Welcome to Olive’s Pots!
I specialise in creating unique, handmade pottery pieces using a mixture of hand-building techniques and wheel based work.
Each piece is crafted with care, attention and love, ensuring that every item is one-of-a-kind. Whether you’re looking for functional pieces for the home or decorative items, I have something for every person who has a special place in their hearts for handmade pottery.
I can do personalised items for friends, family, dogs you name it! Alongside my pieces for sale I run workshops - from 1.5 hour sessions to 2 day courses. Either get in touch directly or have a read through what I offer on the “Workshops” page.
My Story
Olive’s Pots was born during the Pandemic. Returning to my full-time employment after the first lockdown to managing a hotel whilst dealing with the ever changing rules and the world of Hospitality changing so dramatically I realised I needed to make a change for myself. Those few months fundamentally changed me as I went through some of my greatest career challenges and coming to the realisation that my years of working and loving Hospitality were coming to an end.
It was with a simple conversation with a friend at my lowest point that the idea for the shop was born, I wanted to create a space that would feel welcoming and inviting to everyone whether they had previous experience with clay or were complete novices to the craft. I wanted a space that felt that it didn’t discriminate and was an open area for people to explore one of the most ancient crafts.
The workshop will continue to evolve as I do. When starting out on this journey I had never fired a kiln, I could just about throw a small pot but had very little understanding of the process on the whole. Looking at where I started to where I am now I find it very hard to believe how far I’ve come and how much further I have to go. I say it often and will forever say that I don’t think we could learn everything there is to learn in ceramics in 5 lifetimes! What I hope I’m achieving with the shop and workshops is instilling the idea that perfection is a fallacy…Enjoyment, getting messy, even just allowing yourself the time are so much more important.
We can get bogged down in the idea of making that perfect piece but what I always say is there are so many steps along the way where things might not work out as you’d hoped or expected that you just want to spend time focussing on the process and most importantly enjoying each step, from preparing the clay to cleaning the wheel, each step is vital.
