<b>- [Interviewer] A lot</b> <b>of people just look</b> <b>at a mug as a mug.</b> <b>- Just a mug.</b> <b>- [Interviewer] But.</b> <b>- It's just not.</b> <b>But it is -- it is in</b> <b>so many circumstances</b> <b>and it's so important</b> <b>today, especially today.</b> <b>I feel this more than ever now</b> <b>because people are so</b> <b>disconnected from nature</b> <b>and they're so disconnected</b> <b>from things around them</b> <b>'cause they're constantly</b> <b>looking at screens</b> <b>and if you see a piece</b> <b>of pottery on Instagram,</b> <b>well, you're only</b> <b>seeing one side of it.</b> <b>And it's a tactile thing.</b> <b>You know, if it's</b> <b>heavy or if it's light</b> <b>or if it's not totally round.</b> <b>Those are, you know, I think</b> <b>about that all the time</b> <b>it's just, that's</b> <b>human-ness in the clay.</b> <b>So, I'm Kent Harris</b> <b>and I'm the owner</b> <b>and potter here at Blue Sage</b> <b>Pottery in Amarillo, Texas.</b> <b>The clay records</b> <b>everything you do to it.</b> <b>You can't help it.</b> <b>I love it.</b> <b>In my classes I see</b> <b>this with people.</b> <b>They just want to try</b> <b>to control everything.</b> <b>You cannot control it.</b> <b>You know, until you've</b> <b>done it a really long time</b> <b>and then you don't</b> <b>really wanna control it.</b> <b>It's like a river</b> <b>coming out of you,</b> <b>it's really awesome.</b> <b>I think, for me, it all started,</b> <b>I was born in Western</b> <b>North Carolina</b> <b>and my parents collected</b> <b>pots to use in the house.</b> <b>Where I was born, in</b> <b>Asheville, North Carolina,</b> <b>is the heart of, really,</b> <b>of American craft.</b> <b>And, so, you know,</b> <b>there's some pieces that</b> <b>go back in our family</b> <b>over 100 years.</b> <b>But it was never a</b> <b>thing to be coveted,</b> <b>they were always</b> <b>things to be used.</b> <b>And I think, looking back,</b> <b>that growing up in a house where</b> <b>there were handmade mugs around</b> <b>and handmade bowls</b> <b>and we were using them.</b> <b>It just kinda got</b> <b>into me a little bit.</b> <b>And so, I took a</b> <b>class in high school</b> <b>and I tried the potters wheel</b> <b>and I loved it but I didn't</b> <b>think about it until much later.</b> <b>And I came back</b> <b>to it in college.</b> <b>And that's where I</b> <b>met Megan, my wife,</b> <b>and she was doing</b> <b>her post-bacc at WT</b> <b>in ceramics and so, that's</b> <b>how it all happened.</b> <b>And then we went to the</b> <b>University of North Texas.</b> <b>And at University</b> <b>of North Texas,</b> <b>that was the top ceramics</b> <b>program in the country</b> <b>and it was just right for me.</b> <b>And when I left there,</b> <b>I knew that's exactly</b> <b>what I was gonna do.</b> <b>So, I was gonna be a</b> <b>studio potter in America</b> <b>even though it seemed</b> <b>like that was impossible.</b> <b>And I'll tell you the thing</b> <b>that really did it to me was,</b> <b>in one of my critiques with</b> <b>my professor, Elmer Taylor</b> <b>at University of North Texas,</b> <b>he told me it was</b> <b>impossible to be a potter,</b> <b>a studio potter, in America</b> <b>and actually make a living.</b> <b>And that was one of his</b> <b>ways, looking back later,</b> <b>'cause we became friends later,</b> <b>that was his way to</b> <b>motivate me and send me on.</b> <b>Like, if you think you can</b> <b>do it then you can do it.</b> <b>You know?</b> <b>And so I did, we left UNT</b> <b>because he had told me that</b> <b>and I said you're right,</b> <b>I don't need to be here.</b> <b>I'm just gonna go do it.</b> <b>That's how it really happened.</b> <b>My wife, Megan, and</b> <b>I, started in 2003.</b> <b>Actually, in Canyon first.</b> <b>So, and we opened</b> <b>the business as just,</b> <b>we needed a studio to work in</b> <b>as we were finishing at WT.</b> <b>So, we opened a little</b> <b>pottery space there</b> <b>and, kind of, built on</b> <b>the success of that.</b> <b>We moved out here to Amarillo.