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#116 Creating Mushroom Themed Pottery w/Anna Cummins
29 Plays3 years ago
What is up Shaping Nation on this episode of Shaping Your Pottery I got to interview Anna Cummins. Anna makes some really incredible mushroom themed pottery. you can learn more about Anna by going to her Instagram @annacanart
Top 3 value bombs:
1. How to create mushroom themed pottery
2. The Power of having a theme so you can have multiple styles with your pottery
3. How creating a pintrest board is a great way to come up with new ideas for your pottery
and so much more
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 booklet go grab it here www.shapingyourpottery.com/questions
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Transcript
Introduction to Shaping Your Pottery
00:00:01
Speaker
If you love pottery and want to take your skills to the next level, you're in the right place. Find your own pottery style right here on Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. Let's get started. What is up, Shaping Nation? This is Nick Torres here.
Interview with Anna Cummins
00:00:16
Speaker
And in this episode of Shaping Your Pottery, I got to interview Anna Cummins. Anna makes some really incredible mushroom themed pottery. In this episode, you will learn how Anna makes her sculpted mushroom themed pottery.
00:00:29
Speaker
and how to make your pottery so that you are always doing something different and how this is a really great way to help you find your voice. And then finally, you're also going to learn about making a Pinterest board to help you gather ideas for your own theme with what you're making. Anna, welcome to Shaping Your Pottery and share with me what is something you love besides making pottery.
Finding Your Artistic Voice through History and Inspiration
00:00:54
Speaker
Something that I love besides making pottery is art history. I'm getting a degree in it at UCSC. It's part of my major. I'm getting it as a minor. I think it's really interesting to learn about art that came before me. And yeah, I feel really passionate about it. How does learning or being passionate about art history come back into your pottery?
00:01:17
Speaker
It definitely influences the way that I think about making pottery. For example, some pottery that I think about is the Lapita pottery of the Oceanic people and their pottery
00:01:30
Speaker
We have nothing from their culture. We don't have tools. We don't have bones. We don't have structures. All we have is fragments of their pottery. And just from that, we can tell so much about their culture. So it really makes me think about the permanence of the pieces that I'm making and how long they're going to last in the world.
From Hobby to Full-Time Pottery Business
00:01:49
Speaker
I love that. That's really amazing. So can you tell me the story, how you started selling your pottery full time?
00:01:56
Speaker
Um, well, I started making pottery in high school and I wasn't selling pottery in high school, but I started at when the pandemic hit, I had just graduated high school and I started a community studio and there's a little store up front. And the guy who owned it was like, you have to sell your pots in here. And I was like, I don't think so. You know, I don't feel like people are going to buy them. And I put a few in there and they immediately sold. And I was like, yes, this is awesome.
00:02:24
Speaker
And then it motivated me to make more of those same things and kind of get into the mode of production pottery. And people just really liked my work and it allowed me to make more and sell more because I was making that money and it was just kind of like a flow into a full-time potter that happened over time.
00:02:48
Speaker
I relate to that a lot. I mean, I haven't sold my pottery yet, but I graduated from high school right as the pandemic hit. I was in 2020, and that's what made me kind of started pursuing pottery further was because of that. Totally. It was such a good push for, I think, lots of people in the creative fields. Definitely, for sure. So what is something you learned from this time that helped you grow as an artist?
00:03:16
Speaker
Um, something that I learned during this time was that I was kind of able to, um, I think the niche aspect of pottery and how it was easier for me to sell things if I kept within my
The Role of Niche and Branding in Pottery
00:03:31
Speaker
brand. And I'm not saying that it's not good to like, um, move out of what you're making and shake things up. But when you're first starting, especially it's really beneficial to be creating some things in a certain niche and build your brand.
00:03:45
Speaker
And I think I learned that and that really helped me when I was first starting out. And the brand for me was kind of like, yeah, kind of like forest vibes, cottagecore. I 100% agree with focusing in on one thing. Shaping Nation, if you're listening, if you are just starting out and trying to find your own style, focus in on just one thing and niche down. And that is where your voice is going to pop out more. Yes, absolutely.
Mushroom-Themed Pottery: Origin and Inspiration
00:04:12
Speaker
So can you tell me the story how you started creating your mushroom themed pottery? I started creating mushroom themed pottery after using some mushrooms like recreationally. It really
00:04:29
Speaker
made me it gave me like a really ethereal experience and the first time that I did it I really appreciated the place that I was at in my life and I became really grateful for being able to just take this time during the pandemic to make art and I really attributed that realization to mushrooms so I started drawing them you know every kind of mushroom and
00:04:54
Speaker
I had this amazing atlas of plants and animals and I just started drawing every mushroom from that and it just kind of blossomed and then people really liked it so that encouraged me to keep doing it.
00:05:09
Speaker
I wanted to go back to what you were saying about how your art history and how it relates back into your pottery. And you mentioned that it being, I guess, more present about what you're thinking about making, so it lasts for a generation.
