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#357 Feral Maximalism: The Pottery Journey of Casey Stelter
19 Plays7 months ago
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 the importance of making work you love, particularly highlighting her transition from wheel throwing to slip casting to focus on decoration due to physical constraints. Casey underlines the pivotal role of community in growth and navigating the pottery business, recounting the supportive networks in Denver and online that have contributed to her success. This episode also delves into Casey's approach to breaking conventional pottery rules, her creative processes, and the significance of creating a local and online presence for business growth. Casey's story is a testament to the importance of perseverance, authentic self-expression, and community support in crafting a fulfilling pottery career. You can learn more about Casey by checking out her instagram @shewolfstudios
Take this Free Quiz to see how close you are to finding your pottery voice click here to take the quiz shapingyourpottery.com/quiz
00:00 Introduction to Casey Stelter and Her Pottery Journey 01:06 The Importance of Community in Pottery 02:29 Casey's Personal Journey into Pottery 03:08 Overcoming Frustration and Taking Breaks 04:51 The Evolution of Casey's Pottery Style 06:25 The Concept of Feral Maximalism 11:15 The Business Side of Pottery 16:16 Discovering Your Unique Voice in Pottery 20:54 Final Thoughts and Advice for Aspiring Potters
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Transcript
Casey's Artistic Journey and Inspirations
00:00:00
Speaker
I really wanted to elicit a fierce and feminine power behind my work. That's Casey Stelter, a potter who creates for the pharaoh Maximus. In this episode, you will learn about finding that one thing in pottery that you truly love to make. Why put myself through pain for a process that I don't enjoy?
00:00:19
Speaker
when my true passion really lies in the decoration. So if I can create with that in mind, it's really helped me stay true to my voice. Casey also talks about the benefits of creating an online community through social media and how this has helped her with her business and also her partner. You don't have that community. There's nothing bringing these
00:00:41
Speaker
people back to engage with you or your work because they don't feel connected to you. Finally, one of the last things you will learn about is why you need to be making for yourself, not for other people in order to truly be able to find your own unique pottery voice. I spent a lot of time creating what I thought people wanted and not at all making what I wanted.
00:01:02
Speaker
and there's so much more in this episode. I hope you guys enjoy it and we'll see you guys
Community and Personal Growth
00:01:06
Speaker
in it. Casey, welcome to Shape Your Pottery and share with me what is something that has helped you the most on your pottery journey so far. I would definitely say the local Denver pottery scene so we've
00:01:19
Speaker
really have a great pottery community here. And it's just been really cool. We've kind of built this community that meets up monthly and we work on stuff. Either we sometimes have a theme, like one time it was making, another time it was making a thing you can make. So it's just been really fun to like push ourselves and learn from each other. So that's been really cool. But also like my personal support system, like my husband and my parents, et cetera.
00:01:47
Speaker
So can you tell me the story how this community got started? Oh gosh, I don't know. I just started going to a bunch of local pottery sales and kind of met some potters through that. And then when COVID happened and I couldn't go back to my studio anymore, one of the ceramic artists offered me to use their kiln. So that was really exciting. And I just from there kind of made friends with their friends and got invited to potteries and they have slowly become
Overcoming Challenges and Renewed Passion
00:02:17
Speaker
just a monthly thing, the third or fourth week of the month, and it's really fun. I add that Shaping Nation, the more you get around other potters, the more your pottery will grow because you're being around other creative people. I love that. Totally. So tell me the story how you got started making pottery. I started with collecting, actually. So when my husband and I were in college, we used to do, well, I mean, I still do, but we used to thrift a bunch and particularly for coffee mugs. And then we started finding handmade ones and I became
00:02:46
Speaker
obsessed with how they were made, et cetera. And then when we moved from Texas to Colorado in 2017, we didn't really know anyone here. So I signed us up for a, just like a one night date night pottery class and it was really fun. And then I signed up for classes and never looked back.
00:03:07
Speaker
Absolutely love it. So Tell me the story when you decided to take a break from pottery for nine months because you found wheel throwing to be frustrating It was super frustrating. I think it's really overwhelming when you're new to ceramics. I think It's just and you know when you have an instructor their way of teaching might not be your way of learning or their way of throwing might not be your way of throwing
00:03:30
Speaker
So I think very much the first time it was like, this is the right way and everything else is wrong. And I couldn't make it click in my head, but it was very frustrating. So I took a break. I also had a job at the time that was brand new. It was very physically and emotionally taxing. So I just kind of didn't have time for it at the time. And then when I started feeling myself burnout at work, I was like, we need to do something creative. So I came back and it's like,
00:03:57
Speaker
my muscle memory kind of picked up and it felt easier, that plus a new teacher. I love that. And I definitely feel you on that because I remember my high school art teacher taught us a certain way to throw, but nothing was clicking. It wasn't until I went the complete opposite direction. That's when something clicked. I love that. That's great. So what did this break do for you personally? How did it help you? Yeah, it just let me take a mental
00:04:25
Speaker
I don't know, space from it. So I didn't feel like pressured or frustrated by it anymore. And then when I came back to it, I was really, so it kind of just renewed that, that, I don't know, sense of joy, I guess. I love that shape nation. Sometimes the simplest solution is to simply just take a break, maybe a week, a month, whatever, take a little break and you can be rejuvenated.
