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#13 Sharrel Meeker - Co-owning an Art Studio, Noodle Boxes, Clay and Yarn, and Much More
42 Plays3 years ago
On this episode of Shaping Your Pottery I interviewed Sharrel Meeker. In this epidoe you will about
Co-owning an Art Studio, Slab Built Noodle Boxes, Adding Yarn to clay, and much more
You can follow Sharrel on Instagram @MudandYarn
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
Sign up for my newsletter to never miss an episode of Shaping Your Pottery. Click the link in the description. Welcome to Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. Today we have Sharelle Meeker and she makes some really fascinating pottery. She has her own unique style. She's a combination of clay and yarn that help her really create some really beautiful pieces. She also runs her own art studio with somebody else that she co-partners it.
00:00:28
Speaker
You could follow her on instagram at mud and yarn shrill Thank you for coming on. hi thanks Nick thanks for having me.
Founding of Andom Art Studios
00:00:36
Speaker
So I thought I would start our conversation with your art studio could you tell me the story behind how that got started. sure um so me and my business partner her name is Karen Flannery.
00:00:49
Speaker
Her Instagram, if you're curious, is pondsidepottery. We were both friends at a community studio in Brookline Village called Feet of Clay. And when we were there, we both were, she was taking classes to kind of further her skills and I was using the studio for general studio time to just make stuff.
00:01:12
Speaker
And we ended up kind of making a little too much for the community studio guidelines because they have so many people they really have to limit how much everyone can fire. And so, excuse me, and so when her and I got together.
00:01:28
Speaker
And that was going on. We were trying to find space where we could open up our own studio and have private spaces for artists that were doing this full time or had more time to dedicate to it and were selling their stuff. At that point, I was selling my pottery and had started my Instagram a couple of years prior to that. So it was growing and I really wanted to be able to further that. So we ended up in the same building as Feet of Clay. We're basically upstairs.
00:01:57
Speaker
We opened Andom Art Studios and it's private art space rental. So it's not just for potters, but we mostly have potters just because we follow in those circles. But yeah, it's been great. We've been open for two years now and doing well. Now, how did you come up with the name Andom Art Studio?
00:02:21
Speaker
Well, it's not really that creative. The back of our building, there's basically a little private way and it's Andom Place. So one of our entrances is in the back. So we just kind of named it Andom Art Studios. Just had a nice ring to it, to be honest. Could you describe the actual conversation when you were getting this idea to come to fruition? To start the studio? Yeah.
00:02:51
Speaker
Um, I mean, to be honest, there were quite a few of us that were making more than what we, what feed of clay would allow. Um, and for myself, trying to find a space that would house what I wanted to do and how much I wanted to create was hard to find.
Pandemic Challenges and Triumphs
00:03:10
Speaker
So Karen was always, um, we were always on the same level in terms of like our vision for what we wanted for the space. We wanted to be.
00:03:21
Speaker
as inclusive as possible and have as many different artists, all walks of life and different mediums in one spot. And it was difficult to find a space. Well, not difficult to find the space. It was difficult to make that dream a reality with normal life happenings.
00:03:45
Speaker
pandemic basically started right when we were about to open the studio. So we spent the first couple of months just isolating together and getting all the finishing touches done on the space. And then we were full. Every space was full. We don't have a ton of spaces. We have about 13.
00:04:04
Speaker
But every space was full by June. So her and I just, we had the same vision. We just wanted a nice community somewhere where people could, you know, come together and talk to each other, especially during a pandemic when everybody was so isolated. And we were
00:04:23
Speaker
in the space that we're in, we're already like separated out into those cubicles, basically. So it was safe to do that. And it was a great, it was a great little space. And it still is. Could you? So how were you able to get people into your studio during that pandemic, beginning of pandemic?
