I am NOT taking Students or Interns at this time. My studio is too small for training students. It is my belief, practice makes a potter. I suggest you take a modern approach to learning pottery with YouTube instruction and purchase the basic equipment to practice. Keep watching a bunch of videos from a variety of studios. I still watch 1 to 2 videos a week for ideas and tricks. Use my website as notes for what I did for workarounds and tricks to making pottery. Keep your equipment simple but size it so you do not need to buy larger as your skill level expands.
The startup cost of my small studio were equal to the cost of an ATV plus trailer and the annual cost are an E-bike for supplies/electricity. You may be able to reduce costs if you buy used or build it yourself rather than buying new readymade. Start with an 11 or 14" wheel designed for +15 lbs clay and a mid-sized+ kiln. Slowly add other equipment as skill level improves and challenges mandate a change. An alternative is to rent space in a commercial studio because it is like going to the gym where the focus is pottery. Many potters take the commercial studio path for the instant space with access to equipment, instruction and social events. Regardless of owning vs renting, plan on daily visits to the studio because making pottery is a series of steps done over days.
Pick a good general purpose clay, glaze family and firing temperature and stick with it. It is crazy to try and keep track of multiple clays and glazes required different firing temperatures. It can be done but still crazy.
Best advise is to
Keep learning and practicing.
Do not quit until you have purchased and used at least 150 lbs clay.
If you can not throw a 1 lb pot on a wheel before using all the 150 lbs clay there is nothing I can teach you.
When you get stuck there is a YouTube video for that so look for it.
Keep it simple. Watch videos and read this website for suggestions. Do not spend money, but research before you buy. I have a bunch of throwing tools that I never use because I did not keep it simple.
Home depot vinyl flooring remanent (saves floors and easy cleanup)
Vevor 14" pottery wheel. Smaller wheels will work but you will wish you had a 14" wheel. There are more expensive wheels reflecting better quality. Consider it a once in a lifetime purchase that never gets upgraded.
Wheel PVA pad/mat to hold bat instead of bat pins Either buy precut circles or cut your own from PVA Cooling Towels or felt.
Throwing bats (either buy or make a couple).
Chair or stool about the height of the wheel.
Small table to put throwing stuff on and storage shelves.
5-6 Plastic buckets for waste glazes and clays plus storage (check recycling center for free)
5 qt paint buckets with lids for glazes.
Sponge mop and sponge to keep studio clean
Sturdy bench/table for working clay and glazing
Skutt 822 kiln or equivalent
Various tools you can make or not expensive to buy (read this website for ideas)
Raw materials for making clay and glazes
Portable table for selling pottery.
Life in the pottery is dusty and I am constantly in a stage of war with it.
Making pots seems like it is all about marketing and very little time spent in the pottery.
Real money does not come from selling pottery but selling supplies and teaching classes so others can make pottery.
Half the fun of being a potter is making the tools, mixing clay and forumlating glazes.
Recieving and sending shipping costs plus business paperwork are pottery killers.
A potter half way around the world has figured out how to make it bigger, better and cheaper.
Walmart has cheap ceramic mugs, bowls and plates.