We were lucky to catch up with Anne Moore recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Anne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew when I got into my college courses for graphic design that I wanted to work in the field of the arts. Once I took my first ceramic class, I knew that my focus would be on clay.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Anne Moore of Annapolis, Maryland, who is a ceramist, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1997 with a concentration in Ceramics and Graphic Design. Upon graduation, she worked at The Annapolis Pottery as a production potter. After her time at the pottery, she transitioned into graphic design and continued with that until she had children. In 2005, she and her family moved to South Carolina and Simpsonville has been their home since then.

No. 3 Pottery opened in February of 2022 in downtown Simpsonville. Anne attributes her success at The Simpsonville Farmers Market for enabling her to move out of her home studio and open a retail store/studio intown. There she creates all of her functional and artistic pottery which focuses on vibrant, saturated colors that are enhanced by texture in the clay. She also offers small, intimate classes.

In addition to Anne’s pottery, you will find other local artists’ pieces in her shop. She features pottery from FaberSmith Press and Pottery, paintings and linocuts by Tim Simmons, and woodwork from Streamside Timbers and several other artists. Anne hopes to help create a vibrant artist community in downtown Simpsonville.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a potter is sharing clay with other people. Next to sitting at the potters wheel myself, teaching clay techniques is one of my favorites things to do. Working with clay can be so therapeutic and parallels life in so many ways. Helping people to slow down and focus on just one thing, the clay, is so freeing and relaxing. Today’s world moves at blinding speeds, but clay takes patience, time, and focus. Whether my students are checking off an item on their bucket list or they want to take a deep dive into clay, every experience I have with my students is truly transformative. I love what I do and I love sharing it with my community.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have been telling people since I was 22 years old that I was going to have a pottery one day. I was fortunate enough to get a job at The Annapolis Pottery, as a production potter, right after I graduated from college and I loved it. Unfortunately, I developed a terrible case of carpal tunnel syndrome and had to stop throwing. I left pottery for several years and worked in graphic design. After I had my first son and my hand had healed, I had to get back into pottery. I have had a couple home studios and we moved from Maryland to South Carolina. Once I got my skills back, I was ready to open my first public studio and then Covid hit. So, instead, I sold online and at our Farmers Market. I was so well received at the farmers market that I felt confident enough to open a shop in town. I signed my lease for the pottery as we all were coming out of the shut downs and supply chain issues. When I signed my lease, my pottery wholesalers shelves were literally empty. I was not going to turn back. I had been telling people for 26 years that I was going to have a pottery and at this point, nothing was going to stop me. Not even lack of supplies. I am now entering into my 3rd year of being in business and each year is better than the one before it. Goals aren’t accomplished overnight. They take time and a lot of patience and perseverance. Do something to touch your dream each day. Whether it is something as small as a thought or plan or an action. Keep your goals and dreams insight.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.no3pottery.com
• Instagram: anne.no.3pottery
• Facebook: No. 3 Pottery

Image Credits
Anne Moore, Cindy Smith