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Dyana Fiediga | Episode 794
Dyana Fiediga is a full time potter living and working in beautiful Hood River, Oregon at the Clay Commons, a community ceramics studio located downtown Hood River. Dyana has a BFA from Ohio University, where she focused on Art History and any medium of art she could get her hands on. In 2010 Dyana met Jeremy Noet of Bluewater Pottery at the Bellingham Farmers Market. Dyana worked in his studio until 2016, when she moved into making pottery full time. Dyana enjoys creating pots that are whimsical, political, and sometimes flippant. Inspired by the natural world around her, Dyana’s background in plants and permaculture, and her love of being in community, she is a lover of questions and growth and has created a classroom and studio space to hold wheel throwing and handbuilding classes that are open to the community and small groups.
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Did you start your community studio so you could finally live your passion of going full time into ceramics?
Yes, it was that and building community. The combination of the two. There were so many times prior to me even moving out here that I would be at the farmer’s market selling Jeremy’s work and people would ask, Where do you do this? How do you do this? And I was like, Man, I was just so lucky that his apprentice left right before I moved to town. Also, I didn’t meet a lot of people in the community, I tried but potters are known for being off on their own. They are not really all about going out in the world and socializing. So it was to work and continue with ceramics and help other people do that too. I also know that it wears out the body doing it over and over so I was also taking care of my body.
Tell me about self motivation. It’s different when you are in the studio, but now you are trying to run the business and I’m curious about where that motivation comes from now to keep the business running?
I think there’s a continual desire to be better. To get better at making pots, to get better at teaching, to get better at communicating, better at making glazes, and helping other people achieve what they want to do. So it’s fun to do, to get better at things and it’s fun to interact with the community. It’s just a goal that feeds on itself.
Does it intimidate you that you are responsible for everything?
It doesn’t intimidate me but it does overwhelm me sometimes. But again, I have a few people now who I have gotten to know in the community or who have learned to load and unload kilns and do some other things at the studio for me. So I feel like I have support. When I need it and I can’t do something I can reach out now and I’m not all on my own anymore.
They say when you run your own business you can have a flexible work/life balance because you are in charge. Is that true for you?
(laughter) I think no. But I did get really good advice once from someone once and he said, You know, there is always going to be work. So you do need to know when to put it down. It’s harder with pottery because it is so damn time sensitive. But yeah, the goal is definitely to develop more of the community so there is some people so there is more work/life balance there.
Do you ever feel nervous about the consistency of financial income when you are running the studio as you do?
I have personally not worried too much about money my entire life. ie. I have lived at poverty level or below and just kind of learning what I cared about and being excited about what I was doing as a raft guide, landscaper, farm educator, mushroom grower, all the things. So money was not a big priority. And now that I am more of an adult and I own a house and I have a dog and a partner, thankfully their world is more stable. If things hit the fan and fall apart we would figure it out.
Do you see yourself making a mark in the community?
I do in the way that they are making little potters. There are people that are making pots and selling their pots our in the world around here and people have been very kind when they see me in my overwhelmed mode dropping kind words and letting me know how much the space has done for them and their sanity and creating a safe place to be in the world right now.
What do you do to unwind when you are not doing clay or dealing with the studio?
First thing would be to sit down and pet my dog, Lemon. She’s definitely a great stress relief / joy maker. And I really enjoy being physical, so any running or skiing or walking or yogaing. Anything of that sort.
Book
Learning by Heart by Corita Kent
In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney
Contact
Instagram: @somegirlspottery