</b> <b>'Cause as we both graduated</b> <b>we knew we wanted to make pots</b> <b>so we need a space to do it</b> <b>and these stores had been</b> <b>in Megan's family</b> <b>for about 30 years.</b> <b>Certainly the most</b> <b>popular thing I make</b> <b>is the microwave bacon</b> <b>cooker, for sure.</b> <b>You know, I had no idea how</b> <b>popular that was gonna be</b> <b>and that it works and</b> <b>that's why it's popular.</b> <b>I mean, I make everything</b> <b>from cups, mugs,</b> <b>plates, tableware to -</b> <b>I make cremation urns also</b> <b>and that is a big</b> <b>part of our business.</b> <b>That is moving forward and</b> <b>that's kind of a service for me.</b> <b>I felt really strongly about</b> <b>that when I started making those</b> <b>'cause I've made them throughout</b> <b>the years for people when</b> <b>they would come to me and ask</b> <b>but I've started moving</b> <b>into that market also.</b> <b>What really spurred</b> <b>me to make those is,</b> <b>a woman had come in and asked</b> <b>me to make one for her son</b> <b>and so, I made six</b> <b>because she couldn't really</b> <b>tell me what she liked</b> <b>so I thought, well, I'll</b> <b>make six different ones.</b> <b>And she came in and I</b> <b>had them up on a counter</b> <b>and she just, she lost her</b> <b>breath when she saw this one</b> <b>and she just picked it up and</b> <b>held it in her hands like this</b> <b>and she said it's perfect</b> <b>and I thought, wow, that's -</b> <b>That's, like, just for a</b> <b>second, gave her comfort.</b> <b>That's it, that's</b> <b>when I thought, well,</b> <b>that's what I</b> <b>should be doing too.</b> <b>I'm the visiting assistant</b> <b>professor of art at WT.</b> <b>So, I teach two</b> <b>sections of ceramics</b> <b>and then sculpture.</b> <b>And so, the sculpture's</b> <b>really wonderful for me</b> <b>because I have so many</b> <b>ideas for sculpture</b> <b>because I work in three</b> <b>dimensions all the time</b> <b>and never have any</b> <b>time to execute it.</b> <b>So, I can spill all</b> <b>these ideas that I have</b> <b>and thoughts, and</b> <b>let them run with it</b> <b>and it's really fun.</b> <b>I mean, they're learning to</b> <b>use their own creativity,</b> <b>which is great.

It's just fun</b> <b>for me to be out of here also</b> <b>and be there making things</b> <b>in a different place</b> <b>around their energy.</b> <b>You know, my ceramics class, I</b> <b>just work in there with them.</b> <b>And it's just really exciting</b> <b>to work around</b> <b>younger people who are</b> <b>considering a career in art</b> <b>or maybe they wanna teach.</b> <b>So, I love that.</b> <b>When I'm not making pots,</b> <b>I'm not the same person,</b> <b>I know that.</b> <b>It calms me down, honestly.</b> <b>I think, the thing that</b> <b>it really does for me</b> <b>is the historical</b> <b>aspect of pottery.</b> <b>Those are objects</b> <b>throughout time.</b> <b>You're basically leaving</b> <b>your mark in stone.</b> <b>I mean, once the clay is</b> <b>fired, it's here forever</b> <b>and so, the oldest pots that</b> <b>I've been in contact with</b> <b>are about 9,000 years old</b> <b>and have the maker's</b> <b>fingerprints all over it.</b> <b>And right there you</b> <b>think, that's power.</b> <b>That's incredible, you know?</b> <b>And you wanna leave your mark.</b> <b>And I just wanted to -</b> <b>I know that's part of it for</b> <b>me is, like, sentimentality,</b> <b>I like the fact that</b> <b>those objects are here</b> <b>and that's, like, my</b> <b>expression going through time.</b> <b>But then the other part</b> <b>of it, so many parts.</b> <b>The other part is</b> <b>that they can be used</b> <b>and they're in a house</b> <b>and someone's having contact</b> <b>with a work of art every day.</b> <b>Like, the mug is the most</b> <b>intimate object you can have.</b> <b>I mean, it touches your mouth.</b> <b>For so many of my customers it's</b> <b>the first thing they</b> <b>touch in the morning,</b> <b>sometimes at night.</b> <b>When I start in the</b> <b>morning I, honestly -</b> <b>Now, this is in my</b> <b>maturity as a maker.</b> <b>When I used to make things,</b> <b>it was very conscious.