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Hamilton Williams grew up in different parts of the Carolinas, finishing up school in Hickory, North Carolina, where he got his initial exposure to throwing on the potter's wheel in high school art class. A few years later at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Williams was pursuing a degree in design with an eye toward architecture when he enrolled in a beginning pottery course. Under the guidance of his teacher, Setsyu Kotani, Williams quickly became fascinated with clay and the process of pottery-making. By the end of that first semester in ceramics, Williams had abandoned all thoughts of becoming an architect and devoted his time to developing as a clay artist specializing in hand-thrown functional pottery.

Williams left Greensboro with a BFA in Design and returned to Hickory to set up his first studio. Within a few years, he had developed a strong following for his work and placed pieces in shops and galleries across the Carolinas. In 1997, Williams relocated and expanded his studio to the small historic town of Valdese, nestled in the North Carolina foothills. With the new studio came new growth in his craft, increasing the number of galleries that carried his work and expanding his reputation and following among pottery collectors. In 2004, Williams was invited to teach in the pottery program at Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton, NC. It was here that he delved more deeply into kiln construction, glaze chemistry, and craft marketing in an effort to strengthen the craft education of the students under his guidance as well as his own knowledge of his medium. In 2005, Williams successfully juried in the prestigous Southern Highland Craft Guild, a member organization devoted to the preservation and growth of handmade craft in the southern Appalachians, and in 2008 he spent a month traveling in western India as part of a Rotary Club Group Study Exchange team, experiencing the culture and interacting with local clay artists. Williams continues to work at his study in Valdese and currently is developing new designs for the 2011 season.