Meet Josie Cross

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josie Cross.

Josie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began playing with clay in my back yard with my neighbors in the 3rd grade, we would go in the back yard and dig up some red clay and make little animal sculptures and try to sell them to adults. Who knew that was the beginning of my art career? My passion for ceramics really did spark my sophomore year in high school at Pace Academy and took off from there. I love to look back at my work and see how it has changed and developed over the years, I have had so many different styles, ideas, and especially failures. My teacher, Mark Knott saw through many of my failed attempts and would laugh because most of the time he usually had warned me, but I would always challenge his advice to see for myself. My most popular work that has really been my focus are my flower pots. It is funny because the reason I decided to experiment and cover my vase in flowers was because I was unsatisfied with the imperfect surface on my coil pots. These imperfections turned into a very intricate design that has made my art very unique from other artists, which is what I thrive to do. I now attend the University of Alabama where I study art and have started my online business. Ceramics ironically has sculpted who I am and has served as an outlet for me for many years now.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am very thankful that other than a few kiln explosions, cracked surfaces, and runny glazes have been my only struggles. Learning comes with failure, and when I fail at something I keep trying until its accomplished. I remember one of my first big projects I skipped all my classes and hid in the ceramics studio all day to finish a large cut out wall piece. After finishing around 9 pm the previous night, I came to school the next morning only to find it completely caved in. After shedding a few tears, I stayed the entire day to redo the project. This is one of my most memorable failures that I have truly benefited from. Art is a process and failure comes before success. I am very blessed to have parents who are so supportive of my passions. I am also very appreciative to have gone to school with such a great art program, I owe everything to my parents, pace, and my teachers for helping me find my passion.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I recently started my business this past summer, I had sold some work before but now I have my website set up and can take orders. My specialty is ceramics however, I do dabble with painting from time to time. I currently have been specializing in these large flower vessels which has brought me a lot of business. I am most proud of the fact that I started this all on my own and I am a very independent artist. Starting a business in college can be a lot and I mostly work in the summer or when on break, but it is cool to have a passion and something to keep up with. Being a young artist is hard and many people don’t exactly take me seriously, but facing these challenges is one way I am set apart from other artists. Selling my work has taught me a lot about the business and how tough and how amazing it can be. I feel unique because of my style there honestly aren’t many ceramics artists these days, but I love my work because it is so me. My favorite compliment to hear is “I’ve never seen anything like this” and my flowers are what sets me apart from other artists.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think perseverance is most important, I have experienced a lot of failure in my work when I try new techniques but facing challenges and learning is what keeps me going. Also keeping up with art, school, social life, sleep, and a healthy lifestyle can be a bit much but at the end of the day knowing I can still balance time for art is a great feeling and something I never want to lose. The studio is my happy place for sure, when I’m here I don’t think about anything else and all stress is gone. I work at my own pace, and I don’t try to overload myself with commissions. I think when people try to do this it becomes a chore and not a passion, I never want art to feel like a chore for me. Art will always serve as an outlet for me from the real world, so keeping this mentality is most important when it comes to success. When I want to be in the studio is when I will produce my best work.

Contact Info:

• Website: Josiecrossart.com
• Phone: 4048957282
• Email: josiecross.art@gmail.com
• Instagram: Josiecross_art
• Facebook: Josie Cross art

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