</b> <b>Now, my best pots</b> <b>are unconscious.</b> <b>Like, I'll start in</b> <b>the morning and say,</b> <b>I'm gonna make mugs or something</b> <b>and I just start.</b> <b>I try not to think too much.</b> <b>I'm just reacting to it.</b> <b>I move one area of</b> <b>the clay and I think,</b> <b>well, that's kind of a</b> <b>neat area for texture</b> <b>so I'll put texture on it.</b> <b>I try not to be too</b> <b>critical on myself</b> <b>because my best pieces, I</b> <b>don't ever remember them.</b> <b>I see them later and you think,</b> <b>man, that was pretty good,</b> <b>that was really good.</b> <b>It is because you've</b> <b>digested your technique</b> <b>and that's how.</b> <b>It's just different,</b> <b>it's hard to explain.</b> <b>I mean, all those dishes</b> <b>I made for Six Car.</b> <b>You might think they're all</b> <b>alike, well, they're not.</b> <b>It's like a giant family</b> <b>and there are some</b> <b>of those that I had</b> <b>a real hard time</b> <b>letting go down there.</b> <b>'Cause you're putting</b> <b>them into an environment</b> <b>where they're gonna get used,</b> <b>they're gonna get broken.</b> <b>And there were some that</b> <b>were just drop dead gorgeous.</b> <b>Like, oh man, I hope</b> <b>that happens again.</b> <b>You know?</b> <b>But it's not.</b> <b>The thing I love</b> <b>about clay the most,</b> <b>it's not the feel,</b> <b>it's the smell of it,</b> <b>and my students at</b> <b>WT the other day,</b> <b>I think they were</b> <b>making fun of me</b> <b>because I just buried</b> <b>my face in a bag of clay</b> <b>because I could smell it again.</b> <b>It was a different clay,</b> <b>and it smelled more musty</b> <b>than the clay I use.</b> <b>I mean, it's like you</b> <b>become nose blind to it.</b> <b>I mean, I'm sure it</b> <b>smells musty in here</b> <b>to you right now.</b> <b>I don't smell it at all.</b> <b>All the clays are</b> <b>different, too.</b> <b>I just tried 17 different clays</b> <b>to see if I could get a new one</b> <b>and porcelain is so</b> <b>smooth and so pure.</b> <b>And the clay I use usually</b> <b>has more iron in it,</b> <b>it's more impure,</b> <b>a little rocky.</b> <b>You never know what</b> <b>you're gonna get.</b> <b>There are little iron</b> <b>specs show up in it.</b> <b>They're almost like</b> <b>moles and I love that.</b> <b>I like the things that I</b> <b>don't know are gonna happen.</b> <b>You can make it predictable,</b> <b>I don't want predictable at all.</b> <b>It's what keeps you coming back.</b> <b>That's what makes you</b> <b>wake up Christmas morning.</b> <b>I mean, what's gonna happen?</b> <b>And so, there are</b> <b>things that you can do</b> <b>to make it very regular</b> <b>but that is very boring.</b> <b>I won't go down that road.</b> <b>I've been down that road, it's</b> <b>not the road I like at all.</b> <b>The first stoneware glazes,</b> <b>I work in stoneware,</b> <b>were made from wood ashes</b> <b>and that originated about</b> <b>4,700 years ago in China</b> <b>because they were firing</b> <b>wood-fire pottery kilns.</b> <b>And eventually they were</b> <b>so genius that they tipped</b> <b>the wood-fire kilns up a hill,</b> <b>at about a 40 degree angle</b> <b>and then that wood ash</b> <b>would get dragged up</b> <b>on the sides of the pots</b> <b>and they could watch it melt</b> <b>and then they were so</b> <b>smart that they thought,</b> <b>well, if we mix</b> <b>that ash with water</b> <b>and a little clay to bind it</b> <b>then you get a</b> <b>whole glaze coating</b> <b>that's easy to clean.</b> <b>I'm sure that's what</b> <b>they were thinking.</b> <b>So, and then you</b> <b>have celadon glazes</b> <b>and things like</b> <b>that, that show up,</b> <b>but the reason I like that</b> <b>is 'cause they're</b> <b>such a dynamic surface</b> <b>and you never, ever know</b> <b>what you're gonna get.</b> <b>I get the whole</b> <b>spectrum of glossy,</b> <b>to matte, to crystals in there,</b> <b>and it can be a</b> <b>nightmare sometimes</b> <b>but most of the time</b> <b>it's pretty good.</b> <b>I fire usually between</b> <b>50 and 60 times a year.