We recently connected with Codey Holliday and have shared our conversation below.

Codey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I had a house fire in 2010 a year after graduating from university. Before this, I had this vision of myself, a creative person, using my art for the tangible good of the world. (At this point I was just a painter)

When I lost all my art in a fire, and my home, and my car, I was totally despondent. My goals and aspirations felt like they were rudely interrupted. Locked down into concrete and ash. This living between something and nothing place felt like a sucker punch that landed me flat on my back with no plan and no ideas to move forward.

I knew I had this creative spark and so badly yearned to share it with the world, but what business did a young, hardy, foolish twenty-something really have to offer. In a state of total loss, I moved back into my parents basement, reeling from this turn of events and trying to figure out how I could keep my creative momentum going.

I began exploring photography, doing free photo shoots for people just to get some practice under my belt. This pursuit led me to reconnect with an old friend from college who had recently started up a pottery business. He asked me up to do a photoshoot for him. When I went there we stayed up late talking and dreaming about all these amazing possibilities for his business, and from there I got to help build a visual identity for his brand.

Fast forward a few months and I suddenly found myself working full time for this young potter/entrepreneur helping him vision cast and run a pottery business. At this time I had only basic experience in the clay arts world. In two years we built that company from two dudes around a dusty table in a garage, to 50 plus employees in two production locations. When I finally left this chapter of my life 5 years later to pursue my own ideas and passions with clay, I was the creative director, and second only to the CEO. I was his right hand man.

This story, my origin story for becoming a business owner in the wild world of ceramics, started with despair, started with a total loss, started with ashes. I stayed hungry, I kept trying new things, and I got lucky, because I took risks, because I kept putting my work out into the world, to be rejected or otherwise, someone saw me, someone saw potential, and we fanned a flame together to build something special in a business, doing tangible good in the world for others. That business has gone on to surmount 14 million dollars in sales.

All this to say, don’t feed the artist, because discomfort breeds creation. Stay pursuant of risks, making mistakes, because you never know when the moment to jump into your future self, is right around the bend.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I fell in love with the medium of ceramics, namely pottery, because of the tangible and functional uses it has. A functional art feels exciting for me because there are so many angles from which to approach it. I currently offer coffee mugs, espresso mugs, tumblers, sippers, flasks/canteens, pitchers, serving bowls and I’m sure all sorts of other things under the sun. My work is signature because of the faceted and carved feet on the bottom, this makes every piece distinct, unique, with that handmade touch.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building an audience on social media is tough, but one thing feels to be a truth. You have to be sincere, authentic, and true. If you do that, you will draw in those initial brand ambassadors, and early adopters that will sustain an infrastructure of involvement for your business. With todays social media algorithms constantly changing and social media coaches constantly pivoting on what’s the best course of action, do your best, stay consistent, let the work speak.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to take a step away from ceramics for a few years to build a functional studio and solidify my ideas for a business. During this time I was a full time High School Art Teacher. This was a rewarding and helpful time in my journey as I got to help direct and mold young creatives into their own artistic voices. I was always working and creating pottery on the side, in hopes of fully returning to my ceramics passion and reconnecting my work with the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.claytable.com
• Instagram: @claytable
• Facebook: @claytable