My journey into pottery
I'm a self-taught potter and I'm lucky enough to be able to spend a few days a week creating completely unique, handmade ceramics from my home studio in Cornwall, having recently relocated from Hertfordshire.
I took up pottery for fun in 2022, but it's happily now my part-time job. I design, make, pack and ship every single piece, with each small batch taking around 6 weeks from start to finish. Sustainability is really important to me, so I do my best to reduce any environmental impact by using recycled water, only firing the kiln when completely full and exclusively using reclaimed or recyclable packaging materials.
When I'm not covered in clay, you'll find me in the gym, at the beach, or enjoying time with my partner and our rescue greyhound, Lily.
The making process
I make small batches of around 50 pots, which start to finish takes around 6 weeks.
Every pot no matter the size, goes through the same process -
- Throwing on the potters wheel
- Trimming - when partially dry, the shape is refined and any handles attached.
- Drying
- First firing (see left!) for 13 hours
- Applying glaze
- Glaze firing for 9-11 hours
- Sanding bases
Even after pieces are finished that's not the end of the process, as they need to be photographed and uploaded to the website!
Completing even a small batch of ceramics is a lengthy and time-consuming process, with plenty of chances for things to go wrong. But it's always worth it, and despite the hard work, I’m always excited to begin the next batch!