Oxford Clay

Designing for the environment is a way of creating products where the minimum possible negative environmental impact on the environment is intrinsic to their design. 

In design for the environment, a product is thought of holistically, from the raw materials used to make it to its manufacturing process. 

Potters have a huge opportunity to design for the environment because we have direct control over how our pottery is made and the ingredients we make it with. 

In this episode, I explain the three different aspects I used to create a design for the environment framework at Oxford Clay in which to make my pottery. The three aspects of designing for the environment framework in pottery are: 

⭐ Raw materials

⭐ Pot design 

⭐ Pottery-making processes 

The books mentioned in this episode are: 

Eco-conscious Pottery Glazing: Make your own pottery glazes with minimal harm to humans, animals and the environment.

Eco-Friendly Pottery: 30 Simple Ways: to make your pottery practice more ethical and sustainable.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

✨Support the Podcast: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/support

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Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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Clay can be infinitely recycled before it’s fired! This process is called ‘reclaiming’ and it involves turning clay that is either too dry or too wet, back into a usable state. 

In this episode, we talk about how to reclaim your own clay without any specialist equipment, in four very simple steps. 

*Scooping sloppy wet clay out of the reclaiming bucket onto a tea towel, inside away from wind and sun.

*Waiting a few days for the clay to dry out. 

* Wedging the clay on another tea towel or cotton cloth to keep the wedging / kneading area free of clay. 

*Storing the clay in an airtight container.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

✨Support the Podcast: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/support

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Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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I read a really interesting book recently on regenerative fashion and it really got me thinking about whether any of the concepts could be applied to the handmade pottery industry. In this episode, I explore author Safia Minney’s ideas in the book Regenerative Fashion: A Nature-based Approach to Fibres, Livelihoods and Leadership and think about ways we could use them as Potters. 

The ideas from Regenerative Fashion I think about are; 

*Thinking about pottery holistically, from where the materials have come from, who has mined them and where, how they have been processed and transported. 

*Whether we can use renewable materials in pottery 

*Eliminating fossil fuels in pottery 

*Using local materials to reduce global transportation. 

*Sustainable design in pottery - designing for the environment rather than for purely aesthetics

If you would like more information on pottery materials, knowing where they come from and their environmental impact, these books from Oxford Clay are particularly focused on this issue: 

Eco-Friendly Pottery: 30 Simple Ways: to make your pottery practice more ethical and sustainable

Eco-conscious Pottery Glazing: Make your own pottery glazes with minimal harm to humans, animals and the environment   

The blog post on Designing Pottery for the Environment mentioned in this episode can be found here. 

The book featured in this episode is Regenerative Fashion: A Nature-based Approach to Fibres, Livelihoods and Leadership Paperback – 28 Nov. 2022 by Safia Minney (Author).

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

✨Support the Podcast

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Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! ⭐In this episode, I tell you about my four New Year’s resolutions in pottery.  

*Talking to myself kindly about my pottery, especially when things go wrong - an inevitable part of the pottery-making process! Creating a kind, safe space in my own thoughts to make mistakes.

*Prioritise experimentation and playing in pottery.

*Creating a joy list of things I really enjoy doing in pottery (one of them is this podcast!) and only doing those things.  

*To stop rushing through making pottery and instead savour the process of creation. 

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

✨Support the Podcast

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Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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Every person creating in clay is totally unique and therefore has a totally unique creative style in pottery! In this episode, I talk about the ways you can cultivate your own unique creative style in pottery, such as; 

*The importance of following your curiosity and joy in pottery.  

*How practising pottery techniques reduces the gap between what you want to make and what you can actually make, opening up new creative possibilities. 

*The importance of making ‘mistakes’ and things going ‘wrong’ in pottery for growing your skills. 

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

✨Support the Podcast

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Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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Refiring is firing pottery again after it has already been glaze-fired once. But why on earth would a Potter want to do that?!

In this episode we discuss what refiring is, and some reasons why a Potter may want to fire their work again. 

Potters may re-fire their work for example if their pot has been underfired in the first firing, which can sometimes happen if the kiln switches off accidentally during the firing cycle or if the kiln hasn’t reached a hot enough temperature. 

Another reason to refire pottery is if you don’t like how the glaze looks after the first glaze firing. 

In this episode, I tell you about two top tips for re-firing pottery from a potters book by Bernard Leach as well as my two failed attempts at refiring pottery!

The book featured in this episode is A Potters Book by Bernard Leach the 1976 edition published by Faber and Faber. 

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube

✨Support the Podcast

-------------------------------

Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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I learned the concept of a ‘Second Brain’ from the book: ‘Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organise Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential’ by Tiago Forte.

In this episode, I talk about what a second brain is, and why it’s so amazing for anyone with creative ideas (ie everyone!). 

I explain four reasons why having a second brain is particularly useful for Pottery makers. As well as what my own second brain looks like at Oxford Clay. 

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

✨Support the Podcast

-------------------------------

Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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Making your own casting slip can save money and be more environmentally friendly.

CO2 is saved from transporting powdered ingredients rather than the water present in ready-made casting slips. In addition, Potters can control exactly what ingredients they are using, sourcing ones mined in areas of high regulation.

Making casting slip is also really fun, especially when you see the magic of how a deflocculant works to make the clay runny!

You can find an eco-conscious casting slip recipe in the book: Eco-Friendly Pottery

I learned to make my own casting slip from books, YouTube videos and a lot of trial and error! In this episode, I tell you about the 13 top tips I've learned over this time:

*Wear an FFP3 Facemask when working with powders

*Use a plastic gardening scoop to measure out powders

*Keep powders in a metal bin with a lid, on a wheeled platform for manoeuvrability

*Use rainwater

*Use paper in slip to add strength to your work

*Use a recipe with ball clay to add strength to your work

*Weigh out the deflocculant onto the paper you’re adding to your slip (no washing up spoons!)

*Use a hand stick blender to blend the water, paper and deflocculant first, before adding to the dry ingredients

*Make up small amounts of slip each time (5ltrs) to minimise the risk of over-deflocculation

*Use a paddle mixer to mix slip

*Use a silicone spatula

*Always sieve slip before use (even if washing the sieve afterwards is annoying!)

*To make the slip more runny, try adding water first, before adding any more deflocculant!

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube

✨Support the Podcast

-------------------------------

Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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Having a perfectly flat base or rim on a pot adds a professional feel to handmade pottery.

In this episode, I tell you about an amazingly simple and easy technique to create perfectly flat bases or rims on your pottery. After having read about this pottery technique in a book, it is now something I use on every one of my pots!

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube

✨Support the Podcast

-------------------------------

Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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Disappointment in pottery can happen when the pot in your mind's eye isn’t the same as the one that comes out of the kiln! That sinking feeling of disappointment can really hold us back as potters and can affect even the most experienced of Potters. 

In this episode, I talk about three mindset shifts that I use to deal with my own feelings of disappointment in pottery; 

1. That disappointment is a natural part of the creative process. 

2. That disappointment is a natural part of pottery-making so much out of our control as potters (especially what happens inside a kiln firing!). 

3. That experiencing failure and disappointment in pottery means that you are at the growth edge of your skills and experience.

I hope this episode inspires you not to be discouraged if feelings of disappointment ever come up in your pottery-making. 

The book featured in this episode is ‘A Potters Book’ by Bernard Leach, 1976 edition published by Faber and Faber.

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube

-✨Support the Podcast

-------------------------------

Resources for Potters:

⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon

Free Pottery Guides:

🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):

🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)

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