Pottery is a passion that found Susan Gordon — not the other way around. Always an artist at heart, she started college at Auburn with a plan to take the sensible artist’s career path of graphic design. That is, until he tried a ceramics class on a whim. From the moment she sat down at a pottery wheel, everything changed. “Sometimes, I think clay chose me,” she tells us.
After graduating with a fine arts and ceramics degree, she started Susan Gordon Pottery in 2013 and opened a storefront in Homewood six years later. Her collection features timeless classics and ever-evolving pieces, ranging from jewelry to serveware. We chatted with Susan about finding her muse and what it takes to build a brand on your creative passion. Get to know this week’s FACE of Birmingham!
First, tell us about you! Have you always lived in Birmingham?
Even though I have lived most of my life in Birmingham, my family lives in Huntsville, which is where I grew up!
How did you get started in pottery?
I never touched clay until my sophomore year of college. Seriously. Grissom High School offered pottery classes, but for whatever reason, I never felt interested. My roommate in college also happened to be majoring in fine arts (I was in graphic design at the time) and she encouraged me to try a wheel-throwing class. It was love at first touch. My engineer parents were quite worried about my career when I informed them I would be switching to ceramics from graphic design.
Can you share the story behind your signature wavy bowls?
The wavy bowls started as my signature teaching demo for beginning hand-building classes. Before I decided to take Susan Gordon Pottery full-time, I was teaching pottery classes for adults. The wavy bowls we made back then were fairly crude, but my students walked away feeling so encouraged that they made something beautiful and useful in their very first class.
Since that time, I have refined the look of my bowls. The wavy bowls went from having an organic, earthy appeal to a more elevated, elegant aesthetic that felt more sophisticated and could be styled with even the finest china. My team and I worked to refine the sizes and shapes so that there was one size and shape for just about every potential use in the home.
My desire was for my collectors to feel like they were simultaneously buying a piece of handmade art and also a very functional object that elevated their everyday life.
We love how you say that a sort of ‘conversation’ happens between you and the clay in your hands. Can you elaborate on that?
The clay itself is my biggest inspiration. Anytime I have developed new shapes or products, I always go back to the clay. Many times, what might seem amazing in my head turns out quite bad when I try to make it with clay. Conversely, the clay sometimes does something unexpected that I quite like.
What would you say to aspiring artists who dream of making a living with their art?
Find trustworthy friends in a similar industry who have similar ambitions and are willing to share all the good, hard, and everything in between. Looking back, every milestone has a dear, honest friendship wrapped closely around it. If you don’t have that, enroll in a business masterclass that suits you — that is how I found my people.
Now that you have a team of artisans, tell us about the balance of running the business and still making time to create. Have you figured out a balance that works for you?
Ha! Absolutely not. I am cursed with having a big-picture mind and a neurotic need to be in the details. Being the boss is one of the most unexpectedly humbling and terrifying roles I have ever had. My team is amazing; they support me tremendously, and I am eternally grateful for their professionalism and work ethic.
If anything, being the boss has taught me most about my own weaknesses and given me so many opportunities for growth personally and professionally. I still feel like I am learning and growing. In my current season, the time to create ebbs and flows with the rhythms of what the business needs and, quite honestly, the goings-on of my busy young kids’ schedules.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
When I am not moonlighting as an uber-mom for sports and activities, I love to either travel or be at home with my family … working on my garden, watching my husband cook dinner, or chilling with friends.
Who or what is inspiring you right now?
My friend Ann from Yearly Co., who is battling breast cancer right now. Ann and I met about six or seven years ago, and she has become one of my dearest biz friends. She has shared her journey with such vulnerability and candidness, which is refreshing and uplifting.
What is your best piece of advice?
Two pieces, if you will. First, know your strengths and weaknesses, and as much as possible, delegate what you feel aren’t your superpowers. Second, be yourself: listen to and believe in “your voice” as a human and creator. It’s so easy to get distracted by what others are doing.
Ask yourself, “What do you want to create today?” A few years ago, I passed this advice along to my husband, who is a CPA in the finance field, and he would tell you that allowing himself to ask that question was a lightbulb moment for him as well.
Aside from faith, family, and friends, name three things you can’t live without.
Cricket, our King Charles Cavalier, neighborhood walks over wine, and really, really good food.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Last delicious local meal: LUCA! I absolutely love that place.
Favorite place to vacation? My parents’ beach condo. Their porch is beachfront and is the perfect spot to watch the sunset. We have been taking family and friends there for years, and so many wonderful memories have been made there.
Your go-to gift to give: Bottega’s house-made olive oil paired with either an Adorn or an Alene bowl. I might regret sharing that because the olive oil is already kind of hard to get!
Favorite recent TV show binge: I just finished The Empress and am watching it again. Fair warning: it’s all in subtitles. Give it a shot; you won’t be disappointed.
Book(s) on your bedside table: How to Know a Person by David Brooks, Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, and Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert.
All photos courtesy of Susan Gordon Pottery unless otherwise noted.
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Birmingham women are doing inspiring work. Meet more of them over at our FACES archives!