00:04:43
Speaker
Yeah, so we had quite a few people that wanted to join right away. And they did. And they could be in working because a lot of people come at separate times. So like me and Karen and a few other people were there during the day. And we're all so far apart. We're already like the six feet apart. Put that in quotes, but that's like an actual distance. You know what I mean? Yeah.
00:05:11
Speaker
And so we were super safe that way. Obviously, we were all masked. Karen and I took all the proper precautions for COVID protocol. So it just really worked out. And then there were people that would come at night. And so it just kind of flowed very nicely. So the next thing I thought I would talk about, so you use a variety of kind of techniques. And you
Innovations in Pottery Design
00:05:41
Speaker
What would you say would be your favorite technique?
00:05:44
Speaker
Hmm. So I just started slab building a lot this past couple of years since moving into our space. And I've been really loving it. Cause at first, you know, I was taught on the wheel and that's great and I still love it. And then I tried slab building early on and it was such a fail. Like my slab was so thick, my mug was so heavy. It was terrible. So I just gave it up and then
00:06:12
Speaker
played with it a little bit more making like candle pots and planters. And then I was like, well, I should kind of go with a mug since that's my biggest seller. And that's the thing I love to make the most. So I think slab building right now is my favorite. And then adding whatever texture I can find to those mugs is definitely fun for me.
00:06:36
Speaker
Now I know you make like this noodle bowl box. How did that idea come up? Funny story. There's a really amazing Szechuan Chinese restaurant, basically across from our studio in Brookline called Blossom Bar. And my husband and I go all the time.
00:06:58
Speaker
And obviously, when you get Chinese takeout, it comes in a Chinese takeout box usually. And I don't really know how it happened one day, but I was looking at this box and it unfolded it. And I was like, well, there's a template right there for me to use for my slab. So I gave it a try. The first try was a little sloppy and really small. I had to get a big takeout box, obviously, because with shrinkage, it'll
00:07:23
Speaker
you know, be a lot smaller. But then once I gave it a few more tries, the perfecting all the little bits and everything came together and I really love it. But I'm surprised. I mean, there has to be someone else out there that's made these. I haven't seen them, but I'm sure I'm not the first and it's not a difficult thing to make. It's just kind of all timing and
00:07:47
Speaker
You know, obviously the right dryness of the clay compared to how you're attaching it and all that stuff. But they're a lot of fun. I think people like them. So I'm going to keep making them. Well, what would you say is like the perfect size in order to after each firing, it's like comes out to the perfect size? Hmm. I wish I had one. I should have if I didn't know and I would have brought one home with me.
00:08:12
Speaker
I don't know that perfect size. So it looks realistic. Like the first one I made was like super, super tiny. It was like the small white rice takeout box. So like a good size is like good low main size, you know, like a full, I don't know. I think they measure about six or seven inches wide with the flaps and
00:08:32
Speaker
I don't know, they're pretty good and they're food safe. So what's funny is I always tell people that when I see them at a market or in person and they seem so surprised by that, but I'm like, but all my pottery is food safe. So why wouldn't this be? And they're like, oh yeah, okay. So you can use it as a planter, you can use it for noodles, you know, whatever you want. I think that's such a creative idea. Like when I saw that, I was like, oh, that's so cool. Oh, thanks. So the next thing I thought I would talk about
00:09:01
Speaker
would be your fuck this shit mugs. Could you tell me the story behind that?
00:09:07
Speaker
I do kind of remember that one. It started just being a fuck mug, just saying fuck on it. I literally was, it was before I had my studio, I was still down at Fita Clay and I was throwing mug and it was before I was using bats, I was just cutting off the wheel, which can be dangerous because you know, if you slide it off and something happens. So I was sliding this mug off the wheel, it was perfect and I dropped it, so.
00:09:32
Speaker
So then you said fuck. I said fuck. And then I said, well, let me see. And I put it on the table and I kind of like mashed it back into a mug shape. And then I'm like, well, I'll just have fun with it and I'll write fuck on there. And so I did. And then it started turning into fuck this shit. I don't know, maybe a year or so later. People really liked them. It resonated with people. And then especially during the pandemic, people on Zoom meetings were like, oh, this shit.
