From Law School Graduate to Full-Time Ceramicist

Throwback to 2018. It was the start of the new year and I was feeling hopeful about my law school career about to begin. It had been a year since I finished grad school with a master’s degree in paleontology (while I didn’t end up using that degree, it certainly made my resume look “cooler”). I honestly never knew what I wanted to do with my life. Geologist to paleontologist to now lawyer? I was all over the place.

During law school I received a CALI award, became a teaching assistant for legal writing classes, published 3 law review articles (1 of which was after I graduated), became the president of my school’s LGBT+ law society, and at graduation I received the award for “exemplary contributions to the quality of student life.”

I did a lot, but it was incredibly unfulfilling. The bar exam scared me so much I thought — do I even really want this? Do I want to waste more time studying for an exam I don’t care about passing? I took it twice without caring, and of course, I didn’t pass.

Fast forward to 2023. It was the start of the new year and I was still feeling depressed about having no direction in my life post-law school. In March I started taking an eight-week hand building ceramics course at Claytime in Huntington, New York. I absolutely fell in love with it. After the eight weeks ended I continued on with a monthly membership to continue making pottery at the studio.

The more I worked on learning about and increasing my confidence in my pottery, the more obsessed with it I became. I started to wonder if creating pottery could become a full-time gig rather than just a hobby.

Over the last few years I’ve gone through many art ventures and business ideas, most of which have been called “niche.” I grew to hate that word. But I knew if I wanted to make full-time pottery a thing that I would need something “niche” to make me stand out. I decided to focus a ton of my energy on making hand built ashtrays (I am a cigar smoker, after all).

In September 2023 I completed my first ceramics art residency at Perceptions Yoga, Mindfulness and Art in Vernon, Indiana. I completed my second one there just recently in April 2024 where I made 26 ashtrays in two weeks (amongst other things!).

I started thinking about ways to get my pottery “out there” in places other than just on this website. I sell my pottery at The Hana Co., a local plant store in Huntington, NY.

For those interested in the Long Island, NY area, I teach hand building ceramics courses on-the-go now. I come to people’s houses, event spaces, and places of business to teach the classes.

Becoming a full-time ceramicist has vastly improved my mental health, mood, and relationships with friends, family, and business owners around my hometown. I wouldn’t trade where I’ve ended up for anything!