SPOTLIGHT

Á: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

DW: Having army parents, there were a couple of things instilled in my sister and I from the beginning. A) Whatever we do in life, we were going to give 110% ; and B) To never run away from a challenge. Growing up, sports were my main focus. In college, I found an unexpected passion through graphic design. Once I graduated, I got completely enamored with pottery. I’ve been blessed to have many passions throughout my life and I’ve approached sports, graphic design, and pottery all the same. With those same two principles my parents taught us all those years back. Today you can find me continuing my infatuation with clay by making small batch ceramic pieces, and teaching wheel throwing.

Á: How long have you been a potter?

DW: I sought out my first wheel throwing class in the summer of 2017, so I’ve been doing pottery consistently going on 6 years now.

Á: How were you introduced to pottery?

DW: I got my BFA with an emphasis in graphic design at the University of Missouri-Columbia, which led me to have to take various art classes to fulfill requirements. My Junior year I enrolled in Ceramics 1, which focused solely on hand building. I remember falling in love with the process that is Ceramics. Each step had its own beauty and challenges, which made seeing your final pieces all the more rewarding. However, I learned from some of my classmates that the Ceramics 2 class is where they introduced the wheel, which I was so fascinated by. It was in that moment I told myself once I graduated, I wanted to find a wheel throwing class so I can experience the wheel for myself.

Á: How did you continue to develop your skills?

DW: I took classes pretty consistently. I ended up moving to Texas in the summer of 2019 and urgently found a pottery studio, because I didn’t want to miss a beat. But then 2020 had other plans. When the pandemic started everything began to shut down, including my pottery studio. Not long after that I decided to take a leap and purchase my own wheel. At the time I didn’t have money to purchase a new wheel, but after stalking Facebook Marketplace I found a pottery wheel for the low. Soon I transformed my balcony at my apartment to my little studio and was fortunate enough to keep practicing this craft. It was then I resorted to videos since I no longer had access to my teacher. 

Á: What inspires you to make the pieces that you make? 

DW: When people see my work, I want them to see a reflection of myself. Being strong, authentic, and unique are characteristics that I took for granted growing up. So when people look at my pieces, they are looking at an extension of myself. 

Á: Can you talk us through the process of creating a piece, from ideation to execution?

DW: I am a very visual person, so before I go to the wheel I like to sketch out my ideas first. I will think of an initial shape but by the time I alter it, after multiple rounds it can come out completely different than what I originally imagined. I question constantly, how can I elevate this design further? But even though I have a design set in my sketchbook, when it comes to actually constructing the piece there is still room for growth. I use my sketch as more of a foundation. That way when the piece is finished, I can look back and see the growth it went through. The whole process from start to finish can take around 2 weeks.

Á: What inspired you to start your pottery business?

DW: I always dreamt of working for myself and having my own business, but I never thought it was going to be pottery. When 2020 approached, I was working from home. I was cranking out a lot of pieces, and I knew I was quickly running out of space. So honestly, starting a business felt like the right thing to do at that moment. But knowing me, if I was going to do this I needed to give it my all. So I started coming up with a name, logo, website, social handles, the whole shebang… and Strong Roots Pottery was born. 

Á: What would you consider to be the biggest influence on your work?

DW: I tend to want to make things that gravitate towards my interests. I am an amateur plant enthusiast. I look at plants as art, they are uniquely different just like us. So I want to create pieces that accentuate their beauty further. It’s not just about the pot I make, I love thinking of the plant and the pot married as one, that’s when I really feel my pieces come to life.  

Á: Do you create personal pieces for fun or are you focusing on creating pieces for your business at the moment?

DW: Right now, I’m mainly focused on creating pieces for my business. But I’m making pieces that I want to create, so there is still joy in the process.

Á: What do you enjoy most about pottery?

DW: I love the escape that it provides me. I found pottery when I was in a dark place mentally and it continues to be a light that has become integrated in my life. It’s literally my form of therapy. A very close second would be the people that I have met through pottery. I’ve searched for the majority of my life for a place where I feel at ease to be myself. It’s a blessing to have found a pottery community where you can block out the messiness of the world, be each other’s cheerleaders, and just create together. 

Á: Do you ever make impromptu pieces or is it all carefully planned ahead of time?

DW: Not everything is planned out ahead of time, I like to allow myself throwing sessions where I have no agenda. That allows for me to get out of my head and let the clay be what it wants to be. Going in with no intentions, more often than not you’ll surprise yourself with something pretty cool. 

Á: Has being a woman of colour impacted your experience as a potter?

DW: For sure. Representation matters and I wasn’t seeing that in the pottery scene. When I came up with the name Strong Roots Pottery and used the silhouette of my profile as the logo, I wanted people to see a proud Black woman who loves the strong roots growing out of her head and doing something that she is passionate about. It is encouraging to have someone succeeding that looks like you in an area where you don’t see many people of color. People comment on my videos and posts saying they’ve never seen a Black girl thriving doing pottery, and voicing how it gives them the courage to try a new hobby. Giving that hope to someone is something I cherish and don’t take lightly. 

Á: Who are the artists that you look up to the most?

DW: Amanda Bartel, John Campbell, and Adam Knoche. They’ve been my pottery instructors and mentors over the years. I’ve been able to learn so much through all of them and I hope I can do the same for my students. 

Á: Why did you decide to start showcasing your work on Instagram and TikTok?

DW: I first approached Instagram and TikTok because I liked making videos, and thought these social platforms would be a good way for people to discover my work. Don’t get me wrong, I was super nervous putting myself out there because the internet is scary and people can be mean. But altering how I viewed social media helped me work up the courage to try it out. I’ve been overwhelmed by the positivity I’ve received over these couple of years and I’m excited to keep the good vibes rolling.

Á: What is the biggest lesson you have learned from your work so far? 

DW: To appreciate the successes and failures. I’ve learned to give myself more grace since starting pottery. There are so many things that can go wrong from start to finish, and it’s taught me not to get attached. Nothing is ever a failure, just a learning moment!

Á: What tips would you give to someone who wants to start pottery?

DW: Don’t be too hard on yourself. It is natural to have learning curves when trying something new, and for some reason we get hard on ourselves when we don’t get it right away. Things take time to click, so enjoy the process. 

Á: What are you hoping to achieve creatively in the future?

DW: A dream is opening up a space where POC artists can coexist and have a workspace to create. I’m leaning towards artists from different mediums coming together, so that way we can offer various art classes to the youth in the surrounding communities. Until that day comes, I’m going to keep grinding and growing! The best is yet to come.