and what your income sources are. But I think having at least some sort of budget definitely helps especially in a place where the overhead is very high.
Where do you sell your work?
I sell my work mostly on my website. But I also have my work in a couple of galleries and juried shows every couple of months. And I also do some wholesale work with a couple of tea shops.
Do you have to budget your time also to provide for those various outlets?
Yes, there is a good amount of planning that goes into creating work for those different avenues of sale. I, again, mostly sell my work through my website but when I am delivering work to galleries I definitely have deadlines on the calendar and sort of work back from there to make sure I have work that is ready. And with the wholesale work I do I shop a batch of tea bowls every month, so typically at the beginning of the month I start making those and I make sure that by the end of the month I can ship at least twenty-four to thirty-six pieces to a given tea house.
What would your next dream chapter look like?
I definitely like the idea of going to graduate school to both learn more professional skills related to pursing a creative career but also continuing to develop my knowledge of pottery, of how wood firing and other atmospheric firing methods work. And I think a graduate program would also help further my eventual goal of potentially having a property one day with a wood kiln or a soda kiln and having my own studio.
Book
Wintering by Katherine May
Wild Clay by Matt Levy, Trakuro Shibata, and Hitomi Shibata
Contact
alexolsonarts.com
Instagram: @alex.olson.arts
Matt Robinson | Episode 924
Matt Robinson’s love of yoga leads to his introduction to clay. A friend and fellow yogi (who has a BFA in ceramics) teaches wheel-throwing classes at a local community studio. After hearing her mention it off-hand at the yoga studio over the years, Matt was finally intrigued enough to give it a shot in 2019. It was love at first spin! A few years later, now with a tiny basement laundry room/pottery studio combo, Matt still finds ceramics just as intriguing and delightful.
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This interview has been edited for ease of reading
A lot of your reels are of you sitting at your wheel. Do you look for ideas on how to make it more interesting by taking ideas from other makers? Tell me your process for how you get your idea for a piece.
Yes, a little bit for sure. I will definitely give a shout out to Matthew Kelly Pottery. He makes some amazing reels. He is actually a talented videographer I would say. He does some serious reels where he will play with the speed, like speed things up and slow it down. He comes up with some really cool, really creative stuff. And there’s definitely been some others that I can’t think of off the top of my head but yes, for sure, I am inspired by other content. And not necessarily other ceramicists because I follow other accounts from other realms in the art world as well.
Do you ever cross pollinate between TikTok and Instagram?
I do not have the TikTok app downloaded. I’ve never been on it. So no, yeah, I have no idea.
Do you find the music component to be a big part of it? Is that a big component for you finding the right music?
First of all, I only use music that is noted as trending. It has the little up arrow that is in the shape of a little lighting bolt and that definitely makes a difference. The algorithm has an internal bias towards stuff that uses audio that tons of other people are using at the same time. I never use any audio that is just like, Oh I love this song, I am going to search for it and pick it. Very, very early on I used to do that, and that’s great to do if you like to do that but if you are specifically trying to grow, the trending audio I would say makes a difference.
You have a long term goal to convert followers to sales, is that accurate?
Yeah, for sure, I would love to be able to produce more work, to have more sales, but I would say that is definitely a goal. And something I have learned form you in this podcast is to start an email list. That’s on the top of my to do list. I just did some research over the last two weeks and kind of figured out which platform I am going to go with.
What platform for email management are you going to be using?
I chose Mailchimp. But if after this podcast you want to give me some of your thoughts and recommendations…(laughter) I would totally take them. Because I haven’t actraully done anything yet, so.
As your account has grown do you still feel like you are able to connect with your people?
Yeah, that’s a good question. I feel like I have that core group of people that followed me when I was still small and of course I followed them back because at that point I followed almost any artist that had an account that was devoted to art. And I love seeing those people, seeing them grow, seeing their work in my feed. There’s those people that I will comment on their work and they comment on my work and it’s just great to have that sense of community. Once you start to grown you just can’t keep up. But I love the fact that there are those people that I do have and we kind of maintain an internet relationship.
Book
The Warm of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Contact
Instagram: @mattmakesmugs
Julie Harbers | Episode 923
Julie Harbers is an Orlando, FL based potter who splits her time between two community studios as a teacher and staff member, and her own backyard home studio. Julie makes functional ware with colorful surface designs using colored slips, underglazes, and glazes.
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You were nearly sidelined with your dreams and nearly put it on the back burner. How big of a threat is that distraction from following your true dreams?
Well, it can be a huge threat because people can get into that career and feel stuck in it. I think by never launching into a journalism career I never really got stuck in it. It never became my source of income where I was like, Oh now I have benefits and I can’t leave. You know. I never was able to structure my life by it. So I kept my opportunities open by never jumping into that.
How critical was it to decide to do what you wanted to do? Just deciding?
That was it. Deciding to do that finally I would say it was a journey up to that point, you know. The decision is really the turning point, everything else is just action. So you have to get to the place in your mind where you are aren’t scared of the decision any more and can make the decision and feel confident and act it out. So everything that came before the decision was teaching me not to be afraid.
Is it critical to say no to the golden handcuffs and the security and say yes to the dream that supports the life you want?
I think I was lucky that I was able to do this step by step. I started working at two studios upon graduation and actually I got very lucky but your know even that alone wasn’t enough income really. And I wasn’t making a lot of money on pots at that point. So as more opportunities came I would take them or I was starting to develop more pots to sell and I would slowly work towards that. It’s just a very slow, gradual step by step in this direction that got me to this point where I am. And I feel like creative life is always evolving and it’s important to be flexible to allow it to change as your needs change.
Is the important thing to add a little here and there just so that you can get to that final full cutting of the ties from the other life?
Yeah, I think so. Like I started doing shows and I was like, Oh I am going to do more shows and make more money that way. But then I was kind of on the track to do that until the pandemic hit. Now I don’t want to do shows. I do a couple every year but then I am shifting sales into more wholesales or into more website or you know, different ways of getting the work out there. I might teach a class for a change. It’s just important being in the community, opportunities come up a lot and you can kind of decide whether to take them or leave them. The ceramics community really supports itself. We support each other.
That’s an important point. On your journey you have to have your people, correct?
Yes, everything I have today is thanks to being part of the ceramics community. After I graduated just being involved with other potters and potters who have been doing it for their whole lives and they are passing the torch. The studio I am sitting in right now is my dear friend’s who lived here for thirty years and she moved to another house in the area and said, Why doesn’t Julie use this space, it has a full studio in the back yard. And this was in 2020. How lucky was that? I mean everything that has come to me has been through people in the ceramic community.
When you are alone what kind of things do you have going to help trigger creativity? Is it music? Is it books on tape? Is it podcasts or is it silence? Tell me your perfect work environment for you to be creative.
I am really into podcasts nowadays. I also list to music. Sometimes I just sit in silence and I journal a lot. But in the studio I usually have something in my ears and if I have a thought, something that’s downloading into my brain, I will stop and grab a journal. I will also…I write down all my dreams. My nighttime dreams because they are very symbolic and I think that’s a really good practice, to look at things symbolically. But mostly podcasts nowadays.
Book
Intimations by Zadie Smith
Contact
julieharbersceramics.com
Instagram: @harbjul
Andy Ward | Episode 922
Andy Ward hand builds pottery from natural materials using primitive tools. Andy personally gathers and processes all the raw materials he uses for his pottery. Andy’s work is a product of the earth, a piece of the Southwest desert, inspired by the ancient potters who came before.
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This conversation has been edited for ease of reading.
Does it require a commitment to run a YouTube channel? I heard you say one a week. How important is that commitment to consistency?
When you fist get started that’s what they always tell you. You’ve got to keep up on a regular release schedule and then people are more likely to subscribe to you because they can look and see your videos and see, Oh he releases regularly. Where if it’s hit and miss they might be like, Well, I enjoyed this video but I am not going to subscribe. Yeah, I’ve worked really hard at being weekly.
Does that mean that you have a set time and a set day that you actually release the videos?
Yes, my videos always come out at six o’clock in the morning on Wednesday.
At what point did YouTube start to make you more findable?
Yeah, that’s good. It increases as you grow, so when I had 500 subscribers they would open the door a little more, the more you have right? So at 50 subscribers they might let ten people a week find you. But when you have 500 subscribers they might let 500 people find you. It’s funny but I think as you grow they open the door wider and wider and I don’t think there’s any end to that. I think when you get to MrBeast the door opens really wide. So I think I am still growing in that regard.
Is there a perfect video length?
No, you know a lot of people do really short videos and are very successful. And some people do really, really long ones. I started out doing four or five minutes but I have found that really to tell the story, if you are making a whole pot, the whole process, you really need fifteen to twenty minutes. But I don’t think that is the factor of success or failure on YouTube.
What tools do you use for editing?
It’s called Final Cut Pro. It’s an Apple product. And fortunately for me I was working for the University when I bought it and I got the education discount. When you are just starting on YouTube you are counting your nickels and dimes. There’s so much expensive equipment. When I was a web developer I didn’t need to have nearly as much stuff as I have to have as a YouTuber.
Does producing videos result in sales of any kind for you?
Yeah, so that’s the other end of my business. I sell online classes and I also sell things like polishing stones and gourd scrapers and some pottery tools and things on my website. And definitely the more views I get the higher the sales go up on my website. They are definitely correlated.
There’s this idea that all one needs to do is to create a big enough YouTube channel base that you can just live off of the revenue that YouTube actually gives you. Is that truth or is that fable?
Yeah, that’s mostly fable. You’ve got to have a lot of views to live off of that. As it is right now I think the actual money that I make from the ads on my videos is maybe a third of my income. So it’s not anything to sneeze at but if I was trying to live on that I don’t think I could do it. All the experts tell you you want multiple streams of income. You want merch and classes or like an eBook. Some other things you can make money on.
Book
Messages from the High Desert by Clint Swink
Contact
Youtube: ancientpottery
Instagram: @ancientpottery
Sherród Faulks | Episode 921
Sherród Faulks creates beautiful things that help you cultivate moments of joy, connection, and love. DEEP BLACK is a modern minimal home décor brand where functionality and intention are at the heart of every handmade piece. Here, beauty reigns supreme. Catch Sherród in The NY Times, Great Jones, Business of Home, and more.
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When you say you are selling a fantasy, what about the push back that someone would say, But that’s not authentic?
I would push back and say, What is not authentic about that? Do you not have a fantasy? Do you not a have a way that you want your home to look? Do you not have a way that you want your lifestyle to be presented to the world? We all do. There’s not way to be inauthentic in your fantasy. As long as it’s coming from yourself, not something you are seeing other people do or making, you know, it’s you. How can that be inauthentic?
So when you say you are selling the fantasy I get the idea that you are helping them trigger the dream. Is that accurate?
Yeah, absolutely. For a lot of people, especially people who like to style their homes, there’s often that sort of one thing, that one thing that starts the whole design process. You get this one mug and you are like, Oh, it’s sapphire blue. That’s it. Now everything else in the room is blue. It’s that one thing that kicks things off so yeah, I am often excited when my work has an opportunity to do that.
And the truth is it sounds woo woo, but woo woo works, right?
Woo woo works. And woo woo is me, that’s just who I am. (laughter) It sounds woo woo but you know what? You know what I say to people who are like tarot and astrology, who cares. Fine you don’t have to believe in it. You also don’t have to believe in the fossil record. That doesn’t mean that there’s not a whole other system of knowledge and imagining that you are simply not aware of. Just because it doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. So yeah, I am kind of woo woo. But woo woo works. Woo woo gets some things done.
Do you have to put on a show?
Do I have to put on a show? Do you mean as a maker?
Yes, that’s what I am saying.
Yeah, I don’t think you do. If you look at my Instagram I very specifically don’t the kinds of videos that are very popular now. That are kind of amusing or whimsical or jokey with funny sounds. To me that feel inauthentic. It feels like a show. When we are using the same content and the same style that everyone else is using, that to me is inauthentic. That to me is a show. but for me what I offer, what I put on display, what my students and my classes get, what you see on Instagram, what you get in my reels, it’s just a reflection of who I am. It’s just how I live your life.
You talked earlier about getting in the flow where time is slippery. How do you make time slippery for you?
(Laughter) When I am on the wheel is when time is most slippery for me. Usually that comes from a combination of things. It is that meditative focus required to throw. Everything has to align. Your hands, your body, your mind, your foot, your eyes, teh wheel, the clay, the air, the water, it all has to sync up in order for you to do your best work. Combine that with wonderful incense. I burn a particular sandalwood incense in my studio. I have a big speaker system. I blow the roof off of my studio, every damn day and my neighbors hate me! I blast music all day long in the studio. I turn my phone on do not disturb. You can’t reach me while I am in that state. You are not going to break me out of it. That’s how I get into the flow and stay there for long periods of time.
Book
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
Contact
Kaabo Clay Collective
deepblack.shop
Instagram: @deepblack.shop
Claire Ireland | Episode 920
Claire Ireland produces elegant hand-built sculptural forms on different scales – collectable objects, inspired by her studio’s location in the grounds of a historical steam museum in London UK . Claire’s working practice as a ceramic sculptor is changing and is drawn to a more minimal and reductive strategy, simplifying structures, but constantly enhancing and developing the surface.
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Someone said, There’s no such thing as an impulsive artist. What do you think of that kind of comment?
Crikey. (laughter) I am not sure that’s true. If you are spontaneous, you make a spontaneous decision and think about it later. Impulsive sometimes can be quite a good thing for an artist.
Do you have a certain sense of rhythm to your making? Which would imply that it’s not all impulsive.
Well I suppose I do plan, because I make a lot of things in groups and in components and sometimes I will veer off because something will occur to me or I have made something that has not quite worked and turned it into something else. So I will veer off. So the impulsive nature may creep in at those stages.
Do you feel like you are a partner with clay as if it’s an active participant?
Yes, I think it is. It’s so part of who I am I can’t envision not doing anything in clay, I have been doing it for so long now. And I think it is there to stay. Potters never retire. And I still love it, it’s a medium I really enjoy.
Do you feel like “failure” is a welcome guest in the making process?
Mishaps, I should think we should call them. I think that is very much the nature of the beast. I think it’s important that, you know, Fail again, fail better. That’s a great quote.
Do you feel that your work needs an audience to feel a sense of worth for your work?
Know you worth. That is another good quote. I think it is very nice for people to like the work. I am lucky, I’ve got friends who are actors and they can’t stand in the corner and act in their front room, but at least with makers you can carry on making regardless if you sell or exhibit. You can still be creative and produce wonderful work. And what’s very nice if people like it and want to take it home, it’s even better. And people respond to it. Sometimes you make things and you don’t really know if anybody else is going to like it. That’s very reassuring that they do.
If your creations were a style of music where would it land?
A bit of boogie woogie maybe. I don’t know, it’s a bit eclectic so I don’t know, I’m not that good in all my music genres. Country and Western, Hip Hop, and maybe a dash of some Classical. I don’t know, I mean that’s my experimental side. I suppose my sculptural work is a bit calmer.
Book
Surface Design for Ceramics by Claire Ireland
Women’s World by Graham Rawle
Contact
claireirelandceramics.com
Instagram: @ceramicsbyclaire
Lexie Lynn Burke | Episode 919
Lexie Lynn Burke is a painter turned potter. Lexie is adding a little artwork to functional mugs to help people to enjoy their mornings just a little better. Inspired by what she sees from day to day (especially pop culture) and often mug illustrations change with the seasons, Lexie’s portraits are her favorite challenge. Lexie also loves an illustration with a black outline to make it pop. Lexie rarely repeats an illustrations, so every piece is unique. Works full time as a senior accountant, Lexie pursues her passion on the side.
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Knowing that you are not coming to pottery with a blank canvas, having been a painter, does that give you a sense of confidence?
Yes, I would say so. I think, especially not having the educational background, I feel like I have more freewill in venturing out into what I wanted to paint. It wasn’t based on This is how we do it, This is how we implement things. I was able to go with the flow so I could change my style and do whatever I feel or want to do.
You have a strong sense of value for you work based on what you charge for your cups ($50 to $75 each), so when you started to price your work, were you looking to other potters to define that price point, or were you looking towards your history of what it took to sell your paintings?
That’s a good question. I think it was a mix of both. Most of the potters I interact with the focus in on the form and with mine it is a little different with the painting on it. So I have a little bit of both. Most of my value comes from the painting on it and that is how I price things. So more towards my painting because that is what I am know for.
You mentioned that you did do a little side glancing towards other potters when you talking about pricing. Having said that, have there been times when you were looking around at other’s work that you would get a little discouraged about your own work?
Oh, yes! I think this is a natural human tendency to compare. But I try not to let that affect me too much. Everyone has their own different styles and that is the way I try to look at it. You can’t compare apples to oranges. I put painting on mine and someone else might have unique glaze combinations that I am so jealous of. It happens, sometimes you can’t help but be envious of others work so I just try to stay focused on my own work.
I am interested in that answer that sometimes you will get discouraged. How do you use that discouragement to motivate you?
Whenever I see someone’s work that is amazing I will talk to them to understand their process and maybe get some insights on how I can improve my work. Most potters are in the same boat and people are always trying to improve themselves. So I think talking to them and learning from them. So that’s how I try to look at it.
How do you get input on improving your pottery?
How I get feedback is through the studio. All your work is on display in the studio and we have a great community and we try to learn from each other out. People want to see you succeed and they want to see you win so I am happy to be part of it.
Book
The Last Time I Lied: A Novel by Riley Sager
Contact
Etsy: lexielynnartistry
Instagram: @lexie.lynn.pottery
Lea Sagman | Episode 918
Lea Sagman is a translator and a potter. While on a vacation to Greece Lea, her husband, and friends, each said what he would like to do after retirement – Lea’s dream was to become a potter. Two years passed before she took the first pottery class and was immediately hooked. What started as a hobby gradually became an important part of Lea’s life. Pottery is at times comforting, at times frustrating, at times therapy – always fulfilling.
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How many hours a week do you work as a translator?
Between 30 to 40 hours a week.
How many hours a week do you dedicate towards your making?
Each week I have one day that I do pottery, not at home. I do it in an art center and we do pottery for about 8 hours and then a few hours during the weekend.
Are you a goal oriented person in terms of your making? Do you set goals of what you want to make?
I do set goals. I don’t always keep them. (laughter) Because when I try to learn something new I do set the goal and I do the work that I want to do but then sometimes I see something else. I see something that I didn’t plan to do but it’s more interesting or it looks more interesting than what I do. So I can’t say that I am totally goal oriented but I do try to set some goals.
Does having pieces in different stages, does that keep you motivated to be out in the studio? Like you have greenware that has to be trimmed, you’ve got bisqueware that has to be glazed, does that help keep you motivated?
Yes also but not only. Sometimes I just feel the need in my hands to go to the studio and work at the wheel. So this also can be good motivation.
How about friendships? Do you have a group of people that you make with or you tell your stories of what you are doing?
Of course. Like I said, once a week I go to the art studio and it’s always the same day and always with the same people. In my group we are about fifteen potters working simultaneously if you like. So we exchange ideas and we help each other and there’s also a teacher and assistants, so if we need help with some idea that we want to do, there is always someone to ask. And there’s always someone who corrects us when we don’t do it correctly. So yes. And also I have other potter friends with whom I can talk and exchange ideas.
Do you ever get maker’s block?
I do. I do, sometimes weeks can go by and I don’t enter my studio. Or I go to the art center and I sit at my wheel and I don’t know what to do next. I don’t battle with this feeling. I accept it and then it goes away. There’s always times when you think, Maybe I am not a potter, I wasn’t meant to be a potter. Maybe I don’t want to make anymore pots. But then clay calls me back and I get back to the wheel and back to throwing.
Book
Saggar Firing in an Electric Kiln by Jolanda van de Grint
Contact
Instagram: @lea_sagman
Adero Willard | Episode 917
Adero Wllard is originally from New York City and currently lives in Chicopee, MA. Adero received a BFA at Alfred University an MFA at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and was a Salad Days artist in resident at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine. Adero has over twenty-five years as a ceramics artist and has been featured in a number of discussion panels, publications, books on ceramics, and has exhibited work nationally and internationally. Adero is committed to equity and inclusion work, and while a visiting assistant professor in ceramics has been a faculty co-facilitator for IDEA lab an anti-racism and anti-bias program at Alfred university. Adero is a co-founder of the non-profit outreach organization POW! Pots on Wheels since 2014 and is committed to diversity and anti-hierarchical approaches to teaching in the field of ceramics. For Adero it is all about a love for clay, nature, community, history and learning and sharing knowledge of the handmade with others.
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How did you overcome that feeling of being alone? The only black girl?
I feel like I navigate that kind of space by connecting through other ways, like through clay, through making other connections. You can always connect and it taught me how to be really open and flexible.
It is a difficult thing for you to tell your story, your roots, your history, and for it to be taken seriously in the mainstream?
Sometimes I feel like it is hard to tell my story because it is one that has a lot of complexity and I think also sometimes folks don’t want to venture into those areas because they don’t know what that is. So it can be uncomfortable. My hope is that people are more….
Is what I heard you saying earlier is that you want the roots to be heard, to be recognized and to be respected and to be seen critically? Do you feel like the corner has been turned?
I think we are at the corner and people understand that there is a corner to be turned. I don’t know if the corner has been turned yet. But I think we all understand that there’s more work to be done and that’s a really great place to be. We can keep doing that work.
Critique and criticism are two totally different things. Do you feel specifically on the internet. like Instagram or wherever it would be, do you feel that when black art is being approached that instead of being critiqued it tend to be more critical?
I think that there’s just a lot of different work out there. Some of it a critique and some of it is critical. I think there is a necessity for both, for those things to happen. I personally don’t do that but I really appreciate it when people do and I think it is necessary to have both voices.
What is one thing that has got you excited?
I am really excited about being a part of Pots on Wheels. Which we call POW. and it’s a non-profit organization Clay Holds Water and Water Holds Memory and we do a lot of outreach work in the community and we are part of making diversity happen for young folks and it’s a really great non-profit organization I hope you all check out.
Book
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Contact
aderowillard.com
Instagram: @aderowillard
Brett Wulc | Episode 916
Brett Wulc is a studio potter from Portland, OR. Brett has been working with clay for 14 years and has always had a focus on wheel thrown pots. Throwing functional dinner ware and filming is his process all along the way.
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How important is it to get laser focused and go from, I want to be a potter to being I want to do this? How important is clarifying your idea?
I mean I feel like it was everything. It definitely takes a lot of time and going into it I don’t think I would have ever agreed to it if I didn’t already feel comfortable, I can throw this pottery, like I can make the pots. And I had the skills to do it because at that point I had been doing it since I was sixteen. I had ten or twelve years of pottery experience and I think like with anything, pottery just takes so much time to really own the skills. I have ADD and once I get focused on something I can’t get it out of my mind and I devote everything to that.
