A Little Bit About Me:

Hi, and thank you for being here :). My goal for this blog is to create a space where I can share more than 2,000 characters with you. A few topics that come to mind I’ll be touching on are my business–how I got started and where I’m at today, physical and mental health, recipe ideas, spiritually, entrepreneurship, and everything in between! So feel free to follow along, and I hope we can connect / foster a deeper community through sharing more than a silly little instagram caption (even though those are fun too).

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Hannah Hazel. I’m 27, my zodiac sign is Cancer, and I’m a born & raised Mainer. I’m a primarily self-taught production ceramicist, and have a home studio in Scarborough that I work out of full time. I sell my products through my website, in-person at local pop-ups / markets, and wholesale to shops around Maine and a few other parts of the U.S.

creativity can turn negative energy into art.

When I’m not in covered in mud, I love to travel. Whether it be domestic or overseas. (Excited to add Iceland to the list this spring!) While I have a passion for traveling, I also cherish my home, Portland. The maker community here is unmatched, and there seems to always be a group of people doing something pretty dang cool. Like Petalage Floral workshops, women’s small business meetups, or run clubs. (PS check out GFS run club on instagram). One event closest to my heart though, is Rubbish. Over the last few summers, I’ve had the privilege of joining Rubbish, which is a trash clean up event hosted by GoGo Refill and Saltwater Classroom. It’s been such a great way to connect with likeminded humans all working together to make a difference. I care deeply about our earth, and try my best to ‘do my part’ whether it be composting, recycling my used clay into reusable new clay, or picking up trash when I’m out on a walk. So if you’re ever in the area, make sure to check them out, and join for a cleanup! I’m a vegetarian (going on 4 years), and grateful for the time and space to make my physical and mental health a priority. Some of my favorite outdoor activities include running, going for walks on the beach, mountain / trail biking, hiking, and rollerblading. After one or more of these activities, I like to go home and whip up one of my go-to plant-based meals, some of which I’m excited to share with you in coming blog posts! So thanks again for tagging along this far, and feel free to continue reading about how I got into pottery in the first place.

Career / Life:

I didn’t wake up one day knowing I’d be an entrepreneur, it more or less came about in a roundabout way. After graduating high school, I attended SMCC for Culinary Arts. I had always been drawn to creating, whether it be drawing, taking photos, or baking. But after taking a few baking courses, interning at a local bakery during a brutally hot Maine summer, and taking a cooking class with a very high-strung borderline verbally abusive chef professor, I decided that maybe working in a kitchen wasn’t for me. I shifted my sights to a broader degree, and landed on business. I opted for all the ‘fun’ sounding classes first. Which happened to be an entrepreneurship course, and a pottery class. I didn’t realize at the time that taking these classes simultaneously would end up being the subconscious seed that planted the idea of turning a hobby into a business all the way back in 2016.

 Needless to say, I fell in love with clay the first day I had the chance to play around with it. I definitely struggled a lot getting the hang in the beginning, but it was the challenge that really pulled me in. I wanted to master something. I’ve always had the deepest desire to create, and in that moment, I knew clay would be that medium for me– a gateway into the creative world I had craved to be in since I was young. 

I didn’t go into ceramics knowing I would be able to sell anything I made at first, (if you’ve ever taken a pottery class then you know what I’m talking about). Most pieces don’t end up making it off the wheel without a wonky rim, hole through the bottom, or weighing at least 5 pounds. The only way to get better is to practice though, right? So practice I did. I ended up interning at the pottery studio mixing glazes, cleaning, and teaching kids classes. In exchange, I was able to have open studio time. I think I threw a few hundred cylinders in those months, just trying to get used to the feel of the clay. Working tirelessly to perfect my technique, style, and ultimately develop my signature brand. After a few years after selling at farmer’s markets and art walks, and interning at the clay studio, I was able to save up for a wheel, and a few years later a kiln. Although this whole time I was progressing towards becoming a full time production potter, I always seemed to lack the confidence or knowing that I somehow managed to transform my love of clay and this meditative outlet / practice, into an actual business. I don’t think it’s a switch that flips, and you know you’re going to be doing this as a ‘job’ for the better part of your life. Everything just naturally flowed into the way it was intended. It goes to show that when you put in the time, hard work, and show up for something you believe in, it will work out for you. Now let’s fast forward to the day I finally felt ready to quit my job and pursue pottery full time. After going back and forth with the idea for a few years, I finally decided in March 2020 to quit my job, and dive head first into ceramics. Queue the pandemic… Obviously none of us knew the extent of the impact the pandemic would have on our economy, and the unknown / fear was enough to make me regret any decision or previous hope of making it as a full time artist. But this amazing community showed up. Not only for me, but for so many small businesses in Maine. I received more online orders than ever before. All in-person markets / pop ups were put on hold, but thankfully it didn’t seem to matter. And slowly but surely, the world started getting back to ‘normal’, and I actually had to start drastically pivoting back to selling in person, producing large wholesale orders, and having the opportunity to collaborate with more small businesses and makers. To say the last 8 years have been a rollercoaster would be a drastic understatement. But as cheesy as it sounds, I wouldn’t change any of it. I choose to believe that every moment, fear, anxiety, doubt, high and low, was needed to get me to where I am today. Which not only professionally but personally, I am a more resilient human. No mud, no lotus!

Stay tuned for my next post, and feel free to leave suggestions on topics in the comments! xoxo Hannah