We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura-paige Keller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Laura-Paige, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I earned a BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramics from James Madison University; however, I wasn’t confident that I would have a steady income as a creative, so while in college I also studied Art Education and received my teaching license. I spent 8 years in the public school art studio teaching kids about creativity and problem solving through art challenges. In the evenings and on the weekends I played with clay in my pottery studio. For a while it was just a “hobby.” Then I started selling my pieces to make space to create more. Over time I started selling through local stores, at art markets, and on Etsy. Little by little my business, LPMpottery began to grow. In 2024 a local pottery studio, Friendly City Clay and Art Center opened and they asked me to teach for them. That Spring I was teaching in an Elementary School full time, teaching adult wheel throwing classes at night, creating pieces for art markets, and preparing for my first solo gallery show. It was a crazy time, but it set me up to be able to step back from teaching and fully embrace being a full time potter. I was hesitant to leave teaching, because I knew I was going to miss my students, but teaching pottery to adults and kids in my community fills that void. Many of my past students and past co-workers have taken classes with me at Friendly City Clay. I appreciate my time in public school, because I needed that time to grow as an educator, hone my pottery style, and build my customer base.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have always loved playing with clay. There is something so magical about taking something from the earth and creating one-of-a-kind pieces for your home.
Mugs are my favorite piece to make. Drinking out of a mug is an intimate experience. Sometimes it is part of your morning routine or a special treat. My goal is to make a mug that fits perfectly into your hands. I call my handle an “upside down handle” because it has a wider opening at the bottom and more narrow opening at the top. This is the opposite of a traditional diner mug. This design is intended to fit comfortably in the natural grasp of your fingers. I also angle the bottom of the mug in so that your pinky finger rests slightly under the body of the mug to help support it in your hand. I am always tweaking this design to make the most cozy fit. People often ask if they can touch my pottery when it is on display and I always say “YES! You have to! You need to make sure it is the right fit.” I drink everything out of mugs, some that I have made and some that I have collected. There are certain mugs that I use for tea vs. hot cocoa vs. ice cream vs. wine… because each experience is different.
Recently I have been experimenting with surface designs on my pottery. I enjoy exploring color. My most recent gallery show focused on landscapes I saw while driving across the US. I broke up each landscape into a handful of colors and painted those colors onto mugs that I had carved triangles into. I call this design “Trianglescape” because it is abstracting a landscape and portraying it through colorful triangles.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
It is significantly cheaper to buy a mug from a big box store. However, all of those pieces are the same and do not have the care and attention to detail that a handmade mug has. When you buy a work of art from a creative, your support makes their heart explode. They have spent countless hours designing, planning, problem solving, creating, refining. They have poured their soul into their pieces and it means so much when you validate their hard work. It is easy and convenient to order from Amazon or shop at big box stores, but if we worked a little harder to support local businesses and creatives think of all the smiles we could be putting on real peoples faces.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I enjoy selling my work at art markets, because I love meeting my customers. I enjoy hearing their stories and getting to know them. It goes the other way too. When I remember a returning customer, their face lights up. I recently asked a customer if their mom liked the spoon rest they gave her for Christmas last year. They were shocked that I remembered and told me that their mom sent them back to get a matching salt cellar. These little interactions are what make individuals feel valued and I find it so rewarding to be a part of that. It is also fulfilling when customers tell me stories, like the woman who came back because her sister loved my mug so much that she stole it. Or the couple who told me they use my pasta bowls every night. It makes my heart explode to hear that my pottery is meaningful to other people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lpmpottery.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lpmpottery/
Image Credits
Brianna Copeland