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Nicki Wells | Episode 991
Nicki Wells is a fascinating creative who not only makes ceramics, but is also a musician, composer, and vocalist. Nicki is deeply inspired by the nature of the Wye Valley where she currently resides and creates her ceramics, as well as her unique upbringing in London, Italy, and the foothills of Dharamashala, India.
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You’ve got a concern coming up. How do you actually set up your merch table?
Well I do have happy helpers to help me. I can’t do it all by myself. So sometimes I have two friends to help. Basically I wrap them all up super safe. Lots of bubble wrap involved and suitcases and I decorate the tables. Normally just with some linen table cloths and keeping it nice and simple and then I have different levels of them as well and then I will arrange them nicely where I will also be selling vinyl and music as well. And I put lights around it and allow it to be a kind of place where people can come and take a look.
Do you announce it from the stage?
I recently just did my album launch on Wednesday and I did not have my pottery there on that occasion. So on some gigs I will specify that there is going to be pottery available as well. And other times it’s just more the music. So when I do announce it I will basically say that my pots will be available to have a look at and purchase.
When you make a sale do you just hand them the piece or are you wrapping it up and giving it a safe package to travel back home with them?
I actually had a whole packaging routine where I actually individually stamped Turya with an ink stamp and then wrap it all up and put it in this firm box with black tissue paper and I also gave a leaflet an made it all nice. When I package it up I like to make it a really nice package so when they open the box itself it still has this aesthetic. That is really nice.
Do you always have friends helping you with sales?
A lot of it is my managers helping so recently when I had my album launch I was signing vinyls and stuff and my managers were there to help. So if it’s not friends it’s my music management, otherwise it’s me on my own.
Do you have a favorite pottery piece that you like to make?
Well, it’s very interesting Paul, because recently I had just got into hand building and I had been generally always been a thrower. But now I have been starting to hand build and I’ve been hand building these big bowls and it’s more of a hands on process. So I am really enjoying hand building at the moment. I really wanted some bowls to put my jewelry in at the end of the day when I take my earrings and necklace off, I wanted to have some nice bowls. So now I am making some hand built bowls specifically for jewelry with this very kind of rough craft ,beautifully textured clay. I am really enjoying making those that the moment.
Book
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Contact
Instagram: @turyapots