We were lucky to catch up with Tanner Sawitz recently and have shared our conversation below.

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

I think that – with ceramics – it is inherently a slower learning process than a lot of other art forms, due primarily to the fact that there is a lot of waiting involved. You have to wait for your work to dry to see if it will crack. You have to wait to fire it. You have a lot of post-fire processes that require an additional day or two of waiting. Having a home studio and a father who already knew the craft were definitely the biggest factors in speeding up my learning process, but regardless of how lucky I was, there is still a limit to how quickly you can grow as an artist in this medium. One reason I do small scale forms is so I can work on many things simultaneously, which helps ease the pain of constantly waiting for work to fire, etc. One essential skill that is often overlooked is note-taking and organization. Having a reliable and consistent format for writing down what worked and what didn’t will always help you improve faster. If a glaze fire didn’t turn out, make sure you take photos and document why you think that was so you can reference it next time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a ceramic artist focused solely on small scale, porcelain, crystalline-glazed pottery. Half of my work is non-functional (bottles, jars) and half is functional (incense burners, jewelry jars, perfume jars). I grew up watching my father teach ceramics and eventually took his class in high school. I got hooked on the wheel and only wanted to throw. I found a couple small scale artists whom I loved and started throwing small, as well. A few years into my practice I started trying crystal glazes with my dad, and we both caught the crystalline bug. Crystal glazing is the most technical form of glaze in ceramics and most things don’t turn out the way you want at first. But once you have a small tase of success, it’s pretty addicting. I ended up posting my work on Instagram and was fortunate to gain a decent following, largely due to my trimming videos, which are a bit unconventional and visually interesting. I currently do multiple fine art shows around California and am represented in several galleries. I also sell my work online through multiple platforms. My next big step will be opening a Los Angeles-based pottery studio for public use in 2025!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

For starters, in general it is SO important to constantly be seeking resources aimed towards growth and learning. We have access to pretty much anything we want, whether through apps, TV, libraries, etc, and our ability to learn is only controlled by how much time we have in the day. There are far too many impactful resources to list, but I’ll pick a few that come to mind. As far as entrepreneurship goes, the podcast (and book!) How I Built This has been a staple for years. It is an interview series about how successful entrepreneurs got their start and grew their businesses. Atomic Habits, The Power of Bad, and The Charisma Myth are all wonderful books aimed at various aspects of improving your life and moving forward. I implement their lessons every day. Classics like The Last Lecture and The Alchemist are must-reads for anyone. Deeper cuts would be Extreme Ownership and The Compound Effect, which taught me to stick it out, focus on consistency, and take responsibility. Anyone who wants to be a successful business owner or leader MUST also be a constant sponge for growth and learning.

How did you build your audience on social media?

While we will always be subject to the spontaneous changes of the algorithms, a few things remain consistent: post quality stuff and post consistently. Secondly, I would also say that authenticity goes a long way, and this could just mean showing your audience that you actually are passionate for what you’re doing, rather than just trying to make money. One golden rule I heard about social posting is that posts should be either entertaining, educational, or inspiring. I think that’s a pretty good rule. I have found success largely due to my videos: the subject matter of time lapse throwing and trimming is pretty great for bite-sized social content, and I went to film school, so I know a bit about shooting and lighting content.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tsawitz-ceramics.myshopify.com
• Instagram: @tsawitzceramics
• Facebook: Tanner Sawitz Ceramics
• Other: My ceramics studio coming to Pasadena, CA in 2025:
  stonecoyote.la