Finding My Way with Clay: A Journey from Math to Mud

I didn’t start out with clay in my hands. In fact, I began my college journey as a statistics major—math always came naturally to me. But a study abroad trip to Italy changed everything. I took my first ceramics class there, and something about it clicked. Working with clay felt like coming home. By my junior year, I’d switched majors, for a world of textures, forms, and the grounding presence of clay.

Artistic Roots in a Creative Home

My journey with art began long before college. My mom is an artist, and she was also my high school art teacher. She’s one of those rare people who can do anything—painting, drawing, illustration—and do it incredibly well. Growing up, she would gather us around the kitchen table, diligently capturing us in her life-sized paintings. She’s always inspired me, even if I never quite inherited her skill for 2D work. I’ve tried my hand at it, of course, but for me, it’s always felt like something was missing.

Ceramics, on the other hand, was different. The feel of clay, the freedom to build and shape in three dimensions—it came naturally. I didn’t just want to create; I wanted to sculpt, to mold, to get my hands dirty. It’s the entire process of ceramics that drew me in, from the physical act of shaping clay to the unpredictability of high-fire reduction and glazes that transform in the kiln. I love the wild, natural abstraction that unfolds in the fire.

Creating a Studio Wherever I Go

Since graduating, I’ve made a point to create a ceramic space wherever I live. It doesn’t have to be big, but it has to be mine. Currently, I have a studio at my house in Bali, complete with my own wheel, tools, and supplies. It’s a place I can step into whenever inspiration strikes. Like cooking, working with clay is a form of meditation for me—a way to get lost in the flow, to ground myself in the present moment. Hours can pass in my studio without me even noticing.

There’s a profound beauty in building vessels with my hands, in crafting pieces that are meant to hold, serve, or simply be. Ceramics connects me to the earth, to my own creative pulse, and to the cycles of shaping, firing, and transforming that make each piece unique. Just like caring for the body, creating with clay is about honoring the process, witnessing each stage, and letting it unfold naturally.

In the end, ceramics isn’t just about the final piece, although that’s always rewarding. It’s about the journey from a simple lump of clay to a finished form that reflects not only the raw materials but also the energy, intention, and presence I bring to it. And that’s what keeps me coming back to clay, again and again.