00:09:59
Speaker
Awful, I hate it, fuck that shit. So they were just like, I need these mugs. I'm not sure if anyone actually uses them in a Zoom meeting, but who knows? That is awesome, I love that. Because I feel that so much when you mess up, you're like, God damn the fuck. You have to, it just, it helps to make everything better, just to swear a little bit. Yep. So next thing I would talk about would be how you incorporate yarn with your pottery.
00:10:27
Speaker
Um, so yarn actually came first for me, funny enough. Um, my grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was, I don't know, 10 or 12, something like that. But then I never really did much with it. Um, but then back in 2013, um, I was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. And so I went through all these crazy surgeries and treatments.
00:10:51
Speaker
And I had to keep my hands busy somehow. So I just started crocheting scarves for like all my friends and family. So I really got back into it at that point in my life. And then when pottery came in, which was during treatment as well, I just, when I wanted to start selling stuff, I was like, well, why not combine both of these things? Because pottery, I can do it a studio, but then I come home and I have to keep my hands busy constantly. So,
00:11:18
Speaker
Excuse me, I love having the yarn as an outlet as well.
00:11:23
Speaker
So I just threw it together in a name, took me a while to figure it out and the rest is history, I guess. I still crochet a ton. I don't sell as much yarn product as I do pottery, but I will always still sell both. I actually, I have some like purses, handbags that I'm gonna throw in my next update to kind of see how they sell. Like summertime is in a big crochet season. So yeah, we'll see.
00:11:53
Speaker
I know you make these like coasters for like mugs. How did you come up with that idea? I've seen mug rugs all over the place, but like if you have a small amount of yarn left after a big project, you're like, well, what can I make with this? I don't want to waste one thing. And so I just crochet a circle and then it became a mug rug. So you make a set and there you go. That is perfect. So how do you use one to kind of really compliment the other?
00:12:23
Speaker
Um, well, mug rugs were kind of my perfect example of that. Like I, obviously mugs are my favorite thing to make. So to make a coaster to go with them feels kind of like fitting. Um, I have a ton of house plants, so I can actually see one right behind me. I make little crocheted baskets to put the plants in. Um,
00:12:44
Speaker
I'm a big cozy kind of person. So blankets are huge for me. Scarves are huge. Hot tea, coffee. It's like they go hand in hand. So I feel like it's just perfect. Now you mentioned that mugs are your favorite thing. One of your favorite things to make. Could you explain that a little bit more? I grew up drinking Earl Grey tea. Same thing I'm drinking right now.
00:13:13
Speaker
only recently, probably in the last two or three years, started drinking coffee because a good friends of mine opened a coffee shop called Restoration Coffee. A little plug there. And I never really liked coffee before that, but then I tried it black and I really got used to it and I love it so much. So in the morning,
00:13:31
Speaker
I come down and the first thing I want to do is pick out a handmade mug. And which one do I want to sip out of today? And my first ever handmade mug that I got was at a Renaissance fair here in Massachusetts called King Richard's Fair. And this was this woman that was there and she makes her pottery locally. And I was like, well, I need to start doing this. This seems like something I would love to do. So that is what kind of spurred me into pottery in general. And mugs were just
00:14:01
Speaker
the form that I wanted to perfect because it's so meaningful to me. Obviously I like playing out with other stuff and like plates, any kind of food, like any functional item that you
Embracing Failure and Personal Growth
00:14:14
Speaker
can eat off of or drink out of, I want to make. I think sitting around with friends or family and enjoying that meal or a cup of coffee or a cocktail, like it just is so much better when they're in handmade stuff, so.
00:14:29
Speaker
How does it make you feel when you are using your own pottery or you see other people using your pottery? I have quite a collection of mugs myself. On my Instagram somewhere in there, you'll see my mug wall that my husband mounted for me in our house.