00:04:50
Speaker
I love that.
Unique Style and Creative Process
00:04:51
Speaker
So let's talk about your pottery. Can you tell me the story how you started making the pottery that you make today? Yeah, I first started just, you know, wheel throwing, of course, but I've always been into multimedia stuff. So I was hitting up a local secondhand art supply store. So they take like scraps and donations, etc.
00:05:12
Speaker
and they had a doll head mold thing of all places so of course I bought it but I'd never done slip casting before so and my studio at the time also did not allow any outside clay period so what I did was I dried out some clay added water to it which of course is not the way to do it but I was desperate I just wanted to pour the baby head so bad and I still have it
00:05:36
Speaker
But I don't know, I just became obsessed with it. And like, what else could I turn this into? That's functional and fun. And so yeah. Do you still do slip casting today? Oh yeah. That's the majority of what I do. So because I have multiple chronic illnesses, my hands, my wrists, my arms, especially lately, get a lot of pain. And my favorite part of this is decorating. So why put myself through pain for a process that I don't enjoy?
00:06:06
Speaker
when my true passion really lies in the decoration, getting into making my own molds a lot, and it's been just really fun kind of exploring that side of it. I love that. Shaping H, you don't have to like the entire process of pottery, but if you find that one thing, stick with it and keep going with it. I love it. So you make pottery for Pharaoh Maximalist. Can you explain to me what this is and why you decided to make pottery this way?
00:06:33
Speaker
Yeah, feral maximalists is like a term I guess I came up with when I was trying to think of my ideal customer, AKA me. So I really just, and it also ties back to the name of She-Wolf. I really wanted to elicit a fierce and feminine power behind my work and to convey that. And I also really love combining hard and soft elements, as you can probably tell by my backdrop.
00:07:02
Speaker
minimalism is not the name of this game. So just combining all of that, I felt like feral maximalism really encompassed what I'm going for, my vibe, I guess. What is it about not being minimal, but being the most maximizing as you can? What is it about that that you like? I kind of think back to some movies that I grew up with. Well, there's a combination of things.
00:07:28
Speaker
One being some movies, so if you've ever watched Howl's Moving Castle, I don't know how familiar you are with Studio Ghibli, but it is just beyond maximalist. People's rooms and houses are just floor to ceiling covered with things, and I've always been like, yes, that's it. I want to feel like I kind of live in an antique store.
00:07:51
Speaker
less dusty, though. But I don't know, I've just always kind of gravitated towards that. And if I can communicate that through my work, ideally, like that's the kind of space I envision my work ending up. So if I can create with that and find it's really helped me stay true in my voice. Absolutely love that. So you are inspired by things that make you giggle. Tell me more about this. Yeah, I mean, I just
00:08:16
Speaker
I try not to take myself so seriously. Sometimes I can get stuck in that rut. So I am, I don't know, I am silly and I am sarcastic. So I do want to echo that in my work sometimes. So if I make a mug that says, give me your teeth, which is often a request that I make, I don't know, it's just gonna bring me joy and make me cap the whole time. So why wouldn't I do it?
00:08:39
Speaker
Absolutely love that shaping nation. If you can find things that you get excited about put those into your pottery. I love that so Pottery is all about finding stuff that works for you. What are some pottery rules that you like to break?
00:08:55
Speaker
Oh wow, there's a lot. I don't poke holes in hollow pieces. I just let them dry a lot. I don't want to have to worry about is the glaze really going to cover this up. So I just let them dry extra slowly first in a damp box and then out in the open air. What else? I don't test my glazes. Granted, it's not like I'm formulating my own glazes at the moment, but when you do purchase a new glaze, it is important to see what it's going to look like on your
00:09:23
Speaker
clay body, et cetera. But do I do that? No, I go straight balls to the wall. This is either going to work out really well or fail miserably. And I thought that was just a risk that you take. I love going balls to the wall because I do the exact same thing because I hate testing things. I just want to go. Yeah, same. I love that. So can you walk me through how you create one of your teeth mugs? Yeah, that's a really long process and it starts with
00:09:53
Speaker
creating my own molds. So I created a three-part mold at one of our pottery parties, and it's actually of a jar. And then I also created the mold for the teeth, a large tooth and some smaller teeth.
