Meet Zoe Daniel | Owner Wormwood and Honey Pottery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zoe Daniel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zoe, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
What balance? No just kidding. This is maybe the most difficult thing I’ve dealt with as a small business owner. I think early on I had this idea that I had to work overtime to make it work, and honestly that was probably true, but learning when to back off the gas was tough. I was working constantly. Making work during the week, selling on the weekend. There was no break. Pottery is also so time sensitive that sometimes you have no choice but to stay up till 3am attaching handles and then getting up at 7am to get the kiln cranked up. As I started to gain some traction and success I felt pressure make even more work to meet the demand. Eventually I just crashed. I had been on autopilot for years, not even really thinking about the work but just pumping it out as fast as I can. I didn’t really slow down till early 2023. I hit the wall and was completely burnt out. I took a couple months to travel and sketch and experiment in the studio. When you own a small business it can feel really irresponsible to take time off like that but I’ve found its a necessity for me. You’ve got to feed the soul so it can keep creating. I’m better now about slowing down and spending time with the people I enjoy. Ultimately if you are the boss, then you make the rules so take that time for yourself and slow down.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I came to pottery later in my art life. I have always loved to draw and paint. I have a degree in Scientific Illustration. Pottery started as a form of stress relief and art therapy for me and it took me quite awhile to evolve to the style I work in today. When I first got into pottery it was while I was teaching elementary art. I was looking for a creative outlet and quite frankly just bringing some joy into my life. After awhile I was spending more hours at the studio than I was at my house. I was super unhappy teaching, which I don’t think anyone would be surprised to hear that, it’s a pretty thankless and exhausting job. I was sitting at a teacher workday with a fellow art teacher who also happened to be a ceramicist, and we decided together to quit our jobs and start pottery businesses. Having another person following the same trajectory gave me just the boost I needed to give it a shot. It’s been 5 years and we still panic call each other anytime the kiln malfunctions or our website crashes.

There are a lot of traditions in pottery and different ways of doing things. From the very beginning I knew that whatever style I landed in, I wanted people to be able to pick up a piece and immediately know if was a Wormwood and Honey piece. In the beginning I used lots of colorful glazes and dark clays. I carved bees and pollinators. I was set up at a market and someone was looking at my pieces telling me they loved my work and owned a bunch of it. I eventually realized they had me confused with someone else. It set me in a full panic and I spent a ton of time trying to find my own style. I landed on this very clean technique where I could utilize my scientific illustration degree. For me the pots are almost secondary. They’re just a vessel to carry my drawings. It can be hard to convince someone to pay fine art prices for a mug but I try to really stress that it is truly a piece of art. It just happens to be on a mug instead of a canvas.

All of my pieces are thrown on the wheel using the yummiest English porcelain. When I draw, I use a technique called mishima which lets me have really crisp lines and lots of small details that can be tough to do when you’re drawing on literal mud. As far as subject matter goes I typically hang out in botanicals like flowers and mushrooms because I like to draw from real life objects. Recently I’ve been intrigued by Greek mythology so I’ve started drawing more mythological creatures and goddesses using ancient sculptures as my reference materials.

As far as making my pottery business into an actual full time (or truly more than full time) job, I was extremely lucky to hit instagram at the exact right time. Right before covid I was set to have a year where I did about 40 markets. I watched the world shut down, all my markets got canceled and realized I had to pivot and pivot fast. I hopped onto instagram and worked extremely hard to build up an incredible customer base that has continued to support me for years now. That being said Instagram is tough world to navigate and I am by no means an expert. I worked really hard but I also got really lucky. I’ve always said it’s not about having a ton of followers. It’s about having 100 good ones. So if you’re battling with the beast that is social media, don’t let it get you down. It’s a slow burn and the numbers truly don’t matter.

As far as what’s next I’m always trying to keep things exciting by traveling to new cities for markets or throwing new shapes. I’ve been playing around with more western themes and exploring a new drawing style sort of inspired by linocut pieces. If Beyonce can make a country album I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to draw some cactus and roadrunners.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been in Athens for just over 10 years now and have very strong food opinions. My favorite place in town is HiLo. Snag a liter of beer and a hand dipped corndog. They also have exceptional cocktails and Below Deck watch parties. On Saturdays you can catch me at the farmer’s market snagging flowers from R and R Secret Flowers, a bagel from Eno’s and a green zinger from Journey Juice. We are blessed with many amazing coffee shops. For the best black cup of coffee, 1000 Faces. Best chai, Sunroof Coffee. Best matcha, Molly’s. Best flat white, Choco Pronto. For lunch I will be popping into Birdies to snag a sandwich and a cup of soup. Whatever the soup is, get it. It’s amazing. For good hangs check out Rook and Pawn, a board game bar, catch a pilates class at Club Pilates or yoga at Lotus Yoga. If you have kids (or if you don’t and just want fun vibes) check out Treehouse Kid and Craft. For dinner if I’m feeling fancy I’m hitting up Seabear and having as many oysters and tiki drinks as I can. For more casual vibes 10/10 recommend Royal Peasant or White Tiger, both have great outdoor seating. Late night catch a movie at Cine or a cocktail at Hidden Gem. Athen’s is lucky to have amazing local businesses and I could truly go on and on about dozens more things but let me stop here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So many people but three in particular. Connor Butterworth, my partner. He has been extremely supportive and encouraging. Always willing to carry boxes of clay or build me a website. My mom, Renee Daniel. Not only did she name my business but she also built all my displays. She is also my toughest customer. Lastly I wouldn’t be here without the Athens Farmers Market letting me into their market before I even owned a tablecloth for my folding table.

Website: wormwoodandhoneypottery.com

Instagram: wormwoodandhoneypottery

Facebook: wormwoodandhoneypottery

Image Credits
Images by Kayley Mewbourne (@kayley_lorraine) and Sara Wooten (@evermorephotoco)