Did you do any kind of market research before you went into this?
(Laughter) I did a little bit of research. I think the hardest part for me getting into it was, you know the business part of it came in so secondary to me and it’s something I am still figuring out. Pricing your work, it’s just one of those things. It’s tough for everybody. Pricing my work is still a struggle for me because I want to be able to earn a living but I also want my pots to be attainable.
You were willing to boot strap and do what it takes to make it happen. How did that lend itself to your success?
It feels like it was everything. I can’t imagine if I would have maybe thought more clearly about not having the equipment necessarily to put out these sets, saying, I don’t even have a kiln maybe I shouldn’t be saying I will make one hundred pieces of pottery. I just agree to it and I kind of figured it out later and I think I’ve done that with a lot of things like that in my life.
So there’s a bit of a risk taker that needs to be in there?
Yeah, and that feels…it feels exciting to me. It feels like, Well, I don’t know exactly how I am going to do this but I am going to figure it out. And for better or for worse I have always been able to figure it out and sometimes it’s been harder than other times.
How important was it for you to build your studio based on your next big need?
It was essential. I mean even thinking back on it now it feel so wild to me that I would say make a large dinner set for somebody without having for one a space for making glazes and being able to make a mess. And secondly having the equipment and the tools, I’m like, How did I do that? But there’s resources I feel like, all around us. People are capable of things that they don’t necessarily know until they do it.
Do you have a mentor?
I don’t. No. You know, I have kind of just figured it out on my own. When I first started selling pots and taking it seriously in Portland pricing was such a hard hurdle. I didn’t know what my work was worth and I started out pretty low. I think in the beginning I was selling mugs for twenty bucks, twenty-five bucks. Then I kind of raised it up to thirty as the demand grew and then I was trying to find a middle ground. It went from selling a mug for twenty bucks and now a standard mug I sell for forty bucks.
Book
A Potter’s Book by Bernard Leach
Contact
bwpottery.co
Instagram: @bwpottery
Wes Brown | Episode 915
Wesley Brown is a ceramicist working in East Stroudsburg, PA. Wes holds a BFA from Bowling Green State University and an MFA from Indiana University-Bloomington. Through a combination of hand building and wheel throwing Wes creates vessels in clay that are a meeting place for both the sculptural and functional.
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When someone asks what kind of work you make what words do you use to shine a light on your process or what you do?
It usually depends on who is asking. If it’s someone in an academic environment then I talk about how I am making ceramic works and I talk about how there’s sculpture and there’s functional. But if I am out in the community and there’s someone who’s not academically minded or not artistically minded then it’s like, Oh, I work in clay. I keep it simple. Ultimately I view myself as a ceramicist, I don’t really view myself as a potter. And the reason I don’t view myself as a potter is I know too many potters who make a living doing pots and I don’t want to confuse myself with someone who is making a living being a studio potter.
Do you see blending the lines between sculpture and functional work as innovation?
I don’t know if I would say it is innovation and the reason I don’t see it that way is because that’s just what I do. It’s where I find myself. It’s an odd one. I was thinking about this the other day, I’ve always find myself being in-between things. One thing but also another thing. One of the largest thing is racially I am African American but culturally I definitely skew more white because of my upbringing. I grew up with African American parents but I grew up with all white friends, in an all white school, in an all white neighborhood. And so culturally I don’t identify in many ways with what some might say is the more traditional African American experience, but there are parts of it that are there. And I feel similar when it comes to the making of work. I grew up making pots but I also did sculpture. And so what comes out of me now is a blending of both.
I am curious about you as a teacher. Is creativity something that you can teach?
I listened to a talk of a clinical psychologist talking about creativity and whether or not it can be taught or whether it’s learned. I think that if you are looking at creativity from the standpoint of a trait. It sometimes gets groups with personality traits, it’s like creativity and innovation and that’s kind of defined as the ability to come up with the novel solution. Which means you have a problem and you find a way to fix the problem in a way that hasn’t been thought of before. (One of the examples they used was asking a group to list all the ways one could use a brick and some individuals wrote answers others would not have thought of.) So in that way creativity isn’t something that so much learned as it is something that is kind of innate, an ability to blur the lines between things. Or to rather not have things in a category or to move them out a category quickly in some kind of way that is innovative or new. When it comes to teaching there is an expectation that some people are creative and some people are not, but my goal and desire as a teacher is to move students to get past those first few answers for what a brick can be used for. I am trying to get them to think a little bit beyond that.
What types of things do you use to stimulate your creativity?
To stimulate it? Oh man, it’s just always kind of running. It’s kind of the same with my anxiety. When do you get most anxious in the day? Well I mean I wake up and my eyes open and it’s there. There’s not like a time where there’s more, it’s just kind of always this dull roar. And so for my creativity I don’t know, I think that there’s…inspiration hits when it hits. When I have time set aside and I can actually sit and start doing something. When the rubber starts to hit the road I give myself a few hours to make some new work then I can really get down to it. I also get inspiration when I am making a demo and I get an idea while I am explaining it to my students.
What kind of tools do you use to help your students be more creative?
What tools do I use to help my students be more creative? A sketchbook. Giving my students the requirement of writing things down, things that they have to commit to what they are saying or what they are thinking. What happens if I give students just a prompt to do something and ask them what their ideas are it becomes real flowery and becomes limitless and weightless and it tastes like honey and it’s light as a feather. But when I tell them to draw it then suddenly it becomes concrete.
Book
Dune by Frank Herbert
Contact
wesleytbrown.com
Instagram: @wesbrowncreates
Madison Potratz | Episode 914
Madisen Potratz is a potter based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, who earned a BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison is the founder of Good Art for Good, a pottery business with a mission to support nonprofits and charities in her local community.
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How many out buildings do you have to be able to run your studio?
Two primarily. One is larger and I keep my glazes in there and the kiln is in there. Prior to it being my glazing and firing studio it was kind of a wood shop and auto garage type thing. My grandpa worked on old cars and he fixed lawn mowers and he also did a lot of welding so that was kind of his maker space, his shed. Then the old refurbished garden shed, which is more of an eight foot by twelve foot tiny house structure, that is where I do all of my throwing during spring, summer and fall. And my third area where I do a lot of my work and clean up is the hose spigot next to my house because my two out buildings do not have water. Which doesn’t really work for a potter’s studio. I do have all these wonderful spaces but they don’t quite fully work together efficiently yet. That is one of my longer term life goals.
Have you done any shows on your property?
Not yet. That’s another big life goal of mine because aside from pottery my full-time job and my other undying love and hobby is gardening. I have a massive vegetable . I have a giant garden with all kinds of flowers and I have a big shade garden so eventually once I have more time to get those gardens under control, because it’s a lot of work for one girl, then I think it would be so fun to have on site event or sales or anything like that.
You have two galleries that carry your work, how often do you need to provide shipments to them?
I would say about quarterly. And I don’t send very much work there. Maybe twenty pieces at a time. So if I do that math that is about 80 pieces per year that I will send to those galleries or those shops. So somewhat consistent, yeah.
How often do you do an Esty update?
About every other month. I try to do it monthly but sometimes things just get away from me. I am a part-time potter.
Do you have people from Instagram directly asking your for pieces? Do you sell them pieces directly or send them to your Etsy page?
In cases where the two galleries, they ended up finding me on Instagram by using hashtags. But sometimes people will reach out for specific pieces that they have seen in my feed and most of the time I just tell them if they are not following me, Well, you should follow me because then you will find out when I put out new work. I have generally learned over the years not to make things on commission because it puts kind of a pressure on the pieces I am making if it doesn’t fully meet what they had in mind. I generally tell them to wait to see what I make and if they like it they should get it.
Are you an introvert?
Yes, I really am. I mean I can talk to people just fine. I think it is a valuable skill to be able to make conversation and make small talk with people. It helps with sales and helps build relationships and make friends. There’s a lot of good reasons to talk to people but I also gain so much just being by myself and my own thoughts. I can be more creative and just generally happier. I am happy as a clam living in my own world. Then again I am grateful for the people in my life and I value them.
Book
Quiet by Susan Cain
Contact
Etsy: goodartforgood
Instagram: @goodart_forgood
Dylan Bowen | Episode 913
Dylan Bowen makes slip decorated earthenware using both traditional and contemporary materials and techniques. . Dylan works on a small but ever-changing range of shapes, large platters, bowls and carved forms. The clay is thrown, cut, carved or handbuilt, the slips are poured trailed or brushed on. Dylan’s work has its roots in traditional slipware but with many contemporary influences. Bowen aims to capture some of the dynamism and spontaneity of the making process in the finished work.
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How important in your mind while you are making is lighting?
The lighting of my workspace?
I am thinking about when it’s finished up for display.
You know, it should be more important. That’s thrown me a little bit that question. It’s something that I should pay more attention to because if it’s properly lit it looks so much better. A lot of the time I don’t take enough care of that kind of thing, I think. It’s important but I need to do more. (laughter)
You mentioned that you get inspiration outside of the ceramic world, using real life for feelings. Do you at all try to introduce any kind of symbolism to be able to express the feelings?
Not any more. I think earlier on I was a bit more literal but now I try to rely on fairly abstract gestures or marks. But hopefully they’ll convey some excitement or dynamism or some sort of life I guess. That’s what I am after.
Do you ever try to carry a story into your work?
That’s a good question too that I would probably need to go away and think about and come back. But initially I would say not literal but I think every thing I make has to do with me so it’s everything that I have ever done or tried to do. It all comes out in the work.
Does your intention of wanting to convey excitement or a passion matter to you if it is not caught by the viewer?
I think it’s very much what I feel. Obviously it’s great if the person…if they like the work and they get a sense of what I am trying to say. It’s definitely more about how I feel when I am making it. Do I feel that I achieved what I wanted to achieve or communicated these feelings and if I do than that’s enough. The test for me is when I am making. Does it have the right feel to it?
If you are trying to create disruption or excitement does breaking the rules of balance or composition, does that help to create a better experience with your work?
Yeah, I would agree with that. Again it’s a little contradictory for me because sometimes I want my work to be a little bit unsettling or a little bit aggressive. But I also want it to be humorous and I want it to have a sense of fun. I also would like it to be quite ugly and challenging but I also would like it to be really the opposite of that. I want people to like it. So I am kind of carrying around all these different, conflicting…so I don’t have a clear answer to that. I kind of want it to be everything and I want everybody to like it but I also want them to not like it. It’s difficult.
What things help you to get in the flow as a maker? What cues?
It used to be music really. I used to play basically pretty loud music almost to distract myself a little. So when I am working I would be in the room but also slightly not in the room but that doesn’t feel necessary any more so much. So what do I need?…nothing in particular, I can generally tell if things are going to work or not going to work. Maybe if I am not feeling the magic then I will do something more mundane because there’s a lot to do ,as you know, in the studio. You know, I can just go wedge some clay or clean up if I am not feeling excited. But I find it easier to get into the groove now than I used to. I don’t need to trick myself so much.
Book
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Contact
dylanbowen.co.uk
Instagram: @dylanbowenceramics
Bianca Pintan | Episode 912
Bianca Pintan is an artist born and raised in Brazil, now based in the coastal town of Byron Bay, Australia. Following a captivating inner-call and intuition Bianca began her journey into creating ceramic art. Having always worked hands on, the art of ceramics came naturally to Bianca, as though her hands had memorized these movements before. As a self-taught artist Bianca uses this to her advantage, being open to receive inspiration rather than searching for it, exploring the realm of ceramics with a playful curiosity. Bianca’s pieces are all hand-built, a unique technique used for the classic shapes she is creating. Bianca allows the clay to guide her into whatever shape is wanting to be birthed, creating an exceptional relationship with her medium. Playing with the textural elements of shape and light, Bianca’s pieces tell a unique story each time you view them.
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What were you doing that made you available for opportunities? What made you findable?
I feel like most people found me by Instagram which sounds crazy. So I think it was just being out there.
What kind of work do you put into your making? What’s your work schedule like?
I love being free and that’s the thing that I am careful not to get away from so I have a making list. I have orders and commissions to fulfill but I like being free. So I should do whatever I feel like doing on that day, for sure sometimes a piece is ready to be carved or it’s time to open the kiln absolutely but I like to be free to do what I feel like doing and that transforms everything into an easy thing.
How much time do you put towards the marketing portion of your making?
I don’t know, because as I said if I have something that looks like a picture, if I am making a piece and the light is good and I feel like recording I will just do it. I have tried to time myself, to time how long it takes to make a piece but it just kills the vibe for me. So I actually don’t know.
What kind of equipment do you use to record yourself?
I do everything with my iPhone.
Do you use a special stand or anything?
I got a tripod, a very sh** tripod at first and then recently I got one with a magnet so it makes it so easy and that’s all. I actually got another one that was taking too much space in the studio so I just have one now that I always used to keep my phone on so it doesn’t get scratched on the table and things like that. I try to have the newest iPhone because I like it and I can see the difference when a new one comes along and I find it easy to post a picture and do everything, rather than having a camera and then you need to upload.
What kind of editing applications do you use?
For the videos?
Yes.
I do everything on Instagram. Absolutely nothing. It’s as simple as simple can be.
What’s your favorite size of piece to work on? Do you like big pieces or smaller ones?
It really depends on my mood. I really like the pieces that are my medium size. They are super easy to make. Small pieces are actually really hard because my hand is big and doesn’t fit inside easily so I get limited and the bigger pieces are always a challenge. You put so much love and work and you never know if they will survive.
Book
The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz
Contact
biancapintan.com
Instagram: @biancapintan
Christy Culp | Episode 911
Christy Culp lives in western Pennsylvania and began her work with clay at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned her art teacher certification in 1991. Since 1997, Christy has been teaching ceramics and art classes at Deer Lakes High School. Through her teaching Christy hopes to pass her passion for clay and creating to her students. When not teaching, Christy can be found in her renovated barn studio on the small berry farm she and her husband share. Her work is directly influenced by life on a farm and her love of cooking. Christy’s goal is “to bring beauty and joy to the everyday ritual of eating and drinking.”
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Define what it means to work backwards.
Working backwards is understanding what the final end point is. And then working in to see what the steps are and what time it takes to get to that point and how much time do I really have
Does that mean you know how much you are supposed to make, what you are supposed to make, not just a time frame?
It’s both. I have to have that time frame to kind of guess how much I can make and then life happens and I adjust.
So your time frame defines what your making schedule is going to be, not the other way around?
Correct, yes.
Does that then get translated onto a calendar?
It does and several sheets of paper that float around the studio. (laughter)
So you have flexibility. You use a calendar and sticky notes.
I use a calendar and just pieces of paper. Not even sticky notes. (laughter)
Do you have any accountability or is it a developed habit?
It’s a habit that works for me and usually when I do that backwards planning I try to do the difficult projects first so that when I am starting to run out of time I am doing simpler things, things that can be rushed. Like cups can be rushed but a tea pot can’t be.
Does that relieve the pressure of the calendar to do the difficult things first?
Yes, it is because I really like to have the complicated things off the plate because they loom large.
Does it ever get to a point where you run out of time and the work still isn’t done?
Yes, there’s always something left over.
What do you do about that?
They go in the next load.
So it’s not a huge burden for you then.
Right and I talk to my potter friends because we all need emotional support and there will be times when I call them and I will say, I didn’t get them done. And they will all say to me, You made enough work. You know you made enough work. And I just need somebody to say that to me so I can just back away off the edge of the porch. (laughter) Go back in the studio, sit down and make.
How do you reward yourself when you complete your tasks, when you have hit the goal?
I am always happy to hit the goal. I mean the goal in itself is the reward. It really is, but I also give myself a day off and that might be just sitting on my couch and reading or connecting with those friends that I need to have. But I also usually go and buy some pottery. (laughter)
Book
Sadle Creek by Jolene McIlwain
Contact
Instagram: @christylculp
Milla Istomina | Episode 910
Milla Istomina was born and raised in Kazakhstan. Milla moved to the USA in 2013 and has been residing in Los Angeles, California. Milla took her first pottery class in 2018 at the Barnsdall Art Center. What started as a weekend hobby quickly turned into a monthly membership at a communal studio. Mist Ceramics was born, and experimenting with clays, techniques, glazes and styles has begun. Just like many people across the globe, Milla lost her full time job on the marketing team of an arts organization when the COVID pandemic struck. It was time to make a path for oneself and take risks, so Mist Ceramics slowly became Milla’s main project. Mist Ceramics practice explores various techniques and genres while executing the neverending battle of trained wheel thrower versus self-taught hand builder.SPONSORS
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Why do you love your customers?
Well, it’s probably because they don’t even realize how many times they made my day and every time you are buying something from a small business, every time you are supporting an artist you may be just making their day because sometimes you feel like everything is not going right, nothing is working your way, maybe I should give up. Maybe I should go look for a different job and then an order comes in and you realize you just made your rent. And you think, Wow, this person just contributed to the amount that I was lacking this month! If that’s not a reason to love your customers, I don’t know what is.
So for you it’s not just the sale, it’s the value behind the sale.
Absolutely, it is. It is. I love surprises. I love making surprises. When somebody reaches out and asks me to do something personal and to make something special for them it’s also I feel like I am part of that surprise. And it’s amazing, you know. It’s fantastic. It’s kind of separate from money.
Do you say thanks to your customers and if so how?
Oh, I do! I usually try to include some sort of note or a small free sample of something. I don’t like being cheesy and posting a lot of the times on social media. I don’t think this is the way because a lot of people are just watching me on social media and not necessarily buying from me. But for my regular customers I am trying to be a little bit more personal, updating them in the process of their order and keeping in touch. That sort of thing.
Is there an ulterior motive for adding other things as in something they may want to purchase again later?
Pretty much things that I include are the things I don’t really sell in my shop. It’s usually magnets or something small, you know.
So it’s a pure thank you.
Yes.
You also keep them informed. Why is that important?
I is particularly when I am working on a custom order. Because I know people are nervous and sometimes they don’t want to be annoying and sometimes they write, I had a dream that you finished my house. And I write, I get what you are trying to ask. (laughter) Here is a picture of the house and it’s not finished yet but here’s a peek. It is as important to them as it is important to me.
You take a lot of custom orders. What do you do when you mess up? How do you communicate that with the customer?
It depends on how much time I have. I think I usually try and allow time for me to be able to make the item twice. So if I tell my customer it’s going to be 7 weeks I know it’s going to take me 3.5 weeks in which case if I mess up then I can do it again. But if a situation occurs where some thing comes out of the kiln and it’s not sellable, not presentable you got to pull it together and write to the customer a heart felt apology.
Book
Ceramics for Beginners by Susan Halls
Contact
etsy- Mistceramics
Instagram: @m.istceramics
Nic Torres | Episode 909
Nic Torres runs a podcast called Shaping Your Pottery to help potters to discover their unique voice. Nic has been making pottery for 5 years and he knows how hard it is to develop your unique voice in pottery. That is why it is Nic’s mission to help potters find theirs.
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Why another podcast. I mean there’s already The Potters Cast, why do we need another one? (laughter)
That’s a really good question. So for me, I wanted my podcast to be more specific. I wanted to really help people find their voice and I will maybe go on and try to explore something later on, but I really wanted it to be more…a little bit focused so that people can really grow in a certain way.
Was there anybody you needed to ask to get permission to do this?
No. I just kind of started. I just kind of went in a started doing it.
I love that. There is nobody who has to give you permission. There are no gatekeepers.
Was it super expensive to get up and running?
Not really. It was maybe five dollars a month and that’s it. Definitely not hundreds or thousands of dollars. I had the site where they hosted for my podcast and I used Zoom and my headphones. That was it.
Where did you learn the skill of podcasting?
The first thing I did was I started modeling who I thought was a really good podcaster and I could kind of model after. There second thing I did was I invested in myself and I bought a course that helped me learn about podcasting. And the third thing is I really did more research along the way. I tried to improve my interview skills by reading certain books on communication.
Would you say that your episodes have grown better than since your earlier ones?
I would definitely say that, yes. When I first started I couldn’t come up with follow up questions. I was just reading off of my list of what I sent them. But as I began to do more and more episodes and interviews the better I became at listening better and I was able to ask better follow up questions that lead to better answers.
Have you had any conversations on your show where you felt intimidated?
I wouldn’t really say I felt intimidated by anybody. Maybe the first couple…the first one I did I was nervous but I never really felt intimidated. I felt that I was going into it to learn and help other people and that really helped a lot.
When you are not in the studio making and you are not in the studio recording, what do you do for fun?
I typically watch anime and I play Dungeons and Dragons with my friends. But I think what I do most is probably learn new things to improve my mindset to improve my way of life. So that in the future when I am able to I am prepared to be the best person I can be.
Book
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Contact
shapingyourpottery.com
Instagram: @nictorres_pottery
Betsy Morningstar | Episode 908
Betsy Morningstar loves yellow, donuts, and her cat, Vesper. Betsy’s hobbies include making peanut butter, carrying her cat up into her loft studio, and smiling. Betsy is a full time high school art teacher near Baltimore, Maryland. Betsy started creating porcelain notebook papers out of a need to find and see importance in each day, and to communicate outside of herself in a physical way. Each porcelain paper features journal notes and fleeting moments from a day in Betsy’s life, now forever special and permanent. The notes vary on the emotional spectrum of life, but all are significant moments Betsy never wants to forget. They are Betsy’s brain and her heart in physical form.
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What took you so long to get the right tools in the beginning?
I think it was confidence in myself and what I was doing. Because like you said, when you first start out you get the simple tool because you are like, Yeah, this will work just fine. So I had a lot of the base level grade and I didn’t think I was worthy enough of the good thing, yet. So I was just holding off thinking I would change direction, but then I realized that this concept and this style was sticking and I needed to reward myself and give myself a gift.
I am am hearing you say that you didn’t value yourself enough, would it have been helpful to think that your work deserved it?
Yeah, fair. (laughter) Yeah, that’s very true, well and a lot of it to is you are raised in a world where I am going to be a starving artist, I need to save up all this money that I am making off my pottery so I can’t spend it on anything. So I was like, I’ve got to just hoard this, I can’t do anything with it. And in the end it was just like yeah, my work did deserve it because it makes my work better having this consistency of a slab roller. So I am glad that I did it but I had to convince myself that it was the right choice for me.
Do the right tools increase your productivity and efficiency?
Absolutely. The first night after my slab roller was set up and ready to go, I rolled out 25 pounds of clay, I do a brick at a time. And I remember I texted my mom because I said, I just rolled out all of this clay in less than one Netflix show. It was usually a whole evening and I would have my clay rolled out. One episode was over and I was already done. I was like, This is amazing.
Do you feel like it also brings about a certain amount of safety having…like safety to your body, health to your body, having the real tool?
