We were lucky to catch up with Melissa Green recently and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

After two years as a pottery student, my teacher and studio owner decided to sell her business and leave the country for good. I was a full time commercial real estate banker at the time, with a young child an in no position to quit my job. Three other women students and I got together, raised some capital from our personal savings, and bought the business lock, stock, and barrel. We desperately searched for a place to open a studio. We had about two weeks left on the existing lease, which couldn’t be renewed.

One afternoon, I was meeting with a real estate customer, and we were chatting about my new venture and our need for space. He asked me if we could incorporate and sign a lease in three days – he was buying a building, lost his commercial tenant, and the bank wouldn’t close the deal unless there was a signed lease. My partners and I looked at the space – loved it – and somehow managed to get all the necessary paperwork done in 72 hours. I should add the space was twice what we thought we needed but had a pretty garden in the back. It had been occupied by a hatmaker – so we were lucky it had a separate kiln room already bult out, as well as proper plumbing and a small retail space. We were terrified – but from the day we opened our doors, we had full classes and studio potters on a wait list. The relief was palpable – we never looked back. I worked my real estate banking job during the week and covered the studio weekends and a few evenings. The best time of my life (and also the most exhausting).

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a real estate professional with 30+ years experience in the business (credit trained banker). I became a potter by accident. It was always something I was interested in but never pursued. One night, I had a fight with my husband about how I never walked our dog. So I grabbed the leash, and stormed out. I happened to pass by a loft building that had lights on, so I stopped to look. A woman was unpacking, and there was a sign on the window that said pottery lessons were starting soon. She saw me standing looking in, came over, unlocked the door and introduced herself. I signed up for lessons on the spot.

We became good friends, and I took lessons from her for almost two years. When I bought the business with my partners, it started a whole new journey. I never thought of myself ss either an entrepreneur or a creative person, so buying the business was a real risk for me, and a change in the way I perceived myself.

After two years, my original partners wanted out, so I bought the whole business and restructured it as a cooperative with 11 other partners, all potters and all with other jobs. It was crazy but it worked – I learned I was never alone, someone always had my back (and I had theirs) and many hands truly make light work. Eventually, life changes reduced the partners to a total of 6, and ten years after the co-op began, three of us accepted a buyout offer from the other three. The business continues to run successfully, and I still work there as a studio potter.

Creatively, the two years following the buyout were actually my most productive. I was laid off from my banking job, got my real estate license, but was able to concentrate on my craft. I explored different firing techniques, explored color, texture, and patterns, and really “dug” into the clay. My work and style developed, and I experimented with shapes and space. I’m still learning, but what I know I love best is using color and texture to enhance form, I love modifying wheel thrown pots with hand built elements, Even after more than 25 years, I still consider myself an amateur, and I’m still learning.

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.

I learned a lot. The buyout period with my partners was painful, but I learned I was resilient and stronger than I thought I was. I learned that goals can and should change, and the universe can usually be trusted to lead you in the right (if unexpected) directions. My journey as a creator has not been an even path – but when I look at my most successful pieces, I have a sense of pride and accomplishment that is difficult to describe. I’ve closed multi-million dollar deals with internationally known names in commercial real estate, but my most satisfying moments (other than those related to being a parent!) come from the magic moment of opening up a kiln and seeing my pieces for the first time in a finished state.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I accepted the buyout from my partners, i had to pivot from being an owner to being a customer – a studio potter like any other. This was so difficult – the biggest lesson I learned was to keep my opinions to myself and let others make their own mistakes- they would be different from mine and that was okay.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @melissagreen57
• Facebook: melissagreen57
• Linkedin: melissaegreen
• Yelp: [email protected]
• Other: www.greenwareceramics.com