I've been working with clay for the better part of a decade and it still does the same thing it always did — it brings you back to yourself.

There's something about the material that resists rushing. It challenges you, humbles you, and then occasionally surprises you with something more beautiful than you planned. That push and pull is what keeps me at the wheel. The joy of making something by hand that couldn't exist any other way — that will never get old.

Soma Clay grew from that. A working studio first, where I make pieces that are considered, colourful and built to be used every day. The workshops came naturally from there — a way of sharing the space and the process with people who want to slow down and make something real, even if just for a couple of hours.

I'm self taught and formally trained, which means I've learned clay from the inside out. In the studio I'll give you just enough guidance to get started, then get out of the way.

Soma means body. It felt like the right name for a practice that's entirely physical, stubbornly present-tense, and impossible to do with your mind somewhere else.

If you leave pleasantly surprised by what you made — it's done exactly what it's meant to.

— Amanda