About Hamilton Williams / FAQ

Philosophy | Biography | FAQ's

Folks are often very curious about the pottery process and how I make a living as a professional potter so I have put together a some of the most frequent questions we receive in the studio and at shows. Some are serious, some are silly, but there is a lot of information provided.

Q: What is it like to be a professional potter?

A: While some people may imagine the life of a potter involves fame and money, jet-setting around the globe with beautiful starlets on one's arm as if on a perpetual vacation... those people would be completely wrong.

The daily life of a potter is as varied as individual potters. For some, like me, pottery feels a little bit like a calling. There are days when the work is nothing but drudgery (these are rare), and other days when the pots seem to emerge from the clay with little more effort than breathing. In the beginning of my career, I was a bit chagrined to find that being a potter is pretty much like being any other kind of small business person. I spend some days making calls and doing paper work.

One the whole, being a potter means I get to spend most of time getting paid to do something I would likely do for free anyway. What could be better?

Q: What is your pottery made out of? (Yes, we get this question all the time. )

A: Um.... clay. Specifically, we use a blend of different kinds of clay from all over the U.S. This blend is from our main supplier, Highwater Clays, located in Asheville, NC. Using a blend of clays gives us the best possible working qualities.

Q: Where is Valdese? ( And why would I ever want to go there?)

A: Valdese is located along the Interstate 40 corridor halfway between Hickory and Morganton. The two "Valdese" exits are 112 and 111.

As for why someone would want to visit Valdese... why to visit us, of course. We are conveniently located near I-40 off Exit 112. A map and directions are available here.