We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelsey Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kelsey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I have been a public high school ceramic teacher for the last 7 years. I’ve always loved my job. I think the kids are funny, I get to manage my own room, and I get the summers off. I looked around at teachers in other subjects that were burning out and realized that I honestly don’t have the same stressors they do. Overall, my job was pretty sweet. Still, at the beginning of this school year I found myself tossing and turning with this idea of leaving teaching to open my own ceramics studio. I couldn’t grow my business any further if I kept it as a side hustle. I knew it would be my last year. I began looking at commercial locations in town and slowly getting my affairs in order. So many things fell into place that it became a no brainer that this was the right move for me. Still, I would wake up at night feeling like I’m going to fail. I’m going to financially destroy my family. No one is going to show up. I never fully understood what imposter syndrome was until I experienced it. It has taken months of reassurance from my friends, family, and husband to shake away those fears…mostly. Today, as I am beginning construction and wrapping up my teaching career. This is the biggest risk I have ever taken and I know its going to be the biggest payoff yet.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Kelsey and I own Rising Dawn Ceramics. I make pottery that I design to be simple, beautiful, and durable. My goal is for my customers to use their pottery everyday. This means most of my work serves a functional purpose. Mugs, bowls, vases, spoon rests, etc. I never touched clay until college and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with it. I vividly remember a moment in my college studio when I was wedging clay (which isn’t even a fun task) and I turned to the person next to me and said “do you ever have a moment where you just know you are supposed to do this for the rest of your life?” After practicing pottery for 7 years I opened Rising Dawn Ceramics in January of 2020. Great timing, right? Throughout the past few years my style and decoration has changed and shifted, but one thing has always remained consistent- I let the beauty of the raw clay body show and I have the natural textures do the talking. This year I am expending my business and opening a community pottery in downtown Fargo, ND. I plan to dive deeper into my work, ramp up my production, and teach emerging artists and beginner potters,
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
One major goal I have with my new studio is to get community members hands into clay. I’ve been looking into how much of our life we will spend on our phones (do the math, it’s actually devastating) and it’s a lot harder to be on your phone if your hands are covered in clay. I want to help people spend their free time practicing a craft, finding their creative voice, making new memories, meeting new people, and unplugging.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that there is a “correct” way of doing things. A major lesson that I have learned is that there are no rules or standard paths when it comes to discovering your creative voice and vision. Everyone goes through life with different goals and methods and thats ok. It’s actually more than ok. It’s what helps our world turn.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.risingdawnceramics.com
- Instagram: @risingdawnceramics
Image Credits
Studio Freshly Fargo, ND