Greenearth Pottery Spotlight
Abby Denne
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Nowadays, buying from small businesses is becoming a hot new trend. But, it can be hard to know where to start, and where to find small businesses near you that have high quality products made by high quality people. That is why I sat down with my dear friend and small business owner Katie Gunn to discuss her budding interest in pottery.
Tell us a bit about your journey discovering pottery. (Was it something you stumbled onto by accident? Did you start it as a hobby, or did you know right away you wanted to make a business out of it?)
So, I started doing pottery when I was twelve years old and took one of those “teen wheel classes” at the Nepean Sportsplex. I really liked it, but at that age, I was really bad at it. I couldn’t make anything substantial. It was a mess. I went back a year later with a friend, but then school came around and I just got too busy to go back or keep going. During COVID, these past few months, I started getting really bored and thought of doing pottery again. There weren’t any classes being offered by the city so I was looking around to see if anyone could give me a home lesson. This wonderful lady named Carolynne Pynn Trudeau (not at all related to Justin-- great hair, by the way) answered and invited me to her house and gave me a start-up lesson. I honestly picked back up right where I started and she reminded me of the basics of what I was doing.
Then I started looking for a pottery wheel on Kijiji, and found one for only $200 which was nice because normally they’re 1,000 to 2,000 dollars. So, I got the wheel and set it up in my basement. And, once you know the basics, you just know how to do anything. At first, I really didn’t want to make it a business because I’d already had a crochet business which went really well, but got super stressful and overcrowded with orders during the summer. Then, people kept telling me I should sell my pieces and I got so addicted to making pieces that they would start piling up in my basement. I mean, shelves upon shelves of pottery that weren’t even glazed yet. I just liked making it so much that I didn’t want to stop. I still haven’t totally dived into a business yet because I don’t want people sending requests for pieces that I don’t know how to make yet, which is why I like the idea of selling my products at a farmer’s market.
What do you find most appealing about the act of making something by hand?
That’s honestly what I like most about pottery, is making something by hand. I like having it around the house, looking at something I made. And my favourite thing about mugs especially is that I get to drink from something I made. The most appealing thing though is the actual process of making something and how grounding it is. You’re actually working with the earth which is pretty cool, and it’s very calming for me. Whenever I’m done writing a project or assignment for school that has really stressed me out, I’ll go down in my basement and just work away and relax. It’s just so nice working with something smooth and natural, and then making something out of it. And you have to be really focused on it because if you don’t look at the details it’ll collapse on you, so it requires you to just kind of clear your mind.
Describe your creative process. When you’re making on your own, do you start with a specific vision in mind in terms of shape, colour, or size?
First off, at the beginning of every month or so, I have a notebook where I sketch a few ideas for things I think will look nice. I like functional pottery, so although I do like the nice little decorative pieces, I really gravitate towards plates, mugs, bowls, vases, things like that. I still have that sketchbook so I’ll go down sometimes to just make what I want to make. And then when I don’t use my sketchbook, that’s when the fluidity of pottery comes in because you start off with one ball of clay and you just make whatever comes to you in the moment. My creative process for glaze combos is different. Glazes are just chemical reactions so you never know how the pot will exactly turn out when they come out of the kiln. Sometimes they come out really ugly [laughs]. But sometimes they turn out really nice! I just look at the colour combos then, because they have them on a wall. I like the earthy tones. Some of the glazes are the opposite colours of the colour they turn out to be too, so it's tricky. I started off really small in terms of size at the beginning because I was really scared of using up all of my clay. But the clay does shrink in the kiln so I learned quickly to make pieces as big as you can. I actually tried using 3 pounds of clay yesterday instead of the regular one pound I use, so it’s fun to push myself like that. Sometimes the weight of the clay also influences what I’m going to make
What products do you sell right now? At what price? What are your best sellers?
Technically, I’ve only sold to friends and family so far. I’m planning to do a market too. I make bowls, vases, jewelry dishes, cups, plant pots, and mugs. Basically, anything that is functional. I use earthy tones, there are a lot of glazes I like that are blue. I like using glazes that look organic too, ones that have random little speckles. Blues, greens, beiges, whites, blacks, stuff like that.
As for prices, I don’t have set prices. I price things based on four factors: how long it took me to make it, how much clay I used, what the glaze came out like, and what the actual piece is (whether it’s something smaller or something bigger). So I really just kind of eyeball it. The lowest priced item would probably be five dollars, and the highest priced item is probably forty dollars maximum. My best sellers are mugs and bowls, purely for the functionality. Everyone needs a bowl or a mug! You use them every day. I personally like the plant pots the best because I have a lot of plants, but yeah, those other two are our best.
You’ve mentioned that you get your products fired up somewhere else. Do you find that part of it to be at all collaborative? How does relying on external suppliers for a kiln impact your business?
Yes, I do get my products fired somewhere else. I currently fire at two different places: March Meadows Farm, and with Carolynne. March Meadows is owned by two very welcoming and wonderful people, Greg and Bri. They have welcomed me into their studio so graciously and I enjoy working with them so much. I find it to be very collaborative. Greg is also a potter, but he’s a beginner like me. He’s always in the studio with me when I do it, he talks over the process with me and we help each other out. It’s just so much fun. But then of course, I pay him for his time and his glazes and his services. Carolynne is honestly the best teacher too, she is so, so talented and a genius when it comes to pottery so learning from her has been such a great experience. She has the best, unique tips and tricks as someone with 50 years of experience. So yes, it’s very collaborative. It’s a friendship as much as it is a business deal.
Relying on external factors is hard. I pay for time at the studio and I pay a cost per shelf I take up in the kiln. This also impacts my prices because it’s not just paying for clay, it’s paying for two firing processes, the glazes, as well as kiln space and time spent at the studio. I also can’t control when my pieces are fired and when I can pick them up because these two studios, obviously, have their own business to attend to and so I find it hard not being able to control that factor. It means nothing can be time sensitive.
How do you hope to expand your business in the future?
In terms of business, I personally want to stick with markets in Ottawa and do smaller orders. Custom orders were a really stressful thing and I don’t think it was meant for me. But in terms of expanding, I would love to teach lessons. I have had opportunities for teaching lessons brought to my attention already which is really exciting so I hope to soon, someday, be able to teach lessons in my own studio or something like that, similar to what the two people I work with do. I think that’s the way I would expand my business, is sharing this experience with other people. And pottery has helped me greatly with my mental health so I think making a workshop for people who also struggle with mental health and using pottery as a way to cope would be really great to do in the future.
Why do you think people should buy local/from small businesses?
Where do I even start? Buying from small businesses is kind of just a given. You should be doing it. Corporations are everywhere and you can’t avoid them, but buying from a small business is so personal. When I buy from a small business, I never throw it out or forget about it. It’s such a special process, knowing someone made it by hand or even wondering how it was made. I think that’s an experience everyone should have. I think supporting small businesses is important because owning a small business is so hard-- hence, the word “small” meaning you take the costs on all by yourself and so you’re helping the owner support their dream and passion. You can tell the owners of small businesses are always, always passionate about what they do. And putting your money in places that are more sustainable. It’s just supporting people supporting you. It’s about community. This can come in terms of farmers, buying produce locally. Clothing stores, buying from here instead of places that outsource to Bangladesh. It supports our community which is how you sustain life.
Thank you for sitting down and talking with me!
Thank you so much for thinking of me!
You can find Katie’s business on Instagram at @greenearth.pottery for glances at things to buy. You can also soon find her setting up shop at farmer’s markets in Stittsville, in Nepean Woods (by the Menchie’s), and 613Flea, all in the summertime from May to September.
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