interview with Delores J Farmer (Hayes)

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

I'm not sure this is advice, maybe more of a reality check that changed how I went about becoming a working artist. 

When I was in college, just starting to focus on being an artist, I was telling everyone who would listen, and even those who wouldn't, that I was going to be an artist, that I WAS an artist. At the time I had a full academic course load, worked 2 jobs and had a ceramic assistantship at Claymakers. I was working and moving non stop but I barely made work. 

My independent study professor asked me, "how many hours a week do you spend in the studio?" I was also taking one 3 hr sculpting class at Claymakers. So that plus the one 3 hour wheel throwing course on campus, I was working a total of 6 hrs a week in the studio. He looked at me, he didn't hesitate or blink but simply replied, "you won't make it." Now, I was hurt. I really wanted to be an artist and to have someone tell me without sympathy that I wouldn't, was just deflating. He followed up with, and I'm paraphrasing,  "There are soo many talented artists fighting to do what they love for a living. They're actually putting in the time, making the sacrifices, devoting their life to their passion and even then so many will not make it."

What I took from that was, at the time I wanted to be an artist but not really. I went around telling everyone about how being an artist was so great but I hadn't really devoted myself to the work. Right then I made a decision to really commit, not kinda commit for show and to look cool doing the whole struggling artist thing, but to make everything I did support my one goal of being a working artist. 

I quit one job to make time for creating and spent every spare minute I had in the studio. I gave up Friday and Saturday nights with friends, parties, which is hard for a 22 year old, but I wanted clay to be my life. I lived at Claymakers, as many artists and staff there can tell you. I kept telling everyone that I was an artist, but not verbally. I told everyone by my actions. People began to see my commitment, see the effort I was making and offered help, gave me scrap clay, supplies, private lessons and opportunities to connect and work with established artists. 

I am now a self sustaining artist. I work anywhere between 40 and 120 hours a week. Committing myself to my work made my dream a reality.

What places are most inspiring to you?

The Eno River and the hearth by my fireplace

What is your dream project?

My Dream Project is to successfully fire the wood kiln I’ve been building for the past year. We’ve had a couple of tries, but it’s not ever quite gotten to temperature. I’ve spoken with some experts and we’re making some modifications. We’ll fire it up as soon as we can get together again.

Woodfiring is decorative collaboration between the artist and the fire. The flame and wood ash create paintings on the surface on pots. They leave traces of their journeys like whips marks or melted ash on the pots. They also enhance glazes making them run or shine brighter.

How has COVID-19 changed your life/business?

I've always understood that the success of my business is dependent on my community. When I first started selling pottery, it was total strangers that bought pieces from me, and gave words of encouragement and compliments, that gave me the courage to continue on this path. Because of their support, I've been able to have my own studio, build kilns, sell at many markets and festivals, and host classes and workshops. It's a relationship between artist and supporter. Right now, my community, and myself, are focusing on flattening the curve of this pandemic. Because of our need to protect our family, friends, loved ones, and community, all of my sources of income have stopped. No markets, no festivals, no galleries are open. There are no classes or workshops.

It's been challenging to create other sources of income. Its also been tough to realize how delicate our relationship to each other and commerce really is. I spent the first 2 weeks of this quarantine in a daze. I couldn't believe all these avenues of income and interactions were all at once, gone. Conversations with my husband, keeping busy in my garden and our Liberty Arts Zoom chats have helped me reel in this feeling of uneasiness.

This week I launched my online shop. DeloresPottery.com

Every day I'll add new items to the site. This is a new venture for me. It takes a long time to add each item, and I have over 200!

Shipping fragile work can be difficult and expensive. So far the community has once again showed up to support me and I've sold many items already. My plan is to continue sharing my pottery with my community as long as I possibly can.

What has it meant to be a Liberty Arts Artist?

In 2016 I decided to have a home studio because my production needs had outgrown the space I currently had. I had studio space at Claymakers as a studio assistant, but when I left, I lost that ocean of creative exchange, I lost that sense of community. I shared my home studio with one potter which allowed me to produce more in a quiet space. We were able to bounce ideas off of each other but sometimes we were just too busy creating to stop. Before my home studio, there was always someone around to share ideas and opportunities with. 

At Liberty Arts I've been able to produce all that I need, collaborate with artists with different backgrounds and share ideas and opportunities with many artists. The Liberty Artists have shared an immense ocean of knowledge. I've been able to grow and develop as an artist and I have been given the space to bring dreams to reality.

Liberty Arts is my networking pool, studio and home.

--

Delores J. Farmer  Pottery