00:10:08
Speaker
And then I combine all, I cast them, I combine them, I clean up all the seams, which is, it's a lot, especially if you're new to mold making or if you're using vintage molds like I do as well. So it's a lot to process. And then I'm firing three times all the way up to luster because I'm extra. Can you tell me a story about how you started making these teeth mugs?
00:10:34
Speaker
I just like teeth. That is why I was going to design a mug for me, which I have a mug collection of my own, 80 and growing. But if I was going to add to that collection, which I'm becoming more and more picky about as time goes on, what would I want to add to that? So that factors into colors that I'm using and the shape, whether things are like whimsical or cheeky or both.
00:11:02
Speaker
So I've just been having a lot of fun playing with that and making things from my collection. I love that question. You said, what would I, if I were to use this mug, what would I want to add to that? I love that so much. Let's talk about the business side of pottery. You tell me about the moment when you decided to go full time as a potter. This one is interesting because when I turned 30, I was so
00:11:28
Speaker
burnt out and frustrated with my job. At the time I was in social work and I've been doing social work for almost a decade and I was just so dumb. I could not wake up and do it anymore. So my husband and I sat down and we crunched some numbers and determined that I could get notice. So I quit my job.
00:11:47
Speaker
But it was not with the intention of going full-time ceramics. It was with the intention of finding another full-time job. So I was applying and putting in application after application interviewing. But meanwhile, I was also focusing on ceramics the entire time. And that's when I made some of my first and most exciting doll head pieces that has really turned She-Wolf Studios into what it is today. And so I was in an interview and I just realized, you know,
00:12:16
Speaker
This does pay double what I used to make, but I don't want to do this. I'm going to be just as miserable as I was before. Why would I walk right back into the fire? So after some more discussions and thinking, I finally just decided, screw it, we're going to we're going to do it.
Transition to Full-Time Pottery
00:12:33
Speaker
So here we are. What were you feeling when you finally decided to go full time? Relief, not having to
00:12:43
Speaker
jump through all the hoops to have a regular nine to five. Being neurodivergent, autistic, ADHD, I really, really struggle with typical job. And it's very, very tough. So working for myself where I can work around my own schedule, I was really looking forward to that. But I was also excited, but then really scared because I was not ready for this. I had not really solidified
00:13:12
Speaker
my voice yet. I had started to, but I really wasn't there. I wasn't ready. I wasn't selling online and only ever done one market with pieces that were completely different. So it's entirely opposite of like the advice that people would give you like test it out. Make sure that you can make a living on this before you quit your I was like screw this. I cannot do it anymore. So fear lots of fear. Sometimes you have to go balls to the walls. I love it. So what?
00:13:42
Speaker
What do you think helped you, sorry, what was your biggest obstacle when it came to becoming a full-time potter? Definitely kiln space and find using, I don't have a kiln. Well, I do now, but I still can't use it. We're building out my studio. It's not in a safe location yet. I do now have a test kiln, but.
00:14:02
Speaker
It's just one of those things where ceramics is not a very accessible art form. Unless you're part of a studio or you happen to have your own kiln where you have paid thousands of dollars for the kiln, thousands of dollars to upgrade your electric, have it installed properly, et cetera, not everybody has the money, the space, et cetera, to do that. So I was very lucky that I had friends that offered me kiln space when COVID first started and then ongoing when I changed from cone 10 to cone six.
00:14:31
Speaker
But there are two websites that have been useful as well. So Find a Kiln and KilnShare. You can go on both of those sites, look up your location, and then see people that have Kiln space for rent. It's pretty cool. I definitely agree. I use that too, because I couldn't fire my pottery for three years. And then I found out KilnShare. Nice. Yeah. And I just got a Kiln now, so everything is a whole game changer. So I love it. Love that.
00:15:00
Speaker
What do you think helped you the most, being able to sell your own pottery?
Building and Engaging Communities
00:15:06
Speaker
Definitely building an online community and a local community. Although I'm not doing as many markets anymore, I very much started with doing markets several times a month and building those local connections. And that's how I've gotten into some local shops that I really, really like. But yeah, I mean, just building those connections online,
00:15:28
Speaker
It's absolutely necessary. If you don't have that community, there's nothing bringing these people back to engage with you or your work because they don't feel connected to you. What seems to work for you to help that helped you build your own online community? I share a bit more of my life outside ceramics. So people know things about me, like being obsessed with teeth, or they know me for my jumping spiders or
00:15:54
Speaker
going thrifting all the time, so I like to share these other bits of my life, and sometimes those do cross over into my ceramics, like the teeth. But it's really helped people engage with me on another level outside of just my art. I don't want it to be all about me and my art all the time. It can be about how other people are engaging.
00:16:16
Speaker
I loved it. I was some excellent advice right there. So let's talk about discovering your voice. Can you tell me about the moment when you knew you were heading in the right direction with your pottery? Definitely. And it was when I was in the middle of interviewing for all those other jobs is when I created the very first doll heady, which is a doll head shaped pipe. And after I finished it and used it for the first time, I was like, Oh, holy shit.
