12 Apr Lessons From the Wheel: How Pottery Shapes My Work as a Designer
Before I ever designed a website, I was a potter. It was actually pottery that first brought me to design. I needed business cards and signs for my sales at craft shows. And eventually, I needed a website.
At first glance, it seems like these two worlds couldn’t be more different—working with my hands in a tactile way versus sitting at a desk, creating with a keyboard and mouse. But over time, I started to notice the connection. The same principles that guide my pottery practice also shape the way I design websites and brands.
Whether I’m behind the wheel or the screen, the process is deeply personal, intuitive, and guided by both beauty and function.
Here’s what the clay has taught me about good design—and what it might teach you, too.
1. Start With a Centered Foundation
Every pot that starts at the wheel with one non-negotiable: centering the clay.
Without a centered foundation, nothing else works. The form wobbles, cracks, collapses. The same is true in design. Before choosing fonts, colors, or layouts, you need to be clear on your core—your message, your audience, your values.
Centered branding creates strong, lasting work.
2. Form Follows Function
A teacup is different from a serving bowl, not just in size—but in intention.
When I design, I always ask: what’s the purpose of this site? Who is it for? What action do we want people to take? What needs to be easy, seamless, intuitive?
Just like pottery, websites need to be not only beautiful but usable. A gorgeous site that confuses people won’t convert. The magic is in the balance of form and function.
3. Imperfections Are What Set You Apart
When I started throwing at the wheel, I always tried to make a perfectly symmetrical pot. No matter how I tried, this was never attainable. So instead of trying to cover it up, I now accentuate it. A mug bumps out a bit on one side? Fine. That’s the perfect place for a handle. The glaze ran into another? Omg, the result is amazing. These aren’t flaws—they are marks of the maker.
In design, too, I believe in leaving room for personality. Your voice. Your quirks. The little details that make your brand yours. When a site feels overly polished or generic, it loses connection. But when it feels human? That’s where the magic happens.
4. Beauty Takes Time
In ceramics, nothing is instant. There’s wedging the clay, forming it, drying, bisque firing, glazing, firing again. It’s a slow, layered process.
Design is the same way. Strategy first. Then form. Then refinement. The best results don’t come from rushing—they come from respecting the process.
Even in a one-day intensive like my Design Day Immersion, the clarity and planning that comes before the day is what makes the outcome beautiful and aligned. After 10 years of doing this, I can work quickly—but that doesn’t mean it’s instant!
5. Everything Tells a Story
Each ceramic piece I make is touched by my hands, shaped by my years of practice. I often impress plants from my garden. A leaf imprint, a generous curve, a glaze that looks like water or a sunset—it all tells a quiet story.
Your website should do the same.
When someone lands on your site, they should immediately get a feel for you—what you offer, what you value, and how you make them feel. That’s what good design does. It tells your story without saying a word.
Ready to Shape Your Signature Online Presence?
If you’re craving a website that feels handmade and thoughtful—crafted with care and intention, like a well-thrown pot—I’d love to help bring it to life.
Let’s create a site that’s both beautiful and built to last.
Explore the Design Day Immersion: a full brand + website experience, customized just for you.