hey rebecca!

 

hello! 

this entire interview comes to you via design sponge...one of my favorite style blogs...and i have lifted it the whole thing because I feel like a little piece of Rebecca lives inside of me.

My first real job out of college was with Rebecca and it feels very strange calling it a real job, because what it was, was a surreal job.

She interviewed me:

Can you stand the smell of canned tuna in tight spaces?

well, i've never thought much about it, but yes.

Can you listen to country music in tight spaces?

{with the smell of tuna, i was guessing}

yes, i'm flexible that way.

And she handed me a thick slab of red clay and pointed at the slab roller and that was that.

There were three of us. We made pottery, talked about food and flowers all day, cooked and arranged food on pottery, tended gardens, listened to the OJ trial, got some huge orders from the big boys...Neiman Marcus, Gumps, Barneys...and well, the rest is history.

Rebecca is still at it in a warehouse in Athens, GA

and here is the design sponge interview with her.

*** 

I first fell in love with Rebecca Wood’s gorgeous pottery by way of the blog Beauty Everyday, which she shares with fellow creatives Kristen Bach and Rinne Allen. She is one of Athens, Georgia’s local treasures, and I know many a gal who lists R.WOOD pottery at the top of her gift wish list! Rebecca draws inspiration (pun totally intended) from her natural surroundings, which can be found in her beautiful organic lines, whether hand-painted on surfaces or in the curves of her clay. Keep reading for a glimpse into this inspiring woman’s creative process! — Ginny

1. Design*Sponge: What is in your toolbox?

Rebecca Wood: Generally, all I need is my eyes, my Nikon Coolpix, a notebook to write ideas in, and a sketchbook and a Sharpie to draw with.

2. Design*Sponge: Fill in the blank, “When I am in my studio, I feel _____________.”

3. Design*Sponge: What is on the top shelves of your inspiration library right now?

Rebecca Wood: Swan Island dahlia catalogue, Schreiner’s iris catalogues, Ceramics Monthly magazine, books about old Japanese ceramics, and books about Ikebana.

4. Design*Sponge: How do you keep yourself organized?

Rebecca Wood: If I feel like my head is swimming, I make a list in a spiral notebook and then start checking things off.

5. Design*Sponge: If you could have one superhero (or magical) power, what would it be and why?

Rebecca Wood: It would be to heal the sick because without our health, we can’t shine and be joyful.

6. Design*Sponge: What is the best advice you have ever received, and what is the one piece of advice you would offer to a young artist/designer?

Rebecca Wood: Don’t just sell the product, sell the lifestyle.

7. Design*Sponge: How do you combat creative blocks?

Rebecca Wood: Walk in the woods, peruse books, go to a museum, or pick up some new magazines.

8. Design*Sponge: Where do you like to shop for inspiration?

Rebecca Wood: Flea markets

9. Design*Sponge: If you could peek inside the studio/toolbox of any designer/artist/craftsperson, whose would it be and why?

Rebecca Wood: Cézanne’s paint box, because out of those simple tools came a whole new way of seeing that influenced all who came after.

10. Design*Sponge: If you could make a master mix-tape of music that is inspiring you at the moment, what would it include?

Rebecca Wood: Lots of James Brown to get through the Georgia heat. R&B music from the ’70s, great singer/songwriters like Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and throw in some Beck, Bach, and Bjork.