Committed to traditional craft, Farmhouse is rooted in simple, time-honored designs for your home.
During our interview with James Zillian, Founder of Farmhouse Pottery
What advice would you offer to other artists looking to grow their business?
Business is nothing like making art and requires a completely different mindset. In addition to mastering your craft, it is critical to understand the “business” side of things and there are plenty of great creative brands to cut your teeth with. Without that experience, it’s hard to bring products into the marketplace as a craftsperson. That was my path and I think the best approach for artists with an entrepreneurial appetite!
What can you share about your creative process?
I tend to have a few dozen things in the works at all times across different areas of the business, not just design. If we aren’t iterating, we rest on our laurels and stop evolving. This leads to things getting stagnant and in a design-focused space, that’s not an option.
What inspires you? What factors have played roles in the development of your artistic style?
In terms of direct product inspiration, I take a lot of notes from older pieces of utilitarian pottery such as crockery, dinnerware, and other utilitarian home items — my home is full of them. There are racks of these antique pieces at our studio and office space for everyone to draw inspiration from. The home base for Farmhouse Pottery is in Woodstock, VT, a town that has been a source of inspiration since before I even developed the brand. My creative brain will turn as I take in the Green Mountains, sprawling farmland, and aged barn architecture across the state.
Business is nothing like making art and requires a completely different mindset. In addition to mastering your craft, it is critical to understand the “business” side of things and there are plenty of great creative brands to cut your teeth with. Without that experience, it’s hard to bring products into the marketplace as a craftsperson. That was my path and I think the best approach for artists with an entrepreneurial appetite!
What can you share about your creative process?
I tend to have a few dozen things in the works at all times across different areas of the business, not just design. If we aren’t iterating, we rest on our laurels and stop evolving. This leads to things getting stagnant and in a design-focused space, that’s not an option.
What inspires you? What factors have played roles in the development of your artistic style?
In terms of direct product inspiration, I take a lot of notes from older pieces of utilitarian pottery such as crockery, dinnerware, and other utilitarian home items — my home is full of them. There are racks of these antique pieces at our studio and office space for everyone to draw inspiration from. The home base for Farmhouse Pottery is in Woodstock, VT, a town that has been a source of inspiration since before I even developed the brand. My creative brain will turn as I take in the Green Mountains, sprawling farmland, and aged barn architecture across the state.
Like any artist, I also take inspiration and notes from those who came before me. I fell in love with making pottery at a young age and decided to study the craft in art school, majoring in ceramics. I spent over 15 years apprenticing for other artists and studying under seasoned designers which helped me mature my aesthetics, eye, and work ethic. Forming a clear and consistent perspective was core to building (and now guiding) my brand!
All that said, I don’t consider myself an artist anymore — I’m a designer, maker, and merchant. I’ll get back to making art someday soon, I’m sure of it!
Let’s start from the beginning! Tell us a little about the journey that led you to where you are now.
Farmhouse was my third entrepreneurial attempt. I kept learning from failures and successes, taking what worked and dropping what didn’t. As with design, constant iteration will finally deliver a result to be proud of!
Farmhouse was my third entrepreneurial attempt. I kept learning from failures and successes, taking what worked and dropping what didn’t. As with design, constant iteration will finally deliver a result to be proud of!
The journey has been long and had plenty of ups and downs. “Downs” might even be too gentle and I should be saying failures! Regardless, I’m pretty stubborn and over time that has worked in my favor. Continuing to push through adversity is the most important part of my story and has led to where Farmhouse is now.
This ethos is something I instill in my team. Everyone is encouraged to make mistakes (in fact, I’d say I even expect it!). Mistakes mean we’re learning and pushing. Don’t hold back in decision-making and over analyze, learn from real-world experiences and adjust as needed. This was my approach 13 years ago, and remains my approach to this day.