Historical Influence on Pottery
00:05:27
Speaker
Can you explain that to me a little bit further?
00:05:30
Speaker
Um, I guess it makes me think about the permanence of the art that I'm making. Like, these pieces, even if they're not whole, shards of them at least, will be here after I'm gone. And it feels really special that those things that I, like, you know how many times you touch a piece of pottery before it's done. That piece of pottery will still be around in the way that your hands molded it. Like, that will still be around after you're gone.
00:05:56
Speaker
And like the Lapita pottery that I was talking about earlier, that's really about like two, 3000 years ago. And we still have those fragments that tells us about that civilization, you know, and my pottery will still be around in a couple thousand years, which is kind of scary, but also really cool. I definitely agree. And how does this kind of this this way of thinking about your pottery, how does it affect what you are trying to design more?
00:06:27
Speaker
I would say it doesn't affect the physical forms that I'm making so much as it affects the mentality and what I think about while I'm making the pottery. I love it. I think that is really, really a really good way to approach making pottery because I think you become more present and connected with it. So can you walk me through how you create some of your mushroom themed pottery?
Unique Methods in Sculpted Pottery
00:06:53
Speaker
Um, so I'll walk you through how I do the sculpture ones because I do, I kind of like to divide my pottery into two sections, which is things that I paint on and things that I sculpt on. Um, the things that I sculpt on, I usually throw the pieces on the wheel and I handle them or alter them. I usually don't trim my pieces, which I don't know if that's a little bit controversial, but I don't. Um,
00:07:19
Speaker
I, once the piece is done, so to say, where like a lot of traditional potters would be like, okay, I made a mug, it's ready to go to the kiln, that's when my whole sculpture process gets going. So I usually decide where it's gonna be, where the design is gonna happen. I have a sketchbook that I reference a lot, and sometimes I'll scroll through my Instagram to see some older designs that I did that I might wanna bring back.
00:07:48
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And then I just basically sculpt little things and attach them on. And I wait until after the bisque firing to paint. So then after the bisque firing, I will usually do iron oxide on a lot of the textured parts. I really like how it brings out the textures. And then underglaze and wax resist that I can give a colored glaze in the back.
00:08:13
Speaker
So something I found interesting is that even though your pottery is like mushroom themed, none of the pieces really kind of look the same. Can you explain this to
Variety and Creativity in Pottery Design
00:08:23
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me?
00:08:23
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Yeah, I am just not super interested in putting my I'm not super interested in using my energy to make my pieces look the same. It's just not important to me. Like I work with amazing potters and one of their main focuses is I'm making a batch of these mugs and they should look all the same.
00:08:46
Speaker
And that's beautiful and I totally admire them, but it's just not a big concern for me. I kind of like having a bunch of variety. I think it's really fun and I think that it's more important for me personally to use my creative energy just as it flows than to try and direct it into making something look exactly the same as the way that I made it before. Yeah.
00:09:13
Speaker
I love that so much. Shaping Nation, if you're listening right now, it's important to, if you don't wanna make the same thing over and over again, you don't have to make the same pottery over and over again. You can branch out, you can do other things. Whatever comes to your mind, go and try to make it. And that's where your voice and your style is really gonna show up a lot more because you are taking that action to make it look a little bit different each time.
00:09:38
Speaker
Yeah and you'll find new things about yourself and about what you like to make. Your designs will actually grow if you're not boxing yourself in by trying to recreate them. That is some excellent piece of advice right there. So what does the process look like for you when you are trying to come up with new work and new art styles for your pottery?
00:10:00
Speaker
It starts in a sketchbook, actually. I pretty much sketch out most of my designs before I put them on a mug, mostly because I forget if I don't
00:10:12
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if I don't draw it out, and it's nice when I have a batch of mugs in front of me to be able to open my sketchbook and be like, oh yeah, this is a cool idea, I should do this on this one. So yeah, it usually starts in the sketchbook. A lot of times I actually get inspiration from some of my older designs that I haven't
00:10:31
Speaker
um done in a while and because i've because i'm constantly growing as an artist when i go back to my older designs i think to myself oh this is really cool but i could do it this way now so that helps me kind of create new things i love that i love that a lot so what advice would you give to someone trying to expand their work while still trying to kind of stick to their own theme
00:10:59
Speaker
That's a really good question. I would probably tell them to find images. I would probably tell them to make a Pinterest board. And not specifically of other pottery, but maybe just of concept imagery. I have a board on my Pinterest that's called concept imagery. And it's not of art. It's just photography. And it's just kind of things. So for example, if you make things
Using Pinterest for Creative Expansion
00:11:27
Speaker
If you make skull art, you might save images that have to do that have like bones and skulls and other types of bones in the body and maybe the forest floor where the bones would lay, you know, like kind of like find your main image and then branch out from that. And Pinterest is a really good site to do that on because of their image linking functionality.
