How I’m Trying to be a More Intentional Maker @floriangadsby

Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

Over the past few months of making, I've tried incredibly hard to increase the finish of the store jars and urns I make when scaled up. I've encountered a few issues lately when glazing and firing them that could have probably simply been fixed had I spent more time throwing neater interior forms and trimming them with smoother, slightly more flush surfaces. I'm increasing the time it takes to make something to increase the level of craftsmanship in the object and that's precisely what my longer video over on YouTube discusses this week.

It's a fascinating thing to look at the same types of pots made a few years apart. In truth, not a vast amount has changed in terms of the overall shape, yet what's improved drastically are qualities such as proportion, finish, how well the different components fit and the surface quality, too.

All of that adds up to pots that at this stage feel far more intentional and accurate and it's a process that really needs dedicated time invested into it, shaping a vessel is one thing, the finish of the surfaces is another, but it all takes hundreds of hours of practice to gradually improve.

That's roughly the subject of this weekend's video, combined with lots of technical details and reasons why I trim in this very particular manner. If you’d like to see the fully narrated, 20-minute video, you can find a link to that via the Linktree in my profile’s biography.

#pottery #jar #handmade #wheelthrownpottery #ceramics

How I’m Trying to be a More Intentional Maker

$An Unconventional Method for Trimming Pourers These pourers aren’t enjoyable to trim, they topple to either side when upside-down and flattening and thinning the walls leads to creating ridges where the spout itself protrudes. I could not trim to the top but you know me, there are some things I have to do despite them being difficult. Thus, for these, I trim and create those marks and afterwards I spend some time carving them back, to create a flush surface again, which I then fettle over with a sponge-on-a-stick and then compress with my fingertips. The best part about all of this though, is being able to work the actual pouring edge back to being incredibly crisp, which means when used it should cut through the liquid wonderfully, resulting in a smooth, even pour. I even fractionally wipe the glaze back here so that the spout isn’t obliterated and smothered in glaze, (this can thicken the lip, rounding it and causing it to pour poorly). This extra work means they certainly take longer to create but it’s well worth it in the finished product, provided I don’t mess them up hereafter. #pottery #jug #qualitycontrol #carving #ceramics #studiopottery$

What Do You Think of This New Bottle Form? #pottery #ceramic

In the Future, This Will Be My Apprentices Job

$Trimming Tricky Trinket Boxes #pottery If you’d like to watch both the throwing and the trimming of these trinket boxes or store jars, you can find a link to the fully narrated video via on YouTube via the Linktree in my profile’s biography. These are deceptive objects. Simple, yes, yet trimmed to an astonishing level, my fault really for accidentally throwing the lids far larger than need be… I’m sure I’m not the only person that’s measured the opening of their jars only to then knock it larger, or smaller, without realising. Thankfully, my general approach when making lidded ware is to throw the lids themselves thicker than need be, not the overhang itself, that was too much on these, but the vertical locating flange, for instance, is a segment of the pot I always throw more substantially, this way it can be trimmed back to fit the vessel underneath it no matter what. I’ll be trimming the underside of my lids regardless, so this fraction of additional material acts like a safety net of sorts. Yet, that’s no excuse for the portion of the lid that’s overhanging to this degree, the next time I make these I’ll spend a few extra moments measuring. These are useful pots though, the wider opening means I can easily reach inside to fish out salt or spices, or it can be used for trinkets, rings and the like, in fact, you can put anything inside, it’s not my job to tell you what to do with these. #pottery #satisfying #clay #stoneware #jar #ceramics #maker$