Maker Highlight: Sammi + Settle Ceramics

I knew there would be stories, but I didn’t know how great and vast. It’s important to tell stories and better yet, tell stories well because it is a form of connection and our human souls crave this need for sustained living. 

Way before I launched Banqueting House online, I’ve gotten the pleasure to get to know a bit about our makers. From the get-go, I want to set the tone on one of our core beliefs: every part of the process in making a piece has value. Behind every good quality of a product or a piece, is a man or woman who is passionate about their work, consistent in their efforts, and effectually radiating from within. 

Sammi fits the bill, to say the least. Although our interactions have been solely online, I can tell that Sammi works with so much zeal and grit, her heart oozes out of the clay she molds with her hands.

Sammi has been doing pottery since college and her craftsmanship has only sharpened throughout the years. Her steadiness to show up has produced a consistent body of work that you almost forget that every piece is made intricately by hand. Perfection is not the key. She is not afraid to be vulnerable as she invites people into the “work in progress” in both her work and life.  

 “My body has been in pain and my mind is trying to revert to past behaviors of self-sabotage. I’ve always been a complicated person. I know my mama can attest to that. But as I try to remedy my back pain with chiropractic treatments and a bit more exercise, I find myself feeling low.” 

 
But nothing is stopping her. Not in the world’s mindset of unstoppable filled with hurriedness and busy schedules — the glorification of accomplishing, but sabotaging rest. Sammi is strong at setting boundaries for times of stillness and breaks. (She is currently in Florida spending time with family, meeting her new niece, and getting some sun at the beach.) After all, the sabbath was made for man and man, for the sabbath.

Settle |verb| to move to a place and make it your home; to come to rest.
 

When asked what’s inspiring her at the moment, she goes back to the overarching theme of her life: the process.

“I’ve just been really trying to embrace the work/workflow and let it guide me. I find that when I stop being so worried about having time to get everything done, it somehow magically all gets done and falls into place. 

So it’s perpetual inspiration..”

I am grateful for the new relationships and partnerships we have with Sammi and Settle Ceramics and I hope to carry her pieces for years to come.