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Corrie Ladd | Episode 854
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Was having a friend involved in ceramics a critical part of your growth?
Absolutely, she was…whether or not she knew it she was an invaluable resource and we joked about her being a gateway but she truly was. She helped me learn and lay a foundation and I will tell you that one hundred percent she has inspired me to be that and try to be that for other people.
Because of that relationship did you find that there was a boosting both for yourself and for her in terms of growing the business and social media?
Absolutely. Because business-wise she and I even while I was doing jewelry and she was doing ceramics, business-wise we were about the same and while I was learning ceramics with her we were learning business together. So our businesses grew sort of in tantum. So we became each other’s resources for a lot of things and it ended up being a pretty symbiotic relationship.
The growth was exponential for both of you because of the energy that both she brought to the relationship and you brought to the relationship. Is that accurate?
Yes, I would say that she brought a little more to the relationship knowledge wise but I would say that we both created community for each other that allowed us to grow.
Did that help to open up doors to a community that was bigger than just the two of you?
Well it did. So I would say the start of all that was her taking me to our local ceramic supply store. And from there it was chatting with those employees and starting to bring my ceramics to shows, then she would talk to the other potters that were local and I would meet those potters through her because she already had those relationships. So she helped me cast the net wide and for lack of a better term, expand the community.
How do you plan to take what you’ve learned to your new place in Virginia?
You know, I know of one other person, it’s actually a couple. It’s in Matthews, Virginia which is where we are moving and it’s a husband and wife that own a place called The Poddery
And their last name is Podd so it is The Poddery and years ago before I made ceramics my full-time thing, I went on an artists’ tour of homes and they were on the tour and I remember thinking, What a beautiful place to make work. What a lovely setting, what a tight knit community. There’s not a lot of people but the people that are there are so involved in each other’s lives and enriching each other’s lives. I’m kind of just really excited to see what role I’m going to play in a new community.
How does having friendships with people doing the thing you want to do, how does that help you become that thing? To become a potter?
You know my mom always said you don’t want to be the smartest person in the room and I’ve kind of taken that with me and I’ve surrounded myself with people that are smarter than me or more creative than me or whatever it is, in all different aspects. And when you do that you cover their weak areas and they cover your weak areas. That’s always what I am looking for. I want to be able to learn and when asked I want to have an answer.
Book
In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney
Contact
Instagram: @koraigoods