001. Kayli Ko

Although I haven’t had a name or format for it, the ‘Shine Series’ is something that has lived in my head for a very long time. This year I am taking the leap to bring it to life. I am working with people who have found something in their life that lights them up. I believe the more we see of this in others , inspires the same light in ourselves, in whatever format that is for you. 

Capturing people in their element, doing what brings them joy & flow is MY SHINE, & I’m so excited to begin this process with Kayli Ko, someone who I’ve come to learn is a beautiful person, a wonderful mother & of course an amazing artist. Below are some questions I came up with after spending the afternoon with her watching her in her process & flow state, I hope it inspires you , as it did me. 

why pottery? 

“I don’t know if I have a good answer to this question. The best thing I could come up with is…I’ve tried everything else and nothing stuck or nothing else held my interest. I’ve considered myself a “jack of all trades, master of none” most of my life and I got over that. I really wanted something to stick. After trying it once and remembering how much I enjoyed it, I tried it again a few years later and it stuck. It’s therapeutic and challenging and endlessly changing. There is always something different to experiment with and that kind of filled the desire to always be trying something new. ”

what got you into pottery? 

“Postpartum depression. I remember telling my husband before we had kids that I hated not having “that THING” that I could call mine; I was constantly frustrated by this. I also remember thinking that somehow having kids would help this, I didn’t know how but I just had a gut feeling about it. After we had our first son, I really wanted to be able to teach him something that I loved doing. So I tried pottery, but it just wasn’t the time for it. Shortly after, we found out we were pregnant again and then moved to Montana closer to the end of that pregnancy. Moving states and having a second kid without much of a community was really difficult for me and I found myself struggling with postpartum depression. I needed to find an outlet to get me into a better headspace for myself and for my family. Pottery just made sense. So I dusted off my old pottery wheel from amazon and started throwing again. It allowed me to get away from the house and have some me time. Pottery is humbling and difficult, but not as difficult as two kids under 2. I told myself to throw every day until I started feeling a little bit more like me. Turns out, pottery opened up this whole new side of me I didn’t even really know was there. It kinda saved me. ”

can you describe your creative process? 

“Sometimes it’s a new idea I really want to try or a new technique I want to implement that will get me out on the wheel. It all starts with good clay. I weigh out my clay so I have an idea of how much clay a mug or plate or bowl would take so I can note that for future use. After everything is weighed, I wedge it. Which is basically just folding it into itself over and over until all air bubbles are non existent. An air bubble will mess with your clay on the wheel and even after during a kiln firing. I then smack it into a ball to throw onto a “bat” which is basically a plastic plate to put on my wheel so I can easily remove the piece with the bat and move onto the next piece. Sometimes I know what I’m throwing prior to turning on my wheel, sometimes inspiration strikes as I start throwing. Throwing is what you do on the wheel; the actual act of doing pottery. Once I am done with any and all balls of clay, I have to let those pieces dry for about a day or two. Now we move on to trimming. I use trimming tools to help cut away any excess clay on the thrown pieces. The haircut of the process, in other words. It gives shape and character. If I just trimmed some mugs, next up is handling; which is exactly what it sounds like, putting a handle on the mug. This can be done in a lot of ways, but I currently use an extractor gun that gives the exact shape of handle I like and I attach it with scoring and using slip (really wet, paste-like clay). Then all these pieces are left out to dry which can take anywhere from 4 days to a full week depending on the weather or how big the piece is. 

After they are fully dry, I can then put them in the kiln for their first “fire”. You do not want to put wet pieces in a kiln or they will completely explode. Not worth the risk, especially since they can damage other pieces while exploding. The kiln will get as hot as 1800 degrees. It will be in the kiln for about 24 hours until they have cooled off enough to take out. Now…glazing! Which is painting. Choose whatever design you want and paint it on. This sounds easier than it is. There are specific glazes for specific clays and specific firing temperatures. You do NOT want to mess this up. Especially at this stage, after you’ve come so far. At the same time, this is a fun way to experiment and play with colors, patterns and designs. After glazing, you have to wait until the glaze fully dries before putting it back into the kiln for its second fire. This time the kiln gets as hot as 2200 degrees. This will also take about 24 hours before you can take them out of the kiln. There is nothing like the thrill of opening your kiln after a good glaze fire and seeing how your pieces turned out! From here you decide if you love it too much to let it go or sell it at your next market…and my house is starting to run out of room. ”

what inspires you? 

