We recently connected with Courtney Segrest and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Courtney with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
When I was in my first beginning ceramics class I remember absolutely hating it. Working with clay was frustrating, it cracked, it broke, and it never came out how I expected it to. My initial drive was inspired by the irritation that I could not do it and it eventually grew into a desire to understand this new medium. The more I worked in clay, the more I came to respect the patience and dedication it takes to nurture a piece from its pliable state into the stone-like properties it ends with. It’s a slow process with many rewarding transformative stages within the cycle. The pieces require constant monitoring to make sure the moisture content is where you need it to be, so it requires you to be in the studio every day. This needy medium is what inspires my work ethic, it makes sure that I keep my hands busy, and even if I don’t want to be in the studio that day I at least have to check on the work that I have been producing. I believe that the best way to get better at something that you’re doing is to just keep working with it. If I keep my hands in clay every day then something good will happen from that and it makes me feel better when sometimes all I get to do is spray my pieces with water to make sure they don’t dry out. I’m also encouraged by how broad of a medium ceramics is. It’s impossible to know everything about it, and there’s always a new technique to learn. I love that I will never run out of information to learn, but with persistence, I can get closer to knowing more about this beautiful process.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I graduated with my MFA in ceramics this past spring, so since then I have been settling into my home studio and teaching a beginning wheel-throwing course at UNT. I have been noticing some lovely changes in my work schedule after moving out of the academic environment. I have been working slower, but more thoughtfully, and I have been able to come up with some new designs for my functional pottery that I am proud of. I found in school that I never had the time to flesh out an idea before I started making it, and I was never able to give as much time to my craftsmanship as I wanted. Within my new studio, I see myself improving, and making work that makes me happy. This month I am having my first online sale on my website shop, and I am excited about what this means for the business I am starting and the future. I’m hoping to make sale updates on my website every month or so.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The most important qualities that are impactful to my journey are patience, persistence, and gratitude. I always get irritated when people say that you “have a natural talent”, it dismisses all the hard work behind the scenes and diminishes the ability for future growth. Getting good at a skill is a never-ending process, and I hope that I am never fully comfortable with the work I make as that means that I am no longer challenging myself. It’s important to stick with it, keep trying and if something isn’t working then take a break come back, and try it a different way. When starting a new project I’ll often cycle through five different ways of doing something before I eventually settle on a way that works best for me. It may not be the “right way” but if it gets me the results I want then it doesn’t matter. I also find that it’s easy to get discouraged in this field. I’ve always been a slow maker, and slow to progress, and when surrounded by peers who are excelling it can be challenging to celebrate your own victories. I find it absolutely crucial to celebrate any little victory you can. Did you make it to the studio? Did you do at least one thing, even if it was organizing your space? Did you finally decide to start over on a piece that was just not working? Anything can be worth congratulating yourself, and I find that I’m happier working when I start to acknowledge the importance of the little victories in my practice.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I find that it’s really easy to get tunnel vision, especially for students who spend the majority of their days in the same environment working toward similar goals. It begins to feel very overwhelming, and the projects you’re working on or your relationships with your peers begin to have a hyper-focused lens that can be detrimental to your growth. I find it crucial to distance myself when I begin to feel like I have let my world feel too small. Finding a different hobby, or a new environment where you are no longer part of the regular flow. I benefit from spending time alone, reading a book, going on a long walk, or any activity that gets me out of my usual routine. This helps to recenter me, allowing me to come back with fresh eyes and understand how to resolve an issue or see a work that I had overcomplicated by working on it too long. Whenever I’m overwhelmed usually the last thing I want to do is leave the situation, I want to resolve it, but I know that nothing I do in my current state would be beneficial to the ultimate goal that I have, so I remind myself that I am just human and that I need to take care of myself before I do anything else.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.courtneysegrest.com
- Instagram: @courtnise
Image Credits
Stephanie Gerhart
