Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres

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 stud...

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 t...

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...

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 sec...

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 monthl...

 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 v...

 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 wh...

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 a...

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 wor...

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...

Is Slip Casting in Pottery Cheating? Debunking Myths and Embracing Tools In this episode, Nic Torres explores the concept of slip casting in pottery and addresses whether it should be seen as 'cheating.' Initially biased towards the traditional pottery wheel, Nic discusses his evolving perspective, emphasizing that slip casting is simply another tool to achieve desired results. He explains that wh...

In this episode of Shaping Your Pottery, Julianne Roush shares her inspirational journey as a full-time potter. She discusses how positive quotes on her pottery helped her through personal struggles and connected with others, the influence of mentors and the internet on her career, and the evolution of her unique style inspired by carnivals, circuses, and old theaters. Julianne highlights the impo...

In this episode of Shaping Your Pottery, host Nic Torres shares invaluable advice from sculptor Oscar, emphasizing the importance of mastering the basic form before experimenting with pottery. Nic recounts his own experience learning to throw a cylinder and highlights how this foundational skill is crucial for any pottery technique, whether sculpting, hand building, or graffito. Ensuring a solid b...

in this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery,' the host discusses the invaluable insights gained from interviewing sculptors, emphasizing how their unconventional techniques and multidimensional thinking can significantly enhance pottery skills. The host explains the innovative approach sculptors take, such as creating a piece fully before hollowing it out, and their intense focus on form. These uniqu...

In this episode of AP Pottery, host Nic Torres speaks with Peyton Lawler, a passionate ceramic artist, about her journey in the world of pottery. Peyton discusses the importance of curiosity and exploration in the craft, the significance of staying open-minded, and the value of creating a large quantity of work to refine one's skills. She shares her journey from graphic design to ceramics, the imp...

The Episode discusses the common mistake of potters trying to conform with others instead of finding their own unique voice in pottery. It emphasizes the importance of staying true to oneself, making what one enjoys, and stepping out of the comfort zone to create authentic pottery art.  On May 31st I am doing an workshop with Guest Artist Mike Cerv and Mike is talking about How to Make Slab B...

This episode discusses the importance of deep focused work in pottery making to enhance skills and creativity. It provides tips on building the habit of consistent studio time, setting timers for deep work focus, and utilizing conducive environments like residencies for optimal results. On May 31st I am doing an workshop with Guest Artist Mike Cerv and Mike is talking about How to Make Slab Built...

In this episode, we delve into the life and insights of award-winning sculptor Tessa Eastman. Tessa shares her experiences transitioning from pottery to sculpture, the significance of teaching in her artistic journey, and the influence of nature and the natural world on her work. She discusses the impact of awards on her career, particularly her first award, which granted her a solo show and fundi...

This episode features a deep dive into the artistic journey of Allyson George, a potter who initially dreamed of becoming an animator. Allyson shares the lightbulb moment when she realized pottery was her true calling. She discusses her creative process, challenges in finding her unique voice, and the importance of a supportive community. Her work is notably characterized by animated, cartoon-styl...

In this episode, Nic Torres emphasizes the necessity of sticking with one pottery technique long enough to fully develop skills and exhaust all creative ideas before moving on. He addresses the common issue of boredom and suggests maintaining excitement by altering themes within the same technique, using personal anecdotes like his shift from creating ninja sculptures to astronaut figures, all whi...

This clip from my interview with Adrienne Eliades, Adrienne talks the journey of finding one's unique voice in pottery, emphasizing the importance of reflecting on techniques, avoiding direct imitation, and gradually developing a personal style. It touches on the role of mimicking others' work as a learning tool and highlights the significance of not monetizing copied designs.  On May 31st I...

In this comprehensive conversation, Adrienne Eliades shares insights from her 20-plus years in pottery, emphasizing the importance of viewing the artistic process as a journey rather than aiming for a fixed destination. Through reflections on personal growth, embracing failure, and the significance of community, Adrian reveals how facing challenges and persevering through self-doubt led to discove...

  The episode includes valuable advice from an interview with Bethany Crow on starting in sculpture. Bethany emphasizes starting with an idea, utilizing tools like the pottery wheel creatively to make non-functional pieces, pivoting to new processes if necessary, and looking at other artists for inspiration. The episode encapsulates these insights into three main tips for budding sculptors an...

The Importance of Play in Pottery This episode discusses the significance of allowing oneself the freedom to play and experiment with clay in pottery. Nic Torres, emphasizes how crucial it is for potters to give themselves permission to fail and try new techniques beyond their routine practices. He points out that sticking to the same methods can lead to boredom, which may eventually cause one to...

In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres,' the journey of a potter is explored through the different stages of skill development, from the initial 'crappy' stage to the discovery of a personal style. Nic discusses how patterns and preferences begin to emerge as one experiments with pottery, using his own transition from raku firings to incorporating nerdy, fantasy elements into his...