Midstory at Taproot Pottery Studio

These days it seems like everyone is out to be the busiest. I am often guilty of that. I hate vacant moments. They don’t come often, but when they do, I automatically pack them with some form of productivity. Charis Brightwell of Taproot Pottery makes me slow down. She appreciates process. Simplicity is the word that I think of when I think of her, and even the thought calms me.

I also think she has assumed the responsibility we all should, of cultivating the earth. It is a relationship of symbiosis. Creation has been given to us for life, and we should care for it deeply and give it life in return. We should be rooted in it and know it. It gives to us and we give back to it. I see a direct relationship with how she views the earth as how she views people. She never uses a relationship for her gain. She pours life into them and wants to see growth. She does not overcommit and takes on only what she can responsibly care for and cultivate.

Take a look at some of her pottery. Before I share more, lay eyes on the beautiful simplicity! You can also check out her Etsy here >> Taproot Pottery on Etsy

Simplicity is very underrated these days, but it’s the simple people that we often run to for restoration and refreshment. She reminds me to appreciate things in their purest form. She has a way of pulling out the true essence of things, be it a person, a slab of clay or a bowl of food. There is no changing things until they are unrecognizable to make them something new and beautiful (which is also an art), but she finds ways to simply accentuate the beauty that is already there in something. She takes earth and forms it into a thing as simple as a cup, but in such a way to still remember . She strips me down to my real feelings and helps me see the beauty in them (and sometimes she points out the ugly ;) ).

When I reach for dishes in my kitchen, I nearly always find myself reaching for Taproot. I would rather squeeze my brussel sprouts in a small colander I bought from her than grab the large metal one I have. I find countless uses for three little snack bowls I have. I use my travel mug even when I am just sitting at my table. The weight of it, the look of it, basically everything about it makes me enjoy whatever it is holding even more. Just based on looks, Taproot is something special, but to follow her around and see the process made it even more special.

Some of the photos below are from about a year and a half ago, at least, when I came to document a morning at her studio. The studio is a detached unit from their home, so she is able to go between working and caring for the girls, and at times, some of both at the same time. There is no start to finish work for her. There is start. Stop to tend to nurse fussy baby. “Where was I?”. Re-wet clay. Start back wheel. “Hey, don’t climb on that”. Finish up forming. Let dry. Go inside to make snacks. You get the idea… Pottery has a long and involved process, anyways, but add in constant sweet interruptions and that makes for a lot more patience and hours before completion! To me, it just makes the process all the more special.

Charis is actually just around the corner from having her third girl. I never imagined her as a girl mom. Growing up, she wore cut off shirts to show off her enormous muscles, literally threw knives in our front yard and tackled harder than any of the boys in our neighborhood football games. None-the-less, she ended up having some VERY girly girls. They are full of drama, but so sweet and delightful. I am so thankful they get to watch the way their mom and dad cultivate growth in so many different things.

Charis’s husband, Jordan is a full-time mechanical engineer, but he also has learned to do electrical wiring, cooks like a trained chef, works on things around the house (AKA he built her studio!) and has now started a garden! I know Charis could not do a lot of what she does without his help and his willingness to learn new things to help her. They are such a wonderful family. They are more connected with their home and the people and earth around them than with material things or screens. They live in the real world. The world you can see and taste and touch. I will share a few more shots I took around the Brightwell house this past weekend while I was in Starkville.

Be sure to check out her Etsy page. Also, you can always stop in to George Mary’s in Starkville, MS if you can get there before they sell out! I have honestly never seen things sell as fast as her travel mugs do!