This week, I'm joined by ceramicist Liz O'Dwyer in an entertaining - and very honest - chat about building a creative practice from the ground up.  

We talk about Liz's early love for making, her years in both art education and Forest School, and how she reconnected with clay later in life, thanks to encouragement from her family, eventually finding her material in porcelain and her voice in form, line, and inlay.

Liz shares her experience of teaching as a way to build skill and confidence, her journey through imposter syndrome, and how support from events like the Contemporary Craft Festival https://www.craftfestival.co.uk/ and becoming a selected member at the prestigious Craft Potters Association https://www.craftpotters.com/ helped her feel like she truly belonged.

We also talk about building a creative business at your own pace, saying no, finding the right galleries, and the quiet joy of seeing your work in someone else's hands.

We cover:

• Making peace with not having a ceramics degree

• How teaching shaped her practice - Liz works at The Ceramic Studio in Kent https://www.theceramicstudio.co.uk/

• The importance of the ceramic community 

• Balancing family, part-time work, and growing a business

• Letting the work evolve naturally

You can see Liz's work on her website https://www.lizodwyerceramics.com/ and at instagram on @lizodwyer