Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lyndsay Dean. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lyndsay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I am the daughter of a fine furniture craftsman and grew up watching my Father design and build custom furniture and so my love for art and my curiosity at self employment began at an early age. I always loved art classes and pursued metal smithing and jewelry making in high school, preferring the metal studio to the pottery studio because at that time I didn’t like getting my hands dirty in clay. I honestly didn’t have the guts to pursue an art degree in college and instead majored in Creative Writing and English with a minor in art history. It wasn’t until I graduated that I began taking pottery classes at a community studio and despite my resistance in high school, the timing was right and I immediately began a love affair with clay. I called home after just a few weeks of taking classes an spending all my free time practicing in the studio and clearly remember saying to my Dad “Remember how you always taught me to find what I’m passionate about and then figure out how to making a living at it? Well, I want to be a potter.”, my Dad’s response was simply “Well, I guess you better get good at it then.”
Lyndsay, 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?
I’ve had my hands in clay and my stomach full of veggies for more than two decades. I’m obsessed with creating functional stoneware pottery, filling it with delicious vegan food and feeding those I love. I’m an only child, born and raised in Southeastern, CT by two incredible parents. I started eating a vegetarian diet during high school. After graduating from high school I spent a decade in Montreal, Canada where I obtained my Bachelor’s degree, became Vegan and worked for The Jane Goodall Institute Canada. I volunteered, working with retired biomedical research chimpanzees at The Fauna Foundation and discovered my love for clay at a community studio. Working for two esteemed chimpanzee advocacy organizations aligned with my ethical choice to live a vegan lifestyle and my activism around animal rights grew.
In 2002, I decided to move back to CT where, with the love and support of my family and friends I opened Meiklem Kiln Works Pottery Studio. What started as a tiny studio offering pottery classes for kids and adults began its expansion in 2006 adding classes in a variety of art mediums and in 2008 we added a wellness studio. For the next decade, the Art & Wellness studios supported a wonderful community of yogis and artists and was a cherished gathering place. I began branding myself The Vegan Potter during vending events at various Veg Fests in and around New England and found that it attracted many like minded individuals to my business and I felt tremendously supported by a community that shared my ethical views. I started a blog sharing vegan recipes in addition to selling my work online through my own website. In 2018, I made the very difficult decision to pivot my career and close the community studios, sell the property and devote more time to honing my own craft. In August 2018 I opened Glaze Handmade in Stonington, CT where I continue to make and sell my pottery. Glaze Handmade provides a unique experience for visitors to watch me work as they browse my retail area.
I make unique, fun and functional pottery that is often designed around animals or plants and carries the message of veganism simply because it is made by The Vegan Potter, and is sometimes adorned with plant based quotes. I often get the question ” what makes the pottery vegan?” and I respond with the fact that I don’t use any animal related ingredients in my glazes and refrain from using tools that may contain animal hair or leather. I am grateful to use my ART as ACTIVISM .Quite possibly the most radical thing I have ever done in my life was to make a conscious choice to live a vegan lifestyle nearly 30 yrs ago. For me veganism as a whole, is not only about leaving meat off our plates and raging against the injustices of animal agriculture but also to sheds light on how animals are being exploited from trophy hunting to TV & Movies, circuses, zoos and aquariums.
My business decisions are often driven by my ethics and values and they are often are the driving force behind creating new collections. When Roe v. Wade was overturned in summer of 2022, I launched my Catalyst for Change Collection which featured mugs with quotes that would surely spark conversations wherever they found a home and I was happy to donate part of the proceeds to Planned Parenthood & The National Network for Abortion Funds, two non profits at the front lines of the fight to regain our body autonomy. The Catalyst For Change Collective not only helped me channel my own rage in a positive way but also reminded me of the incredible power of community, because each and every person who chose to purchase a mug had a story to tell about why they were angry too and where they planned to take their mug to spark conversations in work places and homes across the country.
I owe a debt of gratitude to anyone that has ever supported my business from being a former pottery student to, purchasing at an event or online, to retailing my work in their own shop and all those who have visited me in person, commented on or liked a post or engaged in meaningful discourse around my art and activism. Clay has always been and continues to be a great healer for me, providing me with a therapeutic outlet that has adapted with me throughout my journey.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
If there is one thing I am, it is a Maker. When I’m not making pottery, I’m making vegan food. Being a Maker is not necessarily a ‘want to’ it’s a ‘have to’. I am a maker at my very core and I’m not happy unless I’m actively engaged in the creative process whether it be brainstorming a new idea, helping a fellow business owner with their own creative endeavor, using my own hands to craft an object or cooking delicious plant based food. For me, being a maker and an entrepreneur has always gone hand in hand. I’m an incredibly driven individual and I don’t tolerate much idle time in my schedule. Being a Maker can be a blessing and a curse. While I don’t struggle with motivation I do struggle with allowing myself time to rest and reset. There is an ever present inner voice that demands that I connect my craft with my ethics and values and continue to pursue my passions with relentless abandon.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I have struggled at times with a worthiness complex, making me feel inferior because I don’t hold an art or a business degree. After 20 yrs in business, I’ve learned to reinvent myself, remain relevant, be fluid and continue to learn on an everyday basis. In the early years I tried to keep my personal thoughts out of the business sphere, trying not to connect my business with my political views or values. It wasn’t until an elder and highly successful small business owner asked me if he could offer me a piece of advice that I began to shift my personal views into my business brand. This is what he said “People want to know who owns the business and what their story is.” Such simple advice but it truly resonated with me because the first page I visit on any small business website is the ‘About’ page!
Contact Info:
- Website: TheVeganPotter.com
- Instagram: @TheVeganPotter @GlazeHandmade
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheVeganPotter/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Theveganpotter
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/glaze-handmade-stonington
Image Credits
Lyndsay Meiklem Dean all product shots Christopher Duggan Photography (the photo of me in striped shirt at the wheel) Kuenn Productions (photo of me holding bowl in front of shelving)