A Scotsman Takes Up A Hobby | Ryan MacLean | Episode 1005

Ryan MacLean | Episode 1005

Ryan MacLean is a hobby potter based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ryan focuses primarily on functional ceramics, utilizing both wheel-thrown and hand building techniques, all the while experimenting with different shapes and glazes to help him learn. Ryan started pottery in a community studio in early 2022, and now has his own kiln and wheel at home which allows him to continue to explore the possibilities of this artform

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What has ceramics done for your sense of confidence in terms of creativity? Has this given you more confidence that you can be creative?

A hundred percent it has. I think it’s that feedback loop of seeing something, trying something, and seeing it work. There is something so lovely about seeing a piece online from another potter and being inspired by it and trying it for yourself. And then it either works, which is rare that it works the first time, or it goes slightly wrong and you get to iterate on that. So for me the magic has been finding my voice if that makes sense. That I can make something that reflects who I am and what I want it to be. That for me is the confidence.

What has this done for your relationship with your wife, Hannah? Has it strengthened it? Deepened it?

Massively. I think for us it’s been so lovely to have a hobby that is shared and that we both understand. We both speak the same language and understand what each other means with it. I think having that shared experience, that shared knowledge has been such a positive. There is something nice about peaceful co-existence and being sort of independently dependent. But I think there is something really magical about the approach that we have with this where I can throw a piece and she can take it and do what she wants to do with it. And vise versa. We have that kind of collaboration piece that has been just magical.

How has the ceramic community treated you? Do you feel welcomed in?

I really do. So in Scotland we have the Scottish Potters Association, which is a membership kind of organization where we all pay a modest fee to join and they have been so helpful and welcoming to me with various questions I have as I learn. Wider than that so many potters that I have connected with on Instagram particularly have been so happy to communicate and talk and answer questions. You have even invited me on this podcast as a very unknown potter. I find the community so open and welcoming.

Do you find yourself wanting to be more of a collector of the handmade?

Yeah, so much so, I think there’s just something so magical about it. I think there’s something nice about supporting other artists and having a piece that reflects them. In our house we have lots of art. My wife is an artist and her aunt is an artist and I think there is something magical about collecting that and seeing that. I think Florian Gadsby says he doesn’t drink from anything he makes himself. He uses other people’s works. I’m not quite there but I do like to collect pieces from other potters.

How does it make you feel that someone is wanting to own something that you have created?

It is sort of a double edge sword. On one hand it’s incredible and such a confidence boost for people to say, That thing you made, I love it. That is such a rewarding feeling. I think the flip side is that kind of massive imposter syndrome that I have. I ask, Is myself really good enough? Is the price that I am charging justified?

Where do you see your relationship with pottery in five years?

I guess the inevitable for me is I am probably going to have to do some sort of craft fair. So I guess within the next five years it would be amazing to exhibit in one of the bigger kind of craft fairs with stuff that I have made. That would be nice. I think also hopefully elevating my skills. I have seen improvement in the last two years and hope for a positive trajectory and to be able to experiment freely in the future.