Meet Isabel Gottlieb | Wildlife Biologist & Potter

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

Hi Isabel, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work life balance can be a challenge in any field, and at times I’ve struggled to ensure that I step away from my desk and make time for myself. I’ve had two close calls with serious illness as an adult: I was diagnosed with pneumonia that developed into Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in 2018, and Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in 2021. Both of these experiences were hugely traumatic and disruptive, but having to so intimately confront my mortality has made me much better at setting boundaries at work, and valuing the time that I have to invest in myself, the people I love, and my passions. I do not recommend near-death experiences, but I do recommend cultivating an understanding that you only have one life and that to the extent that is practical for you, to make time for people and things that you find meaningful.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Pottery is a hobby that I love, and dedicate much of my free time to. My primary career is in wildlife conservation and renewable energy development, and my experiences in the wildlife field heavily influence my creative work. This is especially evident in my primary ongoing project, the “Clayviary”, where I make batches of pottery featuring groups of related species such as owls or woodpeckers. In my pottery practice, I combine joy, humor, and ecology in a way that has allowed me to find a lovely community of people, many of whom are other wildlife biologists, artists, or nature lovers. Nothing gets me going quite like a joke that incorporates some aspect of a species’ ecology into a piece of art. Many of the people who support my work don’t just want a mug with a bird on it; they want a northern saw-whet owl because it was their study species in graduate school, or a red-breasted nuthatch because it’s their favorite bird that visits their backyard feeder. My background and skillset combine wonderfully to create very special pieces of pottery for those people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love little cities, and in my opinion, Fort Collins punches above its weight class. I am so grateful to have places like Horsetooth Mountain Open Space and Lory State Park minutes away from home. My favorite place to play nearby is the Poudre Canyon, which holds endless opportunities to hike, climb, and explore. The Mishawaka is truly a gem among music venues. Fort Collins is positively crawling with amazing breweries, but my favorites are Odell’s and Equinox. When I have visitors from out of town, some places I might take them to eat include Raska International Cuisine for Ethiopian food, Me Oh My Pie for pie (duh!), or DGT for tacos.

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?
One of the most important influences on both my professional and creative lives is my undergraduate advisor/”Science Mom”, Dr. Joan Morrison. I joined her lab in my first year of college, where she gave me an invaluable foundation for my research and education. She is wholly responsible for getting me hooked on birds. My very first batch of Clayviary mugs included a crested caracara – her primary study species and one that was formative in my own career, which I gifted to her as a small thanks for all the opportunities I’ve had as a direct result of her mentorship. Without Joan, my career and my art might be completely different from where I am today, and I will be forever grateful!

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