After 18 years of working with clay and a year spent teaching others, I find myself at a crossroads in my creative journey. My pottery, primarily functional, has always been infused with my spirit. Yet lately, I’ve felt a shift—a limbo between being an artisan and embracing my deeper identity as an artist.
For so long, my focus was on creating pieces that served a purpose, items to be used. While I still want to produce functional work, I’m yearning for a new layer of meaning in my work. I want my pottery to reflect not just utility, but also emotion and connection. My time in the studio has been transformative, helping me navigate through emotional blocks and find peace. But since I mostly selling at markets and shops, I noticed the essence of my creative expression beginning to fade. The process, once so deeply personal, began to feel like a business transaction, separating me from the soul of my work.
In the early days, each piece I created was a reflection of my inner self, connected to something greater than me. That energy was palpable; it was the essence of creation, a force that could resonate with anyone who encountered my work. Yet, as my focus shifted to sales and productivity, I began to worry that my pieces were becoming mere objects, stripped of their emotional core. I felt disconnected from that initial spark, longing to reconnect with the passion and purpose that once fueled my creativity.
To navigate this transition, I’m embarking on a journey to redefine what it means to be both an artisan and an artist. Here are a few things I’m exploring to reignite passion in the studio:
1. Revisit the Creative Process
I’ve started setting aside time for exploration without the pressure of sales in mind. This means experimenting with new techniques, forms, and glazes purely for the joy of creating. By allowing myself to play, I can rediscover the thrill of pottery.
2. Focus on Why I Got into Pottery
By exploring the emotional connection I have to ceramics and the lessons it has taught me over the years, I'm looking to add more intention to what I create. If I'm happy, scared, anxious, or feeling some sort of way the day I walk into the studio, I want to use the energy and work with clay the way I used to, as a form of therapy.
3. Create for Myself
I’ve made a commitment to create pieces that I love and that speak to me personally. That is true of my faux bois pieces as well. They started with what I wanted for my own personal use. When I prioritize my own artistic vision over market trends, I feel more aligned with my self and can use clay as a form of self-expression rather than just a product.
4. Engage with the Community
I’m reaching out to fellow artists and makers. By sharing experiences and challenges, I find solidarity in this journey. Collaborating or simply exchanging ideas with others reminds me that I’m not alone. I also am looking into ways to be active within artistic spaces, such as galleries and performance venues.
Transitioning from artisan to artist is not just about changing the output; it’s about reclaiming the what first drew me to ceramics. My journey with clay has taught me that art is as much about the process as it is about the final product. This journey is not just about making pottery; it’s about making meaning, and in that process, I hope to inspire others to find their own connection to creativity and expression.