Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachris Haataja.
Hi Zachris, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My first memorable experience with pottery was sitting in on a community ed pottery class with my mom. I was really interested, and decided to take a class at the highschool. My mom bought a wheel, and we both enjoyed continuing to learn on our own. She eventually offered lessons and asked if I would help teach a class. After a few years, she stepped back from teaching, and it became my own work.
The rest of my pottery “education” has come from other local potters and watching videos of potters online- and lots of hours of throwing. The pottery community as a whole is very open to sharing ideas and information, which makes approaching others for their insights a lot less intimidating than if everyone was super protective of their skills and knowledge.
I started bringing my work to craft shows and art fairs around ten years ago, and decided to do some larger, more serious events in the past two years. We’ve seen a really positive response to that- people are excited about the work I produce, and come back for more. It encourages me to keep trying new things- like moon jars- and to keep making art.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Since I started off pretty slow, I was working with equipment that was gifted or purchased second-hand, and mostly quite heavily used. So I have had to replace/upgrade outdated wheels, kilns, you name it. A few years ago, my kiln broke (all the way broke) in November, right as we were approaching our busiest time of the year. That was very stressful, but we did a lot of praying and calling around and were very blessed to be able to purchase a brand new kiln from a Minnesota clay store.
As an artist, it is hard to not want to please everyone with what I produce. It has taken me time to figure out what my own style is and what things I want to offer, and I am growing more comfortable using the word “no” in order to remain true to my own expressions. My style may continue to change, but when I find those right people- the ones that are really struck by my work- it is so worth it to have remained steadfast in authenticity.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a potter that is known for making mainly functional pieces, but I am also recognized for my pit-fired works. It’s not as common to see pit-fired pottery, and the markings on those pieces really catch people’s gaze and curiosity.
I am most proud of how hard I have worked to learn and grow so much as a potter without formal training. I would have loved to have a mentor to work with side-by-side and learn from- that would have been so much more enjoyable and easy for me- but that hasn’t been my experience. I do not want to discount the many potters and instructors that have taught me, influenced me, offered web content, and helped me in so many ways, but the vast majority of my learning has been done on my own, and with countless mistakes to show me my errors and weaknesses.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was pretty shy in my youth, but really enjoyed being around people. I loved to be outside as much as I could, and I still do. I was very interested in everything, very curious, and enjoyed learning new things. I took everything literally, and this made for some struggles in communication and education, but having to work through that has left me with some very valuable problem-solving skills.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://haatajadesigns.com
