Passion in Pottery: how passion can drive growth and creativity

The scent of clay fills your nose as you step around the products built by scurrying students. Each one hunched over building, scraping and perfecting. Every now and then catching a pair of eyes looking up to make sure their environment is the same, so they can go back into their own world of craft.

Ren Younce, a college student, discovered this hobby through pure curiosity, a pastime to get creative with art. Not worrying about what her skills bring to the table, until realizing ceramics has now become a passion. 

She throws the clay onto the hard surface in front of her, making a loud splat that every student in the room has become numb to. Kneading all her strength onto the grey glob before her. Sprinkles of wet clay flying left and right, rubbing the leftovers on her jeans creating a masterpiece of its own. 

“Oh yeah, that dude wears rubber gloves to keep his fingernails clean” Ren says snarky. She highlights the dirty side of things as a part of the process. She even allows streaks of clay to mark her phone as she catches up with messages from earlier. 

“Not everybody likes ceramics because it’s messy. You have to have craftsmanship. If you throw it together it won’t just stick together. You have to spend time finessing the clay” said Ren’s professor, Megan Wolfe.  

Megan sits on the adjustable stool where she has found herself the past 27 years. She dedicated her passion to educating students at UNC Asheville, guiding her students through support and welcoming anyone who is willing to put time in the craft. 

She was once a young adult like the ones she teaches, balancing options of where to go and what to do. She looks around her studio to take in everything she has accomplished here in Asheville. She began her journey in pottery by dipping her toes in the water of ceramics by taking classes in highschool. After graduating, she explored careers including premed and graphic design.

“My dad researched and said you should go to Alfred in New York, but I said no I do not want to do that,” Megan said. After graduating with a master in education from the University of South Carolina, she decided to go to Alfred University and get her ceramics degree. 

Her father sadly passed away before seeing her attend the number one ceramics school. Her journey led her to end up where she is today.

By the way she recalls her moments leading up to Asheville, you can tell she has found her love for ceramics and teaching. She holds up her phone to show me photos of past and current students sleeping at the studio overnight for the gas kiln. Sharing the stories of where past ceramic students have ended up. 

“You can find me here Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes more though if needed. I am usually here for hours,” Ren said as she bends to smooth out her creation.

Free time is not something she has heard of since the beginning of the semester. Finding herself throwing at track practice, then picking up dinner to head to the studio. A class has now started in the middle of the room, a group of students focused on the projected screen. While class continues you see students in every direction operating on their independent works. 

Ren has begun sharing her craft at a coffee shop in her hometown, as well as taking requests through her new clay Instagram account. People are able to find her pieces at Main Street Coffee located in Franklin, North Carolina. 

“I make more mistakes than I do successes,” Ren said. Her work shows how passion thrives off of dedication and time. The process of restarting and going again is one that someone needs to get used to. She makes this clear by the way she smoothes her clay out for twenty minutes before making the goop into a cup. 

“Shit” Ren blurted, not out of anger but eagerness to produce a product she is proud of. By the scrunch of her eyebrows, she’s worried she will not get the mug she’s working towards done in time. Her sponge begins to fall apart as she restarts the process. Starting the guessing game of how fast she should spin the wheel in order to keep the cylinder shape from crumbling.

One tap on the back of her head and she will find herself covered in clay, eyes close to the clay. Centering it in order to go again. Patience is shown in the cleanup as she balances her creations carefully to her shelf. After this process, it’s a matter of waiting for the kiln.

“I think being very exacting is one of the challenges to maintain. A sense of presence, like to be mindful of all of your movements, because the clay has memory. At any point you slip and knock it out of center, it’s gonna be remembered later on in the process, ” said Gabriel Klein, owner and director of Odyssey Clayworks.   

Not everything will go your way. As much commitment one puts forth in their creations, unpredicted circumstances could put a halt in the final product.

“You have to be patient with yourself. It is not a skill that you have ever done before,” said Megan. From an explosion or cracking of the clay, to defects and warping of the shape. It is unforeseen, unpredicted. 

There is nothing else to do but to grab another glob and throw it onto the spinning wheel, which will not stop spinning until you take your foot off the gas. It is important to find balance.

“I had two firings over the years that were really bad, that you get emotional, you know what I mean? You gotta learn from them, I know what I did wrong in both of them. I’ve never done those things again. So there is that part of it” said Kline. Although stress can be a part of the process with clay, Kline emphasizes the importance of pottery for someone’s mental well being. 

“There’s some interesting research with regards to serotonin and dopamine production, pre and post 45 minutes of working with clay, about 80% of people experience an increase in those two neurotransmitters,” said Gabriel. 

While he goes on to explain the benefits of ceramics you catch the sparkle in his eyes knowing that he does what he loves. Surrounding his office are stacks of papers and folders in every direction, it is hard to miss the hard work he brings forth at Odyssey Clayworks.

“I think it was like the very first time I sat down and I did it (pottery) that I got that real peaceful feeling. I find that like a rare one,” said Gabriel. 

Walking into Odyssey Clayworks, you are welcomed with gorgeous artwork and greetings from other crafters. Providing a space for any age and experience, a place that brings fourths a positive recreational experience. Whether that be through classes or summer camps. 

“We work with veterans coming over from Virginia. A lot of them are experiencing post traumatic stress disorder or TBI, traumatic brain injury” shares Gabriel “And then we work with recovery groups like alcohol abuse recovery groups and we work with low income in the area, we give out a lot of scholarships,”.

Since the beginning of Ren’s pottery journey here at UNC Asheville, she made exceptional growth and contributions to the hobby.

”I made a lot of money at the art sale last year. I plan on doing it this semester and next semester. Now that I know what people like, I can start focusing on what they and what I know is going to sell,” said Ren. 

Along with business growth, according to Ren she has started advanced classes and is now someone younger students look up to. 

“Now I guess I am looked at as one of the more advanced students. Now people ask me questions and I get to help people in the studio,” said Ren. ”I have been in their positions before so I know what their thoughts are on starting out with pottery. I like being able to help them and know what I am doing.”

Ren will continue to grow in the field of ceramics and let her passion drive her forward. Passion is not something to give up on, it drives an individual to create and gives them purpose, energy and life.