Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Reding.
Hi Anna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I began my pottery journey in high school at Central Academy in Des Moines, IA. I never considered myself to be creative, but I tried out the throwing class offered for fun. Three years of the program wasn’t enough, so I declared an Art Major at the University of Northern Iowa to continue my ceramics journey.
I studied Studio Art and Marketing while starting my small business in college. I launched Anna Grace Creates as an Etsy shop in 2021 and used the profits to purchase a pottery wheel that year. I went on to have a home studio during my summer breaks and sold in local markets. I finished my degree in 2023 and launched the new name, Anna Grace Ceramics, as a ceramic business in Salt Lake City.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is any road smooth? I battled the tension of a perfectionist mind in high school and college. I kept myself in a box, believing an artist can’t also be a perfectionist. Through wise counsel, I released that idea and celebrated the satisfaction I find in clean lines, smooth finishes, and attention to texture in my art.
I also have come to understand I am not always the best boss over myself. I create endless lists of tasks and to-dos, just to feel accomplished rather than truly thinking through and prioritizing what needs to be completed. I reach my end quickly and have to reset, acknowledging I am not a machine.
The idea that I can check off boxes in life has been fed through my social media consumption, watching others get things done and progress. I love to celebrate with others and learn from other ceramic artists online, but I have to have hard boundaries and time away so I am not only consuming others’ accomplishments.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Anna Grace Ceramics is to make beautiful and timeless things out of clay. I truly love the potter’s wheel and making, pulling, and stretching clay into a vase or functional ware. I find the slowness to create challenging to my brain which often pursues a fast life. Being a ceramic artist reminds me to be where my feet are. To mirror the imagery of God—the Potter Most High—molding his children is a reminder of our good Creator. Clay takes time and intentionality in the process, just as the Lord molds and shapes us each day. We are the work of his hand.
I currently make functional goods for the everyday. I have recently been loving making cups with silicone lids that I take with me on the go. I am starting to make dinnerware and ceramic pieces for the kitchen and I am excited to see how this shapes my business and niche moving forward. I love to take on commissions to take time to explore new forms, like light fixtures and lamps. I have started to pay much more attention to the texture of my clays and glazes seeking to create work with more intention.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t think luck has played any role in my life or business. I am really thankful for the opportunity to learn ceramics at such a young age and have time in college to explore and learn how to run a business. I am also thankful for the different ways I get to work with clay now working at a community studio and in my studio.
This cannot be luck in my mind. I would then believe that I have to wait for a chance to succeed and who would I have to fall back on when it all hits the fan? We were all made on purpose, for a purpose. It’s pretty simple yet so beyond us. The role of luck has no standing when I look at my Heavenly Father.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://annagraceceramics.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annagraceceramics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annagraceceramics/
Image Credits
Alecca Synclair Photography @aleccasynclairphoto
