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

Molly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

I started doing pottery at the age of eight, and fell in love with it immediately. It had just been a passion of mine until I sold my first vase and realized that this might be a career option. I played lacrosse at the time, and a mom of a teammate of mine bought a vase. She gave me a check and wrote a kind thank you note, and I kept that little card on my dresser for years. In fact, it might still be sitting there in my childhood bedroom. Even though it was just one purchase from a kind person, it gave me hope. A door to a new world of possibilities opened for me that day. I still remember the satisfaction of cashing the first ever check for a piece of pottery I made.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi, I’m Molly, the potter behind Dancing Dunes Ceramics. I first sat down at a pottery wheel at the age of eight in my home town of Richland, Washington. I instantly fell in love with the craft. After that moment, I made pottery at every given chance.

While attending Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, I began to miss pottery. I soon found a local ceramics studio and I was hooked once again. Hobby pottery quickly turned into a side hustle, and in 2021 I was able to move into a private studio space.

After graduating in December of 2021, I started working in the public engagement and communications field while running Dancing Dunes Ceramics, but I found myself wishing I could do pottery full-time. In early 2023, I decided to leave my “big girl” job to pursue ceramics. I now have a part-time job to make ends meet with hopes to one day make it my bread n’ butter.

My favorite aspect of pottery is the clay’s natural beauty. At the moment, I use three different clays that each have their own vibrant color worth showcasing. Because of this, many of my pots have exposed portions of clay so it can strut it’s stuff. I typically use soft and earth tone glazes to compliment each clay in a soothing, minimalist manner. A lot of my decorative work such as vases and lamps also explore shape, testing the boundary of traditional ceramics.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my option, there are a few key ways to support artists and makers. Firstly, visit their shows or events to let them know you appreciate their work, show them love on social media, send them a kind text. It can be exhausting and scary to put your work out into the world, and it means so much to artists to receive positive feedback. Next, simply have an open mind when it comes to art and creative professions. Far too many people scoff at the idea of being a professional creative. There are so many stigmas that amplify the “starving artist” lifestyle rather than showcasing way to be both creative and have financial stability. For this reason alone, I felt a ton of societal pressure to get a college degree. Although I am happy to have that educational background, I pushed my dreams of becoming an artist away out of fear that I would not have financial stability. Ironically, I now have a lot of student debt that I make payments on by selling pottery and working part-time. Do not scare creative people into taking a traditional route, because it ultimately will not benefit them or society to try and put them into a box they don’t fit in. The last way to support makers is to buy their creations! If you like something and have the means to purchase it, please do. Buy art that you have a connection to; it is as simple as that. There’s enough mass produced things in this world, and it is so important to celebrate small and local businesses/artists by purchasing their unique goods. Not only will it help make the artist’s dreams come true but it’ll also make your space feel like a true home because it is full pieces that have character and meaning to you.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn – and am still trying to unlearn – is that it’s possible to be an artist or maker while also having traditionally stable things like health insurance and a savings account. I feel like creatives are taught that there are two outcomes to pursing a creative career: you either make it big and become famous, or you are starving and broke. Nobody seems to talk about the middle class artist that is able to comfortably make ends meet through their craft. Is this difficult to do? Absolutely. Is it easier to get a traditional job that comes with guaranteed stability? Absolutely. But, the more I work towards becoming a full-time artist, the more people I meet who defy stigmas and are able to pay their bills while creating full-time. These people inspire me and have slowly taught me that there is a middle ground in which you can both create and survive comfortably within society.

Contact Info:

• Website: dancingdunesceramics.com
• Instagram: @dancingdunesceramics
• Facebook: Dancing Dunes Ceramics
• Other: TikTok: @dancingdunesceramics Etsy Shop: Dancing Dunes Ceramics

Image Credits
Artist Portrait: Dirk Badenhorst