Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jo Ann Pilston. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Jo Ann thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

When someone decides to “try pottery”, the prevailing thought is that they have to go to a pottery studio, or appropriately-equipped community/art center to try their hand at hand building or using a potters wheel. When my ceramics hobby became a business, I decided to make the creative side more accessible to interested people. My small studio is in my home, and there are space limitations, so the plan was to take prepared material, tools and equipment – to a location of the Client’s choosing. The “traveling show” could take place at a makers space, a paint and sip location or a private home – provided class size, price, and travel distance make financial sense. I bring the experience to them. I teach students how to hand build a mug or seasonal decorative pieces for their homes, and they get to try something different, to see if it kindles interest – without investing much time, travel, or money.
More and more – people are shopping for experiences and looking to try new things. Offering an interesting evening event, that engages creativity – and leaves the customer actually holding their own handmade piece has been rewarding and successful. The positive feedback has been wonderful. Clients start the class saying “I can’t do that”, or “I’ve never been creative” and finish admiring their creation, and asking about subsequent events.

Jo Ann, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Most of my family has been blessed with the skills to create, and engage in various hobbies. My mother is an amazing quilter/seamstress, my sister also quilts and dabbles in other crafts, an aunt was a skilled painter, and my father built beautiful hardwood furniture. I was beginning to reckon the creative gene must have jumped right past me, as I can not even sew on a button. Years ago, I was working full time in the Human Resources field and wanted to find a de-stressing activity or hobby to putter with in the evenings. Pottery seems to be one of those things that a lot of folks “are going to try some day”. . . . I decided it was time to give it a go, it looked fairly easy so I signed up for a membership at a local studio, that was run by a woman that could show me the basics, and had the correct equipment for me to explore different methods. I spent a lot of time there, and later ran that studio, and taught classes there. The interest was there. I enjoyed the process, and I’ve developed a style, and just kept going and learning by taking classes, attending seminars, visiting other potters, and watching others on social media. I joined a few FB groups and read everything I could about pottery. One year my husband gifted me a very used wheel and a very used kiln for Christmas. The equipment allowed me to produce on my own, from home – and at a rate that I could bring my goods to market. Nearly all of my ceramics are functional, made for every day use in peoples homes, my first big selling item was a sponge holder, and to this day that item is still a top seller. I smile when customers tell me they have a collection of my mugs, as I collect and use other potters’ mugs.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

My husband and I always enjoyed riding motorcycles, so one evening we decided to take a ride and go for dinner. On the ride home a speeding deer jumped right on the front of my bike and I had no time to react. The impact sent over the handlebars and I awoke to EMTs loading me into an ambulance, then an ER, and a helicopter ride. I ended up with 5 broken ribs, broken right thumb, torn rotator cuff, lacerated spleen and kidney. Not exactly the evening we had in mind when we decided to go for dinner. I couldn’t drive, or return to work for 6 months, due to dizzy spells, and other issues. I had just started a new HR job 2 weeks prior, and they were unable to hold the position open until I could return. I had lost my job and had a lot of healing to do. I was back at my potters wheel as soon as possible, and also doing slab work. Sitting at the wheel after the long recovery was like they say, riding a bike. I thought I was going to have to learn the technique all over again but I had retained the muscle memory. My husband and I had some long discussions, and I decided to do pottery full time.
The old, original equipment has been replaced with state-of-the-art gear, and my studio now occupies the whole basement floor of our home. I do not regret making that decision, and have been blessed with unexpected growth in the last year. The classes have been a huge part of my business. I enjoy going out and meeting the people and spending time with them, laughing and creating. I keep my classes light and fun. What would be the point of choosing this for a career, and not enjoying the ride? I love what I do and I love the people who make it possible for me to keep going.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When I fire my pieces in the kiln, I do a FB live kiln opening, everyone gets to see and experience what it’s like. I always say, it’s like opening presents and I love presents (who doesn’t). I show everything – good, bad and ugly. I experiment a good amount with layering different glazes. New combinations can result in disaster, other times, the result surpasses expectation. When customers take my classes, I post that I am doing a live kiln opening at a certain time and that their pieces are in there. It is a way to get them engaged and follow me on social media. Most times, I have repeat customers in the classes because they enjoyed the process so much and love watching the kiln openings. Selling my pieces in local artisans shops had also helped build my audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jopilstonpottery.com
• Instagram: #jopilstonpottery
• Facebook: @jopilstonpottery
• Yelp: Jo Pilston Pottery
• Other: Ticktok @joannstivensonpilston

Image Credits
Jane Shellhamer