The Lady of the South | A Dirty South Pottery Blog

An Autumn Break - September 2020 Temporary Closing

From September 14-29th, 2020, our store will be going dark. No in-store shopping, no processing orders, no phone calls or emails, no pickups -

Dirty South Pottery will be on a break for the last two weeks of September.

Our online shop will still be open for orders, but we must stress that no order will be processed until September 30th, 2020. Read on for full details on this break.

Posted on September 12, 2020

Ashley Norman

Overdue.

I do not know exactly how to start this blog, but I am going to just start where I am at and see where it takes us.

First and foremost, I am going to start with this: Black. Lives. Matter.

This is not a trend. This is the truth, the battle cry for the unheard. I am not here to convince you of this truth, I am here to talk about how we are going to do our part to make sure that our children’s generation doesn’t have to hear this truth contested.

Posted on June 11, 2020

Ashley Norman

3 comments

Anxiety & Encouragement

A few years ago I started to try new things to help level out the stress. I started to meditate. I tried reading for the last hour before bed. I exercised. I started eating more of the healthy, whole foods that I had chosen to ignore up until that point in my life. I planned travel. I allowed myself to fail and not dwell on it (too much).

But by far the thing that I started that I have consistently done in recent years to help with anxiety is drinking hot tea.

That’s right. Tea.

Posted on May 30, 2020

Ashley Norman

2 comments

The Next Phase - Reopening

I think the most important part of the reopening process is to adapt the in-store shopping experience to make it safe for everyone – the shopper, the employees, the next shopper. For us and our little store, we are having trouble putting that puzzle together.

Posted on May 20, 2020

Ashley Norman

2 comments

Shopping Updates Amid COVID-19

"We have had many people reach out to see how COVID-19 has effected shopping with us and to ask important questions. I wanted to take the time to create a space for all of those questions to be answered in"

Posted on April 13, 2020

Ashley Norman

How We Are Doing Amid the COVID 19 Pandemic

"We make most of our income from our shop in Winchester, which is the easiest and most productive way for us to sell our work. A good portion of our income comes from markets and events, another good portion from wholesale and corporate gifts, and a little slice from online sales. So how has COVID 19 effected our business? It has pretty much eliminated 90% of our revenue streams."

Posted on March 26, 2020

Ashley Norman

1 comment

Why We Had to Say Goodbye to Classes in Clay

We purchased our building on North Main Street back in the summer of 2014. When we first became owners our intentions were clear; we would live upstairs, have a production-style classroom area downstairs, and a small store upfront. We would teach 2-4 six week classes at any given time, with a once-a-month single class for those who were just looking to see what it was all about before committing to a longer course. This was going to bring hands-on opportunities in the arts to the folks in our community, and allow them to see what it takes to make art.

Posted on February 02, 2020

Ashley Norman

Mug Makin' - Behind The Scenes

It’s hard to explain the amount of work that it takes to create a single mug. Most people simply do not have a context for the process of pottery, because we usually don't have the exposure to it that we do with other art mediums. Most people can tell you the basic steps of painting; paintbrush + paint + canvas = a painting.

But what about ceramics?

Posted on March 25, 2019

Ashley Norman

6 Ways to Support a Small Business

Community is the life-blood of small businesses. Whether that is the neighborhood outside their door, a community of like-minded people in the area, or a community formed solely online – what you do as a customer or follower of these brands makes a big difference.

Posted on March 04, 2019

Ashley Norman

Pivoting; Having Goals with Soul

I am a creature of habit. I like the known, the familiar, the predictable. I prefer to sit in the same chair in my living room every night. I have worn my makeup in the same way for the majority of my adult life. I create routines.

I also get bored easily. I don’t like getting stuck in too many routines. The 9-5pm work life wore me down so much that I created my own business to escape it. I like new adventures. I like to rearrange rooms. I prefer to have some structure, but to work loosely within the guidelines I set for myself.

Posted on January 03, 2019

Ashley Norman

5 Quick Tips for Buying the Perfect Handmade Pottery for You

A few years ago, when we first started on the festival circuit, I wrote a blog on tips on buying quality pottery at fairs. Now as I reread it, I can see that it was filled with advice that came from an art student who was trying to sound like an artist. I was (unknowingly) focused on defensively explaining pottery instead of writing out solid advice to the shopper.

But today, I have given myself the chance to fix it.

Posted on August 27, 2018

Ashley Norman

8 Innovative Ways to Repurpose Your Pots

If you have ever been to our studio/store you may have noticed that I have a thing for repurposing old and broken things. A scrap piece of wood can become a display, old wine racks into mug racks. Thanks to Pinterest and HGTV, this trend of rethinking old items has exploded in the last few years – much to my delight! I love saving items that are destined for landfills and giving them new life. Seriously, I love it.

Posted on July 03, 2018

Ashley Norman