We recently connected with Phoebe Moll and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Phoebe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I am from a family of artists, so art and creativity has always been encouraged in everything I did from the time I was little. Despite my upbringing, I had some stronger you could say left brain tendencies throughout school that pushed me toward STEM fields. Going into college I was on the Pre-Med Neuroscience track with the intention of wanting to study prosthetic nerves. Alongside my STEM courses I was always taking a drawing course as an elective. Each drawing class was 3 hours long, whereas my chemistry class was rough an hour and 20 minutes long and I remember thinking about how much faster the drawing courses felt to me versus a lecture. I would just become completely absorbed in the 3 hour classes.

One day I was sitting in a huge chemistry lecture next to a friend, and she leaned over and goes “Isn’t this interesting? Atoms and how electron configurations work is so amazing.” and it must have felt like I was struck by lightning because first and foremost I realized I didn’t even know what topic the professor was lecturing on, and second I looked down at my sketchbook and had just sketched my professor lecturing instead of taking notes, and third it dawned on me that I was NOT in the class discussing or learning things that interested me at all. This moment turned the tables for me that I might need to make a shift in my long term goals because sitting in countless lectures for years to come truly didn’t sound exciting.

After that moment I started to research, and talk with other creatives on if switching paths might be more suited to me. As odd as it sounds I essentially had an A HA! moment where it felt like my personal world had shifted. Shortly after my research began I started to get internship and job offers regarding my photography which expedited the idea even further.

Phoebe, 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 name is Phoebe Moll and I am a functional potter based in Northern Michigan! I specialize in creating dinnerware and functional goods. I have an earthy, farmhouse style aesthetic with the idea of everyday use while elevating your home.

I got into studying ceramics in college. I had a professor for a required sculpture class suggest that I take a wheel throwing course for an elective because I struggled so much with the creation of sculpture. After that the rest is pretty much history. Entering the class I was in a large transition phase of my life where I was really trying to figure out who I was and what my purpose was. I became totally addicted to studying functional pieces like mugs, dinnerware, bakeware anything that you can use in your everyday life. I found myself thinking about it endlessly and spending hours upon hours learning and growing with the process. The notion that I could picture a functional piece in my head and its use, then make it out of clay was where I fell in love. I loved the idea that my hands were making it and then it was going to be transferred to someone else’s to continue its use.

After taking the beginning class I continued to sign up for every wheeling throwing and clay class I could. I didn’t want to not have that in my life. Because I kept creating I started to build up quite this stock of pieces I began to give away the pieces I could. Then, I began to get questions about selling certain pieces and the business side started to unfold all by itself.

Post college, and fast forward to today. I have a home studio and now sell in a gallery (Three Pines Studio), online restocks, and through custom wholesale or commissioned orders. I love what I do, and I love the lifestyle it allows me to have. My life of living on a farm largely inspires my work, so being able to work outside on my porch in the summer or take a break to go on a walk during the day with my dog really fuels my creative process and I don’t think I’d change it for the world.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the process. Being able to take an idea that was just essentially a seed in your head, take a material and start to work that idea out into a physical, tangible item is honestly unbelievable. You are literally bringing something to life from your mind, and to be able to hold that item and then see it transform into something useful for someone else after the fact is beyond rewarding.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think there are several goals/missions for me that drive my creative journey. Business wise I think the opportunity to make a living and support myself selling my work is huge driving force. Coupled with that, being able to get up everyday and be excited about working is not something everyone gets to experience. That in itself is very important and driving for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://phoebemollceramics.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoebemollceramics_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phoebemollceramics