Melissa Schooley is one of my favourite people to talk about the business of craft with. Not only does she have so much experience herself, but she has absorbed a wealth of knowledge from other talented potters that she has worked with over the years.
Along with her business, Raging Bowl Pottery, she is also involved with the lavender products made on her parent's farm Apple Hill Lavender in Norfolk County. Word on the street is that you can now book your wedding ceremony in the lavender fields!
What does handmade mean to you?
Handmade means there is some element of the work that has been made from scratch and by hand. In my field (ceramics) it means you started with a lump of clay, and using your hands, shaped it into a vessel or object. There are some in the ceramics world that design and make a piece, and then make a mold of that piece to do limited production runs. I would also classify that as handmade as the original piece fits the description of made from scratch, by hand. The artist is responsible for the prototype and production.
How long have your been working in your chosen medium? Did you attend college or university to learn your craft?
I first got my hands in clay in 1998 when I was attending my first year at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (now Emily Carr University of Art and Design). Prior to this I had only every played with air-dry clay, plasticine and my mom’s homemade play dough. I graduated in 2002 with a Bachelors of Fine Art degree and by 2003 I was working in clay part time out of my own studio. By 2005 I was working full time in clay. While working towards a full time career in my own studio, I worked part time for another potter where I learned a tremendous amount - things that weren’t covered in art school, like how to actually make a living.
Tell me about your process. What would surprise people about your process? Is there a part of your process that you don't enjoy?
I make all of my pieces using wheel throwing or hand building techniques. I absolutely LOVE throwing clay on a pottery wheel and that’s how I make the majority of my work. People are often surprised to learn I make the work myself. “Where is this made?” “I make it myself in my studio in Norfolk County.” I’m not sure why that’s so surprising to people, perhaps the work doesn’t look handmade? Or perhaps I don’t look like a maker? For the most part I enjoy all aspects of making - except maybe mixing my glazes - I have a hard time being organized and can make mistakes so it’s best if I get someone else to do that part for me! Three cheers for studio assistants!
What about your chosen medium(s) made you pursue your craft?
Ever since I was a kid I could feel clay moving through my hands, I could feel my hands making pots on a pottery wheel. Which I guess is kind of weird since my only exposure to clay was through play dough. I never took lessons, didn’t take art classes in high school, and didn’t even consider learning the craft until a really rough first year and a half in university. I went into science and was absolutely miserable but found myself inching towards clay - I chose the residence I wanted to live in for first year because they had a pottery wheel in the basement. (It was ultimately broken and I never tried it.) I shifted my focus to social sciences in my second year but still felt unhappy. I decided “fuck it”; if I was going to go to school and borrow all kinds of money to learn something it may as well be for something I want to learn. I dropped out of university, moved back home, put together a portfolio and by the following September I was off to art school in Vancouver.
If you could work in any other medium, what would it be?
All of them? Haha! I love working with my hands and learning new skills, leaning the ins and outs of various materials. I’ve done some work with glass, fibre, wood and metal. Right now I’m enamoured with raising cooper.
What is the most important thing you want people to know about your work?
That it’s meant to be used!!! Some people seem afraid of the work. “That’s too pretty! I could never use it!” But that’s the whole point! We have daily rituals around our food and drink; we take the time to prepare a delicious meal or the perfect cup of coffee so we should be serving them on/in something beautiful.
What is your greatest accomplishment, or the thing you are most proud of achieving with your art?
My greatest accomplishment is each day that I get to stay self-employed in the arts. I love what I do and couldn’t imagine doing anything else and it’s definitely not easy to be a full time maker.
What has been your biggest challenge while pursuing your art?
This would be finding a balance between what I need to make to pay the bills and what I want to make to feed my soul. They aren’t always the same thing. Often the pressures of orders and shows can mean I don’t get much time to play and try new things but if I don’t get the time to be creative I can be pretty miserable and stressed.
Has the confusion surrounding the term "handmade" affected your business/practice? What are your thoughts on re-sellers?
I don’t think confusion around handmade has really affected my practice. What I tend to come across are people who purchase commercially made dishes and then hand decorate them. Their price points are lower since mass produced pots are cheaper to make. I have no issue with this practice as long as those artists are making the distinction that their pieces are hand decorated as opposed to handmade. Only once did I have someone tell me they do the same thing as me (yeah, no). But in this medium anyways, there is certainly room in the market for both types of work. As for re-sellers, if you are trying to pass someone else’s work off as your own, I find that tacky and deceptive. Karma is a bitch, I’m just saying...
How do you (and how can we) educate consumers about what handmade actually means?
I am constantly educating my customers, chatting up my process and explaining how I make what I make and why. Education has always been a big part of selling handmade. It gets exhausting but I look at it as part of what I do. Sales is all about talking to people and making connections. The majority of people I come across are respecting and curious. It’s the odd one out who complains to me that they can go to Walmart and buy a mug for $1.99 and then decorate it themselves.... well knock yourself out. If you don’t see a distinction between that and what I do then I’m not overly interested putting in the work to convince you otherwise. That person is not a customer and never will be so I don’t waste my time.
How has being an artist changed the way you shop?
I try and buy as much as I can from other makers. I appreciate the time and skill involved in handmade and have a philosophy of “what goes around, comes around”. If I want people to buy my work, I need to buy other people’s work. I need to do my bit to help so that other people can continue doing what they love. I would much rather spend more on buying less when I know it came from a place of love.
Who are your favourite makers?
Oh my goodness! Soooo many to love! Too many to name! If you make something by hand and have excellent craftsmanship, chances are I love it.