Yeah, for sure! I mean it was funny, before I set up my slab roller I took a video of myself doing my work and I was rolling out slabs and I never posted it because I played it back and I watched myself be in pain and I was like, This is ridiculous. What am I doing? Because I watched myself, my table was low and I could tell the way that I was moving I could tell how much I was pushing through the pain of my hands and my back and my arms and I watched myself and thought, I’ve got to get this figured out. And now a friend of mine built me a table that is at the exact height that I need it to be so I can stand perfectly straight while I roll out my slabs. And my body definitely thanks me for it.
Did it make you more excited about working knowing that you had the right thing there to work with?
Yes! Absolutely! And because I could roll out the slabs quicker it has made me more excited to play because I am not wasting all this clay that took me forever to roll out. So because the roll out in just a part of my process it like, Okay now I get to the really fun part that I enjoy and making the paper and I am not wasting my time so much rolling out the clay. So I get to play a little bit more.
What about the idea, Oh it just makes the job easier so it’s not quite as authentic? Is that accurate?
I did worry about that, because I thought if I am not doing it by hand then it’s not exactly from me but still the clay gets it’s own different functions because my hands are touching it and it gets that human aspect of it still. Even thought the very first process is done by machine but the rest of the process is done by my hand.
When you look at your studio and see the equipment does it make you feel like you are a “real” artist?
Yeah, I does! (laughter) My friends and I in grad school always say you feel like a capital A artist, not just a lower case a. You know? And yeah, it does, having this piece of equipment in my studio that is on a proper table, it makes me feel really cool. And it just makes me feel a little bit better at what I do.
Your studio is all tricked out the way the work deserves what has you challenged now?
I think two things. I think a challenge for me is producing and staying up to the level that I want to be at and creating the work that people want. So I can continue to live my life based off this work. But the also giving myself the time to play and experiment with what I love and not just produce the thing that’s going to sell.
Book
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Contact
morningstar-mud.myshopify.com
Instagram: @morningstarmud
Julie Spako | Episode 907
Julie Spako and I lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and twin boys. Julie started with ceramics in High School and continued to get a minor in ceramics from Syracuse University in 1995. Julie makes high fire stoneware and porcelain serving and dinnerware. Julie loves pattern and surface texture. Julie handbuilds all of her pieces. This allows Julie a freedom in form, and the ability to concentrate on the surface design.
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Is it comforting to know that your work is already sold when you are making it?
Yeah, for sure. And the way that I work now with shops and galleries is a lot of times they will just give me a budget. This is how much I want to spend. And I get to put together the whole order. I get to make whatever I want and do whatever designs I want. Sometimes they say, I don’t like the birds or I just want 80 percent blue or some people will say, Make 12 cups, I don’t care what you do on them. That’s my preferred way to work and that’s mostly what my orders are.
Is that because you have grown to a point where they have a certain level of trust for you?
I think so. Because I have a line sheet and I have style numbers. Some people do like that and do use that but it’s A typical and I say right away I try to keep it flexible because I have so many different designs there is no way I could have a design number for each design. People will send me a screen shot. Just send me this. Send me everything in this picture. Or , you know I keep it flexible even though there haven’t really been very many misunderstandings. But it keeps it interesting.
Does that also help with re-orders, to be able to have those relationships?
Last year I only took on one new wholesale account. There was a time when I had thirty wholesale accounts but they were all pretty small orders. And then I would say maybe now I have ten that I keep. And I would transition from wholesale but it’s not the same guarantee of income and I actually really cherish my relationships.
So it is comforting for you to know that there is almost a guaranteed flow of income.
Yes, for sure. I just take an order and fulfill it. I don’t have to worry. When I was doing shows and craft fairs I might work for six months and hope to sell things. There was no guarantee. That I might make 500 dollars for months of work. That’s not sustainable. And I do take custom orders. I need to get more streamlined. That is my goal is to not have so many options but limit it on my orders.
So what I hear you saying is that is better to have fifteen or twenty customers as apposed to trying to have a thousand customers to re-buy. A thousand individuals.
Yeah, I never thought about it like that. I do have collectors. And sometimes my work, once I start advertising it will sell out before it even reaches the store. And I do make half of that income. The problem with it is I give my suggested mark up and it’s fifty percent but not everybody sells it for that. Some people sell it for a lot more. And I don’t know how much they sell it for unless they put it online. That has helped me realize that I could make a lot more money. When you are starting out you are just happy to be working and have some money coming in.
How do you find your wholesalers? Or how did they find you?
Well mostly through Instagram. But one of the biggest investments I ever made was working for a company called Wholesale in a Box. And the woman who runs it, Emily, she also started a program called One Mill School, but she is basically a business coach where they would send you twenty leads a month. It was basically cold calling in the beginning. I would send out an email with my line sheet and hope people would open it. And I did get responses.
Book
Influence by Robert B. Cialdini
Contact
spakoclay.com
Instagram: @spakoclay
Kasandra Guzman | Episode 906
KuuPottery is a small batch pottery studio and learning space created by Kassandra “Kuu” Guzman. Each piece is made on the wheel with hand sculpted handles. Most know for The Curvy Amphora and Boinggg! Handles, Kuu has been featured on Showtime with @ziwef, Design Milk and The Freye Museum Shop.
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How is a zine different from a blog?
I feel like a blog for me at least, gives me the feeling of more per5sistence. Like consistently posting even mundane things. Whereas a zine is more like a period of time has passed and this is what’s happened. So it feels more of like something that doesn’t happen weekly, it’s more of something that happens quarterly.
So do you have a schedule that you try to produce a zine on?
Yeah, I try to do at least three zines a year but the schedule is like if you…the way that I work is very intuitive so it just depends if I feel like the collection is ready. Sometimes I aim for dates that have nice sounding…eleven, eleven or three, two, one. Dates like that just have a more magical feel to them and I aim to post then. But it always seems like when I post it is always around my birthday. That’s when I have the energy to release a zine and a collection, which is in May. So spring time collection, summer collection and Christmas collection.
Do you need a theme for each “issue”?
I don’t know because my mind goes in a million places. My last issue had to do with my experimentation with lucid dreaming and practicing dream yoga and how that effected my dreams and how that effected my creative state. So that was one and I had another one that way me editing my pottery into interior design locations that I would love to be in. So visualizing my pottery where I think it will go and how it would fit in different places. So wherever I am mentally is what will be produced.
How much writing is actually involved in producing one?
My last one had a lot of writing. I feel like I had more thoughts. But I think there is an even amount of visual and writing.
Do you have back issues available on your website where people can read your zines?
I have put it on my website before but I haven’t updated it on my website. I use Shopify so I am just learning how to post on Shopify. I do all of my own web work too so my issue with Shopify is when I make blog things is that the pictures start to disappear. So I go check on it a couple of days later and one of the pictures are gone and I think, This is not working I need my website to look cohesive. So I will just shut it down but they are all in people’s emails in my subscriber’s archive.
How do you build a subscriber list?
I built my subscriber list through word of mouth, through direct contact with people, meeting people and telling them to subscribe. Through Instagram, I think whenever someone has interest in your work you should should direct them straight to subscription list.
Book
Tao Teh Ching by Lao Tzu
Contact
kuupottery.com
Instagram: @kuupottery
Jennifer Spring | Episode 905
Jennifer Spring’s goal is to make life more enjoyable with ceramics that feel great to touch and hold. Most of Jennifer’s work goes through the filter of, “does the texture feel inviting?”. Ceramics is one of few art forms that can be held and Jennifer is continually looking for opportunities to enhance the sense of touch.SPONSORS
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Can you just go down to Home Depot and get the plaster you need for making molds?
No, you actually need to get specific plaster for pottery. It’s called Pottery Plaster Number One. So I buy that at my local pottery store and for me that’s Clay Arts Center or Seattle Pottery Supply.
How long did it take you to make a mold and make a finished product where you were “proud” of the results?
Oh, that’s a tough question. Sometime within the last year. (laughter) No. That’s not true! I would say that for my silicone molds last year. My plaster molds I have been making sometime in the last two years I really feel like I have figured out the right dimensions and weight to make them perform really well.
Why do you think there is seemingly little help for slip casters as far as information on the internet?
I think that it is an up-and-coming artform. I think for a long time people weren’t interested in it because the didn’t see where the creative possibility is. But I think that there are a lot of people out in the forefront now that are doing a lot of creative things that people haven’t seen before and I think that it is coming. I think there is a wave of interest there that is going to make it more prevalent and people will be out there doing and showing how it’s done.
This is your full-time gig, correct?
Correct.
So how did you find your customer base?
I started selling my work at a small consignment shop in Ballard. It was just only local artists selling their work. So I originally started out doing wholesale where is was the 50/50 split and I did in-person shows, craft fair type stuff. So that was a good testing ground to learn the type of work people want to buy and to also learn what I enjoy making.
Where is currently your best sales outlet?
I sell all my work now direct through my website and I have a sign up that gives people information about time and date for that shop release. So every four to six weeks I release a batch of ready to ship work.
How did slip casting open the door to more creativity?
It behaves so much differently than the clay because it’s liquid the opportunities to marble and layer are just different than what you would be able to do with wheel-thrown work. I also add a lot of texture to my work so with slip because of the way it dries I can do a lot of slip dots and texture on my pieces that I couldn’t do any other way.
Book
Yearbook by Seth Rogan
Contact
jenniferspringceramics.com
Instagram: @jenniferspringceramics
Rhiannon and Paul Gash | Episode 904
At Llanddona Beach Pottery Rhiannon and Paul Gash have a totally tactile and haptic studio. Rhiannon throws earthenware pots, glazed with oxide glazes that Paul and Rhiannon make together. Rhiannon is visually impaired. Guide-dog Bailey helps out around the studio.
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Rhiannon what is your favorite piece to make?
Rhiannon: I want to master bowls and bottle shapes. Yeah, tactile shapes. I am interested in form and to the extent I can color too.
What is your favorite tool that you work with?
Rhiannon: I have a sort of wooden thing with a spoon at one end and a sharp end on the other end. I think that’s probably my favorite.
Paul what is the your favorite piece that she throws that you enjoy glazing?
Paul: She has mastered the art of turning the base of vases and pot shapes and that gives me something I can hold on to when I am dipping a piece into the glaze and she has understood now the importance of me being able to actually control something in my hands so shes’s producing pieces that I can work with as the glazer.
Rhinnaon I am going to ask an ignorant question. You are blind so why does color matter to you?
Rhiannon: That’s not an ignorant question. So anyone who has lost their sight over time will have a memory of color. It’s very deep. Also if you don’t see sometimes you have kind of a swirling patterns and sometimes they have color, this is electrical stuff going on in the brain. As I said to you earlier everybody’s vision loss journey is different and I would not speak for anybody else. And also, blind people don’t see nothing. I think it’s only four percent who see black. So I can see a tiny, tiny impression of color at the very side. I can’t see it at all in the front.
Paul what impresses you the most about your wife?
Paul: Well, I would go back to a little chat we had off air a few minutes ago and I suppose it must be her tenacity. You know she’s one of those people that you meet that is good at everything she does. What she hasn’t mentioned because it’s not a part of your podcast is that she also does a lot of gardening. So our gardening relationship is very much like our potting relationship. She gets up close and does the details and I just take care of the peripheries. I keep the grass down. So she is somebody that is good to work with.
Rhiannon: I think, Paul, the other side of that is I have loads of ideas and I start things, I plant things and then Paul gets left looking after them. I have to be honest. I am very lucky to have him.
How has faith in yourself been built up through clay?
Paul: That’s a very good question. That is a very deep question and we would probably need several programs to answer it completely. But she is growing her confidence and you can see her confidence growing through what she is producing on the wheel. And I can see it because I am handling everything that she creates. I have to follow up. What would you say Rhiannon?
Rhiannon: Well, I think just keeping going. Like yesterday I didn’t have a very good throwing day but I am going back after this program today. Just keeping going back and being more and more selective as we go. Also there are days when husband and wife are a bit grumpy with each other and I think it’s wonderful that we can go and start discussing colors and shapes and it kind of is a really wonderful territory of leaving other things behind. And that’s just normal and it’s a privilege to have a shared thing and I do appreciate it and I am really impressed with your glazing journey. Which is not easy, is it? To be honest.
Paul: Every time I am doing something I am learning from it.
Book
Beyond East and West by Bernard Leach
Contact
Instagram: @llanddona_beach_pottery
PS: A Note From Rhiannon
I have been very fortunate to receive tuition from two local potters who had to learn to teach me as a blind potter: Janet Edwards https://www.instagram.com/janetedwardspottery/ and Richard Daniels https://www.anglesey-today.com/richard-daniels-studio-potter-carreglefn-anglesey.html
A shout out for Bath Potters Supplies who have a very accessible website https://www.bathpotters.co.uk/
Favourite book: Bernard Leach – Beyond East and West https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571296125-beyond-east-and-west/
I am currently preparing for Anglesey Open Studios April 2023 https://angleseyartsforum.org/anglesey-arts-weeks-open-studios-and-galleries/
Emilie Brichard | Episode 902
malo is the pottery studio of Emilie Brichard who divides her time between two French cities, Paris and Saint-Etienne. Emilie came to ceramics through her interest for tableware. When Emilie became a potter after years working as an architect, she naturally chose to focus on utilitarian ceramics, designed for an everyday use.
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How do you use social media?
I don’t like taking photos so it helps me archive my work. And of course I also need it to be visible, some of my clients, usually it’s friends of chefs, more like this, I mean it is a way to add new customers. But it is my way to remember what I do. (laughter)
I’m curious about return customers, how do you maintain those relationships?
There are two different things. For chefs and restaurants once the order comes in if they want a new plate or new something they know me so they just send me an email. I post quite a lot but I am so bad at expressing myself if there is one plate I just say plate and that’s it. (laughter) That is something I should work on a bit maybe. For professionals they just send an email for individuals I send a newsletter when I do a sale. And they see my work on Instagram to keep me in mind.
Has your recent move hurt your sales or the relationship with any of your customers?
Yes and no. No too much because I moved in 2017 but I had my place in Paris until 2020 and then Covid. But today I feel it would be easier, not all the time, if I was in Paris more.
Does the stress of the deadline ever create burnout for you?
No. No because quickly, what happened last year I had Covid so I couldn’t work for two months and then last February I went back to work and I was so tired. The restaurants did not want to cancel, they wanted to keep the orders and I was so late on everything and it was winter and the drying is longer and today I am so late. When it’s a restaurant opening I try to be on time. Then I need to stop and get some rest and then start again.
Do you have time to experiment with new ideas?
That’s the biggest problem. No. Definitely no. That’s the main problem and that’s also what I want to change next year. Maybe a day a week, I don’t know how, but I need to get fresh air and new glazes. I mean I’ve been making those plates for years now but I still love them.
What is it about repetitive work that is so satisfying for you?
The reason?
Yes, why do you enjoy it?
First, you are getting better because you are doing the same thing, So we getting better and quicker. I think the rhythm, the clay, the plate, the clay, the plate, maybe we could say it is a kind of meditation. Maybe it is, I don’t know, but I think it is the best way to learn.
Book
Samuel Beckett
Contact
malo-atelier.com
Instagram: @emiliebrichard
Jonah Fleeger | Episode 902
Jonah Fleeger is an emerging ceramic artist originally from Northwest Indiana. Jonah attended a small boarding school called Verde Valley School, in Sedona, Arizona, which is where his love for ceramics first started. In 2013, Jonah received his BFA in ceramics from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since then Jonah has completed post-baccalaureate programs at The University of Colorado Boulder and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. In 2019, Jonah received his MFA in ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design. Jonah was a resident artist at the Morean Center for Clay in Florida and a long-term resident artist at Cobb Mountain Art & Ecology Project in California. Currently, Jonah is creating, teaching and starting his own studio in Northern Arizona.
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Why does tedious work attract you?
It’s fulfilling. I think it’s very fulfilling that’s the biggest part for me.
What are you working on in the studio right now that has you super excited?
My coil thrown sculptures on the wheel. I have a lot of glaze ideas in mind and I’m excited to get those going.
On your website your sculptures all have names, do they all have a story to tell?
Most of the them have a story to tell, some of them a little more in depth than others, but all of them have a story.
How does one find the story in the work?
Some times the title hints at the story, other times people might need to look up a phrase or something like that.
What’s an idea you are chasing down but you are not quite sure how to do it yet?
I think I have a lot of ideas for glazing and how I want to glaze my wheel-thrown work, my sculptures. I feel like I know how to do it, I just need to do it. And I feel like once I do it we will see if it works. (laughter)
Okay, What’s the attraction to teaching?
I love teaching. It is very fulfilling to me to be able to help students create something that they might not have been able to before. And to be able to give my skill knowledge to other people is another pretty fulfilling thing to do.
What’s one thing that your students don’t know about you but they should?
I don’t know, what do people usually say? (laughter) I mean I feel like I am pretty open. I don’t think that there is anything weird or anything like that people or students don’t know.
So you are an open book.
Yeah I feel like I am.
Book
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Contact
jonahfleegerceramics.com
Instagram: @jonah_fleeger
Mark Myer | Episode 901
Mark Myer is a taxidermist by day and potter by morning. Mark currently works out of his basement studio creating functional work while incorporating carved patters and 3d printed stamps. Through his work Mark hopes to inspire others to stay creative in their own way, even if it means waking up an hour early.
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Is it important to set aside specific times regularly to be able to keep the creativity flowing?
For me it is. It is definitely something now, I’d be the first one to tell you there are some 6 ams in the morning when my alarm goes off and I don’t get down here but knowing that this is time that I have kind of set aside for this and for me it works better in the morning. Some people it might work better late at night and staying up an hour extra. But for me having this time and it’s not pulling from the family because everyone else is sleeping is time that I can set aside and it’s just me and the clay down in the studio. But knowing that I have that time and knowing that it’s scheduled I don’t have to feel like I missed it if I do miss a morning. I know it’s coming every morning.
Does having a set time take away from creativity?
I think it probably can especially for me I have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday I typically don’t get down here. Sometimes if I get down here and don’t feel and the productivity is not there on a Monday morning it can kind of take my whole week and make it less creative or less productive I guess you could say. Maybe I am leaning more towards productivity in that sense.
Does having a schedule for your making help you show up so you don’t have to show up inspired you just have to show up to do it?
Yeah, I would say so. Because then I know what the next step is in the process. But like I said earlier some of that creativity I feel was kind of lacking because I was making the same thing over and over again.
Does having a social media account make you accountable and spur you on to do something creative and to make?
I think that has kind of changed from time to time because early on if I was really focused on having a big shop update or something like that and selling, posting would kind of overwhelm me because people would say, Oh is there stuff for sale. So it was kind of like this catch 22 where I wanted to share stuff I was working on but I didn’t have stuff for sale at the time. But now it’s just kind of bringing people into the creative process and showing them the ins and outs of everything.
Does having a professional attitude and wanting to do it as a pro, does that bring a different accountability in terms of what you are going to be making and how often?
You mean as far as putting yourself our there as a brand and stuff?
Yes.
Yeah, I think that’s where I am in kind of in that weird transition because I am making something completely new. So when I first started Instagram in 2015 I hadn’t made the same vessel twice. I had made all one off pieces. I was still working with the earthenware clay that I learned on in high school and a friend of mine was a roaster at a local coffee shop and showed my work to his boss and she asked, Can you make a hundred mugs? And I was like, I think so. I have never made more than one thing the same size. (laughter) So that really kicked me into the professional side of it and making sure I produce the same thing. It helped me get my ducks in a row.
Five years from now. Where do you see yourself?
I will probably still be making in some sort of fashion. I don’t really know what I will be making because this year really threw me for a loop. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be making candle houses or these little house sculpture things I would have wondered where that was coming from. But once I started opening that door (no pun intended) of building these little homes and kind of that miniature detail stuff, I don’t know where I’ll be in five years. I don’t know if I will making these or it will be something else.
Book
The Artisan Soul by Erwin McManus
Contact
myermade.com
Instagram: @myermade
It is amazing how life can get so filled with… stuff. Life is like that. It gets filled up with family , work, friends, health… Then there is your art. It also takes time. Mark talks about how to keep it all in line and make room for the time needed to keep art in your life. To listen in on this conversation, click HERE.
The Best of the 900’s | Episode 900
We did it! 900 episodes! I am so thankful to have reached this milestone for The Potters Cast. I am sure you will agree, the secret sauce to The Potters Cast is the amazing guests that have come on the show. And this last 100 episodes is no exception to the amazing list. In this episode we look back to some highlights of some of the most watched episodes of the last 100.
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Inventory Like a Bank | Dan Finnegan | Episode 803
Contact
danfinneganpottery.com
Instagram: @dan_finnegan_pottery
Working With A Creative Team | Rachel Saunders | Episode 809
Contact
rachelsaundersceramics.com
Instagram: @rachelsaundersceramics
The Ron Philbeck Story | Ron Philbeck | Episode 815
Contact
ronphilbeckpottery.com
Instagram: @ronphilbeck
Carrying a Message for Her Community | Krissy Ramirez | Episode 820
Contact
Instagram: @rebelwareceramics
Putting Your Money to Work | Kaveri Bharath | Episode 838
kaveribharath.com
Instagram: @studiomannangatti
Art As A Real Job | Augusta Smith | Episode 855
Contact
augustapots.com
Instagram: @augusta_pots
Some Nitty Gritty On Pricing | Sara Ballek | Episode 860
saraballek.com
Instagram: @saraballek_ceramics
Solving Problems With Clay | Kadri Kunnus | Episode 873
Contact
Instagram: @kadrikunnuspottery
He’s Moving From Wholesale to Direct Sales | William Reardon | Episode 897
Contact
newyorkstoneware.com
Instagram: @newyorkstoneware
Maximilian Gureev | Episode 899
Maximilian Gureev started ceramics at the age of 35, mostly self taught without any previous art education. Since University Maximilian was working with children as a side job funning summer camps and a studio where there was always a creative process in this environment. In spring 2022 Maximilian left Russia with one big bag filled with ceramic glazes, plaster, and moulds to become full-time ceramic artist.
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In order to have on online business was it critical for you to be somewhere you can mail something? Was it challenging to ship things overseas?
Yes, definitely. Shipping from Russia right now would take more than a month so no one would agree to wait that long. People usually would get their parcels in a week and some countries are blocking parcels from Russia. Australia I know for sure. So they are just sending it back.
When you left Russia for Georgia were you concerned that it wouldn’t work out?
Yes, sure. I didn’t know. I was reading that in Georgia it was easy to do business but in reality it wasn’t that easy. I took a month just to open a bank account which is ridiculous. All the processes are harder, the shipping prices are 2 or 3 times higher than I used to use.
How hard is it to be apart from your family?
That’s really hard. That is the thing I miss and I miss my wife, I miss my dog. But my wife is coming for winter holidays so I am just waiting and ready.
What does it feel like knowing that people from around the world want to support you personally?