00:16:44
Speaker
we're on to something. And after I had that feeling, I was like, why the fuck would I make anything else that makes me feel anything less than this? I wouldn't, I don't want to. So ever since that moment, I just feel like I've just been chasing that feeling of, yes, this is it, this is the feeling, I would put this in my house, I would use this, I would be proud to see it in someone else's house, and I don't anticipate seeing it in a thrift store anytime soon. At least, hopefully.
00:17:11
Speaker
Love this. What do you think changed for you once you found your own pottery voice? It was a little bit easier to make myself work. I mean, I still struggle with making myself work ADHD life, but it makes it a lot easier when you're doing something you enjoy when you're not burnt out. Just finding joy in what you're doing every day can really motivate you to wake up the next morning and do it again.
00:17:36
Speaker
Absolutely. I love that. So you contribute growth as an artist to make it for yourself. Tell me more about this. And when did you start making for yourself instead of other people? I think I did that before I even started certain mix. So I am kind of like a serial entrepreneur. And it started out with I started fronting bands in high school and then went to photography, macrame painting, flipping furniture, all kinds of stuff.
00:18:05
Speaker
But when I was doing Macrame and selling it and starting to really explore selling art, I spent a lot of time creating what I thought people wanted and not at all making what I wanted. So I burnt out with that just record fast. So ever since then, I took a long break from creating for others. I was really just creating for things that I would be keeping, nothing for sale, et cetera, until
00:18:34
Speaker
I really felt like I was making what I wanted to make. I love that. Shaping Nation, unless you want to be burnt out, you got to make for yourself first so that you can enjoy the whole process. I absolutely love that. So now, what advice would you give to someone looking to discover their own unique voice with their pottery? I would say definitely start with building a community. Reach out to other artists that are similar to you or people that you look up to. Engage with their things.
00:19:05
Speaker
building a friendship. And then from there, you know, stay authentic to yourself, making the things that bring you joy.
Advice for Artists
00:19:12
Speaker
And then remind me of the question because your girl's getting lost. It was what advice to give some look to discover their own unique voice with their pottery? I'm like, where am I on here? Is that the second last question? Lovely. Thank you. Okay, maybe I know that's why. Because I did my pages out of order.
00:19:35
Speaker
So I knew I was gonna have to 16, 16, there we go, 17, 18, 19, there we go, thanks. Okay, we're doing great. So yeah, definitely making what you want. I think one of my biggest pieces of advice is finding the part of the process that you like the most and then leaning into that. So for me, it was decorating, but some people really enjoy trimming or hand building and just whatever process, whatever part of the process you enjoy, lean into it and start discovering
00:20:05
Speaker
there first because again like if you're enjoying that process then it's going to be easier for you to continue exploring that. And then I think also you can appreciate a style or a form of art or something without necessarily feeling like you need to take that path. There's plenty of times that things have been suggested to me and I'm like wow that's a fantastic idea but it really doesn't align with everything else that I'm doing and so I
00:20:36
Speaker
I feel like going too far out of left field, not that you can explore new things, but if you're not staying true to yourself, your aesthetic, your voice, your experiences while you're doing that, I feel like that is starting the course for burnout.
00:20:51
Speaker
I absolutely love that. Some excellent advice right there. Casey, it has been great champs today. And as we're coming to a close here, what is one thing you want to hammer with my listeners today? Okay. Well, the maximalist in me can never give just one thing. So I can never give one thing. I'm going to have to give a list. Definitely. I think what I've been saying the whole time is build a community. I think that's first and foremost. If you have people that are going through what you're going through and you're supporting each other, that you'll all be better for it.
00:21:20
Speaker
making for yourself and also in that same sense protecting yourself from burnout whether that means you're not going to take customs anymore whether that means you're going to switch from wheel throwing to casting and then also to try again maybe it's frustrating maybe you need a break take a break come back try again and then finally just have fun and don't feel like you need to take yourself or your art so seriously
00:21:50
Speaker
all the time. And if that's your gym, sure, take yourself seriously, but have fun doing it. That was some excellent parting words advice. I absolutely love it. Casey, it is so great chat today. Where can my audience go and learn more about you? My website is shewolfstudios.com or I'm also really active on Instagram.
00:22:09
Speaker
Hey thanks for listening to this episode of Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. If you want to discover how close you are to actually discovering your own unique voice with your pottery, I put together a free 4 question quiz. It's very short. It takes 30 seconds for you to take. If you want to know how close you are to finding your own unique voice, go to shapingyourpottery.com forward slash quiz or you can simply go to shapingyourpottery.com and it will be right there at the top.
00:22:38
Speaker
I hope you guys enjoyed this episode and I'll see you guys next time.