Welcome to Works (and words) by Ethan. That’s me.
Works by Ethan is handmade pottery made by…you guessed it, me. What began as a curiosity a few years ago spurred on by a desire to create something tangible and functional has fulfilled a creative and emotional need that I never could have predicted.
There are about 98,192 things to learn and know about pottery. The bad news is that I’m probably about 0.0078% of the way there but the good news is that I’m finally in a place where I can make pots that I feel confident about, I’m happy with what I’m producing while always learning and can make pots in a relatively consistent manner. I don’t strive for things to match but rather I like to think of all my pots as being distantly-related to one another…”3rd cousin, twice removed on the mother’s side” sorta thing.
As for “words,” well I used to write stuff on a food blog called Tastes Better With Friends and then Feeding Ethan but that was about 83.754 years ago. They have both since been retired due to some sort of weird Writer’s Block that maybe I’ll untangle eventually but that was then and this is now. I still like words and the idea of writing but maybe I just didn’t have anything to say for the last 4-5 years.
As I have thought about eventually putting my pots (coffee mugs, bowls, garden stakes, eventually plates) for sale, I initially envisioned a Shopify site or Etsy store. I’m still debating but I never contemplated some sort of newsletter until recently.
Obviously, I do like the idea of letting y’all know when I have pieces to sell but I also feel there are tons of other artists out there who deserve shout-outs in whatever way I can offer. Speaking of offering, maybe it’s something that happens as you get older or as I face health issues for really the first time in my life, but I feel like I’m more in touch with my feelings. And without getting too deep for now, putting these thoughts to “paper” helps me process things. And my hope is that it may bring comfort to someone out there having similar feelings and realizing they aren’t alone as there is comfort in that.
But this place won’t be just heavy and deep thoughts, it’ll be light and happy with fluffy doggies (appearances by my very own Matzah Ball J.) and randomness that inspires and amuses.
And with that, I say farewell…for now.
And obviously…don’t forget to sign up now so you don’t miss future Works (and words) by Ethan, that’s me!
In the meantime, tell your friends!