Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sierra Kirsche. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sierra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Am I happy being an artist? Did i pick the right career path instead of searching for a “regular” job? My confidence wavered for a long time when faced with this question. Being a creative is vulnerable. It is a part of yourself you pitch to the world in hopes someone will find it worthy of the price you ask for. It’s exhausting to have the pressure of constantly creating new concepts and products to keep your audience interested. It’s sometimes inconsistent financially, and being a single mother in today’s economy, was a concern I carried with me for a long time. But with all of this doubt and pressure, I can confidently say I love being an artist. I’ve even grown to love the challenges: the fear, fatigue, failure-it pushes the boundaries that I subconsciously put myself in. Being an artist created a community for me. It became a space I found myself within and showed the importance of being a part of a creative movement.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I come from a family of artists. Growing up my mom taught art lessons out of our home so I was raised in a creative environment. I got my start in ceramics in high school when my mom for Christmas signed the two of us up for a beginners wheel throwing workshop at a local studio, Good Dirt, in Athens, Ga. From there, I was hooked. I studied ceramics and sculpture in college and graduated in May of 2020, amidst peak Covid. My plan was to take time to travel and further my education, but due to the pandemic I ended up moving back home with my parents and started up my little ceramics business as a side gig right in their backyard. It’s hard to believe that nearly 4 years later I get to pursue this business full time. My style has changed tremendously over the years but a certain element of the natural world and the human experience within that has remained quite consistent in my works. I specialize now in making every day wares a bit more imaginative. I love mixing the use of bright colors & patterns with graphic drawings of insects or tigers on traditional kitchenware items, such as butter dishes or serving platters. My goal is to create a unique experience for the user through both design and functionality that ultimately brings joy from the experience.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
That’s a hard question… There are so many rewarding aspects to being a creative. Ultimately, I believe being an artist has taught me self acceptance. It has taught me to own my style within my community and to use my voice to build up and elevate that platform for my fellows as well. I struggled with a sense of purpose most of my life. Feeling like I never quite fit in or was always trying to conform to my environment. Pretending to be something I wasn’t often put me in situations that were only set up to fail. Being an artist has allowed me to open up and show the world my work and say ‘this is me’. And the best part is – it’s ever evolving. My work is constantly growing, creating, learning, changing. It’s part of the human experience. To be able to confidently represent myself as who I am today is greatly owed to the freedom being an artist has given me. That is the most rewarding aspect.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Working with ceramics, resilience is something you quickly learn. Failure is a commonly known thing in this craft as the slightest movement of a finger or shift in temperature could destroy any piece. I wouldn’t have the patience or resilience to take on such a sensitive medium if it weren’t for watching fellow artists struggle in their process as well – most importantly, my mother. From a young age, I watched my mom pursue her own journey of being an artist, finding her voice, shifting her style, and effort it took to make a living from it. I witnessed her struggle in her creative process and own her failures so that she could grow from them. I saw her battle with cancer for over a decade and no matter what life threw at her, she made it a point to create, everyday.
With her passing in November of 2022, she left me with a passion for creating more beauty in the world, just as she had done for me. She instilled the importance of art and the push to provide beauty for the world today, for our time is not guaranteed.
“Marvel in the moment of this flower, this fruit, this season, for it is fleeting” – Jackie Kirsche
Contact Info:
- Website: sierrakceramics.com
- Instagram: sierrakceramics
- Facebook: Sierra K Ceramics