Meet Emily Lowry | Potter/Ceramist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Lowry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The choice to pursue a career as an artist wasn’t an easy one. I had gone back and forth for some time. For me it was either go to school for an art degree or become some kind of medical professional. These two choices couldn’t be further from each other, but they are my two most primary interests. My main reservations with choosing a career in the arts, was the age old belief of the “starving artist”. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make a living being an artist. I decided on getting my Bachelors of Fine Arts and become an illustrator since that would give me more opportunities for steady work. As I was completely my degree, I was taking ceramics courses and I was enjoying them immensely and loving it more than drawing. I didn’t want to get lost in ceramics though because I didn’t see how I could making a living from it. I had gotten myself stuck in a mindset of focusing on money and profit, but I met other ceramists through school and on social media who support themselves solely on their work. This opened my eyes and reassured me that I could do what I love and make a living. In my work I combine my illustrative background and bring it to my ceramic pieces. Ultimately, making art is my passion and brings joy to my life and I love seeing the reactions of people who see my work and seeing how my work brings them as much joy as I had making it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think what sets my work apart from others in my medium, would be surface decoration on my pottery. I like to make very cutesy and adorable designs that feature animals, flowers, and nature. One of my favorite series I have is a series called “Animals in Love”, where I have scenes with various animals painted on my pieces with text saying “What if we were [insert animal]s in love”. These cute designs make me happy and I want people to feel that same happiness when they see them. Especially with pottery, whoever buys the pieces will use them on a regular basis. So whenever they look at the piece as they are eating/drinking/pouring from the vessel, they can feel that happiness all over again and maybe even brighten their day.

I still have a very long way to go as a professional as I have just started this pursuit within the last six months, but I would not be as far as I am now without the support of my unofficial business partner/friend Sugar Bee Dice. She has taught me all I know about starting a brand and everything there is to know about it. We have ventured into the world of doing local markets together and have been having success with that. She always reassures me that my work is worth the time and money I invest and that people will love what I have to make.

I am still in the process of learning everything there is to know about being a professional artist and having a brand, but the most important lesson I’ve learned so far, is to network and use every resource you have access to. Networking by meeting other artists has opened so many doors for me and helped me get my art out there. Attending the University of North Texas CVAD program, I have met other art students who provide invaluable advice on how to improve my work and find opportunities in my field.

What I want people to know most about my story is that you should always do what makes you happy, don’t settle for something just because it’s comfortable or “steady”. My brand is all about cute pottery that makes people happy and love the simple things in life. I want my work to be a nice piece of peace in a chaotic and stressful world. If someone is having a terrible day, I just hope they see my work and have a moment where everything negative melts away and they smile at just two cute animals in love on a cup.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Denton is full of fun things to do and show people. The first place I would bring them is Aura Coffee Shop right by campus where I would order my favorite coffee special, the Sister Rosetta, an iced lavender oat milk latte. While we wait for our coffee we would look around the Old Bear Vintage resale racks inside the coffee shop. Then I would take them to walk the square. We would go to the Denton Mini Mall to look at cute antiques and trinkets, More Fun Comics for graphic novels and figurines, Gnome Cones for a sweet treat, The Brown Thumb to buy some amazing and beautiful plants, D20 Tavern to finish the evening playing board games and relaxing. The next day we would start off the day getting lunch at my favorite restaurant, Spiral Vegan Diner. Their veggie burgers and nacho cheese is to die for. After that we would let our food settle and go see the famous Chairy Orchard, where there is a small wooded area that is filled with different chairs. It’s a nice picture taking spot. After that we would go to my number one favorite place in Denton, Taiyaki Sweets on Fry street. They have the best Jasmine milk tea with boba I have ever had. They are fairly new business, but they already have a special place in my heart. If you’re in the area it is a must have in my opinion. After that we would go to Red’s Yard and hopefully there would be an art market happening so we could support some local artists. There are so many fun things to do in Denton, I have grown to love this town so much and I feel apart of the large art community here.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that have helped me and my practice, but the biggest help in the development of my work would be the UNT Clay Guild. By interacting with fellow ceramists, getting ideas, and showing how there is a market for selling my work through our campus sales. Also another person who is my unofficial partner who has helped me with all things business related is sugar bee dice aka Brooke. She owns her own handcrafted dice and candle business and has been the greatest help for me with starting my own brand. She is one of my very close friends and she supports me through everything.

Website: woobiego.com

Instagram: woobiego