Elizabeth Saslaw of York Hill Pottery is a ceramic artist in Lincoln, Vermont.

For as far back as I can remember, I wanted to earn a living as a seller of things I created with my own hands. I think it was pretty clear to me (not to mention my family and friends) that a 9 to 5 job in an office was not a direction I wanted to go.

The realization of this lifelong dream is something I'm truly grateful for. I went from being a young, slightly unfocused college art student who casually stumbled into pottery—to a committed potter in love with the feel of wet, slippery clay between my fingertips. The rhythmic process of slapping a lump of clay on the wheel and coaxing each piece into shape is still something that enthralls and challenges me, even 30-plus years later.

The freedom and flexibility that comes from working in a studio right beside my home—allowing me to be a stay at home Mom and a working one at the same time—I wouldn't have it any other way. Whenever I get “potter’s block” or simply find the weather too good to resist, I only have to step outside the studio for new ideas. We are fortunate enough to be surrounded by 25 wooded acres located off a little-traveled dirt road. It’s amazing what a dip in the pond, a gardening session in the perennial beds, or a bike ride with my daughter will do to rejuvenate the creative process.

I thank all you supporters of York Hill Pottery, who continue to buy, use, and give our handmade Vermont stoneware. And my very special thanks to Susan Kuehnl: my work would not be what it is today without her friendship, understanding, and artistic inspiration.