Hi everyone! I wrote this blog a while ago, but haven’t brought myself to post it till now as its a bit different to my usual posts.

I recently posted a picture of my lounge to Instagram for ‘Story Of My Home’ – a Instagram hashtag game. The prompt for that particular day was ‘curves’ (november -I said it was a while ago) and so the image I chose included a candlelit teapot which I made shortly after my graduation. I was thrilled that the post received so many lovely comments and direct messages to tell me how talented and beautiful my work was. This isn’t a blog post to brag though – it’s more a response.

@jackdmarch: Instagram Post ‘Curves’

There are so many talented designers, makers and artists that I have met and known spanning across lots of different creative arts who are no longer putting their creative talents to use. Knowing some of them personally I understand the reasoning but can also appreciate that loss of talent. So many of us graduate from University and attempt to carve some sort of creative career from what we have learnt, but, often find that to really nurture talent you have to specialise. Now don’t get me wrong, there are hundreds of thousands of people who have achieved this, but for myself and my situation at the time, a specialism in ceramics wasn’t going to pay my bills.

I graduated in 2012 with a first class degree in 3-D contemporary design which I specialised in ceramics. I was the only one in my year to choose ceramics, with my best friend choosing to specialise in jewellery and a number of others in furniture design. After graduating I was selected to take part in local York Open Studios for two further years, making three in total and had my work on display for sale in local shops. However, I think that at 21, following several years of being a student, the lack of income and slight growing lack of enthusiasm from 3 years of constant creativity began to weigh heavy.

I had already worked for my parents within our family business part time throughout University alongside my ceramics and, after having graduated in 2014, began working there full time whilst juggling both working and ceramics. But in 2015 shortly before moving out of home (and with my lack of enthusiasm growing), I made the right but sad decision to take a break from making.

It’s not a decision I took lightly but I feel that the intense five years of creative and making was beginning to make something I had initially loved and enjoyed so much feel laboured and a chore. Therefore I knew it was time to stop before it became something which I hated.

Having moved out of home and into a house of my own, I had a new outlet into which I could channel my creativity (which spilled over to my Instagram). I had always been a fan of Instagram over Facebook so it was a natural thing for me to share my home and creative adventures on my Instagram page. My posts became my new daily escape that cut through life’s mundane moments and enables me to feed my creativity. These little squares were met with such lovely comments and enthusiasm that have helped me find a like-minded community of people and forge insta friendships. That’s when I started the blog to show and help people create looks like mine on the budget.

It’s been 3 years since I made anything ceramic and although the time which has passed seems like no time at all, it also feels like a lifetime ago! Instagram, photography and blogging are all great creative outlets alongside my home renovations and watercolours BUT, and the big but, I have began to miss making and creating new physical pieces. Ceramics may not be practical for myself at the moment (what with apartment living) but I have a niggling feeling to find a new creative outlet!

Who knows what the future will bring… However what I do know is that I’m finally starting to feel that I will be ready to revisit ceramics and my beloved teapot designs very soon! Do you need a teapot?