An Interview with Ceramic Artist Kness

Scrolling through Twitter you get to see many unique artists, last month I ran into Kness Twitter account and fell in love with her ceramic art pieces so I decided to interview her to learn more about her art!

1. What inspired you to start making art?

I always made art, in a form or another, since I was a kid. Like most artists, I guess. I got into illustration first and lately ceramics. I think I stumbled upon some really nice pottery on Instagram and jumped right into a rabbit hole of cool glazing work so I decided to take this on as a hobby. I got into my first class with high hopes and was quickly defeated by clay. But I hang on to the craft and took more classes, and here I am.

2. Favorite thing about being an artist?

* New Pinned Thread *
Hi ! I make cute ceramics animals and illustrations.

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????Insta : https://t.co/Hf7JlX3mUw pic.twitter.com/dXYxUvopFd
— Kness (@_kness) January 13, 2021

I love making what I have in mind come to life. It was already a thing with illustration but with clay, it’s on another level entirely. I also love the problem-solving factor in ceramics. There’s a lot of chemistry involved, calculations, mixes, colors, it’s another world compared to painting. I also kind of like the fact that there’s almost no way of correcting a mistake. It’s either ok or not ok, there are very few in between. You cannot negotiate with clay, it really has a mind of its own. Another thing that enables my art is the awesome support I feel every time I post a piece. It’s kind of overwhelming at times but it’s always so positive and respectful. I’m forever grateful to my followers and customers.

3. Advice for new artists?

I’d say, really do what you like, not what you think others will like. I’ve verified this time and again. every piece I make because I think it will sell doesn’t. It’s when I put my guts into it that it works best. It’s never 100% but it’s the most reliable method I found. Start small, build your community, be respectful, be kind to yourself and others, take your week-ends off, take care of your family. It seems trivial but it isn’t, we are not made to work all the time. It’s a very capitalistic idea that you should work overtime in order to achieve success. You should not. What you will aim to do is to find a balance between work and all of the other things you want and need to do. Also, it’s completely ok to have a main job or a side job to fulfill a need, I do at the moment.

4. Plans for 2021!

I plan on becoming a full-time ceramics artist. I have a main job as an SEO consultant right now, it brings the needed cash for a few hours of work. I’m slowly making the transition by making more ceramics and charging more for them as my skill set grows. As I take on fewer SEO jobs, I find a kind of balance between artistic work and conventional work that suits me for now. When I’m ready to make the jump, I will! I’d also love to have a gallery show in the near future when everyone’s vaccinated and the world’s back to some kind of normal.