Since 2000, one lump of clay at a time
I've been enjoying pottery since 2000, when I sat down at a wheel with a lump of clay and discovered the joy of creation. Since then I've been learning to twist clay, fire and glazes into my own expressions. I like playing with surfaces most of all: finding ways to accentuate clay's natural texture and my own working marks with underglazes and oxides, so the finished piece still shows the hands that made it.
Precision and mess
In my day job I build systems that help engineers move data. I like precision, regularity and efficiency as much as I like the mess and uncertainty I find in clay. Oddly enough I find creativity and art in both, but pottery is one of the places I go to relax.
The least fun part of pottery
I love creating at the wheel and in the glaze room. Getting my pieces listed online has always been the least fun part. Mostly, pieces build up in piles at home, because taking the photos, choosing a price, writing a description and picking tags is just so tedious. Every potter I know has the same pile.
So, since I already work in both code and clay, why not an app? Kiln to Cart is the marketing assistant I always wanted: point the phone at a piece, let it measure and write, read it over, and post. The listing takes a couple of minutes, and the pile gets smaller.
What I'm building next
Today it posts to Etsy, Instagram and Facebook. More marketplaces are coming, along with a desk-sized view for the evenings you do want to sit down with the numbers. It is in an invite-only beta right now, which means a real person, me, reads every email and every bit of feedback. If you sell your pots and you have a pile too, I'd like to hear from you.