Aspirations for 2026
It never really made sense to me why we set our resolutions for the New Year in the dead of winter. The days are short, dark, and cold. While there is the sense of new beginnings, the natural world, at least in our neck of the woods, is largely at rest. As artists, the busy nature of the holiday season can hit differently. The pressure to create, market, and sell our work often intensifies just as the year is winding down. When the final kiln is unloaded and the last event ends, it can feel like taking a breath after a long marathon.
January and February have always felt more aligned with a natural creative cycle. It marks a period of recovery, reflection, and replenishment. Most of us never really stop thinking about our craft (and for those who can, I admire that skill), but this quieter season invites us to let creativity move differently than the rest of the year.
Instead of producing, we plan.
Instead of executing, we imagine.
This is a time to step back from the physical act of making and look ahead at what we want our work and our creative selves to become.
When I’m deep in production mode, there’s little room to think about creativity in a developmental way, heck, even keeping my studio clean and tidy feels to be an impossible feat. This isn’t necessarily a flaw in the process. The act of making is creative in its own right. But there’s a meaningful difference between exploration and execution, between refining what we already know and making space for what we want to learn next.
So I asked you all, the guild, my fellow ceramic creatives, what do you want to make space for this year? Is it learning new techniques? Refining existing ones? Cleaning your space? Streamlining your workflow? Anything and everything you feel like you want to reflect on and share with us.
Thank you so much.
- Stephanie
SPOILERS - these are pretty great responses, and I’m sure ones that many of us resonate with.
“My resolution is to be more intentional about my pottery. Sometimes I get to the studio and make a slab and wing it. I’d like to be more intentional when I make something - know what I want to make.”
“My most pressing goal this year is to get my studio thoroughly cleaned up and organized. Since expanding my workspace, my limited pottery time has been spent mostly preparing for shows, so I never really had a chance to get everything properly organized, I’m pretty excited about really settling into the space.
As an overall goal for the year (and admittedly a recurring goal, but I’m not giving up), I hope to do better maintaining a steady workflow, so I don’t end up in the cycle of being all-consumed with production around shows. Then all-consumed catching up on everything else in between. Related to that, I want to be mindful about setting realistic expectations for production which also allow time for associated activities that, for me, oftern get neglected - like reading pottery books, studying glaze chemistry, and working on my website.”
- Zenah
“My goals are to produce enough to participate in shows and create a website, not just a Facebook page.”
“My goal for 2026 is to develop an intentional inventory… well in advance! I tend to end up frantically creating and glazing right up to the last minute before a market. This has meant firing right up to the night before and praying that the kiln had been kind to whatever was rushed to get done.
Rushing tends to skip the step of the intentional love put into each piece. It also meant that I didn’t get a chance to reflect on what I made. Reflection for me means not only critiquing what could have been done better, but also admiring what worked well. How can improvements be made if I never took the time to fully examine my work?
My goal is to start NOW for markets which I have purposefully planned to be much later in the year to allow myself more time to breathe and reflect and admire and enjoy what I have created.”
-Andrea Adamczak
The Muddy Mandala Pottery
My resolution this year is to hand build work for the Potters Guild show. I’m teaching myself by watching YouTube University videos, and from what my teachers at the art college have taught me.
I want to see how I progress as I keep working on them throughout the year, so I am taking photographs of my work as I go on to see the progress in my technique and work.
I plan on making platters, and Christmas trees, and at some point I will be getting together with another guild member who is also guiding me through this journey.
Stay tuned to see what comes out of my kiln!
Andy May (AKA Muddy Old Man Pottery) shares three things on his mind as we head into 2026!
(hit the plus signs below to learn more about each)
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I have discovered that after returning to pottery after a 50 year hiatus living life, raising kids, working, etc. that I have no interest in being in the pottery "business". I am a hobbyist and this year I'm going to behave like one. I'll be focusing on making hand built art; slab built and extruded tiles and small-ish vessels. I have a couple of bisque fired projects that I'll produce, in limited quantities, like ollas (potted plant auto-irrigation devices) and wine coolers. I'll probably have a booth at this year's show: stay tuned.
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I'll be attending Lisa Orr's Rocket Kiln Workshop at Crab Orchard Pottery near Crossville, TN, February 28 through March 1, 2026. I hope to learn more about this exciting technology for wood fired pottery. And maybe create some interest with Ms. Orr to do a workshop for BRPG.
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I purchased an amazingly pristine Crusader 270S kiln for a truly great price. But I failed to "count the cost" and discovered that the existing wiring for my Paragon B66A is undersized for the new addition. I'm in a bit of a quandary about next steps. I've estimated that the cost to upgrade the electrical system is prohibitive for a hobbyist. What to do?
“Last year, I decided it was time to open my own studio, so my goal for this year is to get that up and running and bring this beautiful art to more people in the surrounding area of Vinton and beyond! I want it to be warm and welcoming for all, it’s a space for people to create and be themselves.”
-Julia
Kona Clay Ceramics
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS •
“I am relatively new to ceramics - I would say my goals are attending a workshop and also doing either a raku or wood firing event.”
- Cheyanne
One of my goals for this year is to get more involved in the community now that I’m settling in. I also want to work on creating a body of work.
During my transition from PA to VA, I had to pack up my studio and put everything in storage. I am just now unpacking it into my new studio after 3 years. I’m very excited to start creating again!”
- Lisa Harman