01/06/2026
Stacking these warm plates while I unloaded the kiln this morning was one of my favorite moments of the season. 1 year ago I was about a month into learning how to thrSandpoint Ceramicsics and at the very beginning of what would later become Key & Kiln.
At the time and before the idea of a business had sprouted, it was just another dark winter in Sandpoint. I was cold, I needed something to do and Jamie’s studio was open, welcoming and very warm. The holiday visitors were headed home and the bridge had finally switched up its Christmas music playlist. For many of those early days, my interest in clay was simply a new outlet for me to express myself and to channel some mid winter angst.
Now, as I wrap up the last of my production from 2025 and look ahead to the next 3 months out of the country, I’m grateful for some time away from the expectations around the business of clay. I’ve thrown almost 2 tons of clay this season and though I’m ready for a break, I am also elated that I still love it. Before pottery I had a decade streak of successful yet unsustainable business ventures. I’d start them up, get them rolling and lose interest once they stabilized. At the end of the day, my heart was never really in them. I simply liked the idea and the hustle of it. Anytime it was ready to transition out of that phase, I’d find myself eagerly anticipating a new idea for something else. Now…what I have with Pottery on the other hand, is new territory for me. After the days done and I’m cleaning up the studio, it’s heart for the craft I find most prevalent. There’s no pull to start something new or take on another idea. I’m sustained by spending most of my working life creating with clay. Key & Kiln or not, I’d be covered in the stuff and making shapes all the same. I say this as a reminder to myself that the deeper joy in this process has not been its growth or any of the results obtained. I’ve felt it in the gentleness of loving something, being able to create with that love and connecting to other people who love it too.
So here’s some pictures of my last kiln unload of the “2025” season.
Enjoy!
Next year, more plate sets. 🤘🏼
