ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In this episode, Beth sits down with ceramicist Sharrel Meeker @s.meekerceramics (formerly of the beloved brand Mud &Yarn, now S. Meeker) at her co-owned Andem Art Studios in Brookline Village.
Sharrel shares her incredible journey from working as a massage therapist in California to moving back to Massachusetts after a metastatic melanoma diagnosis. She opens up about how a clinical trial led her to pottery as a form of art therapy, eventually snowballing into a full-time, multi-faceted creative career.
Beth and Sharrel dive deep into the business of art, discussing the intricacies of running a shared studio, the challenges of retail, and the brave decision to rebrand after ten years of success.
In this episode, we discuss:
Healing Through Clay: How a stage 3 melanoma diagnosis and subsequent clinical trial at Beth Israel led Sharrel to take her first pottery classes at Feet of Clay.
The Rebrand: Why transitioning from the highly successful handle "Mud and Yarn" to "S.Meeker Ceramics" felt like a necessary step for her growth as a 43-year-old artist.
Studio Life & Community: Co-founding an independent studio space with her business partner Karen, the realities of brick-and-mortar retail with "Literally Local," and Brookline Village's booming arts scene.
Technical Talk: Moving from speckled tan clay to porcelain, slab-building textured "love note" vases, the trials of double-bisque firing, and why Sharrel shifts in and out of designs like her popular coffee bean mugs.
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Support Creative Pathways Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit by donating. All donations bring art programming to Brockton youth. www.creative-pathways.com/donate
Follow on Instagram: @creativepathwaysproject
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Shout outs in the ep:
Find Sharrel!
Instagram: @s.meekerceramics (formerly Mud&Yarn)
People:
Charelle Smaker (Guest, founder of Smaker Ceramics / formerly Mud and Yarn)
Karen (Charelle’s studio co-founder and business partner)
Kayla Gilmore (Host's sister-in-law)
Lindsay (Host's friend)
Heather Wood and Matt Wood (Childhood friends, owners of Restoration Coffee)
Phil (Charelle's husband)
Liz Rodriguez (Pottery teacher at Mudflat)
Susanna / Suzanne (Studio member)
Dave Bowen (Studio member who makes little critters)
Michaela (Pipe Dream Pottery)
Marcy (Goldie Ceramics)
Jamie (Partner in Literally Local)
Julia Driscoll & Grace (Co-founders of Wicked Women Makers Market)
Meredith & Jesse (Past studio members)
Annie / Alice the Potter (Founder of Cozy Clay)
Jen Wyman (Feet of Clay)
Amy Emert (Station Street Studios)
Justin (High school friend who designed Charelle's logo)
Sylvia (Middle Dune / Flotsam and Co)
Places:
Andom Art Studios (Charelle and Karen's studio space)
Brookline Village
Feet of Clay (Brookline)
Mudflat (Somerville)
East Hampton / Northampton
East Bridgewater
Restoration Coffee (Whitman)
Whitman
California (Burbank, Northern California, Los Angeles)
Beth Israel (Hospital in Boston)
Cape Cod / Provincetown (P-Town)
Sheffield Pottery
Motherbrook Open Studios
Dedham
Bow Market
Literally Local (Gallery/shop in Brookline Village)
Clay Lounge
Indigo Fire
Cozy Clay (Woburn)
Gateway Arts
Station Street Studios
Puppet Showplace Theater
Flotsam and Co. (Shop in Provincetown)
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Music by Greg Loftus, find his work wherever you stream and visit The Lounge at the Brew in Falmouth for live shows.
Intro/outro song “Dog Days" by Greg Loftus used with full permission of the artist.
Licensor name: Greg Loftus
Licensor organization: Independent artist (self-owned copyright)
Licensor email: gregloftusmusic@gmail.com
