Guest Artist Interview with Nikki Lau
Nikki Lau will be teaching a special workshop on February 24 & 25 at Brick & Mortar Studios — Sweet Treats! Decorate Your Pots to Look Like a Tasty Cake!
Learn how to make your pots look like a decadent ceramic cake, using a pastry piping bag and clay slip to create beautiful embellishments and surface treatments.
Q: What advice would you give to potters who are starting out in their careers?
A: “Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” ― Ira Glass
Also price your work so you’re thriving not surviving. You deserve self-sovereignty.
Q: What have been some of the things that have kept you going during challenging times in your career?
A: Failure is data collection. All your fears and every setback are opportunities to get curious. Especially if I’m afraid of something, I use it as an opportunity to ask myself why I’m afraid and what I can learn to change the outcome for next time. I think that’s where innovation and new ideas come from. Some of my greatest life lessons have come from trying and failing and trying again. Its sad how much we hold ourselves back because we are afraid.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, that’s what mentors and people in the trenches with you are for. It might also save your back when you’re moving something heavy.
Q: How do you hope your work contributes to conversations surrounding justice and social inequality?
A: My work indirectly contributes to social justice work. I think my pottery business Little Lau Shop brings a lot of joy, and for me connects and heals my inner child, which I see as pleasure activism. I also have made more income comfortably from selling pottery compared to my sculptural work, so I can donate to organizations and people that I believe are adding to the betterment of this world.
Q: Do you have a favorite form?
A: I really like to make plates. It feels like a really nice canvas. People don’t really like to buy them and they are a pain in the ass to load into the kiln, but I still enjoy making them.
Q: What are your plans for future projects, and how do you see your work evolving in the future?
I’ve been getting ready for some shows I’ve been invited to a few shows this year. I’m doing more in person sales including Renegade Craft Fair in SF April 1 and 2. I have a general plan for shop updates for the rest of the year. I try to reserve some non-business-related projects for myself so I can experiment and play.
I’m working towards a healthy work life balance. I spent the better part of the last 15 years honing my craft and building a career. My priorities since the pandemic have shifted. I started to ask myself what makes me happy. Travel, seeing friends, trying new things, being near water and eating good food all make me happy.
Nikki Lau was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She received her MFA in ceramics at Pennsylvania State University in 2016. She received her BA in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts at the University of Washington in 2008. She was the artist resident at The Clay Art Center in New York from 2018-2019 and the 2019-2020 resident at Armory Art Center in Florida. Her work is a mixture of sculpture and pottery. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Nikki found her way back to San Francisco. She started making and selling pottery full time thanks to the supportive and generous folks at Clay by the Bay. She currently splits her time between California and Pennsylvania living her snowbird life as she works on her pottery and home décor business Little Lau Shop @littlelaushop.
