Interview with Diane Griffin - an experienced ceramic artist

Meet Diane Griffin, an avid ceramic artist who creates beautiful handcrafted pieces with a heart-warming story behind them. In this interview I was able to discuss with Diane what it is like to run an online business, which is something she shares some tips about later on in this article.

Feel free to have a scroll through her art work over on her Instagram : @diane_griffin_ceramics

Tell us about your creations and what they mean to you.

I make ceramic vases that resemble paper scrolls and incorporate hand written scripts from old letters exchanged by my grandparents during the war in 1944. The vases are individually hand made, so each one is unique. They have a contemporary pop of colour on the inside and are finished off at the rim with either gold or platinum.   It really means the world to me that I get to use my creativity to make something unique and beautiful for other people to enjoy in their homes and express their individual style.

 Have you always worked with ceramics?

Yes.  It was on my Art Foundation course in the 1980’s that I fell in love with clay.  I went on to study ceramics on a degree course in Farnham and have worked with it ever since.  It is such a fabulous tactile and responsive medium which still excites me, even after all these years.  There are so many different ways of using and firing it that the possibilities are almost endless. If you watched The Great Pottery Throw Down on telly, then you’ll know that there is a lot that can go wrong when working with ceramics, but all that is forgiven when you open the kiln after a successful firing.  That feeling is the best.

 How would you say the pandemic has affected your work?

Thankfully my studio is in my garden so I wasn’t affected too badly as I could carry on making.  The main problem was that all the shows that I would normally sell work at could not go ahead and galleries had closed.  I did initially have a little panic about the financial implications to my business, but many of the shows moved to online and I was able to keep reaching my audience that way.  It wasn’t the same buzz as when you do an actual show & get to talk to people, but happily, quickly switching to more online events meant I could still connect and sell my work.

Some clients told me that they were making purchases as now they had to spend so much time indoors, they were keen to surround themselves with inspiring pieces to look at.  I also had an increase in clients commissioning bespoke vases using their own letters etc.  Gifts and pieces that carry personal meaning are increasingly popular and perhaps the lockdown saw people clearing out cupboards & finding old letters or it gave others the time to write the poetry that ended up on vases this summer - Romance is not dead, folks.

 What would you say are the difficulties of running a business on your own?

For me, it’s having the time to do everything, while wearing all the hats!  Working alone means I not only have to design and make the work, but also I do all the marketing, website updates, accounts, sales, social media, approaching galleries, etc.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the variety and it helps to develop new skills in many areas, but time & energy management are key to keeping all the elements moving forwards, hopefully together.

 Is there an inspiration behind your work?

The inspiration for my work stems from a trip to Jerusalem many years ago. I visited the Wailing Wall and was intrigued by the thousands of wishes and prayers written on paper and crammed between the stones in the wall. I was moved by the collective focus for so many peoples' hopes and wishes at this ancient site and their interaction with it. I love this idea of leaving something of yourself at a public site as a way of feeling connected, unburdened or strengthened.

What advise would you give to someone starting an online business?.

Don’t be afraid to get help or training for areas in your business that are outside of your skillset as it will save you time and money in the long run.  For example, as a creative selling a product, good photographs are very important, but my photography skills are basic at best.  A couple of times a year, I pay a professional photographer to take some ‘posh shots’ of my work that I can then use for marketing, sending to galleries and on the website.  The photos are so much better than I could take and it saves me time which I can use more productively on other areas of the business.