Meet Claire Resnick, Ceramicist of Wonky Ware

_{(Featured Image Above) Claire's Portrait by @imagenfotografi}

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If you were to stumble upon Claire’s Instagram account for Wonky Ware, you’d find a roster of colorful, handmade ceramic vessels with funky grooves and curvy, imperfect shapes. Embracing that imperfection is exactly what led Claire to discover her love for ceramics and eventually create her “side fulfillment” Wonky Ware (more on her belief of the phrase “side fulfillment” later).

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Join us as we chat with Claire about her love for making things, what drives her creative spark, and more!

1. Hi Claire! Can you tell us about yourself and how Wonky Ware got started?

Hi Spoak! I'm Claire, a 28-year-old ceramicist living in Philly, deep in the “figuring myself out” phase of life. I've always loved art; specifically, the craft side of things has always aroused curiosity and excitement. I finally took a ceramics class in 2019, and it felt so good to challenge myself. I continued taking classes in NYC and became a member of BKLYN Clay until I moved to Philly, where I'm now a member at Black Hound Clay Studio. I've been pushing myself to follow the things that make me happy, and clay is really the number one thing right now, so I'm diving deeper into my practice these days and moving away from the full-time marketing work I was once doing. 

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2. What is it about ceramics that you are drawn to? What life stage is Wonky Ware in right now?

I’m currently working on bringing scale to Wonky Ware and my ceramics practice. I'm making it a larger part of my day-to-day, which means I'm starting to rely on it monetarily in ways I had not previously. However, I'm not looking to define my practice at the moment. Similar to how I work with clay, I'm following my intuition and staying focused on the time I'm in now vs. forward thinking. This way of thinking was fully encouraged by the clay, a medium that forces patience upon you. Clay also forces acceptance of nature, which has boundaries that, of course, can be pushed but will always remain. Working within those boundaries is extremely comforting. I used to be frustrated by boundaries, but now I see them as a sort of language, as if they were words. You use the boundaries to form sentences and art. So I'm talking about my practice similarly to how I speak about the clay. I set boundaries around certain needs in life (like my mental health and need for income) and use those to inform my decisions on what I'm doing now, focusing more on ceramics. 

3. I love the name Wonky Ware, which feels like an ode to the form of many of your designs. Is that how you came up with the name, or is there another backstory?

Exactly. Wonky Ware is an ode to the forms I make and the act of making itself. I have always been fearful of doing things/making things because they weren't perfect. For whatever reason, I always threw away the idea of perfection when working with clay, and it allowed me to explore new ideas, learn new things, and become more excited. Back to the idea of boundaries, perfection is not a real boundary, which clay finally made me realize. So being wonky gives me joy; seeing the physicality of my work is so satisfying to me, and I want to celebrate that!

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4. What’s a dream project of yours? If it’s not a project or collaboration specifically, is there a particular type of vessel you’re hoping to create soon?

This is a great question I should spend more time thinking through! I'd really like to see my work in a gallery setting. I enjoy working on larger vessels and would love to create a series for a show. I'd also love to have my work in more people’s lives. There are some stunning homes my work gets to be in, making me so happy and proud. 

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5. Which artists or ceramicists are you loving lately?

• @a_n_k_ceramics
• @seangerstley
• @hilarygreen__
• @depositunknown
• @rainajlee 

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6. What drives your creative spark?

My creativity is mostly sparked by intrigue and figuring out how things are done. So to keep my ‘spark’ going, I just need to get into the studio more and push myself to try new things, fail, learn, and try. The repetitive physical side of work also brings me to a great meditative state that helps keep my general anxieties down. Even if I'm not feeling creative, working with clay has other benefits for me.

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7. Do you have any advice for someone wanting to start their own creative side hustle?

What I was talking about earlier about perfection can be helpful. Perfect looks different to everyone, so simply put, it can never be universally achieved. Working on things for enjoyment is key, and it may take time to find the work that keeps your heart warm. Take away the pressure of it, especially if it is not for your income. Maybe we shouldn't call it a side “hustle”—let’s call it a side fulfillment.

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8. What can we expect from Wonky Ware in 2023?

Since I'm working towards bringing scale to my ceramics practice, you can look for more drops from me! I just launched my website to sell ceramics for the first time, but I am also happy to sell on Instagram as I have previously. I want to get to some New York markets or pop-ups this year and continue improving my techniques!