Hi, I’m Annie. I live in Sacramento, California, and I recently started my pottery journey 6 months ago. My full-time job is in the corporate world, where I lead a global recruiting team for a tech company. I am still experimenting and developing my own signature style, but I love making pieces that are both functional and aesthetic.
My business name is inspired by my 4-year old golden retriever, Benny. He is my informal studio manager adn sidekick while i create new work.
“ When I got the notification of my first online order my heart difinately did a little happy dance!“
In my daily life I struggle with perfectionism, and pottery is the ultimate challenge because it’s impossible to make a perfect handmade piece. Everything handmade has imperfections or little variations. Glaze colors turn out different than you expected, pieces can be a bit wobbly, a small ding in the clay might appear – that’s all the beauty and frustration of pottery.
I took a sabbatical from work in the fall and immediately signed up for a 7-week beginner pottery class. Shortly after I bought my own wheel to practice more at home.
I started posting some of my early pottery on TikTok, and I slowly built up a modest following. A few people expressed interest in purchasing my work, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to begin selling.
Because I am so new to this art form, I’ve struggled with feelings of imposter syndrome. Selling my work sounded terrifying – ”what if people think my prices are too high?”…“no one will actually buy anything”…”there are way better ceramicists that people can buy from instead!”...these were all thoughts that crossed my mind (and sometimes still do). The best advice I received from another potter was, “pottery is the art of perseverance, you will inspire someone else by overcoming your fears”.
In my daily life I struggle with perfectionism, and pottery is the ultimate challenge because it’s impossible to make a perfect handmade piece. Everything handmade has imperfections or little variations. Glaze colors turn out different than you expected, pieces can be a bit wobbly, a small ding in the clay might appear – that’s all the beauty and frustration of pottery. I’ve started to embrace the imperfection and have learned that it’s what makes each piece unique, special, and one of a kind. I like to think that people who purchase handmade items do it because they don’t want perfection, they want something that is unique and made with love.
The most encouraging part of my pottery journey so far has been getting messages from other newbie potters who have said that I have inspired or encouraged them in some way. Those messages truly brighten my day and make me want to keep creating and sharing my work. I am loving this new creative outlet and am continuing to learn and challenge myself every day!
Recipe
I got married in October, and my husband and I both have Swedish ancestry, so our signature drinks were aptly named “the Viking” and “the Midsummer.” For my recipe, I thought I would share how we make “the Midsummer”—it’s a delicious floral and refreshing cocktail that’s perfect now that we are heading into the warmer months of the year.
Annie’s great-grandfather immigrated to the US from Malmö Sweden and settled in San Francisco. He and his wife built their cabin in Sveadal 1929 to remain close to their Swedish heritage. Sveadal is a special spot for Annie and her family. The word “SVEADAL”, roughly translates to Swedish Valley or Valley of the Swedes and is nestled in the Redwoods alongside two creeks. Annie’s grandparents were married in Sveadal in 1956, and her parents were married there in 1981.
SKÅL!
The Midsummer
A delicious floral and refreshing cocktail that’s perfect now that we are heading into the warmer months of the year!
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces of Indigo Empress Gin (this is my personal favorite Gin and it has a beautiful purple color, but this can be subbed with any gin of choice)
- ½ ounce of St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 2-3 ounces of soda water
- Ice
- Edible flowers to garnish
Instructions
1. Combine the ingredients in a pre-chilled glass or beaker and stir gently to combine.
2. Garnish with edible flowers.
Leave a Reply