20 years of clay in a nutshell

Grab a brew

People in my life know that I do not shy away from making big and bold choices, and the first big choice was made aged 17 in September 2005. It was the end of summer, and I decided not to go back to sixth form and instead enrol onto the BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design at Hillsborough College. The plan was to go into graphic design. During the first term, we got to try out LOTS of different genres of creativity: fashion, jewellery, woodwork, textiles, print, fine art, and ceramics. It was during the first class, with my hands on the clay — “what’s this magic material?” — that I instantly fell in love

The first project was a gravy boat (remember, we are in Yorkshire and gravy is like gold here). We all had the same plain slab design, and we could build and adjust for our designs. I went for a classic white duck, yellow beak to pour the gravy out, and yellow feet to stop the gravy boat from falling over. All out of proportion, poor at pouring — she was a masterpiece and was put pride of place in my parents’ garden as a plant pot, where lots of my creations went to live, eventually getting frostbite and dying

Another project I was so fond of was the buttons project — the first introduction to Lucie Rie and Hans Coper. I lived for the pottery classes and was so impressed at this small but mighty project, where the class used lots of different techniques on a small scale to see the possibilities of the clay. We learnt to emboss and glaze with the spray booth to create a 3D effect, we played with slip, mocha tea, marbling, staining clay, tried out porcelain, stoneware and earthenware. There were so many options with these beautiful little buttons — I was hooked

It was here I had a go on the wheel for the first time and boldly made a very small teapot. I was shown how to glaze, allowed to look in the kiln while the pots were white hot and wobbly. Every step of the process mesmerised me. The tutor was wonderful — she saw potential in me and suggested the next steps should be a Glass and Ceramics degree. That was a huge shock for me — was I clever enough? And so, making big bold choices, I applied, got an interview with Sunderland University, and was picked to be one of the twelve to start in September 2007. Over the moon, gobsmacked, scared, and ready to take the plunge

September 2007 — off we go to Sunderland University! Bags are packed, student accommodation is sorted, I am ready to start this Glass and Ceramics degree. Very much like college, there were all the areas of glass and ceramic to explore: glass blowing, slip casting, fused glass, stained glass windows, gas firing, raku firing, how to load and use a kiln, glaze making, mould making — the list can go on

I loved glass making, but it didn’t quite win my heart like ceramics had, and once it came to focusing, I picked clay as my material of choice. The course was based around art theory, making work for a gallery environment with the story of why it was created. Some of my work was playful, and I did a performative piece (mortified thinking about it now — even more so that it’s still used for students as an example!)

There was a lot of mould making with household objects and slip casting with porcelain — all very different to what you see me creating today. My final piece was a toilet cubicle, fully tiled. I sourced two toilets from skips, popped one in the kiln, and some weird chemical reaction happened, and loads of weird powder exploded out the back of the toilet. The second toilet fired much better and lived the rest of its life in my parents’ garden. It’s safe to say that university was a place to play and explore

After graduating, it was back to Sheffield and back working full time as a civil servant — a job I started at 17 and kept on during the summer at university. I began paying my overdraft off, and once that was done, I used my wages to buy a small second-hand kiln and dabbled with making small porcelain pieces. It was all very slow, and getting used to making without a set project and deadline was hard. I dipped my toes into markets and then decided to quit my job to go travelling (another bold choice). Six months later, I came back and moved to the Midlands, where I went on a journey of jobs that brought me little joy but allowed me to set up a foundation of stability

September 2016 — little did I know that another big change was on the horizon. I attempted to enrol on the pottery course at the local college, only to find there was no tutor. After a little push from my sister to apply, before I knew it, October came around and I began teaching 90 students a week

During this time, I began practising throwing on the wheel. I was using a kick wheel at home and an electric one in college — two very different ways to practice. Over the two years, I accumulated a lot of work and started to enjoy throwing more and more. As it came up to the winter period, I applied to a makers’ market, which reminded me that clay was my calling. I followed my gut, and when I saw an opportunity was coming up with Yorkshire ArtSpace in Sheffield, I was keen to apply and move back to Sheffield

Autumn 2018 — and the move back to Sheffield happened. I joined the YAS Starter Programme. I left work and gave myself the opportunity to try ceramics full time while having access to business advice and support. Surrounded by makers and artists, it was here I realised that you can carve your own path and being a creative full time is possible. During the programme, I began freelance work with mentors and friends Pottery West. Working alongside both Cat and Matt, I saw the drive and effort it takes to run a business

In 2020, COVID threw a curveball, and I was without a working space. It was in the summer of 2020 that the garage at home was converted into a working space for me, and in the autumn became a fully functioning pottery studio. My small but perfect studio has been my place to make for the last five years. There have been moments that the space has been pushed to the limits, and in the coming years I imagine I will be in a new space that’s bigger to accommodate the changes that lie ahead