We recently connected with Jezz Strutt and have shared our conversation below.
Jezz, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I believe it comes from within me somewhere as I have always felt I have had to overcome different obstacles in life including moving from one continent to another. I feel I’m somewhat a pioneer and have been willing to explore and try new things in my life. This has strengthened my resolve to learn and my determination to do better.
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?
My passion is creating pottery whether it be wheel-thrown, slab-built or making animals by hand. It always amazes me that I start off with a lump of clay and it can end up being a bowl or a plate, mug or figurine! The imagination is the limit really so it’s very exciting to continue to push the envelope and see where this goes.
As a one woman small business I have many hats to wear. I do tend to drive myself and I’ve never shied away from hard work. I think having had many different jobs has made me more experienced and well-rounded and better able to run a business. I’ve always had a connection with the earth from my agricultural career to gardening to getting my hands in the clay.
I like to produce special pieces that people will treasure and they consequently are made with love and have a part of me in them when you take them home.
Most of my work is functional but with a whimsical twist. I focus my business in the local area around Tulsa, OK and go to shows in the State. I like to work in my home studio in the Osage hills in Sand Springs. My biggest show of the year is Tulsa Mayfest which is a three-day outdoor show.
I enjoy making Memory Bowls for anniversaries, weddings, retirement or other important occasions. These prove good keepsakes. Dog and cat bowls are a favorite with the pet parents and can be personalized of course.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
On a practical note the first skill needed in throwing is centering the clay on the wheel. If you can’t do this, then your pot will not be well rounded and will wobble! This can be an analogy for how you live. You need to be well-balanced and patient. Life throws things at us when least expected and in the pottery world there are many things that can go wrong. S cracks in the bottom of your dish or plate for instance, glaze melted onto the kiln shelf, not only wrecking the piece but the shelving too! Having experience is the only way and sometimes you have to go through things to understand better the processes and how stuff happens.
I think having worked in other fields has obviously helped me in my business with unexpected situations.
Like anything, you have to practice, practice, practice!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Two heads are better than one the saying goes. I love creating pottery but hate the marketing and publicity and social media sides of the business because it is a distraction from what I value the most. However, without the publicity and putting myself out there as it were, I wouldn’t get the sales. I think there is a big disconnect. I have product and want to sell it. People are looking for it but don’t seem to know where to go for what they want. It’s like getting the right place to live. It’s all about location, location, location… The audience at a show has to be the right clientele if sales are to be made. If one is not matched to the other, it won’t work. I’d love to find someone interested in discussing with me possibilities of increasing the potential for the business….
I’m on Facebook Pottery by Jezz and can receive messages from messenger.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jezzpots.com
- Instagram: PotterybyJezz
- Facebook: Pottery by Jezz
- Linkedin: Jezz Strutt of Pottery by Jezz
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