I started making pottery over 10 years ago because I loved that I could make something I'd actually use. There's nothing like using a piece that came from the earth and was made by someone's hands. It just feels good.

Over the years I slowly built my studio, collecting tools other makers were leaving behind. It wasn't until I became a mom that I got serious about building The Clay Saltbox.

I've always liked handmade things—not just pottery. I love seeing another maker's work, and I always notice it when I come across it in a restaurant or someone's home. The waves in blown glass. The hammer marks in forged steel. The knots in a wooden board. The texture in clay. Those little things remind you that someone actually made it.

I think we're surrounded by so many things that all look the same. Handmade pieces don't. They have character. They have weight. They feel connected to the materials they came from. I think it's good to be around things like that.

The Clay Saltbox began in this pottery studio, but it has never been about just my work. It's a growing collection of handmade pieces created by makers whose craftsmanship I admire. By bringing their work together, I hope more people have the chance to gather around handmade pieces and discover the stories behind the people who make them.