Meet suzanne fling: owner, Flingin Pots Mobile Pottery Studio

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

Hi suzanne, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Transitioning from artist to educational studio was a natural path for Flingin Pots. I always found production pottery very stale, soulless and isolating. I much more enjoyed teaching, interacting with the community and sharing my knowledge for this magical medium. After a few months of displaying my work at Foco’s 1st Friday Art Walk, I asked if I could bring my wheel in and throw with the public. I wanted to give to the public a hands on “experience” that many haven’t had since being a child or haven’t ever had the opportunity at all. The response was HUGE! And Flingin Pots Mobile Teaching studio soon expanded to offering Pots N Pints events at the local breweries and Dirty Dates Nights at CSA, wine bars etc. Seeing smiles appear on faces as their hands touched the clay is something that will never get old. My partner Scott has been an integral part of this business since taking it mobile and really pushed us to try new event and locations and his unwavering support is undeniably the backbone of our company.

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.
Flingin Pots is one of the ONLY mobile pottery studios in the country where they bring everything to you and you just provide the hands. Our “product” is created by the community at our events and classes. We’re most proud of the very difficult and challenging business model that we’ve created and the success that its attained. Not many sane people will entrain the idea of travelling with their pottery equipment – each wheel is 65 lbs, conduct a class and then leave with all the creations, promising to return them after a month. We take on huge liabilities and responsibilities by having to keep the product and run it through the firing process but there’s just no other way. Our biggest lessons have been balancing public expectations with realistic opportunities for education. Many see effortless throwing videos on Youtube and think it is easy…educating the public that this is a learned skill, requiring muscle memory and developed through practice and time is a constant challenge. One of our major goals is to enhance the publics knowledge of the handmade ceramics process and maybe instill more respect and understanding for why the craft fair mug us priced at $30.

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?
When Scott and I aren’t behind a potters wheel or in the studio, we love to explore all that CO has to offer in the outdoors. Weather it be drives or a hike up the Poudre Canyon, a tube float thru the city, taking a mild hike on one of the many local trails, disperse camping in Red Feather or riding our bikes to Old Town for a snack, we find this connection to the environment healing and a necessary balance for our lives.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My business and life partner Scott is a HUGE reason for the success of Flingin Pots. His Love and Support has carried us thru all of the trials and tribulations that all new businesses experience. His been a spring board for ideas and a shoulder to cry when things have crashed and burned. His confidence and belief in me is more than I carry for myself often and I cant think of a better partner to be on this journey with. I love you so much Scotty P.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flinginpots/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlinginPots/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUEy8Y19cQfVakKDJamqBTw

Image Credits
Scott Prosser