Laura Williams on Play, Practice, and Teaching In this episode of 'Shape Your Pottery,' Laura Williams challenges commonly held beliefs in the pottery community, particularly the notions that formal degrees are essential for teaching and that pottery is an easy, idyllic profession. She shares personal anecdotes about her journey from theater to pottery, emphasizing the importance of community studios, continuous learning, and the interplay of narrative and play in her work. Laura recounts her transformative experiences at the Watershed Ceramic Center and discusses how a major health setback led her to embrace full-time pottery. She offers advice on refining one's pottery, developing a unique voice, creating varied pricing tiers, and fostering community connections through clay. Laura also outlines steps in her creative process and stresses the significance of finding joy in the process and building relationships within the pottery community.  You can learn more about Laura by checking out her instagram https://www.instagram.com/laura.williams.studio/

The Questions we ask will determine how our pottery will look like that's why I created a Free 15 questions to help you discover your voice template go grab it here www.shapingyourpottery.com/questions

Join the Clay Games Community to connect with like minded potters and compete in monthly pottery competitions Join Here

00:00 Introduction to Pottery Challenges 00:33 Debunking Pottery Myths 03:23 Journey into Pottery 05:10 Watershed Ceramic Center Experience 09:35 Simplifying Pottery Techniques 10:39 Creating and Selling Pottery 20:25 Overcoming Adversity in Pottery 26:06 Discovering Your Unique Pottery Voice 34:03 Final Thoughts and Advice

In this episode of Shaping Your Pottery, Nick Torres shares his recent experience of getting glasses and draws a parallel to making art. He emphasizes that small, almost imperceptible adjustments can have significant impacts on your artwork. Rather than making large changes, Nick suggests focusing on tiny, incremental modifications to see clearer results. He encourages artists to experiment with these small changes to improve their art, just as his new glasses have improved his vision. Nick wraps up by inviting listeners to subscribe to his newsletter for more in-depth tips and techniques from potters.  

Join The Shaping Your Pottery Newsletter By Clicking This Link shapingyourpottery.com/newsletter

Join the Clay Games Community to connect with like minded potters and compete in monthly pottery competitions Join Here

In this episode of Shaping Your Pottery, Nic Torres emphasizes that art, including pottery, has no strict rules. He shares personal experiences about how different techniques work for different individuals and highlights the importance of experimenting to find what works best for oneself. The episode also touches on the variety of preferences in decorating pottery and encourages listeners to keep improving and growing their artistic voice by breaking free from traditional constraints.

The Questions we ask will determine how our pottery will look like that's why I created a Free 15 questions to help you discover your voice template go grab it here www.shapingyourpottery.com/questions

Join the Clay Games Community to connect with like minded potters and compete in monthly pottery competitions   Join Here

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Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out.  Follow Now!

In this episode, Nic shares three essential secrets that significantly contributed to his growth as a potter. The first secret emphasizes the importance of quickly learning from failures. The second secret highlights the value of surrounding oneself with a community of like-minded artists and leveraging platforms such as Instagram and community studios to gain insights and new ideas. The third secret focuses on being stubborn by prioritizing personal interests and being persistent in overcoming challenges. 

Join the Clay Games Community to connect with like minded potters and compete in monthly pottery competitions Join Here

What is up Shaping Nation

I created a community for potters called The Clay Games (originally called shaping our pottery)

You can kind of think of it like the great pottery throwdown but for everyone

the idea of this community came about because I wanted to help potters like yourself to grow and find your own unique voice with your pottery

and what better way to do that then doing monthly clay competitions

Right now we are a small group of potters that have come together to be around like minded artists

But I see this becoming a community where artists from around the world push each, compete with each other, and learn from each other to grow there pottery voice and win prizes as well

All while having a blast making new things

I also envision live clay events maybe it could be called the clay olympics where everyone is taking part of the competition they are trying to win the gold metal for their category maybe its wheel throwing or handbuilding or making a giant sculpture

I think that would be so much fun

I would like to invite you to become a founding member to The Clay Games Community

You will get the lowest price for this community for life and all of the other benefits as well if you join today

Click this link to lock in your founding member price Become A Founding Member

 Nic Torres interviews Michelle, a passionate potter who shares her journey from initial failures to discovering her unique voice in pottery, particularly through her innovative knitted porcelain creations. Michelle talks about the importance of testing before big projects, the influence of her creative family, and the pivotal experiences that led her to open her own studio. She also offers valuable advice for aspiring potters who aim to strike a balance between enjoying the process and achieving aesthetically pleasing results. Join the conversation to learn about Michelle's story, her challenges, and her approach to finding joy and curiosity in her work. You can learn more about Michelle by checking out her instagram by clicking here https://www.instagram.com/michipottery/

Take this Free Quiz to see how close you are to finding your pottery voice click here to take the quiz shapingyourpottery.com/quiz 

For more episodes click here https://www.shapingyourpottery.com/

 Through an interview with Sarah Connor, we learn the significance of having a theme in pottery. Sarah changes her theme monthly, maintaining her style's integrity while avoiding boredom and fostering creativity. The host encourages artists to adopt a new theme every month to keep their work exciting and fresh. 

The Questions we ask will determine how our pottery will look like that's why I created a Free 15 questions to help you discover your voice template go grab it here www.shapingyourpottery.com/questions

Get your 53 themes by clicking this link shapingyourpottery.com/53themes

For more episodes click here https://www.shapingyourpottery.com/

Overcoming Doubts: How to Keep Growing as an Artist In this episode of Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres, Nic addresses the common feeling artists have of doubting their own work. He offers practical advice on overcoming self-comparison, staying motivated, seeking inspiration, and continually improving one's craft. Nic emphasizes the importance of staying true to your reasons for creating art and the benefits of surrounding yourself with other artists for fresh perspectives and encouragement. 

Take this Free Quiz to see how close you are to finding your pottery voice click here to take the quiz shapingyourpottery.com/quiz 

Finding Your Artistic Voice with Christy: The Journey of a Potter In this episode of Shaping Pottery, host Nic Torres welcomes Christy Culp, an accomplished potter, to discuss her journey into the world of pottery. Christy highlights the importance of surrounding oneself with fellow artists for growth and inspiration. She shares her story of discovering clay in college, the impact of immersive workshops at Touchstone, and balancing her roles as an art teacher, mother, and potter. Christy emphasizes the necessity of setting boundaries, making time for creative work, and narrowing down one's focus to truly develop an artistic voice. She also provides practical advice on creating reference books, sketching ideas, and practicing new techniques. Christy's journey is a testament to dedication, passion, and the power of supportive communities in the arts. You can learn more about Christy by checking out her instagram here https://www.instagram.com/christylculp/

Join The Shaping Your Pottery Newsletter By Clicking This Link shapingyourpottery.com/newsletter

What is up everyone I recently did a virtual workshop with Mike Cerv about How to Handbuild a Goblet Cup and I learned and enjoyed this workshop so much that I decided to post the replay here 

I also decided to give the full video of the workshop for free as well if you want to follow along with the workshop click below to get the full video

Free Workshop Replay How to Handbuild A Goblet Cup with Mike Cerv click here to get your replay https://shapingyourpottery.ck.page/14af70bc70