Julia Claire Weber is a studio artist, gallery manager, and author of The Beginner's Guide to Wheel Throwing. Julia keeps a full teaching schedule at craft and art centers across the country and her work has been widely featured and displayed, including exhibitions at NCECA, Pottery Northwest, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Objective Clay, and the Touchstone Center for Crafts. We asked her a few questions about her creative process.

Quarto Creates: How did you first become interested in ceramics?

Julia Claire Weber: You know, I have always given credit to my first college ceramics course, but I was reminded recently that my joy for clay started in grade school! We had an afterschool arts program and I absolutely loved ceramics. We visited a pottery shop and picked our own pottery to paint on. I thought it was the coolest thing! Then in high school I took ceramics as an elective and learned more about the process but did not get to try the wheel though I was itching to! Then in college it was a requirement to take ceramics as part of my art ed curriculum. I thought it was insane to be graded on my ability to throw cylinders and even remember calling home to cry about it. Then one day it clicked, I finally had my Ah-ha moment! I threw a beautifully centered pot, called home, and said “MOM, I know what I want to do with the rest of my life…Ceramics!”.  It has been quite the journey since that moment but one thing that stands out is when my mom ran into my grade school ceramics teacher Sister Michaela. By that time she was old and frail but when my mom told her that I went on to be a ceramic artist and teacher, tears rolled down her face. I can still picture the art room and the way I felt when sister would open that kiln!

QC: What is your advice for those who want to try but aren’t sure where to start?

JCW: I recommend taking a community clay class! Get on the computer, search “clay studios near me” and do a little clicking! If it is a teaching studio, chances are they will have a beginner class! While I obviously want to promote by book as it is an incredible tool, there is nothing that compares to hands on instruction. There is more to clay than just throwing a pot so a beginner class will give you a nice introduction. Though much of my training comes from academia, I learned just as much from other students as I did from my teachers. Don’t be nervous and just sign up! Remember that rarely is someone amazing at something on their first try! For whatever reason, learning how to throw a pot on the wheel can be especially frustrating but try not to get in your head about it! I made a lot of wonky, uneven, paper weights before I made masterpieces!

QC: What artists and crafters do you look to for inspiration?

JCW: Oh gosh there are so many! It is important to note my very first influences in college, Kristen Kieffer, Jennifer Allen and Julia Galloway. Once I was able to throw the various forms I imagined in my head, I wanted more. These ladies opened my eyes to what is possible with surface. My schooling was very traditional in the sense of atmospheric firing and drippy glazes, but these artists were drawing, painting and decorating pottery in a way I had never seen. Then into my professional career I met Jason Burnett who was incorporating graphic design and printmaking in his work. I had always loved pop art but had never considered it attached to the medium of clay. The icing on the cake was assisting Deb Schwartzkopf. Her work is incredible, of course, but her work ethic is what stuck with me the most. Deb never stops but not in a way that is unhealthy. She just has this general love for clay and a passion to share that love through community. You do not find many people that give more than they ever take but all these artists mentioned have and continue to influence me beyond measure!

QC: What is the biggest challenge you face while working on a pottery project?

JCW: Well, if you know me personally or professionally, TIME! It is no secret that time management is my biggest flaw. It used to be that the idea in my head was bigger than my skill level but now that I have reached that sweet spot in making, time is my biggest challenge. I always underestimate the time it will take me to finish a project. Sure, the simple solution would be to start timing myself, but I don’t want to take away from the joy of making. While it is technically my job, I don’t want it to feel like a job. One way I held myself accountable in the past was by lighting a candle in my studio. I would never leave an open flame unattended, and I did not want to waste burn time so to work I went! Nowadays, since the birth of my daughter Olive, I have learned the value of well managed time. Even though my life is more chaotic than it used to be my studio time is like the beat in house music!

QC: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from creating?

JCW: I have learned that everything is temporary. Clay is an excellent lesson in non-attachment! Before clay I was easily disappointed if something did not go my way or turn out how I envisioned but once I started working with clay, all that went out the window. Not at first of course, it took a little time. I remember hand building a jewelry chest out of porcelain my junior year of college and it started cracking everywhere before I was even finished. I spent hours and hours trying to repair the cracks only to learn that they would re-appear after firing. That was my first real lesson in letting go. My professor told me that in the time it would take me to repair it I could make an entirely new one out of clay more appropriate for hand building. I use this example often when I teach! Sometimes you just have to let go. Not every piece will be a masterpiece. You must make mistakes in order to learn from them! So, my tip for other budding potters, stay humble. Even now in my professional career I make mistakes, often when I am overconfident. Take your time, stay tuned in and roll with the punches!

Learn more about Julia's work on Instagram @juliaclaireclay and online at juliaclairesclay.com.