studio dispatch no.1: the year of test tiles
Hello from a wet rainy day in my little garden studio, from where I’ll be sending brief weekly(ish) pottery-related dispatches into the ether. These will not always be long, but I’m aiming for them to be consistent.
Like most, I’ve had some time off from my day job over the holidays and have been doing some year-in-review ruminating. 2024 was a massively busy (good?) year for me, but a very mixed year for me and pottery. My main takeaway for the year ahead is that I need to get back into an actual practice of making pots, trying new techniques and skills, taking notes, writing bits, and sharing them all on. This week, some notes from the review below.
The good:
I joined and started teaching at Clayspace in Margate. This has been amazing for connecting with super experienced potters and ceramicists who are fountains of knowledge. Many of the people I’ve met also work with clay in ways that are completely different than my focus on functional pieces which is great to be exposed to. I’ve also really loved working at such a heavily used studio space: the absolutely bonkers variety of pieces coming out of the kilns from students and other folks firing at Clayspace is incredible.
Related to the above, I was part of an obvara firing for the first time thanks to Bridget and Ian at Clayspace which was so much fun and I wound up with my favourite bottle of all time.
My favourite gallery and shop in Margate, the Lido Stores, is now stocking my pots! Still feeling smug about being stocked, and it’s been a great way to get my pots out there without as much work on online shop upkeep.
I built my website and opened my little shop, and started posting pot stuff of Instagram (albeit less regularly after the summer).
My partner and I also bought a place in July, which included a big shed at the end of the garden that I’m converting into a studio (!!!!). I also bought my own wheel (!!!).
The less good:
This was my first full year in Margate, and if I’m honest, I’ve found the transition from my old studio place at Sabali Pots in Oxford challenging to get into the flow of making. I’ve missed the studio by the canal, I’ve missed the sometimes chaotic energy (love you Helen!) at Sabali, and I’ve missed the lack of self-consciousness about my pots that I had there. I think I’ve made fewer pots this year than any year since I started making pottery regularly in 2018. This has had knock-on effects for my progress as a potter and the space I’ve given myself to try new things.
Even with my own studio space since July, I’ve found it hard to get into a routine, partly because the studio itself needs work (see smashed window and structural cracks). I’ve tried to pace myself with making improvements as I use the space to not waste money. However, I’ve found that some improvements needed to happen before I could actually happily use the space, meaning that I didn’t strike the right balance between investing slowly and wisely on the space and enjoying it.
Probably the most significant “less good” factor from 2024 is that I let my day job completely overrun my life, leaving less energy and space for other projects, like improving at pottery, building up stock to sell at markets, updating my shop, and working on my Mugs in Use series. I’ve been incredibly burnt out and everything, even things that I enjoy like sea swimming and making pots, have felt like items on a to-do list. Not great for ~ creativity ~.
The 2025 plans:
I’ve spent the holiday period making my studio more workable in the winter months. There were some massive gaps between the walls and the roof making it freezing at all times, for example, that we’ve insulated and closed up, and I’ve installed some cheap but workable flooring to insulate and make the surface even and washable. I also bought some fairy lights and two oil heaters to make things a bit cozier and more of a space that I want to hang out in once the sun sets and the temperature drops. I’ve also been installing hooks this week wherever I want them! Love hooks!
I need to start making more interesting pots. First, I need to spend more time making pots without the intention of selling, or even firing, them. Second, I need to start experimenting with and making my own glazes. I’ve spend the last week making test tiles from my main clay bodies so I have less of a barrier to messing around with glazes and colour.
I (thankfully) made enough from pottery sales and teaching last year to afford to buy additional annual leave from my day job (which I’m also grateful allows this sort of thing). I’m doing so this year and am going to try and dedicate those five days to pottery-releated endeavors, whether that’s a visit to an exhibition or pottery, a long hike, setting up at a market, or a dedicated throwing day in the studio. I also need to sort out my work-life balance beyond this, but I’ll spare you those boring details.
