Meet Kimberly Shelton

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

Hi Kimberly, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow. “

I remember the first time I read this letter. It was sent, by author Kurt Vonnegut, to a group of high school students who had requested the writer visit their class. The excerpt encompasses my desire to create and the impact it has had on my own experience of the world. I didn’t start making as a means to and end, more as a means to exist. I make because my heart requires it and I strive for my practice to have a valuable impact. This notion also reminds me that no one person can defy what art is “good”. Everyone’s practice is relevant and meant for themselves while the experience others have witnessing that work is meant for them and can not be defined by any one persons ideas of greatness. We all have space inside us to be expressive and can take time to honor that part of ourselves.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
“Dirt Dobber Wares” came to me as I recollected a nick name I was given by my great uncle Harry after digging potatoes from his field. I was filthy and as happy as a kid could be. It just clicked one day, Dirt Dobber Wares.

I consider myself a maker & facilitator, trying to apply what brings me joy to others through an interaction with an object. Preferably around a table sharing a meal or picking a bouquet of wildflowers to fill a vase. I have found reprieve in the repetitive practice of manipulating clay. Forming daily use, utilitarian objects, that ideally bring enjoyment to others. My intention is to be responsible with material, reprocessing clays and rejecting undesirable forms before I commit to their transformation into permanence. I am drawn towards the warmth created in atmospheric firings, wether it is in the textured adornment of sodium vapor or the rough terrain of fly ash built up on a flame facing surface. My personal practice is selfish and introspective, while the challenge lies in the relevancy of its contribution. I regard a deep seeded connection between our food sources and the table service off which we choose to embibe. Dirt Dobber Wares is not only about utilitarian tableware that is pleasing to the eye and hand, but about the combined energies to grow and raise foods to nourish ourselves.

When I moved back to the filthy dirty south in 2017, I was convinced that I could make my dream of being a studio potter come to life. The reality was that I needed to support myself and working with clay requires space and equipment and resources. I accepted that I would utilize my skills I had gained as a facilitator along with my knowledge of materials and equipment to secure my financial stability. Working in this capacity has allowed me to continue being in community with other makers while I invest in my own creative work space. In the past, I also worked the market circuit and realized I was making what I thought people would buy which kind of took the joy out of it for me. This year I have finally had the capacity to invest in my home studio and am working towards completion of the space. This has been a dream of mine my entire adult life and I am really looking forward to how it will impact my practice, my well being and what I have to offer.

I am very much looking forward to coming home from a long day giving of myself to take time for my own creativity and exploration. An exploration without deadlines or pressures of sales. Just pure, unadulterated good times getting sloppy in the studio and seeing where it goes. Of course, I would eventually love to collaborate with chefs and lovers of food to create unique experiences around the table but for a minute it’s gonna be all for me!!!

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.
It’s funny I think about this sometimes and I realize there are too many options and one week wouldn’t be enough time to share all the city and region have to offer. I myself try to live at a bit slower pace so I don’t know if we would be having the “best time ever” but I would try to show them the reasons that I love this city. For sure we would be going to the farmers markets to see what our agricultural friends are laboring over. Fresh, local in season veggies and artisanal goods are abundant. We would have to get a snack and get some supplies to take home and make some meals together. Of course we would have a fire and tromp around the yard identifying all the native pollinators that’ve seeded themselves and talk about dreams for future. I do love walking around the Botanical Gardens at dusk watching the sun set behind the skyline over Piedmont Park and the Fuqua Orchid Center always has something in bloom to ogle over and sniff. It wouldn’t be complete without immersion in the arts. There are so many craft markets happening all the time, we would definitely have to check some out and see what other Atlanta creatives are pouring themselves into. Maybe even get to SFQP show to support the baddies on stage. The green spaces around the city are abundant and so many delightful waterfalls in such a close radius to the city, we would definitely be taking some day trips to dip our toes in the creeks and rivers and soak up some sun. And, of course, it wouldn’t be complete without an evening stroll to get an ice cream cone and people watch. Did I mention it would have to be the end of Summer or is it obvious?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One person comes to mind with I think of who had a lasting impact on my person and career, and that will always be my college professor, Jennifer Martin. I enrolled in college because I received the Hope scholarship and that is what I thought I was supposed to do. I had taken basic pottery in High School on repeat because I found joy in the process. When I realized I could enroll in a pottery on the wheel class in COLLEGE I was ecstatic. It was my first class, Monday and 9 AM. It was a combination of my excitement and Jennifers’ plethora of knowledge that had me hooked immediately. Their love of the material and process came through in their ability to share information and inspire inquisitiveness. I absorbed as much as possible and spent all my spare time in the studio. After graduating I was a bit unsure of my direction and how to utilize my skills. I finally mustered up the courage to leave everything I had known as home and relocate to continue learning from Jennifer as I trained as a studio technician at the widely renowned Clay Studio in Philadelphia. This paved the way for me to end up where I am and I am grateful for the example of an inspiring mentor, educator, and administrator and strive to share that with others.

Instagram: DirtDobberWares