Wescover Interview
Recently, I was thrilled to be asked by the team over at Wescover to sit down for an interview. They asked me some great questions about my inspirations, how I got started, and where I’m going. Here are a couple of excerpts. Click the link below to see the full conversation with Morgan Young over at Wescover.
How did you first get into ceramics?
I took a class in high school – you know one of those art classes that feels like you’re getting away with something – and it really clicked with me. Even then I had a really natural connection with the medium. It wasn’t until after graduating from college that I revisited clay out of a need for creativity, connection, and community. The city I live in has a really incredible arts program which includes a community ceramics studio. I joined this space back in 2014 and learned from the other community members. I didn’t take any classes (though I probably should have) and instead sat next to people whose work I admired and observed them. I think this worked really well for me because of my learning style – I’m a very visual and hands-on learner. From there it became about my relationship with that community as much as it did my relationship with the clay. The space was an incubator in many senses of the word – it was warm and comforting in the deep cold winters of Vermont, it was where I learned technique and developed a practice, and it’s where I gained a new sense of place.
What inspired you to start Rory Pots?
I spent a lot of my twenties adrift in the world. So many of us float along without feeling grounded in any particular path and I largely think this is a product of capitalism and societal structures at large. What is a path? What is purpose? Who is defining success? It took me longer than I’d like to admit to commit to this career. It’s scary going out on your own as an entrepreneur let alone an entrepreneur that sells their own creations. I applied to a women’s small business course in 2019 to learn how to move forward with this tentative dream of mine. It changed everything. I found myself smack dab in the middle of an incredibly supportive group of women also putting themselves way out on a limb, filled with anxiety and fear, and willing to be in that place with me despite it all. This course gave me the tools to own a business and the confidence to start Rory Pots…