Meet Jazmin Evers | Pottery Teacher and Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jazmin Evers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jazmin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My entire life I’ve seen people do jobs that don’t make them happy just for the money. I always promised myself that my career would be doing something that I loved to do, even if it didn’t necessarily make me rich. I began by getting my welding degree. I loved the extreme heat and was fascinated by melting the metal to make seamless connections. I actually became good at welding but realized that when it was a beautiful day, I’d rather be surfing in my wetsuit than living in my full welding gear outfit.

While getting my welding degree I took a pottery class and the professor was awesome! He allowed me to help with extra curricular work and I found myself lost in time at the potters wheel. It was an escape for me. I could take breaks whenever I wanted, listen to music deep into the evening, and even surf occasionally. I had no idea this was the beginning of my pottery career.

I began my pottery business by slowly adding new pieces to Etsy. I loved my work and wondered if other people would too. To my surprise, people purchased them! However when it came to shipping, customer service and business in general I had a lot to learn. To do this I took a business course, read amazing books such as, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” and also learned each day as I made mistakes.

With years of experience under my belt, I began to teach pottery! People wanted to learn and I was happy to teach. I thought it would be nice to share the love I have for pottery with others. I taught a homeschooled student one on one for 3 years, learned a ton from that, and now teach full group classes once a month. Each thought evolved from my continuous efforts in the craft of pottery and there was no real plan other than learning as I go and learning from my mistakes. Reading a ton of books also helped and of course support from my boyfriend, family and friends.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Pottery is such a beautiful medium as there is no ceiling for growth. Pieces can always get better, prettier, bigger or smaller. When it comes to commission pieces I don’t ship until my client is extremely happy. I believe if someone is willing to pay for my art they need to be satisfied in every way and be able to get that positive feeling every time it is used.

When I create something, I simply want to make people feel good. In this world, we are constantly exposed to negativity whether it is in our homes, at work, and especially on our phones. I want to help create a safe space by encouraging a comforting, safe feeling when someone drinks tea out of their one of a kind mug. I hope to ignite their positive senses by laying their eyes on beautiful colored glazes, the scent of their favorite coffee dancing around their noses and knowing that they are safe here in this space with this art piece.

Getting to where I am today was not easy. I got my BFA in Ceramics and I definitely felt like I didn’t fit in. I love functionality and many of the other students and staff didn’t seem to agree with those views. The argument between “art” and “craft” was an elephant in the room. Why couldn’t my work be a little bit of both?

I’ll never forget setting up a show which was in my view my best work ever. The beautiful glaze colors exploding happiness in the room and the elegant live plants in the ceramic wall planters protruding energetic life. The negativity I received was incredible. My hanging planters were described as someone dead nailed to a cross. The pottery which I had worked on for months were criticized as just something for a flower shop. After the critique I laid on the floor of the show room and cried.

I was the happiest by myself in the school studio at 3 in the morning firing 4 kilns at once. I relied on these times for peace and although I was devastated by the opinions of my peers, I loved what I was making and realized it didn’t matter what they felt. Especially when my art started selling I felt like those buyers didn’t care about the argument of “art vs. craft”. They loved the pieces either way and that alone inspired me to keep making.

The world should know that it’s okay to be different. It might even inspire you to work harder, despite what other people think. As long as I’m bringing beauty, happiness and comfort into other people’s homes, I will always be happy to create works of art (or craft) to do that for them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was coming to hang out I would take them for a sail on my boyfriends boat in Alamitos Bay and on the way back we would dock up at Malainey’s Grill off Marina Dr. in Long Beach and have a couple drinks and some appetizers. We would then catch the UFC fights on a Saturday night at Dogz on 2nd St., have a couple beers and let people pet our boston terrier puppy, Willow. At some point we would have to stop by my bar in Huntington Beach named Sandys Beach Shack which is located right under the pier. We would people watch and Willow would doggy watch, as dogs are welcomed there too.

If we had some spare time we would catch a movie at the AMC Marina Pacifica theaters after stopping to scope out books at the next door Barnes and Noble. If it was still open, we would stop by our favorite bar Murphys Pub on 2nd St. in Long Beach for a night cap and to say hi to our friendly bartenders who work there. Their array of beers are amazing and I would have to show my friend that my boyfriend and I have completed two “Tours around the World” which means we’ve drank every beer they have twice and have our names on the wall on a metal plaque. Definitely something to brag about.

We might finish the trip with a quick morning surf at Bolsa Chica and grab some much needed breakfast afterwards at the famous Woody’s Diner in Sunset Beach on the way home. We would complete our meal with their amazing peanut butter and oreo cookie milkshake for the win.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My father Douglas Evers also known as Mr. Evers is small town famous and for good reason. After serving in the Coast Guard for many years, he continued to serve his community by teaching elementary school in the morning and college ESL classes at night for over 30 years. Every student he treated like his own child and to this day I’ve had adults come up to me and say, “Your dad saved my life.” My dad wasn’t like any other teacher, he instilled the incredibly important skill of working with our hands which was both useful and life changing. He created a makeshift wood working bench for the classroom and had the kids making pencil holders, a huge solar panel to cook weenies in, a huge globe which still stands at Harding Elementary and even a boot camp style jungle gym named the “Gator Pit”. These hands on activities are what according to students, “saved their lives”.

Although he is 79 and retired now, he continues to make inventions and wood projects in his garage every day. He creates works of art for his community and never asks for anything in return. He has recently written a book about his journey of teaching which includes nostalgic photos of his Gator Pit, his handmade wooden Geo Dome, The Globe and many other incredible projects he designed.

I have recently partnered up with him, creating collaboration pieces including the Cell Phone Wall Hanger which is currently listed on Etsy. As you can imagine it is difficult to sell some of the pieces we made together but I believe that his wood work is so beautiful and should not kept behind closed doors. He was my teacher, is my hero and my number one supporter. For Mr. Evers, every problem has a solution and because of this he has changed peoples lives and inspired us all to keep going even when it feels like we can’t. For this reason, I believe he deserves all the credit and recognition for my story and many others in our home town of El Centro, CA.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/eversartshop

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eversartshop/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eversartshop1195

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/jazminevers/