That’s huge. That’s really, really huge. I receive messages sometimes asking, Why are you not there? Why you left? Things like that. But mostly I have a very, very supportive community online. People just understand.
Just when the caterpillar thought it was over it became a butterfly. What do you think of that quote?
You don’t know where you find your opportunities. You think it’s over but then it’s not and you don’t know which is best and don’t judge your situation and just work with your circumstances. Do your best and never give up.
Book
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Contact
mxmilian.bigcartel.com
Instagram: @red.sqr
Dale Doering | Episode 898
Dale Doering is a Colorado native and live in Loveland, Colorado, and has spent 40+ years in the construction industry building and remodeling homes. Dale took a pottery class in High School and made a few pottery pieces. About 15 years ago Dale got a chance to take a pottery class in Grand Junction Colorado and was introduced to the pottery wheel. In 2019 Dale set up a pottery studio at home. Using his middle name Allen Pottery was born.
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How do you know it is time to make a change?
When you get up in the morning and you dread putting on your boots, getting in your truck, and heading to the jobsite. That’s when you know it is time for a change.
How do you know it is time to make a change when you are the only person in the studio?
I think, in my case, that when I become overwhelmed with the process, then I will find someone to do something that doesn’t take me to do it. Such as shipping… find someone to come in for a couple hours a day and pack up the boxes. Then I don’t have to worry about that.
How do you find the right person to do that?
There is a whole work force out there called stay at home moms and they would love something to do for a couple hours a day.
Do you keep an eye on your happiness levels?
Absolutely. I do that on a daily basis because of the years that I spent in an unhappy state running my tail off trying to build houses and do big remodels. So yes, I definitely keep track of that.
Is it okay to give ourselves permission to chase joy?
I believe so. Especially with where I am in life. It may look different for a younger person, but definitely with where I am at, absolutely.
How do we balance out being responsible and being a joy seeker?
Yes, you definitely have to be responsible and provide for whatever choices you’ve made. If you chose to have a family, then that needs to be something that you focus on as well. That does add a different dimension when you do have a family. I just think it is so important to be happy with what you are doing.
What brings you the most joy in the studio?
I would say creating the work. The throwing part, the glazing part, and, of course, opening the kiln. Seeing your work in person.
Contact
allenpottery.com
Instagram: @allen_pottery
William Reardon | Episode 897
Born and bred in NYC, William Reardon attended The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and studied Ceramics and Architecture. After graduating Will worked in the music industry but returned to start New York Stoneware In 2013 – an urban production pottery focused on everyday objects and tableware.
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How did you come up with the name New York Stoneware?
Well I knew that I didn’t want to name the company after myself. I didn’t want it to be so much about the maker and the craftsperson, I liked production pottery and that utilitarian slightly less personal connotation. So I was born and bred in New York and it just came to me. It’s a pretty simple idea but it sounded right and it checked all the boxes.
Do you think that in terms of branding, do you think that having the “right name” , do you think that makes a difference in how your company is perceived ?
That’s a fun question. I’d like to talk about this. It makes me think about Goop and Google and all these other companies. I think with marketing and defining your message and your imagery is more important than the “right name”. I think it’s about communication. Think about the Rolling Stones, they just stole a lyric from a blues song. It’s almost kind of boring, but you don’t even think about it. You hear the Rolling Stones you think bright red tongue, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, that’s what comes to mind. Not the rolling stones, which is a folk bluesy lyric.
When you made the transition from musician to full-time potter how did you find your new audience?
I sort of decided almost overnight that I would try and make a business out of pottery. And a friend of my wife and me suggested I do the New York Now trade show, which was in six months. So I had six months to make my collection after taking eight years of not throwing pottery. And so I had internalized all these things that I liked and I had six months to make something of my own that I liked, what I wanted and what I thought looked good for myself.
Were you able to make enough for that trade show?
Well, it was a wholesale trade show. So I just had to make samples. But because I was doing production pottery I had ten or twenty or thirty of everything and the booth festooned with pots. So yeah, I was able to do it.
Has the heart of your business been wholesale work?
That is what got the business going. I did this trade show and immediately walked away with ten or twenty order forms. I had no idea how I was going to fill them. I always liked production pottery and I had always practiced it but I had never really produced it. But that has been my model until very recently and now I am switching over to direct to consumer. And focusing more on the advertising, the marketing, and all that and moving away from wholesale. But I do have a few wholesale accounts that I enjoy working with.
Have you worked as a solo make the entire time?
Initially but I very early on needed more help. So as I have grown, my team has grown. But I am still the only one that throws. So I throw every day and I have a team of three people in the studio every day glazing, trimming, packing, everything else in a ceramic studio. And my wife helps with sales and a lot of the administrative side.
Why did you transition from wholesale to direct sales?
In large part because of that book Passion Economy. Trying to make your business sustainably successful actually successful. Operating in the black, you know. And then accessing what my goals are, what I want to be doing. Do I want to be throwing? Do I not want to be throwing? And just doing all that sort of soul-searching stuff and trying to figure out how to make that work. And because I want to be throwing, making things smaller in terms of units makes more sense. But it also makes me be more in touch with the end consumer. And that’s really what I am doing. It’s a more intimate relationship with me as the maker and what people want.
Book
Raised in Clay by Nancy Sweezy
The Passion Economy by Adam Davidson
Contact
newyorkstoneware.com
Instagram: @newyorkstoneware
Avè Rivera | Episode 896
Avé Rivera is an artist based out of Connecticut making pots and illustrations that celebrate her love of fantasy, cute things, TTRPG (Table Top Role Playing Games) and all around general nerd stuff. Her art also explores a range of feelings–especially anxiety– with a dose of humor.
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What is your typical work week like?
When it’s not the holiday season or faire time, it’s basically admin time on Mondays. Then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdays is typically studio days. In the mornings I try to catch up on emails or taxes or shipping stuff. Then on Fridays it flexes between a day off, admin, or more studio time. But that is the basic schedule I have set out for myself.
How about your weekends… Do you involve your weekends in making time?
Sometimes. But since everyone else in my life is not self employed, I leave it open for them. My husband is a teacher so my schedule still revolves around school a little bit still. I hang out with friends, and Saturdays is one of my Dungeons and Dragons days. Every other Saturday we play in person.
Have you 0ptimizied your studio for a good work flow?
I think so. I have two different areas that I can do my creations. I have one table where I roll out my slabs and then I have my table where I am forming everything. Then I have another table off to the side where everything goes to dry. Then on the other half of my studio space is where I go to glaze. Then I have bisque shelves, stuff that is waiting for luster, and then my back stock. Under my table for glazing is my buckets of glazes and that is also the side of the room where my sink is.
Do you make room for clay playtime so you can still just have fun with clay and love it?
Yeah. That is the reason I made a Patreon page so that I could ease up on the financial anxiety of Oh my gosh, I’ve to make make make! So the idea of Patreon is that I could start to ease back into sculpture. I am still trying to determine where that fits into people’s lives. But if I make it smaller, I feel like more people could interested in finding space on a shelf if they really love it. I also think that January and February is when I play around the most because it is a slower season and I have more time to breath and think and experiment with new ideas.
Now for a two part question… What’s got you excited in the studio and what has you challenged?
What’s got excited is an idea that’s brewing that I am about to start. I’ve been wanting to do a zodiac collection for years so I am excited about that, but it is going to be a January thing.
What’s got me challenged is that I feel like I don’t really make enough stuff. This is kind of a struggle online with thousands of people wanting a certain thing and I am only one person so I can only make so much.
Book
The Little Book of Hygge by Meike Wiking
Contact
averiverastudio.com
Instagram: @averiverastudio
Carol Long | Episode 895
This episode is a little different from anything that we have done before. Carol Long makes a lot of work, sells a lot of work, and therefore ships a lot of work. When Carol and I were finished recording her episode (episode 894), we continued our conversation. The focus of our conversation was her shipping work practices. Because her work has so many breakable parts, she has had to be very conscientious with her packing methods. So we hit the record button again and talked packing.
The butterfly platter is heavy but the handles are fragile. Stiff buffers are in places that are not handles to hold it away from the edges of the box. Soft padding is stuffed around the handles. Then double boxed. 20″x 20″x 12″ box. Cost $100ish to go to CT. Too much $!I should have taken it all apart and reboxed smaller. Vowed to do better next time.SPONSORS
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The dragonfly platter was oriented in the box to relieve pressure on 2 handles but would require a bigger box to accommodate the 3rd handle. No!
-cut out side of box for 3rd handle. Now it has to be taken care of in the 2nd box. I wouldn’t suggest degrading the structural integrity of the box, but it worked for this one.-cut out space in stiff foam for 3rd handle. The foam has to be secured so it doesn’t move. -voids filled.-clear packing tape on interior box. It’s easy to use and doesn’t need much.-new boxes Uline-foam is recycled.-black bubble wrap around the pot is not recycled. It’s soft and easier to pop so it needs a few layers just in case. Uline-blue bubble wrap is recycled. Very stiff. Not good next to the pot. Great for in between boxes.fiber packing is Uline. I’m trying to find better packing materials. It’s heavy and sends fiber into the air. I like it but my fav is still bubble wrap.-sealed with preprinted reinforced paper tape. Uline-4″x 6″ label printed directly from what the customer has provided on the website. bluetooth-$40ish to Georgia-much betterThe tall deer vase has handles that extend along the sides. The pot is heavy so the handles need to be protected from impact.A piece of styrofoam inside the pot that extends to the side of the box. That keeps the top of the pot away from the box. That is secured with other styrofoam to keep it from moving side to side.
The base is secured from moving side to side.All voids are filled to prevent shifting.Since the pot is so heavy it is double boxed with a few inches all around.Voids filled.Contactcarollongpottery.com
Instagram: @carollongpottery
Carol Long | Episode 894
Born in 1965, Carol Long was raised on a farm in Stafford County, Kansas. She draws influence from plant and animal life. With joy, whimsy and beauty as her goal, her work continues to evolve as she experiments with new ways of expressing these qualities of her surroundings. She enjoys learning from other contemporary artists while keeping an eye on historical ceramics.
SPONSORS
You can help support the show!
GRPotteryForms.com
diamondcoretools.com
Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com
For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com
How do you know when it’s time to hire?
Oh, that is a good question. Well, my hands were giving out so I needed to address that and also I felt like I was good enough that I could support another family if we worked hard. So not only do I have to make money but you have to make enough money to support them also.
How does the productivity go up when you bring other people into the studio?
It goes up more than…it’s like the parts are more as a whole than as they are as individuals. So with people having their own tasks they learn ways to make that more efficient. Whereas me as a single person in the studio, I have to do everything and I have to figure out how to do everything and so I am constantly flipping back and forth. Whereas if you have a task you are responsible for you have that more streamlined.
You said that you found more room for creativity.
Yes.
Tell us about that.
I had a lot more time because the tedious things that didn’t take any thought. Well, they all take thought. You are not required to make decisions when you are doing the glazing. The glazing is pretty much decided with the surface design when it’s wet. So when it goes to Ava and she has to glaze it, those decisions are made. She doesn’t have to make those creative decisions. So with those tedious jobs covered I am doing all the creative work, over and over and over so when you get into that flow of being creative it just brings on more creativity and it just explodes.
The team that you have brought in, how do you bring their creativity to the forefront or is that necessary?
Well I did want Mark and Bambi as young people coming out of college, one of my goals was that they would grow. And so Linda, their instructor was very life oriented. When they left her department they would be able to function as an artist. Well I needed to help them in my studio to do that same thing. So any input that they had, and they were quite energetic people, was appreciated. I loved their input. And they were also working on their own work.
What makes a good working environment? What did you do to make it work?
I think you should pray. Mark and Bambi were extraordinary in my studio. I think they were the personality as far as the joy….let’s back up. Let’s say joy. That’s what makes a good studio environment. And that’s what they brought. They were fun and they were joyful and I fed off that.
How do you compensate your employees? Is it hourly? Is it piecework? Is it percentages? How do you go about that process?
Hourly. Mark and Bambi were hourly but I tried to make sure that their work experience was a good one. When we would travel…they had to do all the work when we traveled but I made sure they they had everything that they needed and everything that they wanted when they traveled so it was a great experience.
Book
The Complete Pattern Directory by Elizabeth Wilhide
Interaction of Color by Josef Albers
Contact
carollongpottery.com
Instagram: @carollongpottery
Juliann Roush | Episode 893
“My aim is to elevate everyday objects, to make the ordinary just a little more extraordinary.” Juliann Roush is a Northern Michigan based ceramic artist. Juliann began studying pottery in her senior year of college at Eastern Michigan University in 1989 as a way to “kill” some time, but became hooked on the medium. Juliann continued her ceramic education at City College of San Francisco from 1992-1997 where she honed her skills and worked as a lab tech. Initially Juliann’s career trajectory was in International Marketing and Japanese, however keeping her hands in clay has always been a high priority side hustle. Finally in 2019 after moving back to Michigan, Juliann took the leap and became a full time potter. Juliann is a self proclaimed maximalist. Most of her work is handbuilt with slabs and has a very distinct style using lots of texture and bright colors. Often Juliann’s work has a positive encouraging message, giving a little insight into her cheerful personality and joy of making and sharing her methods.SPONSORS
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I noticed a lot of positive messages on your work. What is the point of having a positive spin?
Well, I guess having gone through a bit of trauma the last few years I wasn’t really putting words on my work. It still had a similar feel prior to this. But I really wanted to start manifesting new life for myself and putting light and love and positive energy out into the world. What you put out is what you get back and I feel like if I put out pieces that make other people happy and bring them light it just all comes around.
Have you heard back from your customers the impact the messages have had on them?
Oh my gosh, I get that all the time. They are always sending me pictures. A lot of them aren’t necessarily through Instagram. But they will send me private messages saying, You made my day today. Even thought it’s a year later , I am drinking out of your cup and it makes me so happy. Which is nice.
Why do you take the time to make some of your pieces an interactive piece? Beyond functional?
I don’t know. I have this need to keep adding. First I started adding little buttons. I wanted the texture. And then I was adding little dangly things off the handle and then I started playing with the on/ off switch. That’s a recent thing. I still haven’t got it quite down and I have a worry bead on one of my mugs. I am exploring this high temperature wire and what I can do it with it.
You were running a brick and mortar shop but it seems like the teaching wasn’t giving you time to make your own work.
I felt like that. I mean I enjoy teaching and I still enjoy teaching but on a daily basis I felt like it took too much of my energy and I wasn’t able to be creative.
How is it different now?
I think I am not getting the bored house-wife that is just wanting to try a class. Where now I am getting people who are really interested in pottery and learning the techniques that I have to offer and are interested. Whereas before someone would want to try a class and didn’t want to cut their nails, I don’t know. So I think my audience is changed and I think they are interested in learning and I want to teach people who are interested in learning.
What do you think about this quote? Happiness depends upon ourselves. How does that apply to you as a person recovering from the last few years?
I think happiness depend on yourself. You have to be happy with who you are and be able to be alone and be able to not have to rely on other people for your happiness. I really do believe meditation, exercise, getting out there, playing with clay. You have to be happy with yourself before you can put it out there to the world. What you start putting out, even if you are not happy yet, it starts coming back to you.
Book
You are a Badass Everyday by Jen Sincero
Contact
juliannroushpottery.com
Instagram: @juliannroush
Heather DeJack | Episode 892
Heather DeJack is the owner of The Golden Opal. Heather is a self taught potter who makes slab built ceramic Tolkien inspired mugs!
SPONSORS
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How hard was it to actually set up Patreon as a new media platform for yourself?
Well, there’s a lot of customization. It took quite a long time.
Do you price the expense of Patreon into the work so that you are still getting your full price?
So people on Patreon pay more than my average Etsy mug, just because they are getting a custom mug. And I factor their shipping into the cost of their monthly payment.
How does that work if someone join internationally. Do you have restrictions?
Sometimes I do. I take a hit there but I certainly don’t want to put restrictions on that end. I have already shipped last month to the U.K., to Canada, to Australia.
Has it helped to level the paying field for people getting access to your work?
For the most part. Yeah.
Have you heard anyone complaining because there is a long wait?
Not that I have seen so far. I haven’t seen anyone complain about that.
What is your favorite Tolkien quote?
It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.
Book
Dune by Frank Herbert
Contact
Etsy: TheGoldenOpal
Instagram: @the_golden_opal
Andres Montenegro | Episode 891
Andres Montenegro was born in Lima, Peru and moved to Florida in 2004. Andres began working with clay at Seminole State College and graduated with a BFA in Ceramics from the University of Central Florida in 2016. In May 2019 Andres received his MFA from Bowling Green State University, specializing in three dimensional studies in ceramics, and sculpture. During his MFA studies Andres taught his first college level classes. Teaching college level for the first time, Andres realized working with clay and teaching was a two part passion. After graduating, Andres has been working as a Ceramics Adjunct Professor at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, and at Jane’s Art Center in New Smyrna FL. He sells his work locally and nationally through his online store and galleries. Andres currently resides in Daytona Beach, Florida.
SPONSORS
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Is it critical to have a vison for your legacy to understand your purpose?
My purpose. I think that’s a very broad question. It depends how I see my reach and whether I consider myself the artist, or if I am talking about the teacher, or am I talking about just the human that I am. I believe that at the end of the day the things that I make are necessary for me to make and the way that the world works, you know, everybody needs to pay their mortgage, we have bills, we have to make a living. And art and doing the things that I do, teaching covers all that, but the legacy is for the next generation. It really isn’t about me, that’s what I wholeheartedly think. I think any way that you get your hand on clay is a good place to begin.
I think some people get stuck in this defeatism that it won’t matter. But if you don’t bring intentionality to the table then does it really become a thing of where it doesn’t matter because you’re not being intentional?
Hmm. Deep question. But I think it still matters. I think as humans we are still evolving. We are still going to reach higher points of being. And I think we can…as in good things and in bad things, we can really create an impact without even knowing. I know that I remember things from my teachers that just click now for example, right. And they may not remember ever saying them but they place such a strong part in the things that I do now.
About passing on DNA, do you feel like you have things in your work that are the result of someone that was hundreds of years ago?
Yeah, absolutely. I feel that way, I guess it would be really difficult to prove but I can tell you straight up from my mom, she came to a class at the James Art Center and she took her first wheel throwing class with me and her hand, her mind hand dexterity was incredible. She was so easy to guide through the throwing process. And that’s a rare thing. But I don’t think it limits anybody and I don’t think it really makes or breaks an artist. I think it might enhance some things but at the end of the day I think that showing up to the studio and doing the work is the number one thing.
Do you feel like the celebration of the next crew gives them the joy that would then want them to pass it on?
Absolutely. And together with that is also the values of work that you can teach them. I think the joyful things and the congratulations of good things are just as important as realizing some of the mistakes that you can address. And I’m purely talking about the technical approach with students. But I think that’s what really sets you apart in the beginning to be able to work through the process and knowing the in and out of working with clay that lets you later on find your own voice in an easier way.
You have a student going on to graduate school. Are you a person who tracks your “successes” ?
My student’s successes? (laughter)
Yes.
Yes, but I have been teaching just for three years at Daytona State College and I am just starting to be able to do that now. I am tracking this person, the assistant that I have and I will in the future. And I have a few students that are going for their Bachelor of Fine Arts but there is a point of it that is also letting them go, you know. Letting them go and letting them live that ride. And I will eventually reach out to them or they will eventually reach out to me and that will be a wonderful moment.
What quote do you find comes to your mind most often?
Recently I heard a quote by Winston Churchill. And the quote is: If you are going through hell, keep going.
That helps me. Whenever I am having a tough moment or a tough situation it’s just: If you are going through hell, keep going.
Book
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Contact
montenegroceramics.com
Instagram: @montenegro_ceramics
Janina Myronova | Episode 890
Janina Myronova is a ceramic artist born in Ukraine and living in Poland. In 2012 Janina received her MFA from the Department of Ceramic Art at Lviv National Academy of Fine Arts (Lviv, Ukraine), an MFA from the Department of Ceramics and Glass at The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts and Design (Wroclaw, Poland) in 2013, and her PhD from the Department of Ceramics and Glass at Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in 2019. Continually developing her work and practice, Janina has attended numerous residencies including opportunities’ at the New Taipei Yingge Ceramics Museum (New Taipei, Taiwan), Clayarch Gimhae Musem (Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea), Lefebvre and Fils (Paris, France), the Polish Sculpture Centre (Oronsko, Poland), and the International Ceramic Research Center (Guldagergaard, Denmark).
SPONSORS
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I’m curious Janina, you have a PhD in ceramics, why are you doing more? Why are you doing a residency?
A residency I enjoy the most because I feel it’s developing my work so much. I meet different people. I am always in new situations, new cultures around me, and it’s inspiring me and I cannot stop it.
Right now you are at Northern Clay Center, do you plan on doing more residencies?
Yes, my next residency will be a long time residency. It could be one year or even two years. And I was also accepted to go to a residency in Japan.
Do you see yourself as a teacher or as a learner?
At the moment I would like to learn as much as possible. Eventually I would like to give this knowledge to students or people who are interested, but now I really enjoy learning at this residency and meeting people. It’s very important for me at the moment.
Do you have a story line that goes with each piece?
It’s very often I have a story. Just recently I was preparing for my exhibition and I named it Family Postcards. My family is very often my inspiration for my works. And I am telling such stories from childhood. I was working as a child, very hard already to be able to buy shoes for dancing because I loved dancing and as a kid I played guitar and I was singing so there were a lot of memories about my first kiss. I made a special work. (laughter) So I really try to put my personal story and tell them to people, to observers.
Have your sculptures ever help you to meet anyone famous?
Well not sculpture but thanks to my painting I met a famous writer. And also some musicians. And I would like to say thanks to my sculptures I met so many friends because the people who enjoy my art usually they are the same way. We feel very much connected and we have similar interests. And it is very often happening thanks to my sculptures. Also thanks to my sculptures I met the Queen of Denmark. It was unforgettable. She is also an artist. It was very special.
Book
The Ceramic Process
Contact
janinamyronova.com
Instagram: @janinamyronova
Jeremy Randall | Episode 172
The Potters Class: Hand Built Tea Pot with Jeremy Randall Click HERE to join the class.
Jeremy Randall Ceramics was officially started in 2009, with energy placed on making, showing, and selling work nationally and internationally. Retail shows in the New England area have been a new venture with pleasant results, and being able to have personal interactions with my audience has been wonderful. Thank you for visiting, and hope to see you at a show or out in the ceramic world in the future.
SPONSORS
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For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com
Do you think creativity involves putting your heart and soul into your work or is it more like letting your mind flow freely?
I think it’s a combo. I think your heart and soul is definitely there for the creative act but there should be room for intuition as well. Sometimes when we look at creativity as success or failure the things that work well are the things we come away with as the “meat” and we often don’t spend enough time looking at the things that don’t work.
How has having children (responsibilities) turned into a motivation to be a productive potter?
