Meet Laura Cooke | Potter

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

Hi Laura, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I think the most important factor behind my success is the ability to pivot easily. I think potters in general have a unique talent of bouncing back when things don’t turn out exactly right. For instance, if a batch of mugs dried out too quickly before I was able to put handles on them, or a material I use to make glaze is suddenly not being mined anymore, or the kiln I was firing failed and all my pieces in there never reached the proper temperature, I just have to pick up and move on. Potters sometimes have a daily practice of letting go of the work we have spent hours or weeks on. We don’t get attached to the final outcome until it is out of its last firing. Even then, the pots are given the once over and either ready to sell or be discarded to the “seconds” shelf. One of the most cathartic activities, much to the dismay of my friends, is smashing the stash of seconds with a hammer. 

I take time at the beginning of each year to experiment in the studio and make way for new ideas. This time gives me renewed energy to work and try new things which I end up developing throughout the year. Constantly repeating the same designs over and over again becomes a chore. 

Not only do I pivot when I’m working in my studio –  but I also pivot in a business. For example, I have had to adjust working seven days a week in my 20’s to just being able to squeeze in some hours here and there after having children. For the same reason, I stopped traveling for weekend shows and maintained my stock of pottery with the stores with which I have a personal relationship. They understand that if they place an order for pottery it could be ready in a couple weeks or a month or more depending on the kids’ schedules. 

I think that being flexible can open me up to new opportunities and allow me to let go of things that aren’t the best for the business. It’s a constant reassessment of where I currently am in my ability to make and produce work and what I can expect to do in the coming year. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I love being a potter and making functional pieces. I want my pots to be staples in people’s cabinets and on their dinner tables, introducing uniqueness, meaning, and fun into their everyday routines. The lines and patterns on my pots are meant to frame food, embrace coffee, encircle flowers—and enhance people’s experience of eating, drinking, and being a person in the world.

My pots are often covered in hand drawn patterns. My decorations are not perfect—they’re more sketch-like—celebrating the connection to the natural world, where straight lines don’t exist, and making each piece truly one of a kind.

My training was at the Oregon College of Art and Craft for a post bacc in Ceramics. While in Portland, I started doing the craft fair circuit, traveling, setting up, and selling my pottery around the region which enabled me to create a cohesive body of work and interact directly with customers. This work, travel and selling was all-consuming as I was learning how to run a business while running the business. I was trying to get my pots in as many places as I could to see how I could make a living.

After 4 years in Portland, I moved to Asheville, NC to be back in my home state and closer to family. Asheville seemed like a great place to land where the pottery community was flourishing and the River Arts District was established. I rented a space in one of the old industrial buildings that had been converted to artist studios. After a couple years I moved into the Clayspace Co-op, joining 9 other potters in an established studio. Our studios were in the back area and we sold our pots in the co-op in the front. Over the years Clayspace was able to adapt and add more members and welcome the influx of tourists.

I was in and out of Clayspace over the years. After the premature birth of my first son and his stay in the NICU, I took some time off. Eventually I came back to Clayspace and was there for a little over a year before I had to quit again after giving birth to my second son and soon after was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After my diagnosis I shut my business down and gave all my outstanding orders refunds and stopped sending any work to stores. I was so overwhelmed with the care of my two young children and my health issues, I had no room to be creative and lost the motivation go into my studio.

After my successful brain surgery, I slowly approached my studio again, but with a new intent — creating for me without the pressure of selling. I just was there to play and experiment and work with the ideas I had had over the years, but never had given myself time to make. It was fun to be in the studio again, sometimes with my 3 year old son beside me (making monsters and then performing brain surgery on them. I guess this was art therapy for us both.). I started drawing in a sketchbook and turning those sketches into custom 3D stamps I made with my new 3D printer. I started selling again, but slowly. If anything, what the premature birth, brain surgery, and Covid years taught me is to slow down and take time to enjoy my family.

We moved to Greensboro in 2023 to be closer to grandparents and, I was able to build a studio in my backyard. I am now producing work to send to approximately 5 stores. I have added in some NC shows to sell my work. It is also possible to purchase through my website and I can ship my work directly. It’s been a journey, but I feel I’m in a place of control, being able to pick and choose what is going to work for my family and my business and feeling comfortable saying no if I don’t think it is a good fit for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would go hiking at Hanging Rock State Park or Pilot Mountain, go for a run on the Watershed trails around Lake Brandt and walk or bike the greenway system in Greensboro. We would take our kids to LeBauer park and let them play while nearby enjoying a beer and at one of the best burger and fries combos at Parkside Pullup. The kids would also go to ArtQuest in the Greenhill art center to craft and paint for hours while using the plethora of various materials confining the mess a safe distance from my house. We would also go to the Greensboro Science Center and let them play in the treehouse structures and view all the animals after riding our bikes around the Country Park and Battleground loop, stopping off for ice cream at Ozzie’s, of course.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had so much support in my career as a potter. My family, first and foremost, has always encouraged me and been there to help when I needed it. I have also had amazing teachers and mentors. I worked for Victoria Christen, a potter in Portland, OR, and learned so much from her studio practice. Although Asheville, NC is populated with potters, there is such a supportive community there. I have a group of women potters that I am in constant contact with. We all have different areas of expertise and can lean on each other when we have questions or need advice. I love and depend on my community of potters.  

Website: https://www.cookeceramics.com

Instagram: lauracookeceramics

Other: @lauracookeceramics.bsky.social