Hello Friends... Family... WORLD!
I am thrilled to announce the creation of WhiteMark Ceramics - Handmade, Practical Pottery for Home & Office!
That's right - I've started a pottery business. Can you believe it?!
(Scroll to the bottom for TL;DR version.)
How did this happen, Adrienne?
Well, simply put, PANDEMIC. Yep, just like the rest of the world, the pandemic changed a lot in the White Family's daily routine and pushed us to re-evaluate. The small business I was working for shut its doors and forced me to answer the question, "What do I do now?". Immediately, I thought to turn my hobby into a business. After all we had just purchased a kiln and created a whole studio space for me to play with in the basement; and I have always wanted to have my own small business. When I was younger, my mom and I often discussed having a little coffee and truffle shop. After college I thought about opening a Bed & Breakfast. I even spent 7 months working as a baker in a local Northern Virginia bakery to see if that was something I wanted to do... it was not.
Then came pottery.
In March of 2018, L (husband) and I attended a "Try the Wheel" class that we had been given as a Christmas present. (Thanks M & Y!) The moment I sat down at the wheel, I knew I loved it. I am also going to hang my hat on the fact that the teacher suspected that I "had done this before"... I had not. But, art is in my blood (Thanks Dad)! I decided to find some deeper dive classes and signed up at Manassas Clay starting in April 2018. I took several sessions of classes with Jane and learned so much about the fun and frustration of pottery. When little C (daughter) arrived, it became harder to get to classes and we decided to invest in a wheel for home. I started seeking more and more information about the craft, purchasing books and devouring YouTube videos to learn new tips and techniques. My sweet L was so excited I finally had a hobby, he really jumped in with me and has actually gotten pretty decent at the wheel himself.
Then we decided to get a Kiln. Again the commuting to finish pots at the studio in Manassas was time consuming and treacherous leading me to feel less committed to my hobby. With a freshly finished basement and newly appointed "Hobby Room" (now The Studio) we had the perfect place for it! It was a very nice Christmas present - and Birthday present - and Valentines Day present - and, and, and... you get it... Kilns are not cheap. And the electrical and venting requirements are high. Needless to say, I am very lucky to have a partner who was willing to support this expensive hobby. Being that everyone and their mom decided to pick up/expand their pottery in pandemic (ok, not really everyone, but Seth Rogen did... so there is that), kilns were very hard to come by.
18 weeks. That's how long it took to get our brand new baby kiln.
She arrived on April 8th, 2021, weighing 180lbs and measuring 22 inches tall. Athena, named for the patron goddess of crafts people.
Right away we got to work firing everything we had throwing in anticipation of her arrival and, oof, was it fun! And frustrating! And patience testing! We tried all the things we had been seeing on YouTube and on Instagram with varying degrees of success. Then, on May 26 I threw a few pieces I was particularly proud of because of their size, shape and consistency. Now, all potters know, it's not over until it's out of the glaze kiln, but it was enough to inspire me to think, "Maybe I should take a chance on my small business!" Then, on June 14th the little beauty at the top of the page came out of the kiln and officially sent me on my way.
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My very first sale went live on an Etsy page on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. If you would like to get an idea of some of the items that I sell as well as the process of making pottery, follow me on Instagram! I would be deeply honored if you considered purchasing a piece of my pottery for your home, or sharing with your friends and family who you think might like my vibrant, charming, practical pieces. Any and all support is greatly appreciated.
So here we are! WhiteMark Ceramics - my very own small business. I am so excited and I hope you will consider following me on this journey.
~Adrienne
TL; DR (I'm a Millennial, I get it if you don't want to read my whole story.)
Started a Pottery Business - I hope you follow along and, if you find something you like, make a purchase!