Learning to Design Our Own Ceramics
I recently started working on ceramics at the Digs in West Town. I’m really excited about starting something new and feeling excited and curious about it. I have a lot of ideas for different things I want to make to flower in and some other ideas for things I want to adorn my home with.
Having not thrown pottery very well ever, and not having practiced at all in over 7 years, it felt daunting to go into the studio alone with fresh tools and not really remembering just how to get myself started. When I got there, there was only one other woman there working on the wheel and we got to chat for a while about the space, her work, and a bit about who I am and my floral work as well. Connecting with someone while I’m feeling really out of my element helped give me the confidence to start feeling out the process of wedging clay and getting enough prepped and together to throw about ten vessels.
I got to feel my body shift its weight and position to honor the shape I was looking for and also got to make plenty of mistakes without anyone noticing. It was humbling and exciting, I didn’t even notice when 4 hours passed without having gotten up. I love thinking about the motion of what I’m doing as it’s happening, it makes me feel connected to the piece and I get lost in it.
I have tons of ideas I want to design for my business, but I’m trying to keep playtime fun for now — letting myself figure out where my strengths and weaknesses are within the process. I can’t wait to see where this goes and what things I gravitate toward. Right now I’m loving wheel throwing and less interested in hand building, but maybe we can change that soon.
Combining my floral work with ceramics designed by me feels like such a special practice, I can’t wait to build a relationship between these two mediums and start to find my voice within their juxtaposition.
For now, here’s a sneak peek of some little buddy vases I’m working on. How cute would these be on a tablescape with lots of taper candles and votives? Maybe some ceramic plates, bowls, menus, etc. I definitely am seeing a styled shoot in my near future.
