My Pottery Journey

Welcome to Liz Collins Pottery

Wow! I cannot believe I'm saying those words. Honestly they have been hard to say. I don't have a master of arts. I've never worked, interned or apprenticed in the arts. Just another community pottery studio devotee to the craft. Pottery is my outlet, hobby, side-gig, therapy. I've dreamed of doing this "for real" but it just hasn't felt feasible yet. And if I'm not doing it for real - I've not felt I deserve to market my craft or sell my pieces that have been piling up. But i am changing my outlook.

I don't know about you but I recently have been think of my life in terms of Before, During and After the Pandemic..... (not really over, but we are learning to live with it)

Pottery In The Before Times

Before the pandemic, I got up the nerve to start selling my pieces when some fellow studio members at the Clay Studio offered to buy my Gritty mugs for $25 / $30 and Philly Phanatic Teapots for $100 before they were even finished. I was shocked! I did a few instagram sales and even started selling monthly at the Ardmore Music Hall's Funky Brunch outside Philly.

Pottery During The Pandemic

When the pandemic started it felt weird to be taking up space when I had a perfectly well paying virtual job. So many made career shifts during this time and made hobbies full time gigs - I was way too in my own head.

But I still dove deep into making pots and really found my voice. The Clay Studio ( my local community studio in Philly) closed, so I bought a pottery wheel and stuffed it in my front hall closet. I called myself a "closet potter" and this became my first "pottery studio". There is something great about getting feedback from peers and teachers in a community creative setting, but it was also a blessing to have time on my own to create things without people watching. I made some "weird pots" that I didn't put much thought into but just sort of flowed out of me.

Pottery Post Pandemic?

This year I moved back to the DC area, and sunk my wallet and time and sweat into building "pottery studio" #2 in my childhood backyard (more on that transition soon) and I have built up the confidence to say "I am a potter." no qualifiers. It's time for me to own it and at the very least believe that I deserve to support my craft.

I welcome you to follow my journey by subscribing to my blog