Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres

This podcast episode features an interview with sculptor Bethany Krull, who shares her journey from pottery to sculpture, emphasizing the importance of finding one's passion and unique voice in art. Bethany discusses the transition from using pottery wheels for functional pottery to utilizing them as a tool for creating sculptural works, reflecting on her inspiration from nature and the complex re...

In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery,' host Nic Torres emphasizes that potters don't need to create extravagant pieces to find their unique voice in pottery. He encourages artists to pursue what excites them, even if it's simple pottery, and to ignore outside opinions about how they should modify their work. Nic suggests seeking feedback from a variety of sources, including other potters and l...

In this episode, Nic Torres shares his experiences after two weeks of replacing social media scrolling with journaling, focusing on pottery and personal growth. He discusses how using a pocket notebook without a structured approach has helped him jot down random thoughts, pottery ideas, feelings, and goals. Nic highlights how this practice has not only fostered creativity but also kept him on trac...

Join The Shaping Your Pottery Newsletter By Clicking This Link shapingyourpottery.com/newsletter This episode features an intimate conversation with Lucy Be Phillips, a potter known for her slip-decorated teapots and unique ceramic pieces. Lucy shares her journey from studying sculpture and feeling unfulfilled by conceptual art to discovering a profound connection with pottery. Early fears of surf...

The Episode explores the concept of finding one's unique voice in pottery and emphasizes that the key difference between those who have found their pottery voice and those who haven't lies in belief and confidence. The Host, Nic Torres, challenges the notion that the quality of one's pottery determines their voice. Instead, he argues that belief in one's own style, theme, and direction is what def...

In this episode of Shaping Your Pottery, host Nic Torres talks about the importance of giving yourself permission to make the pottery you truly want. Highlighting an interview with Ron Philbeck, who embraced his unique style by allowing himself to create quirky, illustrated pottery, Nick encourages listeners to overcome limitations and explore new techniques. By sharing his own journey from wheel...

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Oscar Yaquian, a potter known for his monster-themed pottery. Oscar discusses his journey from sculpting in childhood to embracing ceramics in high school, and how various techniques keep his work exciting. He shares insights on starting with a basic form before adding details, utilizing social media for promotion, and the transition to becoming...

Nic Torres discusses the impact of keeping a journal or sketchbook for pottery, detailing his personal experience with journaling and how it has facilitated his creative process. Initially resistant due to the time commitment, Nic found that replacing idle time with journaling helped him organize his tasks, set monthly goals, and brainstorm ideas to improve his pottery. He shares a specific breakt...

In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery,' host Nic Torres shares insights on how treating pottery like a regular nine to five job can dramatically improve your craft. The idea, inspired by a conversation with full-time potter Ron Philbeck, suggests setting a dedicated daily work schedule for pottery, whether it's the whole day or just a couple of hours. This routine helps build the habit of consi...

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Kim Canfield, a potter renowned for her baby face mugs among other pottery works. Kim shares her journey from intending to pursue exercise science and PT to discovering her passion for pottery and ceramics due to sports-related injuries. Working in children’s hospitals influenced her profoundly, inspiring some of her pottery pieces. Kim discusses...

This episode features an enlightening conversation with Ron Philbeck, a renowned potter known for his quirky and illustrated pottery. Ron shares his journey into pottery, beginning from his post-college years to becoming a full-time potter. He highlights the importance of routine, passion, and authenticity in his practice, emphasizing how treating pottery as a regular job helped him stay disciplin...

In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres', Nic shares his personal experience with his first mug sale, which resulted in zero sales, leading to disappointment and frustration. However, Nic views this as a valuable learning opportunity, advocating for a positive mindset towards failure. He suggests that failure to sell can be attributed to either the product quality or ineffective m...

In this insightful episode, our guest is Ana Shioshita, a multifaceted artist who balances her job in the film industry with her passion for pottery. Ana discusses her journey in pottery, starting from childhood experiences to her current work, emphasizing her love for making 'drippy' vases. She shares how working across different mediums and skills, such as woodworking and graphics, has contribut...