There’s definitely the fact that there is more than just me now. There are others that are relying on me. It focuses on my attention when I am working, because I also don’t want to be absent and allowing the studio to take over.
What are you passing on to your children right now?
I grew up in a house where my parents were artists. They supported creativity. They supported risk taking and I definitely learned from that. Some of the greatest joys are having my kids in the studio with me and letting them kind of do their thing and make stuff. To be able to see the things they make become realized in an object that they can use, man that spark is outstanding.
Do you ever get discouraged running a business?
All the time. There are always things that can be discouraging, you have a bad show and you start to second guess yourself.
What was your most recent discouragement?
Tax time. You realize you work really freaking hard and there is not a whole lot of return on a monetary basis. Then you have to stop and say to yourself, Where does the return end up? So I think I try and not to be discouraged or I try and look at that discouragement in a way that I can also see the benefit.
If you could start all over again would you choose a different path?
I go to work happy right now. When I go to teach or a go to the studio to make, I go 100 percent in it. There are times when I drag myself to the studio with a cup of coffee and would have liked a couple more hours of sleep, but I don’t go to an office and sit at a desk. I don’t have a five day work week. Some days my work week is 6 days and some weeks it’s 3 days. The things that I’m doing are the things that I love to do.
BOOK
The Poetics of Space
CONTACT
JeremyRandallCeramics.com
Instagram: @randallceramics
Chris Locke | Episode 888 Chris Locke grew up in northern Virginia and wasted a lot of time trying not […]
Maria Diletta Rondoni | Episode 887 Maria Diletta Rondoni is an Italian artist based in Umbria, Italy. After graduating at […]
Erica Davidson | Episode 886 Erica Davidson is a ceramic artist and co-owner of Circa Pottery in Bellingham, Washington. Erica […]
Maggie Frampton | Episode 885 Maggie Frampton is an English potter who trained 50 years ago. 10 years later Maggie’s […]
Lee Wolfe | Episode 884 Lee Wolfe has been a studio potter for 40 years. Lee’s ceramic work emerges from […]
Jannalyn Bailey | Episode 883 Curious Clay, founded by Jannalyn Bailey, was born out of an intense love of the […]
Julia Claire Weber | Episode 882 Julia Claire Weber, founder of Julia Claire Clay is a part-time studio potter, full-time […]
Nicole Pangas | Episode 881 Nicole Pangas is a full time artist and studio potter living and working in Detroit, […]
Paulina Gobiecka | Episode 880 Paulina Gobiecka, born on the 13th November 1987 in Warsaw, is a ceramic, sculptor, and […]
Kate Marotz | Episode 879 Kate Marotz currently lives in Marshfield, WI where she shares a studio with her spouse. […]
Constance Stotzer | Episode 878 Currently residing in Las Vegas, Constance Stotzer graduated from California College of Arts and Crafts […]
Michelle Valigura | Episode 877 Michelle Valigura is a sculptor, with a primary focus on ceramics. Her background designing for […]
Dee Hunt | Episode 876 Dee Hunt is a retired lady in her 60’s who found clay some 20 years […]
It is one thing to make something. It is another thing to make something of quality. Dee talks us through […]
Bekah Bliss | Episode 875 Bekah Bliss is a ceramic artist living in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Bekah […]
Managing a studio takes skills! Bekah talks through the ins and outs of what it takes to run a studio. […]
Nathalie Djakou Kassi | Episode 874 Nathalie Djakou Kassi is a Cameroonian ceramicist practicing over 30years with several group exhibitions […]
Kadri Kunnus | Episode 873 There is something special about a handmade mug that breaks the mundane madness and connects […]
We talk about finding our ways to finding the tribe of people that are likeminded with you and want to […]
Tini Pinto | Episode 872 All art is an osmosis of sensory stimuli into a physical manifestation of our experiences. Tini […]
Christine Sutton | Episode 871 Christine Sutton was born and raised in Montana, growing up in a rural area, fairly feral, […]
Em Gabriel | Episode 870 Emily Gabriel is an accidental full time potter, formally trained as a educator but lacking […]
Emmanuel Emana | Episode 869 Having recently graduated from college, Emmanuel Umana is on his way to developing a new […]
Mark Stedman | Episode 868 After a twenty-year layoff, in 2019 Mark Stedman had the opportunity to buy out a […]
Brad Lail | Episode 867 Brad Lail trained in North Carolina as a production thrower. Brad’s training has been informed […]
Becky Laird | Episode 866 Becky Laird is a potter based in Kenmore, Washington. Becky thoughtfully creates work in her […]
Courtney Hassmann | Episode 865 Courtney Hassmann is a ceramic artist in Houston, Texas. Courtney pinches pots, cries a lot, […]
Courtney talks to us about building the stream of income from patrons in order to support the artist life style. […]
Dustin Barzell | Episode 864 Dustin Barzell is a Brooklyn-based artist who creates colorful and playful ceramics using fresh and […]
Matthew Blakely | Episode 863 Matthew Blakely set up a pottery and gallery in Australia and was a selected member […]
It has been said that if you want to grow, then choose your friends wisely and spend time with books. […]
Tosha McCarter | Episode 862 Tosha McCarter is a Ceramic Artist born and raised in Northern California. Her introduction to […]
Valerie Costanza | Episode 861 Valerie Costanza earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with emphasis in Ceramics from the […]
Personal responsibility is critical growing a business. Valerie and I talk about things like knowing your “Why”, being proactive, keeping […]
Sara Ballek | Episode 860 Sara Ballek is back on The Potters Cast. Sara’s first visit to the show was […]
Sara Ballek In business one of the most effective ways to control costs is by controlling efficiency in work. Sara […]
Hayne Bayless | Episode 859 Growing up in Seattle, Hayne Bayless first got interested in clay when he found an […]
Shikha Joshi | Episode 858 Shikha Joshi is a studio potter based in Round Rock, Texas. Born and raised in […]
Kylie Smithline | Episode 857 Kylie Smithline received her BFA in Ceramics at Jacksonville University. As a ceramicist, Kylie enjoys […]
Nathan & Andrew Pauls | Episode 856 Nathan and Andrew Pauls are brothers and they have collaborated on some art. […]
Augusta Smith | Episode 855 Augusta Smith is a multi-medium designer and artist based in Phoenix Arizona, primarily focused on […]
Corrie Ladd | Episode 854 Before founding Korai Goods in 2019, Corrie Ladd began her practice as a multi-disciplinary artist […]
Danielle Williams | Episode 853 “Hello Strong Human”, is the message from Danielle Williams. Danielle is the face, hands, and […]
Making in a community studio has it’s benefits and challenges. Danielle talk us through her perspective on working in a […]
Zuza Ferenczova | Episode 853 Zuza Ferenczová is a part-time potter and part-time scriptwriter from Slovakia, Europe. Zuza has a […]
Evelyn Ward | Episode 851 Evelyn Ward makes functional earthenware pots, with monoprinted slip transfers in her studio at Cedar […]
Alan Potter | Episode 850 Alan Potter lives in Southeast Arizona where he works in his home studio creating raku-fired […]
Mike Cerv | Episode 849 Mike Cerv is a ceramic artist from Kansas who loves exploring processes and glaze chemistry. […]
Asahi So | Episode 848 Asahi So is a Sydney-based ceramic artist specializing in sculptural pieces that combine wire with […]
Darren Jackson | Episode 847 Darren Jackson got a random postcard at his day job (K-6 general music) to attend […]
Nicholas Lees | Episode 846 Nicholas Lees has a string of degrees from University of Kent (BA), University of the […]
Jordyn Brummett | Episode 845 Jordyn Brummett is a wife, mom, and ceramic artist living in Huntsville, Alabama. Jordyn has […]
Deana Coveney | Episode 844 Deana Coveney is the artist at Vuvu Ceramics. Dena lives and works in Encinitas, California, […]
Tyler Quintin | Episode 843 Tyler Quintin is a Korean American ceramic sculptor and vessel maker using clay to explore […]
Annemarie Vogel | Episode 842 Annemarie Vogel used to work as a medical doctor in Zimbabwe. When Annemarie lost her […]
Diego Valles | Episode 841 Diego Valles was born in the border town of Palomas Chihuahua in July 1982.Diego has […]
Lucia Matos | Episode 840 An orchestra conductor turned potter, Lucia Matos is originally from Brazil and lives now in […]
Andy Williams | Episode 839 Andy Williams is 43 years old and from the SF Bay Area. Andy has been […]
Kaveri Bharath | Episode 838 Kaveri Bharath is a potter in Chennai, in South India. Kaveri now has a rooftop […]
Harry Levenstein | Episode 837 Harry Levenstein is a potter currently working in the southern Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Harry […]
Gaspar Gorodisch | Episode 836 Gaspar Gorodisch is an Argentinian potter, Born in 1996 in the city of Buenos Aires. […]
Em Piscopo | Episode 835 Em Piscopo stumbled into ceramics nearly 2.5 years ago in an attempt to discover my […]
Mandy Henebry | Episode 834 Mandy Henebry has been working with clay for almost 3 decades. Mandy’s work is a […]
Amanda Bartel | Episode 833 I began working with clay in 2011 when I asked a cashier to teach me […]
Amanda Fangue | Episode 832 If Amanda had known she would one day be a professional potter, she would have […]
Chris Pickett | Episode 831 Chris received his BFA from the University of Tennessee and his MFA from the University […]
Raina Lee | Episode 830 Raina Lee is an artist based in Los Angeles and works in clay and experimental […]
Kylie Osmond | Episode 829 Kylie Osmond is a mostly self taught potter and the owner of Smiley Seahorse Ceramics, […]
Mara Friedman, KC Bonnem, & Tom Budzak | Episode 828 Mara & KC are a couple of graphic designers who live […]
Jacob Vinson | Episode 827 Jacob Vinson originates from high desert plains of Wyoming, although he now calls Michigan home. […]
Cameron Williams | Episode 826 Cameron Williams works to Order specializing in large wheel formed planter commissions for Shopping centres, […]
Rebecca May Verrill | Episode 825 Rebecca May Verrill is a Maine native and has regularly been working with clay […]
Instagram Followers Showed Up | Episode 824 Here in the Pacific Northwest we had a rare snow day in […]
Sophia Sohyun Kim | Episode 823
Sophia Sohyun Kim loves working with clay. The inspiration of working with clay, the texture of reliefs, and cut outs are energizing to Sophia. Throwing clay on the potter’s wheel, in particular, can be addictive to Sophia as it is quiet and personal; it is like a meditation for her as she has to center herself before she can center the clay. Trees have been Sophia’s obsession for a long time. Her fascination on tree barks started while taking pictures of birch, oak, and cedar trees in the Pacific Northwest. Sophia has been mesmerized that the the trees all seem to have scars on their barks and try to tell us their stories which call to us… Sophia watchfully listens to their stories to share botanic exquisiteness beyond cicatrix.
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They say the best customer to find is the customer you already had. They are the cheapest to keep. So how do you keep in touch with the customer base that you have taken years to build when you had a great location?
That’s a good question. I actually have quite a few real customers that have been collecting my work since my first career. Eight years ago I started this signature style and ever since I have quite a few customers coming back and contacting me by email or texting and they come to my studio by making an appointment and purchase from the studio. So I am pretty lucky because I have a lot of loyal existing customers.
Do you have an email list that you reach out through to your customers?
I do have an email list but I am not really a tech person. I am really bad with the computer. I hate technology. I hate sitting in front of the computer. I don’t mind doing it on the phone with Instagram or email. I have so many emails piled up for eight years and I had to gather them together and organize them so that’s one more to the list that I haven’t done. (laughter)
Do you ever ask your current customers to tell their friends?
I don’t usually, but they do. (laughter) So I appreciate my customers because they are really nice people. Most of my customers are really nice, they are humble down to the earth, and they are not rich, rich, people but they love my work.
Does being part of Niche help customers discover you?
Yes, I think so. There are 15 different artists so if for example one artist has one hundred existing customers then it’s how many thousands of friends and family maybe who will be spending. So for sure.
How do you find new customers?
Instagram. (laughter) When I was at the market I was not active at all on social media. I am not a social media type of person and I wasn’t feeling very comfortable exposing me and my work, to0 much on social media because it wasn’t necessary. I already had great exposure at the market and why would I be bothered, right? I didn’t even have enough time to make and sell at the market, a lot of people told me I should do Instagram and that it was great exposure and I ignored them. (laughter) Then I got out of the market and I had no where to go and all the shows were cancelled and the market was closed so I didn’t know what to do and I realized that I had to do Instagram.
My last question is: Is there something that you wish I would have asked you?
My signature design: Rusty Birch. My birch design and how it was created and the story behind it.
Tell me.
I just love trees. I grew up suburban in South Korea and whenever I go to school I had to walk into the forest, not a forest, but through the trees and I just feel at home whenever I walk inside the trees. And my tree bark design started from painting and drawing and taking pictures of West Coast tree barks. So I used to take a lot of pictures of bark and bark seems to talk to me somehow. And they have a lot of scars on the outside and whenever I look at the scar or the bark of the tree it feels like it’s talking to me. I didn’t mean to create bark texture or anything, it just came to me. It just happened one day, I was playing with the slip and texture and scratching a polishing them and it came to me one day. So it was just meant to be, I think.
Book
My Life as a Potter by Mary Fox
Contact
sophiaclayart.com
Instagram: @sophiaclayart
Rachel Zylka | Episode 822
Rachel Zylka is a Psychologist who does psycho-educational assessments and provides behavioral support for families, children, and young adults. Rachel is also a self-proclaimed “accidental maker” who fell in with clay. As a micro batch maker, Rachel makes limited edition functional work.
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I am curious about your Instagram name ad.mire. Where did that come from?
It came from…well mire, something that clay and earth, an object that you admire. So I put those two together. An object that you admire that is made out of mud.
You have two careers going on, clay and a psychology career. Do you use art in your practice?
I don’t. So I do psychological assessments mostly and I work with kids and families as well. I use art for my own mental health and I think psychology and mental health and art have a long history together, either guided by a psychologist in art therapy or self initiated. They are both about making a difference at the end of the day. I practice psychology to make a difference. I make art for myself but also to make a difference hopefully. One of the reasons you make this podcast is likely to make a difference? Right?
Yes, totally.
So did you see art then as a direct source of healing for yourself?
Absolutely. Yeah, it is an opportunity to get outside yourself, to give yourself perspective on things, instead of maybe that viscous cycle of negative thoughts or worries you can open up a bag of clay and get immersed in that meditative process of just making something. It gives you a reprieve from all of that is going on in your life.
What kind of reactions or difference do you want your creations to impart on people?
Joy. Yeah, I mean is there anything better than that? (laughter) Joy? It’s what we are all looking for isn’t it?
Yes. That’s so good.
What has you excited that you are making in the studio right now?
I’ve got a few things going on right now. I have lots of ideas but it’s all about that task completion for me, the follow through and deciding which ideas I actually want to pursue. And then again that perfectionism piece, once I get to a certain spot where I am not sure of something and how to complete it in a perfect way. And I know there’s not perfect way to complete it but I sometimes get stuck so I have bits and pieces of projects all over my studio that I just need to finish and get it out the door. But right now I’m really into colored porcelain and porcelain inlay and mashing bits of colored porcelain into stoneware.
What has you challenged in the studio right now?
Cleaning up. (laughter) In the workshop studio all systems are in place for clean up but in my home studio things are a little bit more rudimentary. I haven’t set up a sink trap, a clay trap in the washroom that ‘s closest to my studio and that inevitably leaves me with bowls of water and clay littered around so the clean up is such a process for me. And so I need to figure out a way to put a trap in so it’s not this process. So yeah, the clean up is challenging, also being patient is challenging with clay. Ceramics ais a lot of being patient and also being clean.
How do you work with your children’s creativity?
Kid’s are just the most creative beings. They really are, it comes so naturally to them and I am just feel like I am just working hard to not let all the expectations of life and what is art and all the obstacles that my kids will come up against going through school and teaching art and not be too influenced by that. It is kind of ridiculous that we are saying some art is good and some art isn’t good. Art in every form is beautiful. If someone is making something, it’s beautiful. You can always find something that resonates with you. I make ceramics with them and we have art supplies out everywhere. Our home is not a beautiful, pristine place, this is where the kids can pull out the makers and draw and if it gets on the table it doesn’t matter. I also like to share with them people that inspired me as a child. For me I was so inspired by Jim Henson as a kid and so exposing them to some of the things that sparked my creativity when I was younger like Jim Henson movies.
Book
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Contact
Etsy: ordinaryclay
Instagram: @ad.mire
Jon Puzzuoli | Episode 821
Jon Puzzuoli is a full time ceramicist of 17 years. Jon’s life is absorbed in clay, both creating and teaching. Jon’s passion emanates from educating others in the art of pottery. Jon is Head of the Ceramics Department at Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan and Co-Chair of it’s almost 300 Guild Artists. Developing unique glazes and growing crystals on the surface of his wares are a particular focus.
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What’s one of the things that you know that makes you friendly to Instagram?
So there’s slices of the pie and you have to know what segment of the pie is doing what for you. Being consistent and posting daily to engage with your followers and finding new followers and knowing the peak points in which you can grab the most attention for posting. But Instagram is trying to get away from just posting a random photo or a short little video. It will be doing you a lot more favors to be posting at least one or two Reels a day. Reels I look at like fishing. You are bringing new people into your orbit. You are getting exposure with new eyes.
TikTok is raw and unrefined and Instagram is supposed to me more refined and thought out so do you find that the quality of post development matters before you post? Do you put time into developing the video and refining it?
So people’s attention span is very short and one of the ways that you can boost your post is by keeping a video under 15 seconds. Because that’s where people’s attention span taps out. So a fifteen second video that I upload every day it probably took about 30 minutes, forty minutes to record. And then it probably took another hour or two hours to edit it.
Do you schedule your posts so they are the same time every day or at a high volume time?
I try to post at 7 o’clock in the morning, every morning. And then every once in awhile I have tried to incorporate comedy into my world, so I will post a supplemental comedy video at night. So it’s serious, artful in the morning and here’s a little laugh at night.
How do people know when your pieces are available to buy?
At the top of my page it says all works are for sale but I never talk about money or say that it’s for sale. It turns people off. If something is beautiful enough it sells itself and people will come to you and ask if they could have it. If the work is beautiful enough the problem is kind of goes away.
When people write to you and want a piece do you already have in mind what the value is before you write back?
Yes.
How do you value your work?
It’s funny a young potter just messaged me and asked for advice with that too. Well as you start your pottery or any art career you are trying to sell and it is better to start with some sales so you’re prices are low and you find what’s selling and the price. You can compare yourself to other potters or other artists and see what like work is selling for. And if you are selling out of something all the time that means your price is too low and that means the prices need to go up.
So you depend on the old adage supply and demand as a gage for determining your next pricing structure or your current pricing structure?
For sure.
If someone wants a piece how do you get them to pay for it?
Well I say we can use PayPal, Venmo, a credit card, and I will give options and whatever they pick I will tell them what the next step is. So if it’s credit card then I go on my Square account and send them an invoice and that way I am not dealing with credit card numbers and stuff. It’s sent to their email and they plug in their credit card number and Square lets you know when the transaction is completed. Venmo and PayPal are pretty simple. I usually just give my screen name and let the customer take care of the payment. It seems friendlier than the other way around.
Book
The Little Prince
Contact
puzzpottery.com
Instagram: @jpuzz
Krissy Ramirez | Episode 820
Krissy Ramirez is a Mexican artist that uses her border experiences in her art. From luscious cacti to abandoned plaster walls Krissy uses graffiti to express thoughts in words written in a creative illegible language. Krissy continues to make work surrounded by graffitied trains en las montañas of Missoula, Montana.
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Do you feel it is important to carry a message through your artwork to a viewer?
Yes. The vessel represents so much and the vessel that I am choosing, the spray can, for me relates to my work in a way instead of spraying the message on the wall, the message is on the surface of the object. So trying to figure out that relationship where the vessel is holding the troubles of all of these people or even the imagery that I am putting into it.
Do you feel the weight of being a mouthpiece?
Yes, and the reason is because being a Latina ceramic artist in the middle of Missoula, Montana is way, way outside my comfort zone. And reminding people what’s happening down in the southwest can be a conversation starter.
You have rebel ware as your brand name. Why can’t you just be a good girl? (obviously joking)
No! What for. Being good is too boring now-a-days. (laughter) I think that’s why I love graffiti because graffiti doesn’t invite itself to be put into a museum. It’s all over the place. It’s for anyone to see and one of my favorite things about living in Missoula specifically it seeing all the graffiti trains and to me that’s a traveling museum. So I want my work to be able to travel.
How does art help your community specifically?
By allowing me to share my experiences as this border girl from Mexico if it wasn’t for my mom.
What is your all time comfort food?
Living in New Mexico I got spoiled with that hatch green chili, man. So I like to combine that hatch green chili and make some great green chili enchiladas and some Mexican rice. Oh my God, I am like watering right now, Paul.
Just thinking about it? (laughter)
Just thinking about it, yeah.
Book
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Contact
Instagram: @rebelwareceramics
Jared Peterson | Episode 819
Jared Peterson, affectionately known to many as J-Dog, was raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. There, Jared attended West Virginia University for his undergraduate education and received degrees in both English and Ceramics. Jared has both exhibited nationally and internationally and is a current MFA candidate at Arizona State University.
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Do you see when you are making your work that it’s an adventure into the unknown?
Yes, one hundred percent. I think everything that I make is just my best go, you know, at the time. And by the time that piece is done I already have another idea. It’s just a continuous process with really no end.
Do you think when making a piece that it’s more important what one thinks about it as opposed to what one sees in it?
It’s hard to have one without the other, but I will say what people take from it might be a little bit more important, but it’s always guided by the objects and things that you have in there. You have these sort of cues that kind of ignites your viewers brain and kind of get them to a place. But you can’t have one without the other.
Do you feel like you are making an antidote for your soul, for the inner person?
Yes. Absolutely. I think all of my work to some capacity is just really self discovery. And I think when I am looking at my work as myself I do see it as this sort of inner self portrait, that I feel pretty good about it, that I almost feel that if I introduce myself with my work it would make more sense to people than introducing myself with my words and background and whatever other things that happen usually.
Do you find that as a maker that solitude is a critical ingredient for your creative process?
Yeah, this is a tricky question, I think. I think it’s a yes and no question in that I need solitude and I really crave solitude and studio time for me is hours and days of solitude, but that solitude is usually a time to reflect on experiences that were not necessarily done in solitude. Experiences with people, relationships, family, traveling, all the kind of other bits of life. It’s important for me to live a life and really kind of do that uninhibited and sort of break it down later in isolation in the studio, or hiking or in the woods, it doesn’t have to be making.
How do you avoid loneliness when you are seeking solitude as a maker?
