From the time I was a teenager, I had a dream to play with clay and become a potter. I developed a deep love and appreciation for pottery from my mom’s fascination of the craft. My family holidayed among the Gulf Islands in the summertime. Mom collected functional pottery pieces from the many pottery studios on the islands we visited each summer. In my first year of post secondary school, I took a basic pottery course. I don’t remember much from that class except the Raku weekend we had in our professor’s back yard. I fell in love with the process of the raku technique.
Life, teaching and raising a family got in my way of my pottery dream. After 4 years of retirement, I finally jumped in to become a potter in 2021. I joined the Cariboo Potter’s Guild. Atthat time nothing was running as usual due to the covid pandemic. I bought clay and gathered tools to start hand building at home. My teacher was You Tube. Many potters were providing beginners lessons online during the pandemic. My favorite potter at the time was: Mia of “Pottery to the People”. I started with basic hand building projects. Over time I have taken miniworkshops from potters in the guild, as well as studio time in Bali, Indonesia, and many more lessons with friends and online.
My husband and I travel to Indonesia during the winter months to volunteer at a children home. While in Indonesia I have found a couple of villages that make pottery for their livelihood. Over the years I have befriended a family that teaches tourists pottery skills. I not only have I had lessons myself, but I’ve also arranged a few fieldtrips for the children to learn pottery skills as well.
In Bali I have found this quaint pottery studio called, “ClayPlay Bali”. The master potter at “ClayPlay Bali” has studied and trained in Japan. I have partaken in hand building, throwing and Nerikomi pottery lessons. After 5 years of making time to play with clay, I am in a sweet spot of my pottery journey. I am always learning new skills, but I find myself using the skills I’ve learned to try many ways to create with clay, using different types of clay, practicing different techniques I’ve learned. I’m exploring with my own ideas and visions now. Some are working out others are good learning experiences.
For those of you who are just beginning your pottery journey, my advice to you is to enjoy every success and disappointment. It’s a journey and a wonderful learning curve you have embarked. Also, get involved in the functioning of the Cariboo Potter’s Guild. By doing so you will meet folks that are creative, supportive and fun to hang out with. It takes a team of potters to have a successful community guild. Jump in!
You can see and buy some of my pottery on the occasional Tuesday Farmers Market, the Catline Craft Fair in November and the Montview School Winter Fair in December. I donate a portion of my proceeds to the children’s home in Indonesia for their education fees.
Written by Terry Hathaway June 28, 2026
