Potty for Pottymouth: The pottery workshops guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing

Fancy making a pottery gravy boat?

1 month ago

Being university students, it often feels like the only social activities we get up to involve sinking pints, embarrassing ourselves on the dance floor of a grotty club or bonding over a mountain of overpriced cheesy chips smothered in gravy.

Of course, every university student must experience these canon events at least once, but traumatising nights out fuelled by liquid courage can grow tiresome pretty fast.

The creative scene in Bristol is inescapable and undeniable. From the multiple Banksy artworks adorning plain buildings to the flurry of rainbow graffiti illustrations down Gloucester Road, why not embrace the hippy-dippy Bristol student stereotype that lives within you?

If you’re looking for a creatively stimulating and sober activity, Meredith Mason and Naomi Stokes, the founders of Pottymouth, have got you covered. Their pop-up pottery workshops in and around Bristol will make you want to switch up that pint glass for a paintbrush.

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Earlier this year, I attended a shot glass (or egg cup) making and painting session at Cheltenham Road’s beloved institute, The Canteen. Under the guidance of Meredith, we moulded each clay shot glass by hand, followed by a Picasso-esque painting masterclass onto each personalised pottery piece.

Amidst the vibrant hum of The Canteen, the night was spent chatting with the fellow potty-heads in attendance whilst we crafted our one-of-a-kind pottery piece de resistances. Naturally, I had to try one of the Bristol-brewed ciders that The Canteen has to offer. However, it was refreshing to be at a socialising event where booze was not the centre of attention.

Meredith and Naomi honour the endless independent businesses that Bristol has to offer, with every workshop taking place in local cafes, taprooms or pubs, with discounts on food and drink for participants being available at most venues.

Although I have not used my artistic skills since GCSE Art, I was determined to mould a masterpiece from scratch. Pottymouth provided all the materials and tools needed to achieve this, and my pottery beginner status did not matter, although the workshops can equally be enjoyed by the experienced budding potters out there.

The four-shot glasses I handcrafted at the workshop now sit proudly in my kitchen cupboard, and they make the pain of taking a ginger shot every morning in the hopes of warding off Freshers Flu more enjoyable.

Not only can you make bespoke handcrafted shot glasses, but Pottymouth also offer an immense range of different workshops. Whether you fancy making your own gravy boat, mug or pasta bowl, your shiny new crockery collection will leave your housemates hanging their heads in shame when they grab their plain Ikea utensils at dinner time.

The doom and gloom of the winter months is fast approaching. Although it can be hard to prize ourselves away from the library when the threat of exams loom, why not treat yourself to a ticket for a festive Pottymouth workshop, where the girls will show you how to make your own pottery decorative bauble? The perfect Christmas present for your favourite lecturer- or the housemate you’ve accidentally started a flat-cest relationship with.

The advantage of being a student is coming in clutch once again, as you can get a ten per cent discount off tickets to Pottymouth’s weekly open session workshops, which run every Friday from 6-9pm.

If the workshops reignite that artistic flair you once had in you during secondary school, Pottymouth offers four or six-week intensive courses to expand on your pottery skills even further, based in the best thing Bedminster has to offer, Windmill Hill City Farm.

I attended the opening of Pottymouth’s studio in Windmill Hill City Farm back in the summer. Under the beams of light reflecting off the huge disco ball hanging from the ceiling, we got to see the shiny new pottery wheels and kilns. Windmill Hill City Farm is the ideal day trip and to make things even better, once you’ve crafted your pottery, you can mooch with the goats and pigs outside and show them your creations.

Tickets to workshops cost £20 (excluding that god-sent student discount) which will give you full access to studio materials and equipment, whilst the finest stoneware clay is also provided. If you can’t bear to part with the booze for a night, BYOB is also encouraged!

All of Meredith and Naomi’s open-session workshops can be found here. Support a Bristol-based, female-run business, create memories and maybe even discover a new hobby!