POTTERY IS FOR making meaning.
making meaning in this twisty, tender world we’re floating through.
Sitting in my home studio in Brooklyn is a small black dog made out of clay by an eight-year-old. I made it back in 1999 in my hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A teeny version of my beloved black lab, Mick. Over the years I would make tiny pinch pots and eventually learn to throw on a potter’s wheel from dear Ms. Cook, my high school pottery teacher. My sophomore year, Ms. Cook would teach me how to make a teapot. The glaze had a drippy golden shine, and, as we admired it fresh from the kiln, I explained that the imagery I had carved into the clay stood for ‘A Beautiful Grace’ - that it looked beautiful and calm on the outside, but inside it was boiling hot, steaming, feeling like it would explode. Whew. Ms. Cook connected with my parents who swiftly found me my first therapist and helped me through the confusing, strange phenomenon that is high school and finding yourself in this world. It was the first time I used pottery to make sense of my emotions, to express my feelings in the physical world, to reach out for help and connection. I often think about how fortunate I was to have access to art and for the incredibly caring people in my atmosphere.
I went on to spend six years studying sociology and human rights, social work and end-of-life care. Since then, I’ve worked with humans on their death beds and people who have narrowly escaped death - exploring what living means.
I’ve delved deep into what it means to move through this twisty, delightful, sorrowful world as a human and how I can use pottery to make some sense of it - how I can use pottery to bring meaning, joy, and connection into others lives too.
I recently joined a wonderful, small community ceramics studio and am slowly, surely settling in - reacquainting with the wheel, building up inventory, and preparing for the exciting year ahead. I’m still making some pieces in my home studio too - mostly so I can hang with my pup during the day.
My Desert Collection that I made in southern Arizona earlier this year will be available soon! I’ll announce here and on Instagram.
I’ve been listening to this playlist on repeat - as I brace against the frigid wind on my way to the studio, as the wheel spins round and round, as I pack up orders.
Thank you for being here. xx