I think that’s a really good question. It’s something that I ask myself pretty frequently because it’s a hard thing and I think it’s a hard thing that a lot of studio artist deal with. But for me, I think knowing when I am getting a little bit too obsessive about a piece, when I am kind of neglecting you know, eating, sleeping, doing basic health things to kind of manifest an idea, because I can get like that, I can get pretty manic. It’s those kind of times where I really seek solitude and really kind of bury myself in the studio and I am getting better at checking in knowing when I need to be a little bit more present, slow down and you know, call somebody, take a walk, before I feel too lonely or too into the weeds I kind of have safety net of friends that are makers that I can check in with.
Do you feel like the piece or the viewer has missed the mark if the person isn’t invoked to thoughtfulness?
I think it can certainly be either. I mean I know for a fact that not everything I make is going to appeal to everyone. And I’m glad that it doesn’t. I don’t think anything in the world can. But at the same time, you know, I think as a viewer of art you do have to come to play a little bit as well and bring your self to the table and be willing to look at something. But it doesn’t bother me and I don’t see it as fault if somebody walks by my piece. Maybe a little bit of my ego is hurt but that’s okay. I like what I make and I don’t really know if I care too much.
What kind of influences beyond friendships speak into your work?
That’s a good question. I think it’s really all the important relationships, the big ones. You know, I have complicated but good relationship with my parents. I am a very emotional person. I have been in love many times. And those kind of romantic relationships have done a number and me and something that I think about for a long time when things don’t go as well. But it’s really, we are talking about this sort of journey and this sort of exploration, it’s really about those really intense feelings that make us really human, like love, like loss, like all those important bits that really is all art and poetry is about. But it’s all those feelings I am trying to go after.
What’s got you really excited that you are about to start working on? What’s an idea that you are really excited about?
Sure, let’s see how well I can articulate something that doesn’t exist yet. I am starting some large scale work in terra cotta. I really want to start work that maybe I would describe as temporary trees of life. So maybe think less from the traditional forms of the tree of life and assembling important objects to me that sort of tell a poetic story in a similar way but just with a lot of objects a lot of mass and big scale. I am also working with neon and seeing how I can incorporate neon lighting into my work and illumination generally. We’ll see. Those things have me pretty excited right now.
Book
Tenth of December by George Saunders
Contact
jaredpetersonstudio.com
Instagram: @jaredpetersonstudio
Sunshine Cobb | Episode 818
Sunshine Cobb’s new book, The Beginners Guide to Hand Building, has been a labor of love during the past year, and she can’t wait to share it with you. Sunshine is back on The Potters Cast to talk about her new book, but strangely enough, we end up talking about widening our lane to make the fuller life we want to live.
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Why beginners? Why would you want to focus on helping beginners move further down the road or even start down the road?
Kind of like I said, a creative practice is important to the well being of our lives and our emotional growth, so I think for me beginners…It’s so funny because I don’t actually get to pick the title of either of the books, they are kind of given to me as a format. So the truth is I think the book is for everybody. To me, I learned a lot writing it and I would consider myself an advanced student. But I think the way people frame themselves as a beginner you are able to make lots of mistakes and I think there is a joy and a freedom that can be in that beginner model where, I am just going to start out. And for me it’s like learning how to cook. I want to be able to start and finish an object or have objects that have termination points that are very clear for folks that have limited time. That’s what people who have limited studio access, they can have limited time. So for me that was part of writing this book was making objects that could be parceled out into different sections of time. That’s for me, the allure of writing this book, making it accessible and enticing.
You said you tried to use the book to confront your own prejudices and I’m curious , do you like making coffee pour overs now?
I would not say that I like making coffee pour overs now. (laughing) But I would say that’s the only one, the match strikers, or the scoops, or the little sculpture animals, I feel like I learned a lot in the process. Coffee is one of those things, you are never going to change how people like to make their coffee. You are just not going to be able to, but if they are into pour overs and that is their jam then we can contribute something to that as artists.
You mentioned there might be a sense of elitism in the academic world toward functional work. Do you think that was something you caught or something that you were taught?
Well, I think in theory this is…you get a master’s degree and it’s a terminal degree, I think you can feel pretty fancy. I think that’s something you can do, you think, I have worked really hard these number of years and I am accomplished. I think there can be a self-importance that comes from that experience. I think what I have found is that initially right when you get out of school can be the most elitism feeling that you can have and some people maintain that and hold on to that. I think that sometimes comes from the idea that I am an Artist, with a capital A kind of mentality. I think it comes from a desire of, that you want to be seen as important, or valuable, or educated and so I think we can get lost in that sometimes in the academic side of things. I have just found in my journey in teaching, that everyone has something to offer, your seventy year old student or your sixteen year old student. Everybody has something to teach me in that circumstance and I think to decide the only people to be taken seriously are people with MFA degrees is short-sighted. That’s not where I want to be anyways. (laughter)
You are an amazing artist and ceramicist and you make work that people all over the world want to have. Why do you teach?
It’s kind of funny, when I first started walking on the road of getting a ceramics degree I thought I might want to teach. That’s seemed like the logical place for the education to take me. And then what happened was not that. (laughter) But what did come from my journey was teaching workshops. I have taught university in different places. The truth is I don’t like myself as a university teacher. I kind of become a mean mom. I say things like, Why are you eating your lunch in the studio? etc. So I tend to like workshops a little better. But mostly because the people there are interested in the skills I have and want to grow their own skills. So there is something in that that has propelled me forward.
Why the move to Montana?So the move was really personal as far as California…I had gone there and set up a studio, I had a whole fundraising thing, and I really invested in being there and I was incredible lonely. I was so unhappy. It just didn’t quite workout. It was a situation where I kind of had to realize that my life had changed, I had moved back to California after my life had changed and so I didn’t have the support group and the people that I thought I had. I was willing to go to San Francisco and Napa and cruise around the state to see people and with the ceramic career I was travelling all the time. So when I was home I just wanted to be home and I didn’t really want to drive places to see people. So the move to Montana was inspired by the fact that three or four of my studio mates ended up settling here and a really good friend that used to work with me, so I have five or six really good friends in this one place in the world. I needed more community and moved to be closer to friends and it’s worked!
Book
The Beginner’s Guide to Hand Building by Sunshine Cobb
Contact
sunshinecobb.com
Instagram: @shinygbird
Ayla Mullen | Episode 817
Ayla Mullen has a BA in Environmental Political Theory and Ceramics from Marlboro College, and completed a 2 year apprenticeship with Ellen Shankin in Floyd, VA. Now a full time studio artist, Ayla makes wheel-thrown functional pottery with botanically inspired surface designs. She recently hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and moved her home and studio to Bellingham, WA.
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You were raised farming. When working with clay how do you plan for the harvest and how do you plan for the drought?
Wow, that’s a great question. It’s interesting because…not that I don’t plan because I definitely do and I try and think ahead financially and plan out how many times I am going to fire in a year and what that’s going to look like and what my avenues for selling my work are. But I also take after my mom in that she had this incredible level of trust, she would always just say, I am going to do everything I can and then I am going to trust that it’s going to workout. And she is one of those people who is extremely resourceful and can really figure out any problem that comes up and I feel like there was this flow state that she would get into where the drought comes along or some huge problem, the farm floods , whatever happens happens and instead of feeling anxious about it in advance she would just be like, Yup, we are going to figure it out. And then she would just tackle what was right in front of her and make really smart choices and work it out. She trusted her own abilities when she needed them in the moment and that is the attitude I have tried to bring into my life as a business person.
There is a saying that success is never final. If a farmer has a great harvest they say, Great, let’s get ready for next year. How does that work for a potter?
Exactly. Well, yeah, it’s really similar. You have a really good firing and at least for me, I have a good firing, I have a big online sale, all the pots go out the door that I decided to sell and get shipped off, and then already the space gets cleared and it is time to start again. And there is something about that that again is a lesson on attachment, not attached to the failures and the things that break or don’t work but also not too attached to the successes because they sort of limit your growth. So every time the making cycle ends I always feel that when I pull pots out of the kiln and I get really excited about some of them I am also thinking, That’s cool but I really want to do it this way next time. So the end of the cycle really gets me excited for the beginning of the next one and that is kind of nice, natural progression.
You mentioned failure. Is it true that failure is not fatal?
Definitely not. Definitely not. Yeah, I have a interesting relationship to failure also because I was always an A student and things kind of came easily to me and I think I didn’t have as many failures as I maybe could have in my early life to teach me not to be afraid of them. So I am still working on trying to step out of my comfort zone and fail a little more often because I think that would actually be really good for me and make me a little more fearless as a creative person and maybe as a business woman as well. I also think a failure is only a failure if you think of it that way. A failure is a failure because it didn’t meet your expectations of what it was going to be but unexpected things can happen that maybe if you could look at them the right way could give you new ideas.
You did a hike from Mexico to Canada. What did the hike do to refresh you?
I think that the best way to answer that is think about the quietness of my mind. There is something about having to move my body all day and having only one thing I really had to do, and that was to just walk. So I got to let of a lot of the expectations I had put on myself. And I got to think all the thoughts I could possibly think all those days in a row. Eventually I got calm and there was a quietness in myself that I had not felt before, and I didn’t realize it until afterwards. That quietness let things to quiet enough for me internally that I was able absorb more of what was around me and soak it in. It re-centered me. I was reminded of who I was and what was most important.
I read a while ago that the only thing better than a good harvest is a good neighbor. It sounds like on your hike you had a good “trail family”. How does having others around you make the trip better?
I think it is true not only on my experience on the Pacific Crest trail but also in my experience as a potter. Having people around you to share it with, to talk about it, be curious and enthusiastic, playful, silly, and goofy… There is observing the world and sharing your experience of it with other people, and those are two really different things. The sharing of it make is so much more rich. It also helps you understand your own experience with it.
For a farmer, it’s just dirt. And for a potter, it’s just mud. But when it comes down to it, the farmer and the potter see the same thing… potential. How does that apply to you?
That is beautiful. Both the farmer and the potter develop a relationship with the dirt and the mud. So there is respect and curiosity and joy there and maybe that is where the feeling of potential comes from. It’s like the newness of a new friend kind of thing… that’s how it feels to me. Like a playmate.
Book
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Contact
aylamullen.com
Instagram: @ayla.mullen
Cindi Daniele | Episode 816
Cindi Danieli a mom, she has 4 amazing kids and a sweet puppy. Cindi lived in Philadelphia until she moved to Florida 8 years ago. Cindi had always wanted to try the pottery wheel, and about 3 years ago from the time of this episodes release she decided to take a class. Cindi was hooked immediately, fell in love with everything about it. She hopes to be able to do it full time someday.
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You make two shapes really consistently. How did you land on the shapes that you make?
I do so the one with like the belly-type shape, I just kind of, I’m going to be honest it was just kind of an accident at the beginning and I like the way it feels when you hold it because it is kind of round at the bottom and it keeps your drink hotter because it gets smaller at the top. So I don’t know it just kind of worked out and I like the way it looks and feels. The second shape, I just started doing that recently and I think it was because my other shape messed up so I cut the top part off and it was just a shorter round mug and I thought, This would be good too. I have big man hands , I call them,so for me, I like a bigger mug so I always tend to make a bigger mug, but not everybody has big man hands like me. So I think it’s good to have a shorter, smaller mug to choose from. .
How long did you experiment with your handles to get them to fit so nicely?
From the beginning. Handles were always really difficult for me until I found the extruder.
Oh, yes.
Yeah. I do use that and I only use one of the die cuts that I specifically like because your thumb kind of fits in it. But I feel like I change the position to whatever the shape of the mug is. You say that they are pretty uniform, I find every single one turns out different. I try to make them the same but they always seem different to me. But that’s okay because they are handmade they are supposed to look different.
You always have something on your mugs, an insect, a flower, a message. Is it important to you to have a mug with a message?
I don’t know why but that’s just where it went. And I don’t know, I’m happy with it. I love the lotus one, just like a little, I don’t know, something to think about or make you smile when you pick it up.
With your glaze lines, do you have a principal you were following or are you going by instinct?
I don’t know, just making different mugs and I did have a couple where the glaze hit the kiln shelf and I don’t know, I was just like, Maybe if I didn’t go all the way down then I don’t have to worry about that because that will mess up the whole mug and messes up your kiln shelves so I thought if I bring it up a little bit and I like the look of it and it makes the picture or the drawing I put with it stand out a little bit more. I like the texture and the feeling of the raw clay too.
Your glazes give the feeling of action. Are you layering them?
Well they have changed a lot too so when I first started I was doing a lot of dipping because the studio that I was going to had a lot of dipping glazes that I could use which is a lot faster and it goes a lot quicker. Now that I am in my garage shop, I’m really brushing them on and it takes a lot of time but I love the way they turn out now.
We know that you have a time line of two years out of starting your work and being able to go full time. What is the first thing you are going to do the first day you give your notice?
Oh man, I am going to get on my wheel for sure. (laughter) I am going to make a bunch of mugs.
Book
Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey
Contact
Instagram: @sheclaystudio
Ron Philbeck | Episode 815
Ron Philbeck is a potter specializing in wheel thrown, sodium vapor glazed pottery. The limited production and one of a kind pots are created at Ron’s studio in Shelby, N.C. Ron believes that pots should be well made, pleasant to look at, and easy to use. Ron’s work can be found in collections and kitchens around the world.
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You mentioned that you’ve got squirrel syndrome. If you weren’t a soda guy, what kind of pottery do you think you would be chasing down if you hadn’t discovered soda?
I think I would probably be doing something with some color. And by color I guess I mean, you know, maybe some more intense, like majolica or some low temperature thing where you really have to have some skill and technique to get all that stuff to come out of the kiln and look beautiful. For a long, long time I have always said I am really afraid of color. And it took me a long time to put even that yellow or that blue, kind of that dark bluish black slip on a pot. You know, when I would try to do things with color it would look like a three year old and you got the box of eight crayons, red, blue, green, yellow, and nothing in between, that was sort of my mentality with color theory. But I think I would probably be doing something like that or maybe some kind of chunky, crunchy, grungy, big, crazy things. I don’t know.
What has you excited right now in the studio?
You know, it’s kind of fun to see where each kind of kiln load leads because I spend some time in my sketchbook every day, drawing and writing ideas down and stuff like that, so new things come along with each batch of pots. So just recently I started looking at some older drawings and some older cartoons and different animals and things. It’s just exciting to think about…I just don’t know what’s going to be next. I can’t do the same thing for a whole year, you know, over and over again. (laughter) Something new will come along and something else will drop out. I am making some jars that I really like and I am always excited to make a better handle. It’s nothing really huge. It’s just like this slow progress of pulling the work or pushing the work or carrying the work along this little path.
What’s got you challenged in the studio right now?
That scale thing has me challenged. And you know the other challenge for me is just keeping up with the pots because when the pots are ready , they are ready. I do a lot of work at the leather hard stage and so that has always been a challenge. I sort of live my life around the pottery cycle.
Do you have any ridiculous goals?
I don’t know, no, I don’t think I do. I probably should have some but I don’t really have any ridiculous goals. I might after we get off of here. (laughter)
Are you a messy maker or a neaty maker, nice and neat?
I’m a little messy. I am not super messy and I have a threshold, right, so when things get to a point where I can not stand it I have to stop and I have what I call the big reset. And the studio gets tidied up and things get put back in their proper place, everything gets organized and I get back to it. I am not a clean thrower, I wipe my hands on my pants and I have messy apron and all that business. I don’t know who said it but it was a potter and he said, Thank goodness I wasn’t a surgeon because I would be in surgery wiping my bloody hands all over my scrubs. That’s me to a tee with clay on my butt, you know. (laughter)
What makes Ron Philbeck smile first thing in the morning?
Oh! What make s me smile, and I am glad that you said first thing in the morning because years ago I read something by some monk or Buddhist writing that just talked about waking up and smiling. I mean it’s funny that you asked that because that has sort of been a practice of mine that has stuck with me. So I just try to smile no matter what, (laughter) first thing in the morning anyway because I think it kind of gets me off on the right start. But when I wake up I am usually on my left side and we have this big picture window in our upstairs bedroom that looks out into this grove of trees and then on into this field beyond our house, so usually I will wake up and look out that view. I have had that sort of long distance gaze ever since I was a child because I grew up on this big farm and we had these big wheat fields. So when I wake up and look off into that kind of distance and see those trees and see the sun coming up from the other side of the house and I smile then that sort of I think gets my brain ready for the day.
Book
Contact
ronphilbeckpottery.com
Instagram: @ronphilbeck
Dara Hartman | Episode 814
Dara Hartman is a full time studio artist in Salt Lake City, UT. Dara is the Director of the Women Working With Clay Symposium at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. Dara received a BFA from Virginia Tech and an MFA from Montana State University.
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Before you went through the consulting were you a person that chased all the rabbits?
Yeah, I did. (laughter) I think also before that moment I was working as a product designer and was working very long days and driving an hour each day to a job and I was really designing for the mass market. I learned a lot of skills through this that applied to what I am doing now and I now see myself as a designer as well but I think that was a pivotal moment for me. That helped to kind of shift my direction.
Would you say that you were overcommitted in terms of time to making certain pieces just because it was the love?
Yes, this is a passion. I love getting into the studio every day. I love feeling slip in my hands. I love carving these pieces that I am making and I love the joy that my pieces bring to people and I think that is something I recognized particularly during the pandemic. I went through a difficult time and a friend of mine called me, I hadn’t reached out to anybody for a long time, and a friend of mine called me and said, We need beautiful things in the world. And that meant a lot to me.
Did you find systematizing your creativity restrictive or did you find that you had more freedom from distraction?
I felt that there was a creative challenge in trying to figure out that system and that creative challenge is ongoing. So I think of mold-making and slip-casting, this whole process as a puzzle, that I make the puzzle and then I have to put it together and it’s constantly changing pieces. And so I love this idea of it always being a challenge. It’s a constant evolution.
Did having systems in place free up time for you?
It did. Yeah, it did free up time so I can make certain things faster and that allows me to spend time on idea development. I try to spend time drawing and writing everyday and it freed up time to be able to work on these sculptural pieces, to draw new maps for my bike mug, and to work on new pieces for the carved pottery line as well.
What’s the best place to start if one wants to get better at systems and time management?
I would say the first thing you would need to do is recognize where you are wasting time in the studio and that would start with a spreadsheet. That’s the hardest thing to do to sit down and hit the timer every time that you are working on something, every time you touch a piece. And once you get over the feelings that come with that then you start to think, we’re creatives, you have to think creatively about how you are going to solve that problem. So yeah, you start with idea development and brainstorming.
What do you have coming up that you are excited about?
So I am the director of the Women Working with Clay symposium and the symposium is a four day symposium that takes place at Hollins University in Virginia and basically the way this happens is there are two potters on once side of the room and two sculptors on the other side of the room and there is a conversation that takes place between the artists and the attendees. This is really about celebrating women ceramic artists.
Women Working with Clay symposium
Book
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Contact
darahartman.com
Instagram: @darahartmanceramics
Tom Edwards | Episode 813
Tom Edwards has been a full time studio potter since graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Art History in 1978. Tom works out of his home in Evergreen, CO. His pottery is wheel thrown, high fire, functional porcelain mugs, plates and bowls decorated with cartoons and ceramic decals. The predominant theme in Tom’s work is his sense of humor. “I love the fact that a coffee mug can be a traveling soap box or vehicle for my point of view about something that is going on in the world. My best designs are the ones that tell a weird story about our time in history.”
In 2018 Tom received worldwide media coverage over his copyright dispute with Elon Musk and Tesla Motors (see Potters Cast episode 459). The electric car company had placed Tom’s farting unicorn cartoon in the touch screens of their cars without obtaining his permission. Upon receiving a reasonable settlement from Tesla Motors, Tom became a voice for artists who have had their artwork stolen by larger companies. On Thursday, March 17 Tom will be talking about this adventure plus “Copyright 101 for Ceramic Decal Printers” at NCECA 2022 in Sacramento, CA. Rosetta Technologies has generously agreed to give away a CerPrint Black (or Blue) ceramic decal printing system ($695 value) to one lucky attendee at Tom’s lecture. Must be present to win.
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A few questions about decals? Are these considered water slide decals?
Yeah, that what they are, you just put them in warm water and they slide off of the paper onto the pot.
Why not other colors? Why only black and white?
It’s good you asked that, actually there is a colored decal printer out there that costs a lot more money. I think when I was looking at them they were around ten thousand dollars and the paper was more expensive. I would recommend everyone to look at Mariko Paterson’s because she uses the colored decal printer to an amazing level. She’s incredible. (We are giving a decal printer away at NCECA in either the blue or the black.)
Once the decal is on there why is pressing it on so critical?
Yeah, that’s a good question, what’s the physics of that? Well I think what it is is when is goes into the kiln it’s got to be really adhered on and that’s a really good question because there is a company here and they sell the color decal printing system and if anyone is interested it is Enduring Images. We went there and did and field trip, it was the same year we had the unicorn thing. And it was really interesting because they were putting the images on using the roller thing, why is that? I just know that it’s important to get the decal to be fused onto the glaze surface before you put it in the kiln. It doesn’t take that much time, and also if there is a little wrinkle it takes the wrinkle out.
Does the art have to be original? Do I have to create the art?
There are images on the web that are fine to use. So there’s open source, things over 50 years old. I’ve got George Ohr that great image of that potter from Biloxi. I put him on my pots. If you do a google image search you can find ones that are copywrite free. The trick is to do a google search that says copywrite free and that will show you a whole host of things that you can use. another way around this is through Photoshop. It turns out if you alter the image enough and use it under the guise of satire, not unlike putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Weird Al actually went to the Supreme court and they ruled on satire. That satire is covered, it’s sort of weird way to break copywrite law. If you do a cover version of a Michael Jackson song you have to pay but apparently if you do satire you don’t.
How do potters get away with using pictures like Jeff Bridges, the Dude, or Dolly Parton?
One way to do that is actually just do an image yourself. If you are talented and can draw a caricature of them, that’s great. Do that. That’s one way to do it. It’s a really good question because honestly I think there is stuff that technically is broken by copywrite because a lot of movies stars, their image is protected. So it actually turns out that you can’t even do, like Beyoncé is an example of someone, even if you started hand painting Beyoncé t-shirts they could sue you for that because her image is protected.
Would you have let Tesla use your art if they would have just asked the first time?
Of course! If they would have just asked. I think I would have said, Can you give me some money. I mean, yeah, I will sign a contract but you have to write me a check. That’s just standard. What got me about that whole thing was a regular car company they have a legal department, they have an art department, and this they just had a contest and one of their software engineers copied my mug and sent it off to the contest and he won and they put it on the car. So I think I would have said, Yeah, I’d like to get paid for it. And I wouldn’t have been greedy about it, I would have been flattered and it would have been fine.
