Rising Stars: Meet Joshua Bailey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Bailey.

Hi Joshua, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story starts in high school. One small town. One art room. One pottery wheel. A few months later I was measuring the kiln’s interior to see how big I could go. I’ve had no formal training but have pieced together the knowledge I have now over years of practice and research. I taught classes then took the plunge into ‘full time artist’ a few years ago and thankfully haven’t had to look back.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning a business and being an artist of any kind is never easy. There have been many struggles. LA is expensive. And if you want to make it here you better be good at what you’re doing. And be lucky along the way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I mainly make large-scale and high-volume orders. I sell online, at markets and fairs, and have a couple of wholesale accounts that all keep me pretty busy. I am known for quality production and precise consistency. It’s not easy to achieve but I have gotten there over time with practice. I am most proud of the fact that this is all I do, and the way I got here was through hard work and dedication to my craft. I was never handed anything. I just had to figure it out. What sets me apart from others is my attention to detail. I love non-symmetrical funky stuff as well but when it comes to exact dimensions and clean lines and edges I excel.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I guess the biggest supporters I have had other than friends and family, have been my peers. Other artists and business owners. I get a lot of orders from studios I have taught at because it is out of their realm. Most studios here teach classes, so when someone wants custom orders or large quantities that’s generally not their cup of tea, where it is my bread and butter.

Contact Info:

• Website: marinadelclay.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/marinadelclay

Image Credits
Matt Schulte