00:11:53
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the fifth
00:12:11
Speaker
You know, I think that in a lot of ways I'm really similar to a lot of potters. And that's not a bad thing because there's so many people in the world that it's really difficult to have an original idea. And that's okay. It's special because you're the one making it. So I think what would set me apart from other potters
00:12:32
Speaker
I think one of the only things that sets me apart from other potters is probably just that it's me doing it and that I'm my own person. But in a lot of ways, I'm really similar to other artists and that's okay. I think that's totally okay. So that's a hard question. I don't know. People ask me that before and I'm never totally sure how I'm supposed to answer it because I find my work and myself kind of really similar.
00:12:58
Speaker
I'm rambling now, but I think the answer is that I'm a unique person and it's me making the work which makes it special.
00:13:11
Speaker
I think that is really, really great. So Shaping Nation, if you're listening right now, you don't have to set yourself apart from other potters. You could be making almost identical work compared to other potters, but what makes it unique to you and your potter to yourself is that you are making it and not somebody else. And you're putting your own little spins on things to make it your own unique style.
00:13:33
Speaker
Yeah. And once you start to embrace that, like, and start to let go, I feel like having the mindset like I have to be really different is just going to hinder you because there's no being super different in this world where there's so many people doing this craft.
Embracing Uniqueness in Art
00:13:50
Speaker
It's just really hard. And I think that once you let go of that, it will actually help you differentiate yourself more. 100% agree. You got to take inspiration from other people and then just put your own little twist on things.
00:14:01
Speaker
It's so important to learn from other artists around you great advice So let's talk about finding your voice when you were finding your voice. What would you say was your biggest struggle? I think my biggest struggle was feeling like I I think my biggest struggle would probably go back to our last question feeling like I wasn't different from other potters enough like kind of a little bit of imposter syndrome like I'm not a good enough artist and
00:14:31
Speaker
Uh, I think back to the last question, like that is that mindset of being like, I'm similar to other artists and that's okay. I think that helped me a lot because it's okay to be similar to other artists, especially other amazing artists that exist in this world. And, um, I think accepting that and saying I'm similar to other artists, but I'm still special because it's me helped me a lot.
00:14:57
Speaker
I definitely agree. So that brings me kind of into my next question, which I was going to ask what you kind of covered already. But part of finding your voice is gaining confidence in yourself and your work. What is something you have done or still do to help you with this?
Building Confidence through Social Media
00:15:12
Speaker
I think posting my work on the internet and on social media on Instagram and TikTok helped me a lot with that. Just putting your work out there, even if there's not a lot of people seeing it, which is how my page was at first, so everybody starts, just having the ability to put yourself out there and put your work out there is going to help you a lot. I definitely agree. Shaping Nation, if you're listening,
00:15:39
Speaker
Put your work out there. Go put your work on social media. Get some feedback and people are going to start enjoying what you are making. And that's how you're going to gain more confidence with your work. Especially if you're enjoying what you're making. Confidence and confidence in yourself and your work is really contagious and other people can feel when you're passionate about what you're doing. It'll help engage them. A hundred percent agree. That was excellent advice. You are crushing it.
00:16:08
Speaker
So what do you think it means to discover your voice in pottery? I think it means to discover your voice in pottery. I think that it means to be confident about what you're making and be able to talk about it and enjoy it by yourself without comparing it to others. I think that
00:16:35
Speaker
it means that you like what you're making and you're ready to talk about it with the world and kind of losing and moving away from that, I'm not good enough, I'm too similar to other people, that kind of mentality. Definitely agree. Some really great advice. So as we're coming to a close here, what advice would you give to someone trying to find their own unique voice with their pottery?
Enjoying and Showcasing Your Pottery
00:17:04
Speaker
um i would tell them to make things that you personally enjoy um like i said about the confidence thing when you're confident and when you're feeling good about something it's contagious and other people can tell and i would say don't make this kind of art because it's popular don't make don't make like i see lots of people who make beautiful minimalist pottery don't make minimalist minimalist pottery
00:17:32
Speaker
because it's popular and you really like and you like maybe don't really like it but it's popular. Make something that you really like and people will come to it because you really like it and your confidence is contagious. I love that. Shaping Nation, don't worry about trying to make pottery just to sell. Make pottery that you enjoy and it's gonna be contagious and other people are gonna come in and start looking at your work and your voice is gonna really pop out a lot further.
00:18:01
Speaker
Anna, it was really great chatting today. Where can my audience go and learn more about you? Um, you can find me on Instagram. I post almost every day. It's at Anna can art. And I do a lot of fun tutorials like how I make my pipes and how I make handles that could really help you out as a beginner Potter. And then you can read more about me on my website. It's Anna a NNA can see an R a RT calm.
00:18:28
Speaker
Have you ever asked yourself the question, how can I find my own style with my pottery? If you have asked this question, you are not alone. That's why I created a free 15 question template to help you discover your own voice with your pottery. All you have to do is go to shapingapottery.com forward slash questions to get this free template.