Hand Building Ceramic Spoons
These are some of the first hand built ceramic spoons I sold on Etsy. Admittedly, I didn’t think they would sell at all, but once I ranked in Etsy, they sold fairly quickly.
In fact, I recently sold two spoons that I crafted a while back. They both sold on Etsy to the same person. One was a beautiful delicate long spoon with a unique handle with twists and turns.
The other was a small espresso spoon that matched the series above in terms of earthenware clay with a white glaze and rose ornament. So pretty and delicate. I hope she enjoys it for years to come. You just never know when something might sell or who that piece will speak to.
This is a testament to letting go of all expectations and just putting your work out there. Regardless of if YOU think it’s good enough or not. What you may see as not your best work, someone else may see as a piece of art that they want to purchase.
Yes, it really is that simple. But getting to that point involves success and failures and trial and error along the way.
I began my pottery/ceramics journey in late 2018 not knowing a thing about how to make pottery. All I knew was that I had an innate burning feeling in the pit of my core it was something I needed to do.
It took me almost an entire year to get comfortable with centering clay and pulling a wall. To be honest, my wall pulling still needs a lot of work. I never feel fully content with my wall pulling and I don’t know why I can’t pull the clay as easily and as high as I’d like.
Could I practice more and do I feel like I don’t dedicate nearly enough time and practice to it? Sure. Absolutely. My own fault and short comings.
But you know what I am good at? Hand building. I love building a functional piece of art out of clay. Whether it’s a vehicle to hold liquid or serve food to nourish our souls and bodies. It still amazes me that I can make something from mud and water that came from the earth.
You don’t have to be a whiz on the wheel to make or love the craft of pottery making. It took me a long time realize that.
Now, here we are in in January 2024. Over 5 years later. I’m still in love with pottery. I love throwing on my portable wheel and I love throwing tiny pottery on my small pottery wheels, but when I create a spoon or scoop with the hands my creator gave me, that is really what gets me going. So to speak.
A hand built spoon is a one of a kind piece of work. Even if I use a mold or cutter to create the spoon, once my hands touch the clay to smooth and shape it, it will never be the same as the one before or after it.
I love taking a round small ball of clay and shaping it into a form. I never really set out with a specific shape in mind. It depends on so many factors. I begin shaping it and let the clay decide what it wants to become and my hands are they to guide it to it’s final form and destiny.
Making spoons from pinching clay or pinch potting is therapeutic for me. I can sit for hours, but seems like minutes, on my back patio creating them. People seem to like them too because they appear to be excellent sellers in my Etsy shop and here in my Squarespace shop.
If you walk away from this post with at least two points that will stick with you, I hope that one is, if you have a dream of becoming a potter, even if you have no clue where to start, make that dream a reality.
The other point being that even if you don’t think your art is good enough, you never know who your art is going to speak to or for what reason. Don’t be afraid to put your work out there. Remember, we are our own worst critics.
I hope you enjoy the video below and can experience my thought process and skill that goes into hand building a ceramic spoon or scoop that starts from a ball of clay and morphs into a functional piece of art.
