We were lucky to catch up with Liz Eitel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Liz, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started my ceramics journey in college. I attended Gallaudet University in Washington DC originally majoring in Interpreting. I’ve always been creative and took a ceramics class for fun my sophomore year. That turned into a double major in Studio Art, and Interpreting. Gallaudet is a small University so my ceramics class size was very small, I was able to work 1:1 with my professor and mentor to be able to develop my skills. My studio education was more of an apprenticeship than it was a traditionally structured art curriculum. While a 1:1 education was great, working alone as a young artist was difficult. I didn’t have a community of peers to discuss my ideas and my work with. Because of this, my technical skills improved much faster than my own individual style developed. It took a long time for me to make work that looked like mine and not like my mentors. Sometimes I still find myself defaulting to making something in the same shape and style as my mentor instead of my own.

After college I took a break from ceramics. Living in DC with little money didn’t really lend itself to renting a studio space. After a 5 year hiatus, I moved back to NJ and finally took the leap into opening my own studio. I had to relearn quite a lot. I had to practice a lot and my earlier mugs make me cringe, but after about two years of fumbling around I finally found my feet again.

The most essential skill in ceramics in my opinion is being willing to try things. Try a new shape, try a new glaze, try and fix your own equipment. Know the limits and push them. Experiment. I learn so much about my materials just by trying different things. I figure out what works for me, in my environment. That’s not something you can learn from a textbook or class.

I think the biggest ceramics obstacle is space. Where are you going to work? Ceramics is not something you can casually set up in the spare bedroom of your apartment. You need some serious electrical work done to install a kiln safely. They’re are a lot of hazards when working with raw materials. We bought a house with the intention of putting a studio in the garage, and this is just not something that everyone wants to, or can do. Some artists work in community studios, where all these things are taken care of for you. When I started working again – a community studio was something that did not exist in my area.

Liz, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I officially got my ceramics start in college. I went to Gallaudet University with a major in Interpreting (a fun fact about me: I am fluent in American Sign Language), and then later added a double major in Studio Art. Gallaudet is where I fell in love with making functional work. I love the idea of making something useful, beautiful, durable, and sustainable. I want my work to be used, not displayed on a shelf never to be touched.

My glazes are typically minimalist. Occasionally I’ll get a spark to do something more decorative – you’ll see me release these collections once or twice a year- but I feel there is something really beautiful about a well crafted, comfortable piece of ceramics that you love to use. I make lots of functional pieces, but I love to make mugs. That favorite coffee mug you won’t let anyone else in the house use. The one you’ll look for and wash instead of using an already clean one in your cabinet. The one you’ve had for years with the chipped handle but you won’t get rid of it because it’s the perfect fit in you hands. Those are the mugs I strive to make.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society can best support artists and small businesses by buying from them. Shop local! Buy that painting you love. Buy that glass dish that you think is so cool. Buy that coffee mug that made you smile. Buying directly from artists and small businesses makes a huge impact. If you can’t afford to buy something then show up in other ways. Show up for your artist friend’s event. Show up for that new business opening on your local Main Street. Leave glowing reviews for small businesses you love. We cannot compete with companies like Amazon Target, or Walmart. We don’t have the overnight shipping, the insanely low cost, the seemingly unlimited inventory. If communities want to see more artists, more small businesses, more family restaurants in their community then they have to shop there.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

In my years as a maker (and even as an interpreter) I have noticed that many non-creatives will comment about how “fun” making things as a job seems. Or they’ll write it off as a real job completely. Some have even asked me “so what’s your real job?”. (Imagine if someone asked my data-base building, work in corporate America, husband “so what’s your REAL job?”)

Is my job fun? Sure. I like what I do. I like making things and developing new ideas. I like the thrill of going to markets and meeting new people, and seeing people who have been buying my work for years. But it’s still work. There are certainly aspects about my job as a maker that I don’t like. Ask anyone who does this for a living – they don’t love it all. Just because our jobs aren’t the traditional commute-to-an-office 9 to 5 type of work, doesn’t mean it’s all fun all the time. Makers pick this path for a variety of reasons, some like the flexibility of working for yourself, some like the freedom, some like the challenge. Whatever it is – our work is not worth less because it’s ‘non traditional’. Most of us probably can’t even imagine a life of working at a desk job.

I can say that the unpredictability of a creative job makes some people (my parents, specifically) very nervous. There are a lot of ups and downs in this line of work that non-creatives might not be used to, and it scares them. The sales ebb and flow with the seasons, the economy, and other global events and income is not always reliable. For most of us that’s just part of the business planning. It’s part of the job. We aren’t all built for a 9-5 job, just like we aren’t all built to be makers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stonehousestudionj.com/
• Instagram: Stonehousestudionj