“Literally everything. In the beginning, it was a lot of what other potters were doing. I just wanted to see if I understood enough of the process to mimic their finished products. After doing that for a bit, I started to get inspired by their colors but got eager to try new patterns or vice versa. Now is a lot different. I get inspired by EVERYTHING. A walk downtown, a song, a tattoo shop, a conversation. Sometimes I make pieces that remind me of someone. Lately, I’ve been thinking about my grandma. I didn’t appreciate her love of color years ago, but now I love it. It forces me out of my box and trying new things is so fun because in the process of trying that new thing, it inspires something new again.  ”

what is your favorite part of the process?

“Throwing. Without a doubt. I could sit on my wheel all day and throw. I love how the clay feels. I love the challenge of throwing as tall as I can while keeping the integrity of the piece. You didnt ask, but my least favorite part is putting on handles. It’s so monotonous; I hope my mind changes about this soon haha I see lots of handles in my future. 

I recently started getting into tiki mugs and wall decor which opens up a whole new love of trimming! It’s different than anything I’ve tried before and I love it. ”

did this start as an outlet for you or a business idea? 

“Absolutely an outlet. I had no intention of turning it into anything honestly. Shortly after getting my old wheel out and throwing on that for a few weeks, my husband decided it was time for an upgrade. He is so supportive and was so excited to see me try something that was actually holding my interest. I got a new amazing wheel and wow, what a difference. 

The only reason Shpots took off was because of my wonderful midwife, Carrie. She told me about her brother, Cody, opening up a rad shop in town and was looking for handmade pottery. He reached out to me immediately and wanted almost everything. He believed in me before I did. He was so encouraging and the only reason my first year was so successful. Thank you so much, Cody! From there, I had the confidence to sign up for markets. Shop after shop started asking for Shpots. My first year was BUSY! And I am so so so grateful. Makes me emotional thinking about it. 

I am really excited to see where Shpots will go this year and every year after. ”

is there anything you’d like to do with your pottery that you haven’t yet? 

“My goal for this year is to go online. So many people have expressed their interest in buying my pieces, but didn’t know how. Rest assured, folks, it’s happening soon! 

A new recent thought has been to start classes for kids. Introducing them to a good hobby that supports creativity and patience…and fun! It’s nice to feel like I’m getting decent enough to be able to teach it. My son, Kirin, actually LOVES doing pottery with me and it melts my heart every single time. ”

describe your dream project , if you have one.

“My husband and I are hoping to build a home sometime in the near future and it would be absolutely incredible to make the tile for our home. Whether it’s for a bathroom or a backsplash or whatever else. I would be so happy if, after so many years of not knowing what I would do, I would be able to help build our house with something that helped make me a better mom, wife and human. That’s pretty special. ”

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I am so grateful to have worked with Kayli for my first edition of the shine series posts. The same way that pottery is Kayli’s passion , mine is capturing people in their element, doing what fills them up & brings out their own shine. If you want to purchase any of Kayli’s pottery, you can find it in person at : 

- Coyote modern (Columbia Falls) 

- Wild Coffee (Whitefish) 

- Hanks Apothecary (Kalispell)  

- Wild Child Collective (Helena)

 - Skin Lounge  (San Diego) 

OR you can purchase it directly from Kayli , 

on her instagram @shpots  

or by contacting her through her website (www.shpots.com)

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If you would like to submit someone to be captured for the shine series, please contact me at Jenna.flaherty@icloud.com or fill out this the shine series form here. 

Thank you for being here <3 

- Jenna