We recently connected with Tiffany Hilton and have shared our conversation below.

Tiffany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I’m so happy to be a self-employed artist and know that it suites me well. I previously had a “regular job” as a library director and slowly transitioned into being a full-time potter after building up my business and mailing list over time. Keeping my own schedule and pace is so healthy for me. Self-employment can be overwhelming at times, but the older I get the more perspective I have and I’m able to step back, see the big picture and stay calm.

Tiffany, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a full time potter and teacher in Northampton, MA who has worked with clay for over thirty years. I’ve been self-employed for ten years making functional dinnerware and serving pieces and teaching pottery classes. Over the pandemic I re-envisioned my studio and moved to a larger space where I could spread out my classroom and offer membership and mentorship options to a small number of dedicated students. I had studied ceramics in college as an undergraduate at SUNY New Paltz, and then studied as an apprentice under Kit Cornell in Exeter, NH. I’m an active member of a thriving community of potters in western MA and help organize an annual studio tour going on twenty years. I’m most proud of the community building work that I’ve done to have established such a supportive following of students, customers and colleagues. I believe that staying in one area for a few decades really helps establish your credibility and recognition. My reputation both as a teacher and an artist keeps me engaged with projects and deadlines for months and years to come. I take a few custom dinnerware orders or wedding gift registries a year and enjoy making pieces that will be part of your everyday celebrations.

While many people now start their business with an international social media following; I started my business selling pots at my local Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning from May through October for five years. It really established my place in the community, amongst food, farmers and my neighbors. My mailing list is very local and when I have an open studio event, people show up in person. Pots are a very tactile object and it’s wonderful to feel the texture of the clay, feel the curve of the handle, and the weight of the piece in your hands. I truly believe that using handcrafted objects enhances our daily lives with beauty and human connection.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After a twenty year marriage ended at the start of the pandemic, I needed to establish a more stable income stream for myself and create a teaching studio that was safer, with more space and ventilation. I collected unemployment that first year when I was not teaching classes or having studio sales. I looked for a new studio space to separate my classroom from my own studio. The planets aligned and the perfect opportunity presented itself. I moved my studio in January 2021 and opened a few months later. I had already surveyed my students to gauge their interest in a membership based studio option and those spaces filled quickly and provided stable, monthly income as I got through my divorce. I named the new studio Pivot Pottery and take pride in offering a quiet, clean studio that inspires creativity and community building.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I am dedicated to practicing my craft and keeping a schedule at the studio. I’m also someone who manages an auto-immune disease and honors where my body is at on any particular day. I am so grateful that I can manage my schedule and find my own work/life balance day to day. If I’m not physically feeling well I can do some office work, update my website, research new glazes, or putter in my garden and take a hammock nap. It is so wonderful to be able to show up for myself in this way and not have to be tied to someone else’s 9-5 schedule. When I am physically feeling well, I can work in the studio from noon til 9pm – or whenever I want! It’s so wonderful to have this autonomy and to be my own boss.

Additionally, I love teaching pottery and sharing my passion with others. It’s such a joy for me to help others learn how to make good pots and the nights they come to pick up their finished pieces are my favorite – when the smiles on their faces are what it’s really all about. Joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tiffanyhilton.com, www.pivotpottery.com
• Instagram: tiffanyhiltonpottery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TiffanyHiltonPottery
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tiffany-hilton-pottery-northampton?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Image Credits
Photos by John Polak, Sandra Costello, Lynne Graves