Meet Diana Lee of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Lee.

Hi Diana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In my early years, I started out as a painter. I grew up in South Korea, and in Korea, there’s always an “answer” to everything—even with art. Art felt formulaic, and I grew tired of it. When I was 19, my mother suggested I use my hands to build instead of painting, so I began to look for ways to create beyond the traditional canvas. My options were glass, wood, and clay; I chose clay because it felt warmer in character. After going to school for pottery, unforeseen personal reasons put my journey to a 10-year halt; I never thought I would be doing pottery again. During this time, I married my husband, and his support began to slowly bring me back to my art. Coincidentally, I had just moved from California to a neighborhood in Georgia where my next-door neighbor happened to also be a potter! She is now my best friend and greatest supporter. With her encouragement and my husband’s sweet birthday gift of my very first wheel, I’ve now grown my studio into a pottery workshop where I host private lessons, pottery camps, one-day workshops, and throw for my personal line of boutique pottery.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My path leading up to now has been quite smooth, honestly. All I’ve had to do as an upcoming potter was to do my best, which was never difficult. Now, however, I am a mother of two young boys, which means I often rely on salvaged time and energy to run my business after a full day of caring for my kids. As a stay-at-home mom, I frequently found myself prioritizing house duties over work, which frustrated me. Georgia is home to so many amazing festivals, and I can’t participate in as many as I would like to because my limited time slows me down. At the end of the day, throwing clay is all about endurance rather than peace; I’m learning to apply this to my journey and do my best in my current season of perseverance.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love making functional pottery for everyday life. I love making my cups, plates, jars, and butter bells, but what gives the most joy is making my teapots. For all my teapots, I make a tea leaf filter on the inside of the spout and make a compatible coffee dripper as part of the set. It matters to me that my work is both beautiful and practical, and to achieve that I must notice and refine details that even I would have otherwise overlooked unconsciously. When a design finally turns out well after going through countless revisions and adjustments, I feel incredibly proud. It gives me butterflies every time I see a customer take home a piece as if they had found a kind of hidden treasure! My hope is that my pieces then gradually become a part of the owner’s regular, everyday life

How do you define success?
As a potter, success is sometimes as simple as having less faulty pieces come out of a finished kiln. It could also be when my customers think of me as they use my pottery for a cup of tea. I also dream of my pottery one day being passed down generationally—that would truly be a breathtaking achievement as a maker of functional pottery. As much as I imagine such successes for myself, I feel the weight of the responsibility it follows. It acts as my greatest motivation for success.

Pricing:

• One-day Class (90 mins.) – $80
• Private Class (4 sessions) – $500
• 5-day Kids Camp (5-12) – $400

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/analee.clay/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Ana-Lee-Clay-61571202733566/