Meet Dawn

How long have you been doing pottery?

So I first got into pottery in the early 90s. I did High School. I was fortunate that our high school had a kiln and everything, and the potter's wheel. And then again, in college, I took a few classes, some Wheel class, sculpture class, different things. And then there's a long hiatus, and I recently moved back to the area. And then I kind of I took a class last September with a Thelma leaf pull class. And then I got addicted quick, and I became a community Potter in December, and it's been pretty much daily since then.

What was your motivation to begin pottery?

My motivation to begin pottery was after that leaf bowl class, I realized how amazing it is to work with your hands and be creative. And there's so many levels to working with pottery. You know, you've got different stages of clay, you've got different firings and different different chances to mess up and learn. But my motivation is it makes me feel amazing if I have a headache and I start working in clay, three hours later, I'm done with my project, and I say, Oh, I still have a headache. I didn't even notice it while I was working. And it's amazing for different therapy too, because you're you're getting out of your head and you're being creative, and you're touching this earthy substance. And I'd say for me, it's it's better than therapy, because I'm getting out of my head and staying staying in it, and you get this beautiful or a learning project creation afterwards.

What is a benefit of being a community potter?

Okay, the benefit for me and being a community Potter is the access to the different classes and amazing people that Thelma brings in to our studio, different learning techniques. You see amazing things by the other community potters, and you can get inspired by them. And everyone's style is so different, and the way they do things is different too. And everybody is so freely sharing tips and and how they do things. And Thelma has created a community. She really has, even without the word community potter, she is so welcoming and warm and friendly, and she has this way of making you feel like she's your best friend and and it trickles down from there. So it's been a really good thing. And she is a very busy lady, and there's always something new going on and exciting, and I could live a couple lifetimes, and don't think I could learn everything about clay.

What is your favorite thing about the studio?

So it's awesome that we have something right here in Bellefontaine that is so accessible to learning new such a new thing. My favorite thing about the studio is how close it is to my home. It is literally like five six minute drive. I'm constantly bringing in stuff. I do a lot of work at home, but then I'll do stuff here too. And I also love the learning environment, like we have a naked raku class coming up, and I've never done that before. So like I said, Thelma does a great job of bringing in new artists and new people and different things to learn. And she has these monthly meetings too, that are amazing. There's a different topic or a different thing to try and a challenge where we kind of step outside of our little box of what we are getting used to doing and try something completely new. And sometimes it becomes a favorite thing, and you continue doing it and working on it.

What is your favorite thing to make?

My favorite things to make are things you drink out of. Honestly, I started off with the mugs, because I was doing it daily when I first became a community powder. I wanted to master the mug. I took a mug class, of course, when I first started here, and I'm just constantly working on the mug. So I got that down. And I like to make big, giant mugs, because I like to have extra space in so I don't spill my coffee. I'm very clumsy, but I do different themes too. I love different themes. Like, this is a cat theme, cat mom theme. I do done dog themes, different things right now. I'm also working on gnomes, unknown mugs, and then, like, this was oh, and then I use them too. Oh my gosh. There's nothing better than drinking out of your own mug for your morning coffee. And then all day long, I have water sippers. This is a wildflower theme. Here's another one that I'm working on. This is a you can drink coffee out of it. A hot one, you can stick a straw on it, too. I've done shot glasses again, anything you can drink out of currently working on a beer stein. My brother is a very talented 3d printer, and he's he and I work together and get the measurements. And he makes me little cutouts and then little molds so that, because these are really tall vessels and different things to keep the shape, and we're working on that, we're designing a whiskey glass and even a little wine glass.I made a little hand build wine glass. There's a theory that if you drink wine out of a homemade pottery, it absorbs the tannins or something, and then you don't get a headache. And it did work for my sister one time, so I don't know. We'll see how that goes.

Why would you recommend Cracked Pot Studios to others?

I recommend crackpot studios to everyone in the community and even an hour away. Because it is a resource that isn't in every town or city or our county. It's and it's an amazing thing to be able to create something, get it fired. You know, the kiln access and other things is just invaluable, as well as the different classes and different opportunities to do different things. And like I said, Thelma puts the community in community potters, and you'll never find a more warm and welcoming place.