Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gabrielle King. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Gabrielle , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My parents. My parents showed me what it was like to have a strong work ethic. I remember when I was younger, I really wanted to buy more craft supplies. However, money doesn’t grow on trees so my parents gave me the opportunity to go to work with them and they would pay me a small amount of money to do so. My dad used to be a Masonry. I remember getting paid $1 for every bag of concrete I’d mix up for him. It was heavy and a lot of work for a single dollar. I don’t regret it though because it taught me what it was like to work hard for something I wanted. I’ll never forgot those long and hot summer days of hard work.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I get to create one of a kind pieces of art that fill lovely humans homes with joy. I love that no 2 pieces are the same. Each piece has its own story to tell and I love how unique they turn out. Everytime I open my kiln, I am always amazed by how beautiful something can be. My business is built around the idea of making great pieces of art. Art that stands the test of time. Art that challenges the older ways of doing ceramics. Art that fills your soul with pride and joy. In slang terms, “Slaps” means awesome or great. So if you wanted a great piece of art then you would shop at the slap shop!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Patience. In my line of work it’s mandatory that you have patience. Everything in the clay world is slow. From letting a piece fully dry before it can be fired to actually firing it. If you don’t have patience then quality ceramics can be hard to achieve.
Hard Work. If you want something, you have to be willing to work at it. I have worked long days and sleepless nights to get to this point. Every step was worth taking even when I felt like I wasn’t making much progress. It’s hard to see the finish line when you are tired but you have to remember that it’s there and that you will cross it one day.
Time Management. You can truly have the life you want as long as you’re realistic and honest when it comes to time management. If you bite off more then you can chew, you will feel that. If you are unrealistic about your time line it can be easy to feel discouraged. Being realistic about the future and your goals will help keep your priorities in check and keep you on the path you want to be on.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
A big part of my job is custom orders. When busy seasons come it is easy to feel overwhelmed. One of the things I like to do is this 1. Get Real – ask yourself why you feel this way? Find the source of the problem and make a plan to fix or change the thing that is causing you to feel this way.
2. Walk it out – if I get frazzled, I go for a walk until I feel calm and can attack the problem
3. Go eat – when I’m hungry it’s hard to problem solve. Eating helps me find better solutions.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.theslapshopllc.com
- Instagram: Theslapshopllc
- Facebook: The Slap Shop Va
Image Credits
Will Bower Brent Butler