00:14:48
Speaker
And I have to say, I do love using all the mugs that I have from other artists. They're all beautiful, but more often than not, I reach for my own and that makes me feel good because I like to use my stuff. So I think that's a good sign as an artist if you like what you're making and it feels comfortable in your hand. And then
00:15:12
Speaker
The fact that I have a lot of repeat buyers for my pottery also really makes me feel good because if they buy one mug and they're like, oh, this kind of sucks. I don't like this mug. And obviously they're not going to buy more. That's fine. But there's a lot of people I have that have been even following me from five, six years ago that continually buy my mugs. And that makes me feel really, really good and makes me know that I'm doing something right. Right. That was great. So now I think I would like the next thing I'd like to talk about would be
00:15:43
Speaker
failure? How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success? That's a really good question. I think pottery and potters in general, no failure more than a lot of other artists. Maybe not more. I shouldn't say that. I mean, we all struggle. But obviously,
00:16:09
Speaker
as cracks happen and, you know, ideas don't work out or, or just in general, like you think you're so excited for this whole line of design of something and then it doesn't sell well or, you know, and you get really disappointed, but at the same time,
00:16:29
Speaker
It either makes you tweak that same idea that you have into something newer and better or push it to a whole other level. And so I think failure is kind of essential for us as far as learning and growing. You know, if you were perfect right out the gate, then, you know, where's the fun in that? Where's the learning experience? You know, everyone
00:16:50
Speaker
I think pottery blew up so much in the past five, 10 years that, you know, everyone kind of goes, oh, that looks great and fun. And I can do that. And it's going to be easy. It's not easy. And I remember crying during my first pottery lesson and thinking, like, not during, thankfully, but after. Thinking, I thought this was going to be easy. What the hell? I mean, I was going through a lot of the time, too. So
00:17:15
Speaker
It sucks, but I stuck with it and I just knew I wanted to do this and I loved it ultimately more than I hated it. So I think failure is important and it makes you push yourself as an artist and that's really important. I definitely agree. We all wanted to go so fast, but we need to take a step back a little bit to really learn from our mistakes.
00:17:41
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. Slowing down, I mean, pottery makes you slow down. And like, I still remind myself when I'm throwing to breathe and slow down. You know, I think everyone sees the time-lapse videos of potters throwing and they're like, oh, it's so fast, it's so easy. And even you get cocky sometimes and you're like, oh, this is great, I can do this, it's so easy. And then you're like, nah. And then you fail and you're right back to being humbled again. Yeah, exactly. It does keep you humble, for sure.
00:18:10
Speaker
So in the last five years, what new belief or habit has most improved your pottery or just your life in general? New belief or habit. I think during the pandemic, I think there was a lot of time when I just like didn't
00:18:31
Speaker
want to go anywhere. You don't want to do anything. And especially with everything going on in the news, you just kind of get into your head and you get in a hole. And I made it a point to just get to the studio every day, at least for a little while. And because we were able to do it so safely, it was
00:18:49
Speaker
an easy thing to do. And my husband working from home, it was like, I really can't be at home. It was like, there's too much happening. And it was too chaotic. And so I was like, all right, I got to get to the studio. But like, have it. I think just trying not to compare
00:19:12
Speaker
my success or lack of success with someone else's apparent obvious success. I mean, early on in Instagram, specifically, you know, gaining followers, making sales seemed, and it was so much easier for all of us. But like, if you get started later, and even those of us that have a following, you see all that interaction dwindle and just like almost disappear sometimes. And that gets really,
00:19:40
Speaker
depressing and kind of sad because you're like, well, I was doing so well. But then like, if you make stuff and you're selling it, which I'm still doing really well, knock on wood, it makes you feel like that confidence is still there and you're okay, you're still selling. Just to not compare yourself with other people, I think it's hard not to when you see so much beautiful art all over social media, but to appreciate it and to learn from it more than comparing yourself to it.
