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A Pro And His Thoughts | Haakon Lenzi | Episode 1157
Haakon Lenzi | Episode 1157
Haakon Lenzi is a lifelong New Yorker. Haakon maintains an active studio practice out of his East Harlem studio, where he produces his signature “Lenziware” pottery.
SPONSORS
You can help support the show!
GRPotteryForms.com
diamondcoretools.com
Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com
For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com
Why is handmade work still important today?
Wow, that’s a very big question to give a concise answer for, but I would say that handmade work is important because human beings have a connection to making things. It’s one of the fundamental things that humans have done, and that’s why if you go to any museum, you’ll see. That the long history of people is often represented by the artifacts that they’ve created, whether those are in some cases pots as well as jewelry, and certainly utilitarian things like spoons and tools and that sort of thing. I think in a time where the world is becoming increasingly immaterial, we’re focusing on we’re getting lost perhaps in social media and sort of commercialization of things to make handmade pots is, On the one hand, a rebellious act, but also something that can connect you to the entire history of humanity and preserve something that could very well otherwise be lost. It seems like we’ve all lost a little bit of the humanity in the last few years.
Why is the local potter, important to her or his community?
That’s an interesting one because my community is New York City and in a way, I don’t know how much I have to do with my city. Certainly if I walk down the street a lot of people know me in my neighborhood, but they don’t necessarily buy my work or have it. And that’s a really tough question that to answer, I think there are places where, say if you’re in the Hudson Valley or in western Massachusetts, where people have really developed an authentic client base where they sort of educate their community on the virtue of having ceramics… Then of course those communities perhaps have the expendable income to afford it. But certainly I would say that at the very least, whether they’re your direct customers, it is incredibly important to be engaged with your community.
There was a short clip that was bouncing around social media that was stating that you can’t make a living off selling your pottery. But I am seeing you living in one of the most expensive cities in the world and you are living off your pottery. How does that ring true or how is it false?
Well, I know the clip that you’re talking about, and I think they were specifically saying you can’t make a living selling a $45.00 mug. Now I think that there are parts of the country where certainly many people do make a living selling $45.00 mugs exclusively. I don’t think that you could do that really here in New York City. First of all, I sell my work for quite a bit more than that. Secondly, the part of why I’ve been able to do what I do is that I did not incur a lot of debt when I went to school. I went to a state school, Alfred University, which is a state program. So I came out of school with a very low debt ratio. My father and I ran a bar and I lived with him and I just put everything into paying the loans off. So that gave me a degree of freedom to do it that a lot of people like my peers were not able to do. And I think that you need other streams of income of some sort or another, whether that’s teaching or renting studio space or something like that.
For you, how many different streams of income do you require to keep your work life going?
Well, just being totally real, none of my career would even be possible if it was not for my wife’s stream income. We are a two-income household. My wife previously was a web developer and has run a very successful jewelry business called Spur Jewelry where they refurbish or redesign antique jewelry. And my income is from selling pots, and, up until recently, a lot of my income was from teaching.
Why is making a cup so high on your love list?
That’s a great that’s a great question. Financial doesn’t make a ton of sense because it’s usually the cheapest thing we make. But first of all, that’s the entry point that most people have into ceramics is buying cups and it’s something that we all use. If I were to say why I love functional pottery is that people use it. That’s an incredible gift to be that heavily featured in people’s lives. There’s no item that is used more regularly than the cup. Let’s put it this way- your lips are space that are reserved for very few things in this world: eating food the embrace of a lover, or perhaps sometimes your family, and my pottery. And that’s a really special thing.
Book
Contact
haakon-lenzi.myshopify.com
Instagram: @haakonlenzi
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By Show Notes – The Potters CastHaakon Lenzi | Episode 1157
Haakon Lenzi is a lifelong New Yorker. Haakon maintains an active studio practice out of his East Harlem studio, where he produces his signature “Lenziware” pottery.
SPONSORS
You can help support the show!
GRPotteryForms.com
diamondcoretools.com
Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com
For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com
Why is handmade work still important today?
Wow, that’s a very big question to give a concise answer for, but I would say that handmade work is important because human beings have a connection to making things. It’s one of the fundamental things that humans have done, and that’s why if you go to any museum, you’ll see. That the long history of people is often represented by the artifacts that they’ve created, whether those are in some cases pots as well as jewelry, and certainly utilitarian things like spoons and tools and that sort of thing. I think in a time where the world is becoming increasingly immaterial, we’re focusing on we’re getting lost perhaps in social media and sort of commercialization of things to make handmade pots is, On the one hand, a rebellious act, but also something that can connect you to the entire history of humanity and preserve something that could very well otherwise be lost. It seems like we’ve all lost a little bit of the humanity in the last few years.
Why is the local potter, important to her or his community?
That’s an interesting one because my community is New York City and in a way, I don’t know how much I have to do with my city. Certainly if I walk down the street a lot of people know me in my neighborhood, but they don’t necessarily buy my work or have it. And that’s a really tough question that to answer, I think there are places where, say if you’re in the Hudson Valley or in western Massachusetts, where people have really developed an authentic client base where they sort of educate their community on the virtue of having ceramics… Then of course those communities perhaps have the expendable income to afford it. But certainly I would say that at the very least, whether they’re your direct customers, it is incredibly important to be engaged with your community.
There was a short clip that was bouncing around social media that was stating that you can’t make a living off selling your pottery. But I am seeing you living in one of the most expensive cities in the world and you are living off your pottery. How does that ring true or how is it false?
Well, I know the clip that you’re talking about, and I think they were specifically saying you can’t make a living selling a $45.00 mug. Now I think that there are parts of the country where certainly many people do make a living selling $45.00 mugs exclusively. I don’t think that you could do that really here in New York City. First of all, I sell my work for quite a bit more than that. Secondly, the part of why I’ve been able to do what I do is that I did not incur a lot of debt when I went to school. I went to a state school, Alfred University, which is a state program. So I came out of school with a very low debt ratio. My father and I ran a bar and I lived with him and I just put everything into paying the loans off. So that gave me a degree of freedom to do it that a lot of people like my peers were not able to do. And I think that you need other streams of income of some sort or another, whether that’s teaching or renting studio space or something like that.
For you, how many different streams of income do you require to keep your work life going?
Well, just being totally real, none of my career would even be possible if it was not for my wife’s stream income. We are a two-income household. My wife previously was a web developer and has run a very successful jewelry business called Spur Jewelry where they refurbish or redesign antique jewelry. And my income is from selling pots, and, up until recently, a lot of my income was from teaching.
Why is making a cup so high on your love list?
That’s a great that’s a great question. Financial doesn’t make a ton of sense because it’s usually the cheapest thing we make. But first of all, that’s the entry point that most people have into ceramics is buying cups and it’s something that we all use. If I were to say why I love functional pottery is that people use it. That’s an incredible gift to be that heavily featured in people’s lives. There’s no item that is used more regularly than the cup. Let’s put it this way- your lips are space that are reserved for very few things in this world: eating food the embrace of a lover, or perhaps sometimes your family, and my pottery. And that’s a really special thing.
Book
Contact
haakon-lenzi.myshopify.com
Instagram: @haakonlenzi