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Asha Serra | Episode 1044
Asha Serra is a mother to three very cool kids, a wife, and an artist. Her love for clay started in high school, but she didn’t take it seriously until she was well into college. Asha received a BFA and a MFA in ceramics from Montclair State University. Soon after graduating, she became an adjunct professor of ceramics at MSU. After teaching for 4-5 years, she decided to grow her family. Currently, she is juggling motherhood, teaching private lessons at her home, and working on her own art.
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What is the difference between the academic teaching setting and the private community studio teaching setting?
There really isn’t that much of a difference, to be very honest. In the academic setting you get to explore certain techniques and glazes. You get to do glaze making and clay making. There’s a little bit more involved in the academic setting.
Why was it a creative endeavor that you wanted to chase down? Why creativity?
I think creativity was just in me. When I was not teaching or doing my ceramics I was doing other things around the house that allowed my creativity to come out. And so it’s just in me and when I had that time even though I was a bit hesitant, I take that back, I wasn’t hesitant, it was more what do with it. I didn’t know what to do with ceramics. I had shown a couple of times way back when I was in school but I had never showed on social media, I had never showed in markets and tried to sell my work. So I guess I wanted to, with some encouragement, I wanted to explore that.
You mentioned you want to get back into teaching, is that because you are an extravert? Could you be a studio potter day in and day out or do you need that social interaction?
That’s a really good question. Because I do not consider myself an extravert at all. I think I have a lot of information that I just want to share. And when I am able to share it it feels so good. And it feels so good to be able to help people get beyond what they are having problems with in ceramics or they are just beginning or just learning to center. And getting to center, that is really exciting for me.
My last question is more of a lifestyle question. How do you keep yourself healthy?
I love yoga and I do a whole bunch of gardening. I am a vegetarian and so I do watch what I eat. That’s pretty much what I do. I no longer dance but I think the yoga helps a lot. Yeah, between yoga, gardening, and my diet, that’s probably about it.
Book
Amazing Glaze by Gabriel Kline
Contact
Instagram: @as.serramics