00:20:09
Speaker
Right. I thought that was great advice because we all tend to really compare ourselves with others. Yeah. I think we get too much in our own heads too, you know, and it's good to just reach out to that community instead of comparing yourself, like trying to find those people that want to share and learn about techniques just as much as you do. And I think that's really important. I agree. So the next thing I'd like to talk about, so you like to do collaborating with other potters. What is it?
00:20:38
Speaker
that you like about collaborations? What's there not to like? Everyone's got different ideas and different designs.
00:20:48
Speaker
And I'm fortunate enough to be in a studio with so many other great artists. So they're right there. Like I'm thinking off the top of my head, Michaela, who is pipe dream pottery. When I made lace mugs, I was like, will you put some boobs on these lace mugs? I think they'll be awesome. And she was like, heck yeah, I'll do that. So it was fun. It was like, you know, something that we do randomly just for fun and see what people think of them.
Collaboration and Creativity
00:21:15
Speaker
I just think it's great. I think why not?
00:21:20
Speaker
I totally agree. I love collaborating with like other people. Even like when I was first starting out, it was just like two of us. It was me and my friend. We would always try to do different things with each other.
00:21:30
Speaker
Yeah, I think you push each other a little bit too. It's like, oh, you're doing that? Oh, I should have thought of that. And, you know, and then even just other makers in general, I have so many maker friends, people that make soy candles, people that are woodworkers, people that are other fiber artists. And it's just, it's crazy. It's just awesome. So if you can collaborate and make some item or piece that's a combination of both your talents, do it.
00:21:58
Speaker
I agree. So the next thing I like to talk about, so when you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do to kind of get back on track? I felt that for sure. I clean. I go into the studio and I clean my entire space.
00:22:16
Speaker
Um, I'm a little bit like anal retentive about that. Um, and keep my space mostly clean. So if I'm like stuck, I'll just clean everything off and it like declutters my brain at the same time. And then I can kind of just go, okay, what do I.
00:22:32
Speaker
really want to do. And usually what I'll do is do something for fun. So instead of like, oh, I have all these, you know, people that are requesting this type of mug, but I really want to make these like, I'll just go and do something for me for fun. And my latest newest design that's that I just posted about today is kind of a result of that. There was a time that I just a few, like a month ago that I just wanted to play.
00:22:59
Speaker
And so I did, and then I was like, Oh, I can make this a thing and see if people like it. So that's what I do. How often are you like kind of testing out new ideas? Pretty often. I mean, I definitely have my tried and true favorite designs and people really like them. So that's good.
00:23:19
Speaker
But I usually will tweak them, make them a little better here and there, change out a glaze, try a different glaze. But I'd say I'm trying new full designs maybe every few months. So I think this will probably be my last question. What advice would you give to aspiring potters out there?
00:23:43
Speaker
Don't quit, just keep doing what makes your heart happy and push the envelope when you can. I think it's definitely fun to do that to try to find some new idea that maybe no one's done before or you don't think anyone's done before, just do it. And even if you're like, well, everyone does this, maybe I shouldn't do it, do it anyway. Like if you love it and you want to try it, don't let anyone stop you from doing what you want to make.
00:24:13
Speaker
I definitely agree with that. It's more fun when you make what you want to make.
00:24:18
Speaker
Exactly. And there's a lot of people that get really offended if someone's like, well, I make that design. You shouldn't make that design. Or how dare you try to copy me? And it's like, well, no. We're all doing similar stuff. And I think the community that I've found over the past six or seven years on Instagram, that's my favorite, are the ones that we make the same things. But everyone's slightly different. And it's really kind of cool to see everybody's take on that.
00:24:47
Speaker
That's how you learn, like you model somebody else and then you tweak it here and there. Yeah, I think it's great. So that was my last question. I really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you for hopping on today. Thanks for having me. Oh, no problem. I hope you can do this again sometime. Yeah, for sure.