Meet Lindsay Gianola | Potter & Small Business Owner

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

Hi Lindsay, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair should be messy and your eyes sparkling” -Shanti

To me, it means, don’t be afraid to get dirty, experience life- in the moment- everyday, live each day with the wonderment of your inner child self.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always been an artist ever since I can remember. From drawing the characters off of the back of our family Disney VHS tapes to any arts and crafts I could get my hands on. Coloring in so many coloring books, making to color in the lines and adding shading to the characters.

Once I was older and allowed to choose electives in school, I always chose art programs. I took drawing, painting graphic design, and let’s insert the typical “I made pottery in high school” quote here. Well, I did. I took ceramics all 4 years of high school. I loved it of course, but to be honest, it turns out, I didn’t really learn all that much lol.

After high school, I worked as Graphic Designer for a few years and then relocated to Colorado where I worked as a Cake Decorator and Cake Icer for the next 4 years. I also was interested in being a pastry chef for a bit, as I enjoy cooking and baking and creating in that way, but the excitement died off.

I was always in search of my “thing,” my “passion”. I painted, made 3D art, vinyl art, airbrush art, origami, macrame, book binding, you name it, I tried it. But nothing really stuck.

In 2017, my partner and I decided to move out of the city and into the mountains. We purchased a house way up at 9280 feet elevation in the Rocky Mountains outside of Central City. Turns out, there are many potters up here and the local community center had a studio. So what did I do? I jumped back on that wheel of course! Over the next few months, I was constantly watching other potters make pottery on Instagram. I was addicted again, I found my “thing”.

My partner purchased a wheel for me for my birthday. I started throwing at home with nowhere to fire my wares. I contacted a local seasoned potter that lives just over the hill from me, Forest Anderson with Wabi Pottery. He has been making pottery up here since the 70’s. He allowed me to fire in his gas kiln-all the while teaching me about the types of clay there are, cones and temps, glazes, hands on how-to’s, books to read, videos to watch etc. I am so grateful for his kindness and knowledge.

I was lucky enough to be able to set up a small studio in my home. I purchased a small used manual sitter kiln and collected all the supplies I needed. I worked hard on my skills over the next few years, throwing over thousands of pounds of clay, learning and listening.

I started selling my wares at local markets within Colorado in 2019. In 2020, I was furloughed from my big girl job and started solely making pottery for a living. I now sell my pottery both retail and wholesale and it is available in over 100 shops throughout the US and Canada.

In 2021, I was approached by the City of Black Hawk, and wasvasked to set up a retail shop in their newly constructed shopping plaza. I teamed up with an herbalist and we opened our shop The Woodbury Collective in June of 2022. Our collective features over 60 local Colorado artisans, an apothecary, a wellness center and event space.

As of today, I am creating lots of pottery, participating in local markets, networking with other local makers and enjoying my life as an artist.

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 am such a homebody and mountain person! I honestly don’t have places I enjoy in the city, besides thrift stores. I’d love to take them to my little town I live in and go see all the historical mining sites, old buildings, cemeteries and check out all our little locally owned shops up here, mine of course as well!

I am someone that just prefers to stay in the mountains, so I would love to camp out somewhere. Salida, Woodland Park, Aspen, Ouray and Tabernash are some of my favorite areas. I would take them mushroom foraging, rock hounding, metal detecting and hiking. Pretty much, I enjoy clay, dirt and mud!

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?
Gemini’s Apothecary- Summer creates some badass art and the best soaps!

Website: https://www.mountainboundpottery.com

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