Henley-in-Arden, Birmingham

classes: Wheel Throwing • Pottery

I spent years in the C-suite of software and biotech — successful on the outside, exhausted on the inside. I was stressed, anxious, and trapped on a corporate hamster wheel that just kept spinning faster. Then I tried pottery. My mind cleared, my anxiety melted away, and for the first time in years I had to let go of perfection — because clay simply won't allow it.

When The Old Bank building became available right in front of my home in Henley-in-Arden, I stepped inside out of curiosity and immediately knew it was meant to be a pottery studio. With 12 professional wheels and a dedicated hand-building area for up to 10, it is the perfect space to practice pottery in all of its forms. To ensure the highest level of instruction, I brought Selby Dickinson on board — a studio potter, expert thrower, and brilliant teacher with over 30 years of experience. Selby has great banter, can teach all age groups, is extremely supportive, and, most importantly, he is passionate about his craft.

What I love most is seeing clay do to others what it did to me — watching people fall in love with pottery at one of our beginner taster classes, discover the joy of refining their thrown creations in a Wheel Throwing 101 weekend intensive, and then develop their own unique practice in one of our pottery clubs. Students arrive stressed and leave transformed all while developing new friendships over a shared love of making. In short, I love every bit of it... except maybe all the cleaning!

Classes