We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Ortlieb a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sarah, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
A relative once told me: “If you receive a compliment, whether you believe it or not, treat it like a gift. Accept it, say thank you, and understand that if you hear that compliment enough coming from others, it must be true.” .
I have been teaching muscle-development and critical thinking skills using art, math and science (all very related in the field of ceramics) for my entire decade-long career. Communicating with the parents of children whom I have taught has been the best learning experience, the best boost to my self-esteem. When I hear parents tell me how much their kids enjoy my classes, and how shocked they are at how quickly they are developing those fundamental skills, I know my worth and I know how to advocate for myself.
For a period of time, I homeschooled pre-k for a set of twins. One of those twins entered kindergarten at a 2nd grade reading level. That alone has been one of my proudest accomplishments. The parents were difficult to deal with, but even they were consistently telling me how impressed they were with their children’s developments.
Taking those kinds of compliments to heart, remembering that bit of advice, accepting myself and my worth, I know that I am a good teacher; a good teacher in every field I’ve taught. And that confidence only continues to allow me to succeed in, and grow, my own community art school
My confidence continues to grow, despite having moments of doubt, because of my work ethic. I learned that work ethic from my single mom, always pushing me to do better than my best. I put everything into what I’m doing. Having evidence of my capabilities as a teacher has brought me so much joy, even when I’m exhausted. I live to work. I love what I do. Sometimes I need to step back to manage self care, but I know that what I’m doing has purpose and truly enhances the lives of those I teach. I have learned how to communicate professionally, objectively, and with care, even in tense situations. I have worked under so many bosses who consistently tell me how “amazing” I am at what I do.
Now, as my own boss, I know that I have the ability to properly and effectively communicate, how to stay calm, yet strong and firm in confrontational or difficult conversations without sacrificing who I am.
Again, if you hear it enough, it must be true.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am the founder of Nodd Pottery Community Art School. While working with clay for most of my life, I somehow found myself thrown into a pottery class at the Hartford Art School during my freshman year of college. Since then, I have spent my career teaching art education to children and adults alike in numerous art studios in the Chicagoland area, including a volunteer stint with Project Onward at the Bridgeport Art Center. I moved to Rogers Park to join the beautiful, diverse community. My goal has always been to provide affordable and flexible access to ceramics education, as it is a difficult medium to find without spending hundreds of dollars on a rigid mega center “class.” I built Nodd Pottery from the ground up, and over the years, I’ve established partnerships with organizations to provide programming for disadvantaged and neurodivergent youth and adults.
Nodd Pottery Art School was initially a passion project that I’ve been able to turn into a full time job. Nodd Pottery is named for the potter’s nod.” The “potter’s nod” is the silly and odd head bobbing that we do in order to survey the landscape of what we are making. The shape of the volume, the silhouette. I have learned to translate that into looking at every perspective, opening ourselves up to difficulties and challenges, allowing ourselves to use mindful thinking. Focusing on process over product, my students have come a long way by practicing the fundamental skills they need to move into making their own meaningful art. So many of them are now able to plan their work, e.g. “I want to make a knitting bowl, and I know I can.”
I don’t have a favorite part of what I do. I don’t even believe in favorites, as our moods shift, day to day, moment by moment. I love getting to work with my students on developing their skills, allowing them to self-express using more advanced techniques, and how to utilize self-control to get there. I love when my students are proud of their work. When they’re not, I make sure to show them why, truly why, what they’ve created–while it may not be up to their standards–is beautiful.
At Nodd Pottery Art School, I make sure to offer a variety of programs for students. I also hold seasonal workshops, our Thumbprint Winter Tree Workshop to Saturday December 16th, 5-7pm.
I also hold private lessons for those who prefer working in a one-on-one setting. We all have different learning styles and preferences, and I want to make sure we offer a wide breadth of programming to allow everyone who wants it to have the opportunity to practice this unique exercise in self-expression and self-control
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I’ve learned that in order to succeed, you truly need to give it your all. It will pay off in the end. It’s all about the indiscriminate hustle. Ask questions when you don’t have answers, advocate for yourself–know your worth and acknowledge that you are in fact worthy–and be willing to take constructive criticism.
I would advise those who are still developing these skills to remember to be less critical of themselves. “You are your worst critic” is certainly a mindset many of us struggle with, one that is ubiquitous in our society, and perhaps even our nature. Always be critical, but be critical in a mindful way. Accept when you’ve made a mistake and learn from it instead of wallowing in it. Know that what you do matters, even on days when you feel you’ve failed; when others confront you with issues they may be having, stay calm, stay objective, stay reasonable, and stay strong.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My mom is, for all intents and purposes, a single mom. I grew up admiring her strength and work ethic, having the mentality that “being the squeaky wheel” will ultimately get you the grease you need to slide into the careers you are pursuing. My mom, though not always agreeing, has always supported my choices. She raised me to have that strong work ethic, to be able to stand alone without being lonely, and to know what I’m worth and that I am worthy. Worthy of respect and worthy of love.
Contact Info:
- Website: noddpottery.com
- Instagram: @noddpottery
- Facebook: facebook.com/noddpottery
- Youtube: Nodd Pottery
- Other: TikTok username: noddpottery
Image Credits
Syrian Community Network
