We recently connected with Jeanette Morrow and have shared our conversation below.

Jeanette, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

While I love creating a body of pieces for a collection release, commission work is at the heart of what I love to make. My most meaningful pieces mark or honor something for the collector. A late grandfather’s flight wings, a vintage brooch worn during a wedding, a shell from a special beach vacation – all of these little treasures getting a new life in a medium that in and of itself holds so much memory can capture so much sentiment. It’s humbling to be entrusted with those types of commissions.

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

I have a vivid memory of sitting in my middle school art class when a lightbulb went on and realized whatever I was going to do with my life, it would have to involve making. The guideposts of that thought led me to focus on any art elective I could sign-up for in high school and ultimately my enrollment in the Savannah College of Art and Design. I had originally wanted to major in Ceramics or Sculpture, but those were not available at SCAD, so I decided to focus on a major that could give me foundational tools to work in multiple disciplines. I took my B.F.A. in Advertising Design to a leading PR firm and had the opportunity to work on global consumer brands. It was cool work and it was hard work. I got to see the way a brand’s idea moved through the world and found it fascinating.

What’s most critical is that during my time at this firm, I was also going through a tremendous amount of loss and grief. My husband and I both lost parents, we lost a best friend, we lost many pregnancies and yet I had to carry on in my corporate job. I don’t begrudge the work, but it definitely awakened a stirring in me to get back to a calling. I needed to get back to that feeling in my middle school art class. After the birth of our daughter, I left my job to start my new roles as mother and independent artist.

It’s been a winding road to finally get to what I’ve always wanted to do. I left that firm a decade ago and I didn’t formally launch my ceramics brand until 2020. I’ve had to be patient and get my life to a point where there’d be margin to feel prepared enough to sell my work. When we moved from Atlanta to New York City seven years ago for my husband’s work, I lost my in-home ceramics studio. A creative setback for sure, but decided to absorb my new city and figure out a way to make the clay pieces I had been envisioning for years. First I rented a shared studio space in Hell’s Kitchen, but ultimately I didn’t have the freedom to make the pieces I wanted to make, so onwards. Finally, in late 2019, we came to terms that we needed to own a space so I could have full creative freedom. If it could also double as a space for our family to take a break from city life, the better. We found a 258-year-old house that would give us all of that in Kingston, NY and thus my work could finally come to fruition.

Inspired by the stories we all carry, my aesthetic is relic-inspired. I want these to be pieces to look like they have lived lives. I think one of the highest compliments I’ve received was from an early stockist who shared their curiosity and excitement for where my pieces would end up decades from now, like a little treasures. I also like to think my intimate experience with grief and the tending of my own wounds has informed my artistic direction. My palette is heavily drawn from nature, a beautiful and relentless reminder of the circle of life. I want every piece to carry a weight. I’m not concerned with perfection, just the feeling it gives you and the feelings it carries for you. I’m excited and eager to share my work with y’all.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I formally launched my business in 2020, I felt a tremendous pressure to have it all buttoned-up. I was trying to apply the same rules from the global campaigns I had worked on in my previous job to my tiny independent artist brand. While I’m thankful for the aesthetic consistency it has given my work, it stunted me on trying new things, on failing and most importantly on playing. I also hadn’t defined what success would look like for me (still working on that, honestly) and that means I’ve said ‘yes’ to the wrong things a few times and experienced some unfortunate growing pains.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The sharing of a piece and it’s warm reception is a connection I don’t take for granted.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jeanettemorrow.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeanettemorrow

Image Credits
All portraits are taken by Jo Lees. All other photos are my own.