“You Are An Artist…Remember That!

Hello My Friends,
Hopefully this updated blog finds you all well and happily enjoying your summer in anticipation of the fall!

It’s been a while since typing a specific blog post and a busy one on the Schoppet homestead!

Remodels are an adventure and needless to say I feel like our family has been camping in this trailer for the last 8 weeks!

Back to the clay at hand…For this blog I wanted to give you a little peek into my psyche over the past few months (stop reading here to avoid my dark deep thoughts)

Since completing the 365 Day project I’ve been internally mulling over and pondering what finishing a project like that will mean for me.

I thought it was burn out after handling the Christmas holiday and cramming in all the cups and glaze firings to finish the project by the 31st of December. “I just needed some time”, I thought.

But the questions kept coming….”What do I make? Where do I go from here? What the heck am I going to do with all these cups?!!  On and on it went.

Thankfully I’ve been able to share most (about 3/4) of the cups through pre-orders, the gallery and a few online sales through my new Etsy shop!  I’ve even made a few items for a friends store, yet, I was still plagued with that lack of real direction.

Then, one day it all changed!  I sold a cup through Etsy to someone who blessed my heart and made all the pieces of my internal puzzle fit together. She sent me this wonderful email and I thought I’d share it with you:

 Your cup made it here just fine. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with 365 days of clay cups. I watched you practically from the very beginning. I am very proud to own one of “those” cups. I also am a old potter but because of my arthritis I can’t use the wheel as much as I use to. I find more pleasure these days from teaching others how to use the wheel. I loved watching you grow as an artist.


“Remember, clay is just the medium in which you are expressing yourself. I think you have the heart of an artist more than a potter. I can’t imagine you ever making the same pot twice! Right? Keep challenging yourself with something new. You are an artist, remember that.” ~  Sandra C.


I got a little misty when it finally hit me…THAT’S IT! My introspective self needed to be what I focused on sharing through my claywork…make what I love!  Taking the focus off of “Am I doing this technique right or this wrong?”, and moving it to what it is I want to bring through in clay form. Of course techniques are needed to share my heart sees, but the world opened up a little more when to think of ones self as an “artist”…so much possiblity! The world just got bigger and it was something I really need to explore!

So, in today’s video I’d like to share with you my daily tasks as well as work moving in this new direction. I’ve always loved perfection intermingled with imperfection…so for now I’m working with a variety of TEXTURES!

“…it’s the wind of change” and for those that are interested…I’m sharing it all with you 🙂

Hope you enjoy today’s video!

Loving new beginnings!!!
 ~ Tammy Jo

Web: http://hobbypotter.com    Store: http://etsy.com/shops/hobbypotter

2 thoughts on ““You Are An Artist…Remember That!

  1. I love your videos… I am glad you are selling on Etsy.. I need to list some things. You are an artist and I know that mind of your cuz I have the same one… Clay is just the medium used to express yourself, so true.. I actually found when I was homeless I could make my web design my art. Working on my website every day at McDonald's was my art for that day and actually it worked to satisfy my soul for a time. I love my clay more but the point is I am an artist at my core. I was still able to express what I wanted people to know though my website that is why it worked for me. It was just another form of expression of what I was going through in my life at that time. Now it seems to come full circle with me still making the homeless site but also making my ceramics site. I thought yesterday – I am making California Homeless Resources for the Residents of the State of Ca. and the State of California paid to out me back in business. It is funny how I was able to express myself artistically being homeless and still end up doing my ceramics again. When you give you get.. I am sorry for talking so much..
    Thanks again for your videos and you sharing your art with the world and inspiring me/others to continue. Matt 🙂

  2. Thank you so much Matt! Since your first post back a year ago your life has taken so many turns and things are going up, up , up for you! Your tattoo ceramic work is so detailed and interesting…your skills far exceed mine! While helping others, you also helped yourself, that's a perfect combination. Thanks for your help with pottery and keep goin' man! Remember, you are an artist!!!

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