Meet Jenna Michele | Potter

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

Hi Jenna, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

Honestly, my thought process on starting my own business was, “F*** It.” Because really what is the worst that will happen?

Most people know I started out doing photography (which I really was only doing bc I am obsessed with freezing moments in time.) Once people started seeing the photos I was taking and uploading to MySpace (LOL) they wanted me to take photos of them. I said no for quite sometime before I said, “F*** it.”

From where I started with photography to now having over 40 published photos and becoming an editorial photographer is still pretty surreal to me… then again so is starting my ceramic business in 2022 and having articles about my work being published.

Truely a blessing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

My art, I think changes every day. I do constantly have mugs but I am constantly looking at other artists and learning and growing. I am excited about the future and where I will be in another year. Sometimes I look at my more intricate pieces and am so humbled that I have been given the ability to create.

Getting to where I am today was not easy by any means. I have shed so many tears thinking I would fail and i had to constantly remind myself to live in patience, gratitude and manifesting that I will make it.

Being an artist fulltime has really taught me that I am the center of my universe, meaning that I can manifest anything into fruition. If I can dream it, I can do it. I am the only person who can hold me back. So I will continue to make pottery until the day I die and if no one ever buys anything I will die with the peace that I did not let the this world define who I can and cannot be.

I want the world to know that I lived for me and no one else.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Honestly, I don’t go out much. The most I can recommend is maybe like the beach or some restaurants I enjoy.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I mean not to quote Snoop but I would like to thank me… jk (but forreal lol) My grandmother was always as supportive as she could be but she doesn’t (in her words) “understand art.” Where she can see it required talent but she does not understand kindve what all goes into it.

Honestly, I have no idea where I got the characteristic of doing the opposite of what people expect of me. It’s to the point where I will subconsciously do what I am expected not to do without even realizing I’m doing it. So when people told me, “it’s a hobby,” ” you won’t make money doing that,” I said ok bet, let’s see.

Watching my grandfather die in front of my eyes really lit an extra fire under me. It’s to the point where I am going to do what I want and since I manifest my reality I will be financially stable just making mugs.. and that is what I did.

Website: www.photojenicart.co

Instagram: @jennaramics