Meet the woman behind Susan Gordon Pottery in Birmingham

Ceramics is a passion that found Susan Gordon – not the other way around. Always an artist at heart, she entered college at Auburn with a plan to pursue a career as a sensitive artist in graphic design. That is until he tried a pottery class on a whim. From the moment he sat down at a pottery wheel, everything changed. “Sometimes, I think the clay chose me,” she tells us.

After graduating with a degree in fine arts and ceramics, she started Susan Gordon Pottery in 2013 and opened a storefront in Homewood six years later. Her collection features timeless classics and ever-evolving pieces, from jewelry to tableware. We chatted with Susan about finding her muse and what it takes to build a brand on your creative passion. Meet this week’s Birmingham FACE!

First, tell us about yourself! Have you always lived in Birmingham?

Even though I’ve lived most of my life in Birmingham, my family lives in Huntsville, where I grew up!

How did you get started in pottery?

I never touched clay until my sophomore year of college. Seriously. Grissom High offered pottery classes, but for whatever reason, I never felt interested. My college roommate also happened to be a fine arts major (I was majoring in graphic design at the time) and encouraged me to try a wheel throwing class. It was love at first touch. My engineer parents were quite worried about my career when I informed them that I would switch to ceramics from graphic design.

Can you share the story behind your curling bowls?

Corrugated bowls started out as my teaching demo for the beginning of hand building classes. Before I decided to take Susan Gordon Pottery full time, I was teaching pottery classes for adults. The wavy bowls I was making back then were pretty gross, but my students left feeling so encouraged that they had made something beautiful and useful in their very first class.

Since then, I have refined the look of my bowls. The wavy bowls went from an organic, earthy look to a more elevated, elegant aesthetic that felt more sophisticated and could be arranged with even the finest china. My team and I worked to perfect the sizes and shapes so that there is one size and shape for almost every potential use in the home.

My desire was for my collectors to feel that they were simultaneously buying a handcrafted piece of art and also a highly functional object that elevated their everyday life.

We love how you say that some kind of “conversation” takes place between you and the clay in your hands. Can you elaborate on that?

Clay itself is my biggest inspiration. Whenever I’ve developed new shapes or products, I always go back to clay. Often what might look amazing in my head comes out pretty bad when I try to make it with clay. On the contrary, clay sometimes does something unexpected that I quite like.

What would you say to aspiring artists who dream of making a living with their art?

Find trusted friends in a similar industry who have similar ambitions and are willing to share the good, the hard, and everything in between. Looking back, each milestone has a dear and sincere friendship tightly wrapped around it. If you don’t have that, sign up for a business masterclass that suits you – that’s how I found my people.

Now that you have a team of artisans, tell us about the balance of running the business and still making time to create. Have you found a balance that works for you?

Ha! Absolutely not. I am cursed with a big picture mind and a neurotic need to be in the details. Being the boss is one of the most unexpectedly humbling and terrifying roles I’ve ever had. My team is amazing; they are tremendously supportive and I am eternally grateful for their professionalism and work ethic.

If anything, being a boss taught me the most about my own weaknesses and gave me so many opportunities for personal and professional growth. I still feel like I’m learning and growing. In my current season, time to ebb and flow with the rhythms of what the business needs and, frankly, the events of my young children’s busy schedules.

What do you like to do when you are not working?

When I’m not moonlighting as an uber-mom for sports and activities, I like to either travel or be at home with my family…working in my garden, watching my husband make dinner, or relaxing with friends.

Who or what inspires you now?

My friend Ann from Yearly Co. who is battling breast cancer right now. Ann and I met six or seven years ago and she has become one of my dearest friends in business. She shared her journey with such vulnerability and honesty, which is refreshing and uplifting.

What is your best advice?

Two pieces, if you will. First, know your strengths and weaknesses and, as much as possible, delegate what you feel are not superpowers. Second, be yourself: listen and believe in “your voice” as a human and a creator. It’s so easy to get distracted by what other people are doing.

Ask yourself, “What do you want to create today?” A few years ago, I gave this advice to my husband, who is a CPA in finance, and he would tell you that allowing himself to ask this question was an enlightening moment for him as well.

Besides faith, family and friends, name three things you cannot live without.

The Cricket Quarter, King Charles Cavalier, strolls over wine and very, very good food.

ROUND LIGHTNING

Last delicious local meal: LUKE! I absolutely love that place.

Favorite vacation spot? My parents’ apartment on the beach. Their porch is on the beach and is the perfect place to watch the sunset. We have been taking family and friends there for years and many wonderful memories have been made there.

Your favorite gift to give: Bottega’s homemade olive oil paired with either a bowl of Adorn or a bowl of Alene. I might regret sharing this because olive oil is already kind of hard to come by!

Favorite recent TV show: I just finished Empress and I look again. Fair warning: everything is subtitled. Try; you will not be disappointed.

The books on the bedside table: How to get to know a person by David Brooks, Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros and Duna Messiah by Frank Herbert.

All photos courtesy of Susan Gordon Pottery unless otherwise noted.

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The women of Birmingham are doing inspiring work. Meet more of them at our FACES archives!