Holding clay is magical.
It’s calming and exciting at the same time. It connects you with the earth.
The feeling of holding clay, the weight of it in your hands, the coolness and malleability of its texture somehow connects my soul with my creative spirit.
It makes me slow down, feel more present and grounded. Up until recently I haven’t shared my clay interest or skills as an art from. I kept it hidden, like a secret that was precious, just for me to indulge in.
No clients.
No deadlines.
No expectations.
Just for me.
For my mind to explore and learn.
It was the outlet I so desperately needed in amongst the hustle of making my art business grow.
It was a space for me to ignore my phone, turn off all the pressures and make for making sake. Just pure, purposeless making. As it turns out, working with clay is utterly and completely enlivening to my creative soul!
Around 7 years ago my thoughtful husband bought me a voucher to take a wheel throwing short course. Learning to make one simple shape was near impossible and took so much practice. It was so challenging! It was so hard! But also, equally AMAZING! Every lump of clay that failed, taught me something new about the process. Every lump of clay I threw into the “reclaim” bucket wasn’t a disappointment; it was a light bulb moment. A moment of, “Ah, I see how I need to do it next time”. And slowly, little by little, the process began to make sense.
Forming clay on the wheel aroused a new passion that I couldn’t walk away from. I completed one 8-week course and deeply wanted to do another one. But life happened, working full time as a teacher and trying to build my art business made it hard. A couple of years later I managed to do another course at a different studio. That was when I was pregnant with my first son. I remember my tummy getting in the way of leaning over the wheel!
I couldn’t suppress my appetite for working with clay, but I needed to focus on my family and taking night courses on top of my workload was impossible at this stage in my life.
So I stopped.
Over the course of 6 years I took 4 ceramic courses and continued to teach hand building at high school.
In 2021, 7 years since my first wheel-throwing course I applied for a job I was completely under-qualified for. I took a HUGE leap of faith and reached out to a local clay studio for a job as a wheel throwing instructor.
Did you read that right?
INSTRUCTOR!
Yeah, I’ve got 10 years teaching experience as a secondary teacher, so I’m pretty experienced at teaching art to teenagers. But wheel throwing? Me? NO! I’m not qualified. I highlighted my experience in my application letter and I laid it all out there. Explaining my unquenchable thirst and passion for clay. If I were to be even considered for this position, it would provide me with the opportunity to learn from experienced potters and work in a studio where I can practice regularly.
Guess what happened?
I got an interview.
(Woooah! WHAT THE?)
I got the job.
(Total shock from me!)
Now, I’m teaching two nights a week, wheel throwing and hand building. Every week I get to tell others about how much clay means to me and watch them have their moments of frustration, disappointment and then that magical “Aha” moment when the clay stills and flows in the centre of the wheel. Their eyes light up and understanding and empowerment covers their face.
I have never sold a piece of pottery. I’m in the process of exploring how to bring my artist style from large-scale murals onto ceramic pieces. Eventually I’ll bring them out to the world. I still feel like a pottery imposter! Hopefully soon, I’ll find the courage to take that leap.
My perfectionist brain is hesitating.
Part of me is still holding tight to my ceramic secret. Sharing my work with the world is daunting but I’m starting to consider it. I’m going to reach out to some local shops to see if they’re willing to stock my work. And I’m looking into how I can go about setting up my online shop. Postage is my next hurdle!
Typical me, I’ve been procrastinating by getting my packaging sorted before I even have any work to sell! I’ve just had new stickers made that are going to be perfect for when I wrap up pieces in tissue paper. I’m so happy with them. I just need to get cracking and make more work. Now, I also kinda want to get some vinyl stickers made and some die cut would be fancy wouldn’t it?!
I’ve purchased a clay stamp which makes my logo look so fancy on the base of bowls, cups and vases. If you have any advice about online shops, postage, packaging or local stores that you think would be a good fit for my work, please let me know! Creativity is a crazy journey and I love sharing with you my inspiration, fears and process.
Thanks for coming along with me. Xx
