A New Beginning

I'm not quite sure where to start, but I suppose it all began when I was made redundant in November last year. I had known it was coming so I wasn't unduly shocked. In fact, I welcomed it. My workplace environment was increasingly becoming more toxic and I felt a sense of relief more than anything else when the end finally came.

So, what to do next? Like many unfulfilled artists, my dream has always been to work for myself. Much easier said than done when there are bills to pay! Luckily, myself and my husband are not money-seekers and as long as we have enough to 'get by' we are generally happy. We sacrifice foreign holidays and fancy cars, but even in my previous job we couldn't afford them. We have no children at home (except my furkids) and a low mortgage. In many respects it puts us at an advantage, but even then our decision to be self-employed in the arts is probably a bit mad to say the least, especially with the current state of UK economics and the world in general. Luckily my husband is very supportive of me and is very talented himself, having previously made and sold acoustic guitars and restored antique furniture.

So what was our solution to this? Start a pottery. Yup, you heard me right. With zero experience.

Bud Vase

Steve had never thrown a pot and I had one lesson years ago. Ceramics is something that has always fascinated me though, long before The Pottery Throwdown became a thing (my shocking admission is that I have never watched an episode!). I think what floats my boat is the fact that you can make literally anything - functional or not - from clay; any shape, any form. Sometimes it takes a little bit of thinking about, but usually it can be done!

So, with enough money to last us a year, we decided to take the plunge. We have quickly realised that trying to pack 20 years' worth of pottery experience into a few months is simply not possible, but we're giving it a damn good go. Steve has excelled at throwing on the wheel. He's made a couple of lidded pots already, and he's only about 5 months in. And in that 5 months we also took a few weeks off to completely redesign my art and silversmithing shed too (oh, and Christmas happened as well).

I am making much less progress with throwing. Some days I can make some nice pots; I'm particularly drawn to what I think is an Oriental style with small bases and ridged sides. Other days I am utterly hopeless and slide into despair. As soon as there is pressure to moneterise your art and you feel deadlines are looming it really does suck the fun out of it. Steve, supportive as ever, has encouraged me to do more painting and jewellery-making, and focus more on what I'm good at on the pottery side of things, namely the decoration. I love moulding clay into ceramic flowers to adorn the sides of pots. I will still throw, but it will be a slower learning curve for me I think.

One of the hardest things about ceramics is actually the glazing aspect. You can buy ready-made glazes or mix your own, but trust me when I say it's nowhere near as simple as it sounds. There are innumerable factors that can go wrong just at the glazing stage; no wonder potters often leave things in the hands of the 'kiln gods'!

With the amalgamation of the pottery, jewellery and art aspects of our business, I thought it was time for a rebrand. We will now be known as 'Archer Terry Studios' and I am currently working on the website to reflect that. Although the website will encompass all three strands of our work, I have separate Instagram accounts for each as follows below. It's the most up to date showcase of our work and I would love to see you there - come and say 'hello'!

@archer.terry.ceramics1 - all things pottery

@kellyarcherjewellery - showcasing my silver and enamel designs

@karcher.artist - oils, watercolours and pastel paintings

For fellow potters who would like to see the results of various glaze combinations, we also have a fourth Instagram account:

@atc_glazetests

Steve was right when he said it would take me a while to adjust to working from home. Maintaining mental positivity is the hardest part for me. Without Steve I don't think I would be able to do it, so all kudos to him. I will say, however, that it is amazing to be able to manage your own time, not have to engage with negativity at work, do something that you love and have time to watch the flowers grow!

Over the coming months I will be sending out some more blog posts about our progress (now I have a chance to write them!) so watch out for them in your inbox.

Love Kelly x