Kiln Me Now: Joy on the Other Side of Peri-Pocalypse with Kelli Nina Perkins of Pottery Apocalypse

Side-Quest
Written by Rebecca Ickes

Somewhere between the hot flashes, the brain fog, and yet another pot collapsing on the wheel, it’s easy to feel like everyone else got a manual for this season of life that you somehow missed. What if the other side of perimenopause isn’t about finally feeling less like a failure, but about refusing to take those feelings so personally? Kelli Nina Perkins of Pottery Apocalypse, a retired librarian turned RV-park studio volunteer, shares how letting her unfiltered inner monologue into her videos (the doubts, the flops, the five-minutes-later reversals) has given other makers permission to stop chasing perfect. Her small artist trading card swap has also shown just how hungry potters are to find each other. Could waking up excited to try again, no matter what came out of yesterday’s kiln, be the most powerful thing we bring to our making and to the next chapter of our lives?

Listen Now

want more of this side-quest?

Let us know by following along on Instagram!

Follow Along for more chaos

or Continue the Conversation

Come join Debi & Nadine inside of The Community!

Join the Community

Loving the podcast?

If the podcast has helped you navigate your own maker journey, consider supporting it with a one-time or recurring donation. Sharing these conversations is a labor of love, and donations help cover editing, hosting, and all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into each episode.

Any amount makes a difference.
(Donations start at $5, because… processing fees 🙄)

Click here to support the show!

Popular Past Episodes

Featured
Ep 401: Making a Living with Danny Meisinger
Ep 401: Making a Living with Danny Meisinger

When I say “making a living” what do you think I mean? Do you immediately think of income and how much money you make? Or do you think of how you spend your time? Do you think of the balance between working hours and leisure hours? I don’t think there is one particularly correct answer, but on this episode of The Maker’s Playbook, our guest, Danny Meisinger does put this phrase into some very helpful perspective for those of us trying to figure out the financial side alongside the dream life of being a full-time potter in the 21st century. If you are dreaming that same dream, or even just curious about what it’s actually like to make a living from what you make, this episode is for you.

Read more →
Ep 332: Building a Viable Business in NYC with Sarah Hussaini of Not Work Related
Ep 332: Building a Viable Business in NYC with Sarah Hussaini of Not Work Related

Building a business as an independent maker can be hard. And when you add on top of that the financial realities of doing it in an urban center… well, it takes a special level of drive, determination, work ethic and grit to make that happen. All of which, I can safely say Sarah Hussaini undoubtedly has. Sarah (owner of Not Work Related) and I connect on a lot business topics. So many, that I couldn’t contain all of the nuggets of hard earned knowledge in one episode. That’s right my friends, settle in because this is only part ONE of my chat with Sarah. Next week, we’ll be coming back for part 2.

A heads up: This episode does contain a bit of adult language.

Read more →
Ep 327: “Blooming late,” Academia, & Imposter Syndrome with Page Kelly
Ep 327: “Blooming late,” Academia, & Imposter Syndrome with Page Kelly

This week, my conversation with Page Kelly of Zephyr Valley Ceramics twists and turns, much like her career paths. A self-proclaimed “late bloomer,” there is this stunning moment in this conversation at about the 46-ish minute marker when Page discusses the narrative body of work she is currently producing, where I hear literally every experience she has had in the last 2 decades - inside and outside of working in clay - come together. It’s an encouraging moment, especially for those of us that feel like we are getting started in this beautiful journey a bit… well, later than others. Note: There is a tiny bit of adult language in the latter half of this episode, so if you are listening around kiddos are in a community setting, you might want to choose to pop on some headphones.

Read more →
Rebecca Ickes
Next

Kiln Me Now: Get up and go (away) with Lori Elling