</b> <b>Sometimes more.</b> <b>And even still,</b> <b>even if I've used those ash</b> <b>glazes in a previous firing.</b> <b>Still to spend the six hours</b> <b>to get the thing loaded</b> <b>and all in there.</b> <b>The whole time I'm thinking,</b> <b>oh, this is the one.</b> <b>This is the one where</b> <b>I'm gonna get bit.</b> <b>And it's just because</b> <b>it's happened.</b> <b>That's where it keeps you</b> <b>on the edge of your seat.</b> <b>I mean, you get</b> <b>your confidence up</b> <b>but the thing is,</b> <b>if you didn't love to do</b> <b>it, you couldn't keep going.</b> <b>You have to be okay with,</b> <b>you know what?</b> <b>It might all get broken but</b> <b>I had a great time making it.</b> <b>I'll do it again.</b> <b>So many people have asked</b> <b>me about the Six Car dishes.</b> <b>Oh, you must be terrified</b> <b>if someone breaks them all.</b> <b>Well, you don't get it.</b> <b>I loved making them, I'd be</b> <b>happy to make them again.</b> <b>It's not about the money,</b> <b>it's about the joy of making it.</b> <b>That's what's so fun</b> <b>and I love being a</b> <b>human that makes things.</b> <b>I wish everybody made things.</b> <b>What feeds me, just</b> <b>to keep making?</b> <b>- [Interviewer]</b> <b>Yeah, energy or -</b> <b>- Is that one day</b> <b>I'm not gonna be able</b> <b>to make them any more.</b> <b>Hopefully I'll die making</b> <b>pots when I'm about 102,</b> <b>'cause my worst fear on Earth</b> <b>is to not have pots to make</b> <b>and that is an absolute fact.</b> <b>I swear that's my only anxiety</b> <b>is that I will run out of</b> <b>customers that wanna buy things</b> <b>and love my pots.</b> <b>- [Interviewer] Talk</b> <b>about being on Route 66.</b> <b>- (laughs) You never</b> <b>know who's gonna come in,</b> <b>I'll tell you that.</b> <b>It's really fun and</b> <b>I didn't think about</b> <b>it too much when we opened up</b> <b>but the European -</b> <b>I get Russian traffic</b> <b>coming through, Germans.</b> <b>We've had very famous</b> <b>people come in that,</b> <b>unfortunately, I</b> <b>didn't know that</b> <b>that was them until they left.</b> <b>In, I think 2008, Paul</b> <b>McCartney came in with his wife</b> <b>and I didn't know it was him.</b> <b>I was just working.</b> <b>So, they had pulled</b> <b>up that morning,</b> <b>it was about 10 in the morning.</b> <b>I guess they'd stayed</b> <b>at the Ambassador.</b> <b>I didn't know.</b> <b>And then he pulled up out front,</b> <b>their little silver Ford Bronco.</b> <b>It was a 1990 silver</b> <b>Bronco, something like that.</b> <b>The reason I remember it is</b> <b>'cause a guy I knew in</b> <b>high school had his stolen</b> <b>and so I thought, oh,</b> <b>that's interesting.</b> <b>And this woman got</b> <b>out who, very clearly,</b> <b>was not from the Texas Panhandle</b> <b>and she came to the door</b> <b>and asked if they</b> <b>could look around,</b> <b>I said, sure, yeah,</b> <b>the open sign's there.</b> <b>And so, she goes back</b> <b>to the car and gets him,</b> <b>she whispers something</b> <b>and this little man or,</b> <b>I couldn't really tell.</b> <b>Came around the car and</b> <b>he had a longer coat on</b> <b>and kind of a weird wig.</b> <b>I thought it was a wig.</b> <b>And big glasses.</b> <b>So, I thought, well that's</b> <b>a strange-looking person</b> <b>and just went back to work.</b> <b>And they made two</b> <b>laps around the store</b> <b>and I did what I always do</b> <b>and I went to the door</b> <b>there as they were leaving</b> <b>and she said, "Thank you so</b> <b>much.

It was very beautiful.

"</b> <b>And he turned around</b> <b>and smiled at me</b> <b>and when he smiled</b> <b>at me I thought,</b> <b>that looks familiar,</b> <b>that's somebody, yeah.</b> <b>And then my mother-in-law</b> <b>called 30 minutes later</b> <b>to tell me that they had</b> <b>stayed at the Ambassador.</b> <b>They were doing Route</b> <b>66 for a 64th birthday.</b> <b>I thought, oh my gosh,</b> <b>they were just here</b> <b>and I missed it (laughs).</b> <b>So, that's my Paul</b> <b>McCartney story.</b> <b>(upbeat music)</b>