Book
Cat’s Cradle by Vonnegut
Contact
wallypots-com.3dcartstores.com
Instagram: @tomedwardspottery
Kara Leigh Ford | Episode 812
Kara Leigh Ford is a potter based near Bath in the South West of England. At the time of this episode Kara has been a professional potter for 7 years and a hobbyist for 13 more. Kara studied fine art at university but didn’t touch clay until she graduated. Mostly self taught, Kara now teaches others how to make pots via her online community called Pottery Club. She has just written her first book called ‘Pottery for Beginners’ published at the end of 2021′.
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What is the first thing a person needs to know about clay?
That’s a good question. Well, the first thing I would recommend people do is grab a big chunk of it, you can get a kilo of clay from your local hobby craft or pottery supply store for not very much money. And I would just play with it. So just feel it. Probably the most important thing for them to learn to begin with is kind of the consistency of it and how it feel on the skin and how it reacts to pressure, how it reacts to the warmth of your hands, to being stretched, to being squished. That’s the first thing I would…I wouldn’t necessarily say that is knowledge, it’s just kind of getting to know it, getting to know the material. I think that is most important thing for someone who has never, ever encountered clay or pottery but really wants to give it a go. Just buy some clay and play with it.
Should one start on a wheel or should they start doing hand building?
Well, personally I would recommend folks start with hand building, just because you can hand build without any equipment whatsoever. You can make absolutely beautiful pottery just with your finger tips and some clay. So that would be the kind of thing I would start out with. It also really helps you get to know the material.
How do you keep from getting cracks in your bottoms, in the bottom of your pots?
Cracks in my bottoms, well, (laughter) there are a few tips that you use to avoid s cracks. For one thing you need to wedge your clay really well. So you need to prepare your clay before you start using it. So you can spiral wedge or rams head, you can slam cut wedge, but just to make sure the clay is really well mixed and there’s not dry bits or wet bits and that will really help you to avoid unevenness, which is often why you get cracks, uneven drying. Compressing the base, so making sure you are compressing the particles of the clay really nicely together. You also don’t want any standing water and you want to make sure you are removing the water all the time just because the water is going to be absorbed by the clay and it’s going to get mushy and when it dries out it might pull itself apart.
Is there value in potters spending time with other potters to learn from each other?
Absolutely. That’s one of the things that I am looking forward to doing this year is going and visiting other potters in their studios and having a good ole natter with them about their processes about their work, yeah, I can’t wait to do that. I can’t wait to meet up with pottery pals again. I think we can all give each other little tidbits and share our little tricks that we have picked up along the way. And we are all still learning, we will never know it all.
Do you recommend beginners, when it comes to glazing, to dip their pots or do you recommend brushing the glaze onto their pots?
For beginners I would recommend brushing, using brush on glazes. Only because I feel like you get a little bit more control. With dipping glazes it can get quite messy. You also need quite a big amount of glaze in order for that to kind of work properly. If you’ve only got a small bucket you can’t fit your entire mug in that bucket and you are going to get lines and drips going on, so I would suggest going for brush on glazes to begin with and having smaller pots will help you explore the different glazes and help you find something that really lights you up.
They always say that the teacher learns more than the student, so what did you learn from the process of writing the book?
Oh wow, yeah, you are absolutely right, I think the teacher definitely learns more than the student. I’ve learned so much through the process of writing this book. I have learned about myself, that I am more capable than I thought I was and I can do really hard things when I need to and when I want to. And just the joy that pottery brings to people. I kind of knew that before but writing a book all about it has just kind of re-cemented that for me. This craft is just amazing. Everything about it, it’s just magical. Taking a block of mud and turning it into something beautiful or useable, or both, it never ceases to amaze me how awesome pottery is.
Book
Pottery for Beginners by Kara Ford
Contact
karaleighfordceramics.com
Instagram: @karaleighceramics
Writing a book, or even just having a book idea is a big deal. But there is a deal that is just important… the book deal. Kara walks us through her process of what that looked like for her. To listen in on this conversation click HERE.
Shelly Fredenberg | Episode 811
Shelly is a ceramic artist living in Eugene, Oregon. Her work is a tribute to the natural world, its dynamic processes and im/possibilities. She believes an artist’s work and life are not separate and she approaches the entirety with authenticity, simplicity, curiosity, and responsibility– to the earth and her heart.
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I am curious about how you have been able to make your studio your healing space. Nature seems to be a big source of inspiration for you. How important is nature to you and to healing?
So again, growing up in Montana in a chaotic home I would escape outside and I would be making things out of sticks and collecting stones. I always had my pockets full of treasures and I still do that actually. But if I don’t get outside every day I feel that I am just not right and not centered. And then I do get out and everything that I see and smell and encounter and experience out in nature is a part of me and I bring that with me into the studio.
Do you put meaning into your pieces as you create?
So the meaning, it’s a feeling. So when I first started my practice it was definitely for healing even though I didn’t actually know that’s what it was for. And now it’s about just this joy and contentment that I have, and so the meaning is the feeling that goes into it. I sell my work at shows and I have the privilege of watching people react to my work. And on numerous occasions, I call this human magic or people magic, I have watched people have quiet moments with my work and then describe to me how they didn’t understand why they were feeling what they were feeling, but somehow they had to stop and they had to hold it and they had to look at is closer.
What kinds of things do you listen to while you are making?
oh, good question. So I listen to everything. I love music. I love live music. My dad was an old time fiddler. I grew up with Americana, so I will listen to everything from real old country to contemporary French pop music and everything in between.
Do you have a story line that goes with the creature you are making?
No, again, it’s a relationship. I’m having a conversation. Not a story, I don’t where it lives, I don’t know what sound it makes. I can’t put good words to that because it’s not about words it’s just about the feeling.
I noticed that you make animals that are somewhat peaceful. Does your choice of what you are making indicate where your mind is?
I live in eternal optimism. I always have and I think that is what got me here through my childhood. I saw enough violence. I saw enough violence. My work is not about that. Yeah, I don’t need to work through any of that. Now it’s just the radical presence I have with the clay.
Where do you see your creatures taking you?
I think the creatures want to be more present in the world. They want to move from being so small to growing a little bit bigger and a little bit, I don’t know the word, just prouder, more confident.
Book
Finding One’s Way with Clay
Contact
shellyfredenberg.com
Instagram: @shellyfredenbergstudio
John Bauer | Episode 810
John Bauer is a South African ceramicist with work in two national museums, who shows internationally. John’s an inventor and material engineer, who currently tiles buildings in kaleidoscopic matchbox tiles, each one unique. John is inept at many things, however, his catastrophes are fertile ground for artworks forging new frontiers.
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Do you see failure as inevitable and something that you can’t avoid?
I mean, you can. You can stay in bed.
True.
If you put your mind to something you certainly can achieve it but is it worth achieving, because the side effects of staying in bed one’s entire life are bed sores and drop foot. And I don’t know, drop foot isn’t what I am after. I have been blessed with a nice strong body and I am going to wake up in the morning and honor life and live a life of compassion. And I have been given these talents and I am using them and developing them to the best of my ability. I might not be the most able person when it comes to many other tasks but by golly, leave me alone with a lump of clay and I can make that thing sing.
Where do you feel the best lessons are, success or failure?
I personally believe I’ve yet to succeed. So for me I have a voracious appetite for learning. The nuances, I will re-watch these YouTube videos of master potters and even though I might have watched it three, four, five times already, you have to absolutely saturate yourself and make it part of your default neurology. One of the things in karate, my brother has his black belt in karate, so I have been exposed to a lot of that kind of thinking, and one of his peers was in London with a big bag of money. He was walking down the street with a duffle bag of cash and he doesn’t remember being mugged all that he remembers a whole lot of nice people running around money and handing it back to him and two men lying unconscious on the ground. And that’s what it is, it’s the training of your mind and I approach pottery the same way.
Do you feel that as you go through the testing process and things aren’t working, do you feel that you dig a deeper well to draw from when you are getting rid of the things you know don’t work?
You are speaking to a man who kept every shard and fragment for twenty-five years. (Laughter) I never get rid of the stuff that doesn’t work because the thing is that it’s like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. That the d that you gain from the failure, you can’t necessarily extract all of that d because of your limited understanding.
is it important to give yourself the idea that it’s okay to make mistakes, it’s okay to fail? Is that an important factor?
So I would say that my thinking is unique because what I would say is that people are taught to judge mistakes and that teaching happens in the education process. And a side effect of my mother and grandmother being killed by a drunk driver when I was five years old is that the trauma of that kind of froze my brain in this five year old world and I never onboarded this negative philosophy. When you are a child, and I watch my children, they do everything perfectly. If you can unlearn in a critical voice and work with degrees of beauty rather than degrees of negativity, the education process, the way people justify taking your money, is they humiliate you, they judge you, the mock you, they criticize you, they break you down, and they say we are breaking you down to build you up. No, you are a bunch of sick bastards, you couldn’t make it in the non-teaching world and stop breaking down these kids. It’s that simple.
How does your failure create empathy for others?
I think the thing is that the certain amount of failure,,,how can I explain? So my neuropsychologist he, basically, when I was 37 I hit this glass ceiling in my career and I needed to progress and I couldn’t see the path forward and it revolutionized my life seeing a neuropsychologist he rana whole lot of tests for a month and at the end of it he said to me, I can’t give you the results, you’ll go home and shoot yourself. And I was relieved that he had found something. He told me I am full of nonsense. You have a skills gap. I think a skills gap is the politically correct for what used to be called an idiot savant and Paul I am arguable one of the world’s greatest idiots. And that allows me to approach people who are going through very difficult and unsolvable problems and approach them on a very equal footing.
Book
An Emotional Dictionary by John Bauer
Contact
johnbauerart.com
Instagram: @john_bauer_ceramics
Rachel Saunders | Episode 809
Rachel Saunders is a multidisciplinary artist and designer from the West Coast of Canada currently working with clay as her primary medium. Rachel places value on simplicity, functionality, sustainability, playfulness, and connection. Rachel’s work aims to highlight the inherent beauty of natural materials through self-taught technique and design.
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Do you get greater progress by having a team of people working with you?
Yeah, I couldn’t do what I do now without them. And we are all kind of at a point now where we are kind of re-assessing our roles and shifting to best encompass what our skills and strengths are, which is really cool. So right now I am feeling like I need more support in just feeling like it’s okay for me to be out of the studio and out in the world and gathering inspiration and designing while they are holding it down and just having that kind of peace of mind is so imperative and helpful for me. Yeah, I am just making sure they are happy doing what they are doing and being challenged. Yeah, just that we are all using our skills and strengths to be in the right fit for us. I definitely rely on them and I am so grateful for them.
Do you have very defined roles that everyone is supposed to play?
Yes and no and yes, we are kind of realizing the value of being kind of cross-trained in everything, so because I think we have all kind of learned the past couple of years that at any point and any time you can be out on your feet for two weeks or more or something can happen. We have all just had that come into our lives. So taking the pressure off of one specific person who can only do one thing, that’s also a lot of pressure to carry if that person needs to take time off mentally or physically. So that is something we a leaning into at the moment.
Your name is on everything. Do you ever get a sense that you have lost creative control or do you feel that it has been enhanced?
I think it’s been enhanced because I wouldn’t be able to get it out into the world at the level that I do if I didn’t have a team and as well as I mentioned being able to take the time away from being so hands on in the studio, that’s when I am able to actually channel new ideas and designs through because I literally can’t do that when I am so exhausted by working. I have been in that loop so much in my career that right now it’s just not worth it. I can’t continue working that way so it’s so important for me to be able to take time away, to recharge, to be inspired. I feel like that is my role, to be inspired. To lead with a strong and clear vision.
As a leader do you tend to lead by command or consensus?
That’s interesting. I definitely wouldn’t say command. And I also kind of struggle with being in a leadership position too, because managing a team is not really my strong suit so we kind of have a couple of people who take charge of that too. I try and best communicate my vision and then we all kind of figure out how to make that happen.
How do you help your team fulfill their dreams?
Yeah, that’s a great question. I put a strong emphasis on making sure everyone feels heard and seen and is feeling good in what they do. I never want them to feel like they are a cog in a machine or anything because I don’t like that kind of work-life environment. So making everyone feel excited, joyful, doing team activities together, we have a monthly activity where we cook a big meal or go on a retreat. Those are the things that are really important to my company environment. And then going forward we have a really exciting collaboration with Alex where she will be designing a piece and will be putting it out into the world together, which I am really looking forward to. Being able to listen and see and hear people I think is so important.
Book
Many Shapes of Clay by Kenesha Sneed
Contact
rachelsaundersceramics.com
Instagram: @rachelsaundersceramics
Ian “Ox” McColl | Episode 807
Ian “Ox” McColl “discovered” clay when he was 15 to 16 years old at school and was hooked after his first try at using the wheel. Ox went to university at Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. After graduating Ox went into pottery straight away as thrower. For a few years Ox worked in the pottery industry and became a teacher in high schools since 1995. In June 2021 Ox resigned and has been back running his own pottery where he is now full time potter. Recently Ox bought an old gas station and has spent 2020 renovating it where he is now running classes and has a gallery.
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Did you test your teaching studio idea before you jumped into it with both feet?
No, is the answer to that. I just decided to do it and I started with about four students in my first studio and four wheels and in the back shed which wasn’t set up, it had all my junk in it. That was probably the only thing that I did.
At what point did you know that it was going to be a viable business by having a teaching studio going on?
Every time I announced that I had classes they were full and that was four or five students. I think I got up to eight students at one point. I added an extra class at a different time and it just kept rolling and rolling and rolling and getting bigger. Sometimes I would have ten or twelve students who were trying to get into each class. I couldn’t fit them in and so I just kept adding and adding and it got better and better.
Do you see yourself bringing on other teachers that could carry the load and to bring more students in the door?
Yeah, I have another teacher who I went through university with and she does some classes for us on a weekend so that I can teach at my other studio.
Do you have a curriculum that you bring students through from start to finish?
Generally I don’t because I really like the passion of students learning what they need to learn and so I tend to run my general weekly classes as Come and make things and if you get excited about something make lots of it and really enjoy that process. I do run sessions for sort of mid-level potters so that they can get more production skills that I have built up over the last few years of being a potter. I think it’s about forty now. I really like being able to give them those skills.
When you provide classes do you provide all of the materials in the cost of the classes?
Yeah, I am an all inclusive price kind of person. You pay one fee and everything is there. I include firing, clay, materials, and tools. Everything is there and that’s how it works.
How do you mix in teaching with your production pottery and balance the two out?
Yeah, good question. I haven’t quite worked that out fully yet. (laughter) I just do longer hours. Eight days a week.
You have a post on Instagram that says Potter’s Ale. What’s that all about?
A really good friend of mine, who I carpooled with and debriefed from work with everyday, loves brewing beer. I love gardening, it’s part of what we do. We have a big garden and so I grew some hops plants for him to make beer with and the drawing is done by an ex-student of mine who is a fantastic animator and he just decided that he wanted to do this drawing of me and so that has now become my kind of my branding, that good ole caricature. And the beer is very good. (laughter)
Book
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Glazes for the Australian Pottery by J. DeBoos
Contact
oxartpottery.com.au
Instagram: @oxartpottery
John-Michael Forman | Episode 806
Forman Pottery is the accidental business of ceramicist John-Michael Forman. Since 2010 John-Michael has been crafting functional stoneware in the foothills of Southern Appalachia. John-Michael and his wife, Hannah live in Chattanooga, TN with their sons, Eli, Peter, and Abe.
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Do you have a throwing calendar?
What do you mean by a throwing calendar?
What I mean is do you have specific times of the month or the week where you say these are my mugs days, my bowl days, my basin days?
That sounds awesome and I wish that I did. But I don’t. (laughter) I have a weekly calendar. I have a big white board with just utter chaos on it that only I understand and my former employee. But I chart out my weeks and so I will have 20 pragmatist with this specific logo, 5 kettle with this specific logo, that will be Tuesday, and then you know, 10 dinner plates, 12 salad plates the next day. That sort of thing, but it’s just week to week.
When you have a customer that wants to order your logo mugs do you have a set up fee knowing that you have to buy the stuff from the stamp company and so on and so forth?
Yeah, I do. So I charge thirty dollars. It’s basically twenty dollars for the logo stamp and I charge a ten dollar graphic design fee because I always have to do some kind of tweaking and I do a proposal of different renderings of the logo which takes a little bit of time. I stay competitive against the big guys buy charging a pretty low amount.
How do you know what your production needs are going to be for the next week?
So I do mostly custom orders and I am typically a few months out with them. So right now any new orders go in toward the end of March that I get so I always know months ahead of time what my production needs are going to be.
You mentioned staying competitive in your pricing. Is that how you came up with your pricing structure, looking at what other production potters are doing?
Yeah, so that is at the beginning when I was…not so much with logo mugs, just for stuff in general, I looked at Etsy. Whenever I needed to know how to price something, I would see for a mug this person is charging fifteen, this person is charging thirty, this person is charging twenty, why don’t we just go with twenty. You know, averaging out kind of what people were pricing. So I have always looked around to see what other people are charging for stuff. With the logo mugs, the two big companies doing it in the Midwest have crazy low prices. I don’t charge enough for the logo mugs and that’s okay. Because I want to keep them affordable because a lot of people are doing them as retail items.
What is the time you allow yourself to spend on each mug? Thinking about your stock mugs.
That’s a good question. So I timed myself recently, I haven’t added up all the components, prepping handles and all of that, but throwing…I have it up on my board, so my current time for throwing a mug is a minute and 25 seconds. So I am just flying through them as fast as I can when I am throwing.
How has the pandemic impacted your production pottery business?
Well, I was at home with my three children for about four months while working full time, while my wife was also working from home full time and so the beginning of the pandemic, it was something. It was one of the most stressful times of my life. In addition to all of the stress of those first few months. I was trying to parent at the time. My twins turned three right at the beginning of the pandemic. So I had twin three year olds, they were my responsibility and our newborn was up with my wife while she was working every day. But I had these twin three year olds in my studio five days a week while I was working. And it was crazy. There was a lot of rules made. The boys played with clay a lot which was cool. There was a lot of sweet stuff and it was a rich time of life in a lot of ways be also extremely stressful because my workload did not slow down at all.
Book
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Contact
formanpottery.com
Instagram: @formanpottery
David Andersen | Episode 805
David Andersen is a ceramicist who has a a preference towards hand building and even more specifically building ceramic spheres. Earth, water, fire, and air are the foundation of David’s handbuilt ceramic spheres which are intricately formed, carved, and glazed.
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What’s one thing about your work that you wished people would understand about it?
That it is a way for me to live my life and to have an expression that essentially rejects the corporate world. I can sit with the piece and just do the piece as long as I want to with it. I’m not worried about the bottom line.
What were some of the biggest challenges you had to overcome to make spheres?
Establishing balance throughout the 360 degrees.
What kind of doors have you seen this new endeavor open as a result?
Well it’s opened a lot of relationships. It’s opened me up to a lot of young people which has made me optimistic for our future. To me being around the college and being around young people has just been one of the doors that I have probably appreciated the most.
What is your biggest motivation for being a creative now?
I like to do things in a niche. Do things, you know, people would say perhaps that takes too much time.
Writers get writers block. Do you ever get makers block?
Oh, absolutely. What do they call it? Imposter syndrome. The worst critic and that brings me to Steven Pressfield who wrote the book, The War of Art. I have listened to it 3 or 4 times. In it he teaches you are a professional when you decide you are going to sit down and do it everyday.
What makes you excited in the studio right now?
My dragon sphere! (laughter) And the ironic thing about it is I am mostly into a meditative type of sacred geometry type of thing. I had a friend that suggest I do a dragon and it has just challenged me to death because first of all it’s not symmetrical on a sphere unless I did a two-headed dragon and so it’s really challenging to push my boundaries because I don’t move forward until it feels right. It has to feel right and it’s finally feeling right.
Book
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Contact
Etsy: andersenbuilt
Instagram: @andersenbuilt
Stephen Procter | Episode 804
For Stephen Procter a chance encounter with clay grew into a passion and a mid-life career change. Formerly a classical guitarist, Stephen found that making gestures through sound and time offered many analogies to making gestures in clay and space. Large scale is a hallmark of his wheel-thrown vessels, and an attribute that contributes to the quality of animate presence Stephen aspires to achieve. In his forms Stephen seeks to reconcile classical Mediterranean influences, organic shapes, and the innate tendencies and beauty of the material.
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Do you see your pottery as being a legacy to you work?
I’ve never thought of it that way. A legacy in the sense that I expect these pots will long outlive me and that I expect that they will provide whatever mysterious kind of sustenance that it is that they offer people for a long time to come. That’s my hope at any rate.
What does it do for you to know that there is someone that is working along side you that is going to take that knowledge and skill and make it live on beyond you?
It’s deeply gratifying. At this point in my life I feel like you know, I have invested a lot in figuring out some stuff that seems to work for me and seems to work for people who interact with the pots and I am not looking for someone who is going to slavishly imitate what I have done. On the other hand I feel, I guess their is an element of seeking immortality through the next generation if you will, and it’s very pleasurable.
What in your mind are you hoping to pass on to your apprentice?
That is a huge question. There’s a certain skill set that I have developed that I would like to pass on, but even more than that I think I would like to pass on a kind of mode of inquiry so that the people that work with me come away with some tools of reflection and curiosity that will help them find their own way with clay. The other thing, and I don’t know how to explicitly pass this on but there’s a certain mysteriousness about the quality of presence and aliveness that these vessels have and maybe it touches on something esoteric and I don’t know how other than example to show somebody how it is that gets imparted to the vessel or how it resides as it responds to the site that it is gong to the live in. All those things happen but they are very hard to put words to.
When you are making pots what do you hope that your pots do for the recipients. for the people who are going to be taking them into their lives?
That’s a great question. I used to think of that more prescriptively than I do now in terms of the particular way in which they might be influenced or inspired but over time I have seen people interact with the pots in so many different ways. So in general I would say that I hope that it somehow uplifts them. What I hope most of all is that they respond to the invitation that the pot is, to pause and enter a psychic realm that is different from the day to day.
What does a big pot do to you?
(laughter) Well, it makes me really tired. After getting to the end of making a big pot it’s like, Oh no, now I have to make a lid! I’m so exhausted. So there’s that level. But I don’t think that’s the level you are asking about. So what does a big pot do for me? The process for making the pot for me is totally engaging. I can kind of get lost in the process of discovering what the curve wants to do or how the decorative elements relates to the whole. So the making of the pot is sort of like a giant meditation for me in a sense. And once the pot is dry I am not that interested in it any more. We had this incredible experience together, this journey of creation, and I hope it makes it through the kiln.
What is one failure that you kept coming up against and how did you solve it?
