We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Meagan Dewberry. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Meagan below.
Meagan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I began my ceramics journey when I was in high school. Pottery was offered as an elective and I always enjoyed art classes and being creative as a kid so I decided to try it out. I took two semesters where I learned the basics and found a love for ceramics. When I graduated and went off to college, I tried to get into ceramics as an elective course but was never lucky enough to be one of the few able to snag a spot. After graduating from college in 2015 with a degree in Information Technology, I got a job in the real world working as a technology consultant. I traveled all over the United States working for large corporations and soon realized living out of a suitcase was not for me. There were two things that I really wanted that I could not have doing this job. One was to have a dog and the other was to pick back up ceramics. After a year of traveling every week, I got a new job where I was finally grounded. I adopted a toy poodle named Jax and began establishing my side business, Murphy Made Clay! I joined The Red Dot Art Gallery as a student in one of their pottery classes in the spring of 2016 and have been working out of the studio ever since. I do believe that the timing of everything has worked out well. I sometimes wish I had started sooner, but I got to experience a life I never would have expected. I was able to live outside of my comfort zone for a year which is something I believe everyone should do!
Meagan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Meagan Dewberry. I began my ceramic journey back in high school. I always loved crafts, drawing, and painting. When I had the opportunity to try a different form of art as an elective in school, I decided to give it a try. I fell in love with ceramics right away. Years later I was able to get back into pottery as an adult and create my own little business, Murphy Made Clay. This is where I envision and create fun pieces that are functional and decorative. Most of my pottery tends to live within two themes, ocean life and my faith. I am a beach girl through and through and you can see that in my pottery. This includes my shark mugs, sand dollar mugs, coral reef decorative bowls, and sea turtle charms! I also like to display my Christianity through my pottery by adorning crosses onto mugs, making nativity scene serveware, and creating cross trinkets. These trinkets are small little reminders you can keep close by or in your pocket to help you remember that God is always with you no matter what you are going through. I have also been called the “pumpkin girl” at the studio because when fall comes around I always produce dozens of decorative pumpkins. I also enjoy making ghost tea lights which are one of my favorites. I carve each one with a different expression and no two are alike! You can use them as decorations to welcome in the fall and Halloween season! Something that I would want other creatives to know is that just because it is a hobby doesn’t mean you can’t turn it into a business. It takes a lot of work and trial and error, but having a hobby that can pay for itself is very rewarding!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is seeing the smile your art puts on someone’s face or seeing how they can connect your art to an experience they had. There have been several times where I have seen someone be instantly drawn to a piece I had created and then share with me their story that connects them to it. Seeing an item bring the same level of joy to someone as I had while making it is definitely a great feeling!
: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal for this business is to share my talents with others to hopefully help brighten their day. While this is not my career, it is something that brings me happiness and joy to others. I am very blessed and grateful to be able to have a small impact in the lives of my customers.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @MurphyMadeClay
- Facebook: @MurphyMadeClay