♥ Meet Potter Jessy Hausner

A CREATIVE CLASS MINI-VIEW

I'll begin by saying... I'm a big sucker for handmade pottery, and one day I might add "potter" to my ever growing list of titles. Until then, I'll continue to browse every craft fair booth purchasing interesting pieces, and search out the internet for the unusual.

I found Jessy Hausner's beauties in the Etsy forums quite by accident, if there are such things as accidental meetings! I prefer to think of them as divine encounters. Because, finding Jessy's lovely, pristine handmade pottery pieces, wooing me from her Etsy page, The Honey Pot Shop, became a divine appointment for an interview on this blog. You'll see what I mean! ~angee


Please tell us a bit about yourself and share a little about the pottery medium you work in.

My name is Jessy Hausner and I'm a 23 year old potter from New Jersey. I work with mid-fire stoneware clay and make functional and decorative pieces. I love all types of art but was drawn to pottery for its "error" factor. I find that pottery allows me to make a huge beautiful mess and turn it into something extraordinary. It allows me to express myself, constantly grow and expand, and to work with my hands, which are three things I feel I could never live without.


When did you discover your creative gift for pottery?

For a long time I thought that my love for pottery began my Junior year of high school, when I took a pottery class for an easy A. However, I recently found a children's pottery wheel that my parents had bought for me when I was little. It even had some clay caked onto the wheel head, making me realize that my relationship with clay went further back then I had imagined.

My conscious love for pottery began in high school. I remember getting on the wheel for the first time and was immediately hooked. Over time I received a potters wheel and a kiln as gifts from my parents who could see something in me that I don't think I'd yet realized in myself. Needless to say I never stopped and I guess as the cliche goes, the rest is history.

How long did it take to develop your uniquely personal style?

It took me a long time to develop my personal style. I remember for a while all I made were vases. Being self taught, I had a hard time expanding. For a long time I would learn a new skill and repeatedly make that item for a few months. On the other hand, the good part about working by myself and learning as I went was that I had no boundaries. Since I didn't know all the technical rules, I was free to explore and create from my heart. I'm still learning and growing. I think as an artist I'll never really stop doing that, but I think I've come to a point where I really know who I am and what I love to make.

Tell us a little about your personal creative pottery process and what inspires your work.

Mostly, my inspiration comes from simple everyday things. The pattern in a piece of lace, or some architectural detail off a building will inspire me to do a carving or design that mirrors it. Leaves and trees are also something I find I repeatedly incorporate into my work. I like the fact that each tree and leaf I come across will never be identical to any other. This is also how I view each piece of pottery I make.

I prefer to make simple forms on the wheel that become unique with an added carving or glaze combination. In glazing, I'm attracted to using glazes that reflect nature, but always have a pop of color. I like experimenting with my glazes, overlapping and combining them and being surprised when I open the lid of the kiln.


Please share a piece of advice you've uncovered on your artistic journey that will encourage those who want to pursue their creative talents.

Creativity is only limited by the limits you give it. If you love to create there should be nothing that can stop you. I myself am still in the process of learning this, but I've realized that for me there is no option to stop. If it's who you are, if it brings you joy, keep doing it.

Find Jessy Hausner's beautiful pottery in The Honey Pot Shop

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Rustic yet feminine, I'm so glad I got to share Jessy's lovely pieces with everyone. I hope you liked them as much as I do! Thank you Jessy for contributing to Creative Class and letting us get to know you.