My relationship with clay
How it started
In February 2024 I shadowed Chicago ceramicist, Anne E. Terpstra, for three days to film a mini-documentary for a client project. I filmed the entire process of Anne making a custom set of ceramic vases. I remember sitting across from Anne at pottery wheel, with camera equipment in hand, and whispering to myself: "I think I'd be good at this."
I sat at the pottery wheel for the first time two months later (May 2024), with my wife and an instructor named Anne Moser. After two months of courses I switched to being self-taught. That was two years ago.
How it's going
Present day, I've been doing pottery for a little over two years. I've considered stepping away from clay many times so I could focus solely on my brand consulting business. Because clay is a time-consuming hobby, and my time is very limited, and the possibility of stepping away has always been there.
I believe time can't be made, it can only be taken. It can be taken by us, or it can be taken from us. Each piece in this collection is a capsule from this time in my life in which I am obsessed with ceramics. I've considered stepping away from clay many times so I could focus solely on my brand consulting business. As an business owner my time is very limited, and the possibility of stepping away from making ceramics is still there.
So, if time is the most valuable thing, what is any of this worth?
That's for you to decide.
What's next?
I hope to continue practicing ceramics for years to come. I still feel like a baby in this craft, despite the thousands of hours I've put into honing my skillset.
I am also constantly exploring with new ways to balance my personal, professional, and social life. Clay needs to be cared for consistently, and if you don't make time to be there so then you don't end up with much to show for it. If you've ever had a hobby, then you know what I mean.
As for my work: I am paying much more attention to what could become a signature style for me. I think it's already there, but I can't quite point to it just yet. Having a style has always felt beyong my reach in the same way feeling like an Artist has. When I say my pottery is intuitive, it means I make what comes to me in the moment. I don't sketch or plan my shapes ahead of time. I just sit at the wheel, run through the motions, and follow my instincts.
Yet, I still feel self-conscious of not behaving like, or having the qualities of, an artist. I admire them, I can emulate them, but I don't think like them. I'm so guy being himself, and doing what he loves.
If I can true to myself, while making something you cherish enough to bring into your home, then that's more than I can ever ask for.