This episode of 'Shape Your Pottery' features an in-depth conversation with Eva Funderburgh, an exceptional pottery artist known for her unique sculpture creatures. Host Nic Torres explores Eva's journey from her earliest encounters with pottery in school to her decision to pursue art over science, leading to the development of her distinctive sculptures. Eva shares her experiences with wood firin...

The importance of doing small alterations repeatedly to discover one's unique voice in pottery. Instead of striving for grand, extravagant changes, the speaker advises potters to focus on tiny adjustments, such as altering the shape of a pot or the design of a handle, to create something individualistic. The episode challenges listeners to reflect on recent work and identify one small change to im...

This Episode features an interview with Sonita Cannon who shares her journey from a high school art class discovery of ceramics to becoming a full-time potter with her own home studio and unique voice in the craft. Throughout the conversation, the importance of supportive people, from teachers to peers and family, is highlighted as a critical component of her growth and success. Sonita discusses t...

This Episode features an interview with potter Don Ricardo, who shares insights into his pottery journey, emphasizing experimentation, fun, and the essence of enjoying the process over commercial success. He reveals how he started pottery to create specific containers for his plants and how this led to a broader appreciation for his unique creations. Ricardo discusses the importance of trusting th...

In this episode, Nic Torres delves into the significance of revisiting old ideas to enhance pottery skills and find one's unique voice. He cites an interview with Eva Funderburgh, who emphasized the benefits of repetition and returning to past ideas. Funderburgh shares an anecdote from her first show in Switzerland, where struggling for new ideas led her to create hanging sculptures, a pivotal mom...

This episode features a deep dive into the life and creative process of Meredith Skyer, a potter who finds inspiration in exploring various art mediums and incorporates them into her pottery. Meredith discusses her lifelong fascination with creatures not of this world and how it influences her work, leading her to create pottery that blends functionality with imaginative, monstrous designs. She em...

Join The Shaping Your Pottery Newsletter And Get Weekly Pottery Tips shapingyourpottery.com/newsletter In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery,' host Nic Torres has an in-depth conversation with Potter Terri Erasmus. Terri shares her journey into pottery, emphasizing the importance of starting without waiting for perfect conditions, embracing customer involvement in the creation process, and the...

In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres,' the significance of seeking outside feedback for pottery is discussed. Nic shares a story about his friend, Sarah Connor, who faced challenges with her pottery endeavors, highlighting how external opinions helped her reassess and improve her work. Nic emphasizes the value of feedback in identifying mistakes and areas for growth, and he off...

In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres',  explore ways to regain your motivation for pottery when you're feeling disconnected from your studio. Acknowledging the commonality of such phases, Nic shares personal experiences and tips from Annie Christbergs about overcoming the lack of desire to create. Key advice includes allowing yourself grace for not always being in the stud...

In this episode, the host Nic Torres delves into the thoughtful process of selecting personalized pottery gifts for those we admire, inspired by the concept of impactful interactions as mentioned in Tim Ferriss's 'Tools of Titans'. The discussion emphasizes the importance of considering the preferences and experiences of others while creating pottery, highlighting how this perspective can enrich t...

This episode features Luke Bonecutter, a potter inspired by space and retrofuturism, who shares his journey from struggling with wheel throwing in high school to finding his unique voice in pottery. Luke discusses the transition from working with drippy glazes to embracing underglazes and brighter colors, inspired by his interest in maximalism and the aesthetics of space. He credits his growth to...

In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery' featuring Casey Stelter, a potter known for her work tailored to the 'feral maximalist', listeners get valuable insights into finding one's passion and voice in pottery. Casey shares her journey from exploring pottery as a hobby with her husband to committing full-time to her craft amidst the challenges of a physical job and moving states. She emphasizes t...