Makers Dozen - Q & A with Joseph Fuller

Welcome to the Makers Dozen. We ask a Guild member a dozen quickfire questions about their life as a maker.

Today we talk to potter Joseph Fuller.  Joseph makes wheel-thrown domestic stoneware in the tradition of studio pottery.

Describe your work in 3 words
Honest, quiet, traditional

How long have you been a maker?
9 years

What’s the best part of your process?
Seeing the results from the kiln, the ash glazes interacting over edges and marks, making you instantly think about the pots you will make next.

What’s the worst part of your process?
Failure and mistakes are inevitable in pottery. It’s frustrating, but you do get used to it, and you are always learning.

Do you have a favourite book about your craft?
Fifty Years a Potter, W. Fishley Holland

What are you reading?
Lots of little pieces by John Berger

What’s your favourite film?
City Lights, Charlie Chaplin

What do you listen to in your studio?
Radio 4 is a good craft companion; it usually asks for the right amount of my attention while working

What one thing would improve your life as a maker?
More space!

What’s the best piece of advice you have received?
Only ever make the work that you like.

What’s the worst thing you can say to a maker?
“You should… (insert any ideas from a non-maker)”

Life as a maker can be challenging, would you do it all again?
Yes, I would. I’m not sure what anyone would get from an unchallenging life.

Thanks Joseph!

You'll find a selection of Joseph's work in our Cheltenham shop or online here