Every Potter Has a Shelf of Failed Pots (Why That's a Good Thing!)

You're sat at the wheel, full of hope and optimism, thinking back to all those mesmerising videos you've watched online where experienced potters make throwing look effortless.

You're almost there. The walls are pulled, the shape is looking good and you think to yourself, "Just one more pull..."

Then, almost like clockwork...Rip!

If you've been making pottery for any length of time, you'll know that feeling all too well.

It's not always the dreaded rip, either. Sometimes it's knocking a perfectly centred pot off balance. Sometimes it's pulling the walls just a little too thin and watching the whole thing collapse in front of you.

Or perhaps it's that beautiful mug that comes out of the bisque firing with a crack in the base. Even worse is the piece that survives all the way to the glaze firing, only to emerge covered in pinholes, crazing or some other glaze defect.

It might sound a little dramatic, but after putting hours of work into a piece, it can be genuinely disappointing when it just... doesn't work.

The good news? Every potter goes through it.

In my experience, making pottery is one long cycle of experimenting, learning, making mistakes and trying again. As frustrating as failures can be, they've probably taught me more than my successful pots ever have.

That said, there are a few things I've learned over the years that have significantly reduced the number of pieces ending up in my reclaim bucket.

1. Compress the base properly

Cracks can happen for lots of reasons, but poor construction is one of the biggest culprits.

I always take the time to compress the base thoroughly, especially on larger, flatter forms. I also use a needle tool to check the thickness. Bases that are too thick or too thin are much more likely to develop S-cracks during drying or firing.

2. Don't be afraid of thicker walls

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was to leave my pots slightly thicker while I was learning.

Thin walls might look impressive, but they have much less structural strength. A slightly thicker pot can always be trimmed back later, but once you've removed too much clay, there's no putting it back.

3. Slow everything down

If I could only give one piece of advice to beginners, it would be this: don't rush the drying process.

Whenever I attach handles, spouts or other additions, I cover the piece with plastic or pop it into a homemade damp box for at least 24 hours. This allows the different parts to equalise their moisture levels, dramatically reducing the chance of cracks.

The same applies to drying in general. Letting pots dry slowly and evenly gives the clay time to move naturally, helping to reduce both cracking and warping. If I'm drying work under cloth or plastic, I'll often turn it over every so often so the moisture escapes evenly.

4. Use a little weight

Most potters know to weigh down large plates with something like a bag of rice while they dry, but I often do the same with larger handbuilt pieces too.

Because handbuilt work usually contains more clay, it often takes longer to dry. I like using a freezer bag filled with sand to gently hold the base flat while everything dries nice and slowly.

5. Remember that every failure teaches you something

The truth is, you can do everything "right" and a pot can still fail. Clay has a habit of keeping us humble.

But I don't think those pieces are wasted.

Every crack, glaze defect or warped rim tells you something—about your clay body, your glaze, your studio environment or your process. Every failure is another lesson that makes the next piece just a little bit better.

I've even started giving some of my failures a second life by turning broken pots into mosaic coasters. It's a great reminder that even the pieces that don't go to plan can still become something worth keeping.

At the end of the day, try not to judge your pottery by the pieces that fail. Every experienced potter has a shelf (or several shelves!) of wonky bowls, cracked mugs and glaze disasters.

They're all part of the journey.

So embrace the mistakes, enjoy the process and keep making.

Mosaic coaster tiles using shards of broken pottery pieces