Meet Yvette

How long have you been doing pottery? 

I have been doing pottery since February 2023. I signed up for a beginner's wheel class with Thelma and fell in love. After the class they invited me to be a community potter so I've been hard at it ever since. 

What was your motivation to start pottery? 

My motivation for starting pottery was to figure out what to formally do with the clay. When I was little (my family is from southern Ohio) we would play outside and we would dig up dirt, red dirt-clay, put water on it and make things. So, I've always been attracted to dirt and making things. About nine years ago Thelma had her wheel at the farmer's market and my daughter Amari sat down at the wheel and I watched [Thelma] work with Amari. I enrolled Amari in a few classes and thought the next step for me is to learn what to do, myself, with the clay. 

What is a benefit to being a community potter? 

The benefit to being a community potter is in the name: community. I love community and Thelma has done a wonderful job of creating that here in the studio. I often laugh that I have friends... I don't see everyone a lot but when I do, it's like we've been friends forever. We eat together, we laugh together, we play in the clay together, we interact with each other outside the studio. We're just great friends so it's given me another great opportunity to engage with people in a different way. Here at Cracked Pot I've found my people. 

What is your favorite thing about the studio? 

My favorite thing about the studio is coming in to create my own things but also having the opportunity to see what my friends have made. I can see their finished product, I can see their greenware, I can see the things they've glazed. It just gives me inspiration and an opportunity to interact with others. I also have learned a lot from my friends here at the pottery studio. 

What is your favorite thing to make? 

My favorite things to make are vessels for plants (Please see Yvette's full video interview to view her awesome work!) I do collaborations with my daughter, Amari, she is an artist. I throw vessels and put plants in them, and Amari will sometimes put art on the vessels. There is this thing that you can throw a beautiful pot and mess up in glazing or you could throw a bad pot and do a really good job glazing. This (second pot in interview) is an average pot with, what I'm proud of to say, a good glaze job that holds one of my favorite plants. 

What is a challenge for you? 

A challenge for me is the endless opportunities. I was asked what I like to do. I like to throw plant vessels but if you aren't careful you can be throwing cups and mugs and vessels and everything. So, I think I like the endless opportunities and the creativity but it is hard to stay focused on one thing while I'm here. Same thing with glazes- Thelma told me glazing is endless so I walk in with a plan, I see other people's work, and I get inspired. I have purposely, consciously write down the plan because I can get distracted pretty easily in the studio. 

Why would you recommend Cracked Pot Studios to other people? 

I would recommend Cracked Pot Studios to others for the community. There's no beginner, there's no advanced, and there's no expert here. We're all friends who love clay and doing things together. So, if you're looking for an inclusive community that celebrates you, where you can be you, I would encourage you to join us here at Cracked Pot.