We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maria Frey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maria below.

Alright, Maria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Some days I find myself looking back and wondering what it would be like if I was still at a regular job. However, I’m reminded that pursuing this art has been my greatest passion and makes me happy. I carry this quote with me from renowned potter, Warren MacKenzie: “The challenege is to do the thing you have to do because you’re in love with it and can’t do anything else. Not because you want to become famous or rich, but because you will be unhappy if you can’t do it.”

Maria, 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?

My professional career has always been in a creative field. I worked nearly 20 years as a graphic, web, and user experience (UX) designer. I worked my way up to being an Associate Creative Director for a Fortune 100 company, but designing and creating digital things started to take its toll. I longed to get away from my desk, work with my hands, and interact with people face to face.

During the majority of those years I held pottery as a hobby. Working in clay had a large part in bringing me community and peace during some busy and transitional times in my life. Leading a lump of clay through the extreme processes to become a functional vessel can be precarious at times. Despite the occasional disappointments, I always found joy in spending my time as a ceramic artist. This realization ultimately led me to turn my hobby into a full-time career in 2020.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have always been enamored with the surface aesthetic of soda-fired pottery. In the spring of 2023 I was awarded a Creative Fellowship Grant in order to build a kiln that will allow me to further explore the soda-firing process and equip me with the means to fire a sustainable amount of work. This opportunity is a huge milestone that will change much about my studio practice and allow me to pursue the deep artistry I’m after in making this type of pottery on a large scale.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I make a lot of utlitarian pottery. Items such as cups, bowls, and vases made to fit into daily life. I once heard that a pot is never finished until it’s used and I take this to heart. While I love the act of making, it’s most rewarding when the process is finalized outside of my own hands. Someone else using my artwork is a reminder that I’m not doing this just for myself and that clay is most definitely a community craft.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.potteriastudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariafrey/
• Other: https://potteria.substack.com/

Image Credits
Portrait by Nancy Pierce