I think the difficulty I was having was finding slow, gentle curves that really satisfied me that landed. I found that each time I went to a different size zone I had to relearn how to make the curves work. And that strategy you mentioned earlier of making the plywood templates that I could mount on hinges next to the pieces as I made them was a bit of a breakthrough for me in terms of getting closer to the forms as I imagined them.
Book
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
Contact
stephenprocter.com
Instagram: @stephen.procter.studios
Dan Finnegan | Episode 803
Dan Finnegan has been making useful stoneware pottery in Fredericksburg Virginia since 1980.Dan trained in England at the Winchcombe Pottery and spends most summers working in England.
Dan has trained more than a dozen assistants, founded Liberty Town Arts Workshop in Fredericksburg, and is the curator of “Pottery on the Hill” in Washington DC.
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Is there wisdom in having a savings of inventory as apposed to having a savings of cash?
I haven’t thought of it as a bank account but of course it operates like that, but the transaction takes a lot longer that way. So maybe it would in a way, I mean you would be less likely to spend that money. But I think truthfully my argument is almost for you make the same amount of money, this is what I counsel my friend, that she is not going to make a lot more money but she is going to at the end of the year, but she is going to build inventory that she didn’t have before and sell fewer pots. So I am not really looking at it as her making a whole lot more money that she would then put in the bank. It’s more about her not working until midnight every night and working way harder than I work. And I work hard. And always feeling that little bit of desperation. I think those are debilitating.
When someone wants to raise their prices, where does courage and reality mesh together so that you can do it with confidence?
Well I think you have to be willing to live with the consequences and for me, in my town, I have been here a long time and I would say I am much beloved in town and there is a cult about my mugs. I can’t tell you how many people have mugs of mine. I could tell you stories about being in court and the judge taking me aside and telling me he drinks out of one of my mugs every day. It’s hilarious. But I don’t want to spend my life making mugs. I mean I like making them and I love that people use them, it’s a thing we all love to use. But the only way I can sort of slow down the demand, which is again a very capitalist idea, is to raise the prices.
I like that you tie it to a lifestyle that is more manageable. How did it make your life more manageable?
Well, I guess I am, especially now grateful because I am a recent senior citizen. I still go to the studio every day. I don’t work quite as long and hard as I used to and I kind of have the grace to be able to do that without feeling guilty about it. So it snowed today and I would have wanted to go to the studio but it would have been silly to drive. So I stayed in front of my fire and read books and enjoyed life in a way that I wouldn’t have done when I was younger. So I think some of that has bought me a certain success now. I mean, plenty of people buy my pots and I am always incredibly grateful for, especially nowadays.
Raising your prices would slow down your output but wouldn’t that slow down your creating process and how much you are actually making?
I think that’s a psychological barrier sometimes. I have heard other people say, Well I do that, in fact my friend in England does this, everything is out of sight. He stores everything behind doors because it’s true, when the racks are full it could be somewhat daunting I suppose. But you know, so much of life is about being self aware. If I am paying enough attention I am realizing that I am responding to that or maybe it’s okay to not work so hard. Imagine potters saying that.
Do you ever have a limit to where you say enough is enough, I’ve got enough inventory?
Yes, but then I’ll do something entirely different. Either in the studio or outside of the studio. I am a studio rat but I do have a few hobbies outside of the studio that can keep me occupied. But I really don’t and here’s the sickness, the illness of pottery, Is that I usually do have a grand amount of inventory I still always want to have a new firing for a show. But if I am being smart I am not killing myself to get that firing in and done because the pressure is different.
You’ve been making pots for over 40 years. How do you self-educate now?
Well, I have a great library. In fact I am sitting in it and I am forever pouring through picture books mostly. I read some but I am mostly just looking at images. Over the holidays it has been particularly true and I continue to acquire new books all the time. Before the pandemic I would say that I was a big museum visitor. Every year I go to England and I go London. I go the Victoria Albert Museum. I go to the British Museum. I go to the London Museum. I go to Oxford and go to museums there. And I am only an hour from Washington where I go to the Freer Sackler almost annually. And if I am watching a movie and there is a pot in the background, I am watching the pot in the background. I feel like out whole lives we are building up an encyclopedia of ideas and surfaces and decoration ideas and form and then you go in the studio and some of it pools together in your noggin and comes out through your hands.
Book
German Stoneware by David Gaimster
Contact
danfinneganpottery.com
Instagram: @dan_finnegan_pottery
Mike Griffin | Episode 802
Mike Griffin is a “self taught” potter who is working on making it a full time job. In the summers Mike is a golf professional and runs a very busy golf course so he doesn’t get to make pots half of the year. I truly enjoy getting lost in the making process and the studio and just allowing the pots to make themselves and come from instinct and reaction to the clay.
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What is the biggest challenge you have in your role as a ceramic artist and trying to fulfil shows that you have coming up and getting things out to the gallery, what’s your biggest challenge playing this role and how are you going to overcome it?
That’s a great question. I have been listening to your podcast ever since you sent me the invite. I have listened to as many as I could which is really cool, I found a lot of people through that as a matter of fact. You know, I’d listen to someone and think, Oh what a cool person and I would find their Instagram and follow them. I’m getting off subject. My biggest challenge would be time, obviously, but I’m really lucky to have a great wife who is a great mother and she is just a powerhouse of a woman. She runs her own business. She lets me go to the studio, when I say I gotta go to the studio. She says, go ahead. Yeah, I owe it all to her.
If you had an extra 10 thousand dollars a year would you be so inclined to chase down the other jobs you do to make life work?
You mean if I had more money would I be just a pottery?
Yes.
I would love to be just a potter. It’s really what I love to do. Golf is something that I am good at. I like being around people. I like teaching people, but there is to me, there’s no other freedom or happy space that I have found than creative stuff in clay. It’s just a whole nother release, I think. So yeah, absolutely.
What is one of the best resources you have in order to keep developing your creativity?
Well just the whole potter’s community. I think potters in general are really cool, fun people that share with each other. It’s very rare that you…I mean I could send a message to a potter, Hey, how did you make that red? And they would say, Oh, Here’s my recipe. Most of them will. It is very rare that you will find one that won’t tell you. And you know, Instagram and the internet, if I am at a loss of what to make I can just scroll through Instagram of all these great potters that I follow and I see a form that inspires me and I get an idea and I just start making pieces and it kicks back into gear.
You have been doing this for over ten years, what one habit you wish you would have started earlier that you do now?
As far as habits I wish I would have started handbuilding a lot longer ago, I think. I don’t know, I think I just started taking it a little more seriously a couple of years ago because I started getting more followers and actual people were saying, You make great stuff. You know there’s that old, every artist has it, when you make something and someone goes, Wow, that’s good. And your first thought is , Nah, it’s not really that good. No, I wish it was a little different than that. So there’s always that negative underlying feeling when you make stuff that you really don’t like it.
What is one question you wish I would have asked you?
I would say, What’s your next step? Like what are you going to do next?
What are you going to do next? (laughter)
(laughter) You know, I don’t know. I’m really kind of just letting it all happen. I think getting more people acknowledging my work and liking my pots and jut kind of letting it run it’s course as an artist is working. And I don’t like to mess with things when they work. So I am just going to keep making what I make and I can feel the ebb and flows in the work. I can feel it changing. When you get an idea and you start to go with it, you know when you can’t sleep at night, when you are just thinking I gotta do this, this, this, and this. That’s just the fun of it. So I am just excited for what comes next and I don’t know what it is.
Book
Terra Sigillata by Rhonda Willers
Contact
Etsy: griffinpots
Instagram: @mike_griffin_ceramics
Petr Novák | Episode 801
Petr Novák has over two decades of experience as a seasoned teaware artist. Deeply immersed in tea culture, Petr’s work is inspired by his personal connection to tea. His work is internationally recognized and used by tea lovers from all around the world. Petr creates highly functional teaware for multiple settings including casual tea drinking as well as for special occasions and celebrations. With a focus mainly on ceremonial pieces, his aim is to create teaware to support tea enthusiasts in their meditation practice with tea also known as Cha Dao, The Way of Tea. His designs are created to bring ease and joy to their tea tables.
Always studying and passionately searching for new inspirations, Petr regularly visits tearooms, tea gardens, and potter’s studios from the far East such as Korea, China, and Taiwan. Although he is an experienced traveler, Petr finds his main source of growth from his personal Tea practice and in the experiences of those who use teaware during their daily rituals. He highly encourages thoughts and feedback anytime, it is always welcome and appreciated.
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Why tea and not coffee?
Let me put it this way, I have this experience that every herb on this planet have different effects on the body, on the mind and some can be very close and some can be very different. Many herbs were secrets during the history of humankind and different countries have different herbs that were secret for them and it can be maybe Matcha in South America, it could be coffee, it could be tobacco. The same with the tea. So each herb kind of affects our mind and body in a different way and I believe that tea is quite special in that way. And it suits me and it makes sense and makes my life richer and kind of makes sense for me to focus on that.
Which do you prefer, a tea bowl or a tea cup? And why?
There is not what I would say prefer. I drink from a bowl maybe more often than a tea cup but the bowl has its place on the tea table and some settings make more sense to use a cup as a smaller vessel, drinking vessel and for some purpose the bowl is better.
Is a tea ceremony best to be experienced with friends or alone?
Again, there is probably just slightly different energy. For me tea ceremony often means somebody showing the tea ceremony. Somebody is preparing tea and you look at that or something like that. What I am talking about is that we are a part of it. So you are part of the ceremony, you are part of the place, and when you are alone it is slightly different then when there is more people and different energy. So what is better? Yeah, I like both actually. I have to say I like both but I can more often do it myself and it’s like meditation. When you are alone you can sit down before the starting day with myself and bowl of tea or a cup of tea for sometime and that is great. And from time to time with people who feel the same and have a special connection it is very nice and I wouldn’t say it is something I would like to escape to be alone. I like the social part a lot.
Does a tea ceremony calm the noises inside of us and it brings a certain amount of peace?
Definitely and that’s one of the reasons to calm down and see more clearly. So sometimes you see that there is a lot of noise and it feels like it’s noisier than before because you actually see it but what is valuable for me is how simple it is. There is not special method. You just sit with bowl of tea, put your leaves in the water and you can repeat it daily. When you have this ritual daily then you kind of have this grounding point in the day so you can sit for a bit and recharge, calm down, and see more clearly.
Do you ever take milk and sugar in your tea?
Not really. I am thinking, usually if I want to make a sugary, milky drink I would probably do some cacao thing with a different herb and plant than coffee. But if the tea is very strong and milk can help that, if I overdo it a bit of milk can help but usually not. If I was with friends and they prepared tea like that I would enjoy it. I am not snobbish about my tea. I am quite relaxed.
Book
The Unknown Craftsman by Soetsu Yanagi
Global Tea Hut Magazine
Contact
potsandtea.cz
Instagram: @potsandtea
100 in Review | Episode 800
The Potters Cast is 800 episode old!!! In this episode we review the last 100 episodes of The Potters Cast. Thank you for listening to the show. It truly means so much to me.
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PAUL BRIGGS- Episode 706
What does authenticity mean to you?
My first thought when you asked me the prior question was, that was the thought. That you still have to be true to your way of working. For me, I don’t think I was working authentically because for me that refinement was trying to be something, trying to cover up something, trying to project a particular image. I was trying to fit myself literally into one of the vessels that I was making. The work that I am making now, I had somebody talk about it one time, they said, Oh, there’s some virtuosity here. And I was like, Oh no, don’t say that, please. I think what you are seeing is fluency. There is a fluency with the material that is just unavoidable. I’ve been working with it for awhile so there is a fluency in the handling, but it’s not trying to be beautiful. I’m handling it that way. There’s a wonderful line from, here’s a good one, Paul, I am aging myself too, from Roger Rabbit. Jessica Rabbit is in this conversation and basically her answer to why she is going through whatever she is going through and why she is with Roger Rabbit, she says, I am not bad, I am just drawn that way. (laughter) So I just think you know, I definitely wasn’t perfect. I’m not perfect and this work has been so freeing to me when I just let go of that perfection, even though as I said, I struggle with it. But some people will work that way and it’s authentic for them, to work in a very refined way and again we have to approach and love both, appreciate both.
JO BRIMBLE- Episode 712
As a former trends analyst, what do you see the trends of ceramics now that you are in a ceramic capacity and selling online? What are the trends that you see in the ceramic world?
I think ceramics has had such a renaissance, I guess, and I think that there are so many different layers of different trends and I think the most interesting thing is that there is a huge macro-trend for skilled, kink of like crafted items that aren’t mass produced and that have their own marks of hand-making. Because within that we obviously have the internet and digital-ness so everyone has gone back to the appreciation of more crafted things, like days-gone-by items. So I think that will continue to evolve and grow and I think ceramics within that is obviously really important. I think that is why we have seen this massive revival.
RYAN REICH- Episode 722
When tragedy hits is it okay to stop doing everything and just absorb the trauma of it all?
Yeah, to a certain degree but at the same time we, I mean me and my wife, we still had our kids and our dogs and we still had our jobs so as much as we were caught up in the tragedy there was still a part of it was like, life has to go on. So the first couple of weeks were really hard because we were in a Residence Inn. So it was like a hotel with a little small kitchen but our two big dogs are both full-size dogs and two crazy little boys and we had just gone through all this stuff…the first week was very primal in a way. It was very much like food, clothing, shelter. We need our basics. It happened early in the morning by 12 or so a neighbor had given us a ride to the rental car place, my wife went to Target, as much as it was, Oh this is a tragedy and traumatic. In the moment you have to just be parents and take care of our kids.
KRISTEN VAN PATTEN- Episode 737
Why do you think people are attracted to surface design?
You know I think that is a question that goes back thousands of years probably. Pottery for example, and I can’t answer it but it is something that potters have been lending themselves to and it is probably something the audience has been more drawn to. You know when potters first started putting patterns or animals on their pots those are the ones that people would buy. And so looking back a couple of thousand years even in history you will find ceramic works that have these various surface decorations on them. I think it is something that the artist probably starts to do to liven things up a bit and it is probably just something special for the audience. They see it as something that sets it apart and it puts more of the artist’s hand on it. I think that is a big part of it, it makes it a little bit more personal to the maker and people like to be able to connect to the maker.
TASHA RENEE- Episode 740
How is imposter syndrome different than being a fake?
Well, I know there is a saying, fake it til you make it. And put on the confidence you don’t have and move forward, but I am not faking it. In the sense that, I kind of accept where I am at, and I move forward. And the imposter part is just like a part of me can’t believe that people like you would look at my work and go, Oh, it’s beautiful. So I think it boils down to value and worth and how I value my work. I don’t know if there has to be a huge difference, I could see someone also with that lack of value faking it to try and make sure that they continue to move forward in their business or whatever else they are doing. So I don’t think they have to be completely separate. But…I wish I could fake it a little more maybe. (laughter) It might make it a little easier on myself.
JOLENE HEWISON- Episode 757
Why is having a sense of wonder such an important part of creativity?
I think it is a motivating factor for me because there are so many different variables available in design and if you just change the matrix a little here and there you are going to get a different outcome and so I am just always thinking What if? and What if that happened? and What if I change that? and What if I added that thing over there with this? It is kind of following a rambling stream of little wonderings , I suppose. Just to see what happens at the end. It’s like an exploration and it’s interesting and it’s fun and it’s uncomfortable and I have always been drawn to processes which have elements that are out of my control because it is so much more exciting to open up the kiln or pull off the form work or whatever it is to see something you are not quite expecting. I love that.
GEORGE METROPOLOUS MCCAULEY- Episode 758
What makes good work?
Work that we made from within ourselves that’s honest, that is from the heart, and I can often look at work and tell where that comes from. To me it’s all from within. That’s philosophical, I can’t give you a picture, it’s philosophical.
How can someone say, This looks like good work but it isn’t?
I am going to tell you completely honestly, I don’t know how to answer that question. I wouldn’t do this publicly but on my own, if I see somebodies work I feel like I can tell where that work comes from. And often for me it’s about the way it’s made, what the emphasis is. For instance, if I see somebody says, When I make this bowl all I am thinking about the whole time is how green beans looks in it, or whatever it is, or the beauty of offering this plate for the beauty of food to be shared…well that work doesn’t look like it says that. So I make that determination based on what the work looks like.
DOUG RUBENSTEIN- Episode 771
If you were to describe your work in one word which word would you choose and why?
Presence. I think. Yeah, I am fine with that. Presence because if you are hungry and you sit down at the wheel, if you are preoccupied, if you are moving too quickly, you can say good-bye to whatever you make. I think my favorite thing about clay is that…if you look at a professional potter, for example, and the tools, the clay, the wheel, all of that, and you compare it to the set up of maybe a beginner might be using, they may be in many ways might be exactly the same…and in what I said before that clay keeps you humble, I am so entranced in the ways in which clay really keeps things so simple and very very, authentic. And presence is what is required to meet the clay wherever you want it to go, because it truly is a conversation. I think that is why I am able to do it every day because it requires my presence.
IDO FERBER- Episode 788
Do you have to chase away the fear of failure when you are doing work like this?
No, not at all. I welcome it. There’s no fear of failure. That’s how good things come out. You fail and you fail and you fail and then in the end something works. You take that in and you try again. I think that’s actually the only way to develop is to fail. Things would probably be pretty boring if everything worked out all the time. Just yesterday I opened the kiln and it was like 90 percent failure. That happens sometimes.
SARAH RITCHIE- Episode 796
What was a big challenge that you didn’t expect that you had to figure out?
The work-life balance because ultimately I can’t tease them apart because what I do I really enjoy, I really love so it doens’t feel like work. And when I am not working I am still thinking about things I want to do but that line is so blurred because you just end up in there all the time. Like I have done so many 12 or 14 hour work days back to back getting ready for a sale and even though that is something I am working to benefit myself and it’s something I am fulfilled by I have to constantly improve that and have some of my own personal time. Because otherwise I forgo doing stuff with friends or my partner. I know there are points here I don’t get to see my family for really long stretches of time so I do have to break it up.
“Kemma” Emma Kaye | Episode 799
Kemma is a celebration of colour, chasing dreams, and slow living. Dreamt up by Emma Kaye, she hopes to bring colour and magic to everyday spaces. Emma’s work is inspired by the feeling of home, the smell of fresh flowers, big hugs, laughter, and the Australian coastal landscape.
SPONSORS
You can help support the show!
GRPotteryForms.com
diamondcoretools.com
Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com
For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com
Is it worth it to take out the time to build a website?
It’s 100 percent so, so, so worth it. I could not recommend it any higher. I think it is the most beneficial thing that I have done for my business, ever. So yes, do it!
What platform did you use?
So in terms of my actual website, that is hosted on Shopify. Which I recommend if you are using the website to just sell products in terms of being an online shop rather than a gallery kind of website where you are displaying things that are not necessarily for sale. So yes, Shopify is amazing in terms of allowing people to add products to their cart and check out and it makes it really seamless and easy. And to have a website you also need a domain name and my domain I got from Go Daddy and you just pay a yearly subscription I think and that gives you access to that domain.
Shopify is easy to use and a drag and drop style platform and you don’t have to know code, is that accurate?
Yes, exactly. So you choose from a series of themes and then you can customize that theme. You can choose your own colors. You can put your pictures in. You can add text and in that way it is extremely user friendly. I don’t have any background in technology or website building and I use it just fine.
Is it important to have multiple trusted ways to pay on your website?
I think it just gives people more options and they can then use whatever they like. I think it’s always nicer to have options and pay in a way that’s best for the customer. So I think it is useful to have lots of different payment alternatives.
What kind of program is set up to help with shipping costs and labels?
That’s a really good question because at the beginning I took a long time to figure this out. So basically through Shopify you can get things called apps and you download those onto your page and then it automates things for you. so you can get an app that is for Australia Post which is the shipping that I use, and then that automatically calculates the shipping costs based on the weight of the item and where the person is when they go to check out. Then the labeling, because I use Australia Post, it automatically imports the labels into their website and then I just print them off from there.
How much time a week do you think having a website saves you compared to doing direct sales?
I don’t know if I could directly quantify it because things are really different now compared to when I was just selling through Instagram. I think when I was just posting things and getting messages about them I maybe had like not even a thousand followers yet and now I have more than 36 thousand. So I don’t think I could quantify the difference because my growth as a business has outweighed it. But if I was still selling directly I would be spending all day every day managing those messages. It would be completely unmanageable.
Book
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Contact
kemma.com.au
Instagram: @__kemma
Simon Manoha | Episode 798
Simon Manoha works on all his pieces and carves them by hand with no use of wheel. Simon works with clays that he collects from nature. Simon’s glazes are minerals collected and crushed by his hands. Simon fires in a woodkiln for 7 days. All Simon’s pieces are food safe and water tight.
SPONSORS
You can help support the show!
GRPotteryForms.com
diamondcoretools.com
Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com
For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com
Simon, I am curious how you see yourself. Do you see yourself as an artist or do you see yourself as an artist?
(laughter) I was thinking about that just today. Not about me but about the vision and the difference between an artisan and craftmanship because there is different vision. In Japanese there is no different word for art or for artisan. It’s the same word. And it says something about the way we see art. I think that the difference is wrong. The most important things maybe it will be the way you make your discipline. You can make a bowl as an art. And you can also make a sculpture like an artisan. There are many potters just doing bowls and teapots or something like that and it’s just piece of art. It’s how you do it that is the important thing. For me, I don’t know because it is time to time difficult to define yourself as an artist because it is really an emphasis. The world is too much now for me. I love that world but they say, Oh you are an artist. Yes, okay. Thanks. But me I don’t say I am an artist, just for the world. But the way I work is something more, yes, like art.
What is your morning routine like?
Just the morning?
Yes.
(laughter) I don’t think that I have a routine because the clay don’t have one. Because every season is different, and in winter I don’t make the temperature high and in the summer I don’t have a way to make the temperature cooler, so sometime you make your pot and it is weeks before I can fire it and sometimes it is in just one or two days. So I live with the clay. I make it the morning, the afternoon, the night, every time. But there is a common point of my day. In the morning I hollow my piece and in the night I create. I never create with the sunlight. Just the night.
Have you always been a night time creator?
Yeah. Every time. When I was playing music I was living by night. But not now. With ceramics you have many things to do and there are many things physically that you have to do, dig the clay, many things, cutting wood, I don’t know.
What do you listen to in the studio when you are making?
I really love many kinds of music. Free jazz, contemporary jazz. Sometimes rock from the 80s and the 60s. And world music, traditional world music, African and every country. Not modern just instrument and the sound of the strings.
What is your favorite tool to use in the studio?
My studio is really simple. There is a small wood. I find it in the forest. There is an old piece of metal maybe from an old car, I don’t know what and small rocks and that’s all. To make the form there is my hands and my legs. For small pots it’s just my hands. (laughter) But for big pots and big sculpture all my body works on it.
Contact
Estsy: ksimonmanoha
Instagram: @simon_manoha