Launching a Holistic 21st Century Career

In the grand scheme of things, I haven’t been potting for very long. Recently someone openly criticised my work and me, saying I don’t deserve what I’ve achieved, because I haven’t invested enough time into the craft. That remark did make me think. The internet, social media and the explosive popularity of ceramics, stoked by Instagram, have brought about a new dynamic, an age of innovative and connected potters, with lots of positive and negative consequences. I often critique the work of diverse potters, whether my own or other pieces I see online in shops and in galleries. It’s a tendency I’ve partly inherited, but perhaps it also stems from how I was taught ceramics, the approach I embraced for the craft and the tens of thousands of hours I’ve invested in my first seven years.