ETSY SPOTLIGHT: Erik Haugsby Pottery

Handmade teapot ($108.36)

I'm very excited to introduce you to a new series I am starting on the blog, the Etsy Spotlight interviews. If you follow along some time, then you have probably noticed my passion for Etsy, and all the incredible handmade and vintage treasuries one can find there. After the very successful Etsy Mix posts (you guys seem to like them more than I could have ever imagined!) and some efficient store roundups (remember my 10 best sources for chunky knit blankets on Etsy post? It has more than 26k pins on Pinterest!) I decided to get more personal and get to know the people behind all those beautiful creations. After all, this is the magic of Etsy, each and every product there has a unique story, a history perhaps, it has soul and character, far from the overconsumption traits of our time and a creative crafter or collector behind it to share it with us.

It was really hard not to notice Erik Haugsby's creations as soon as they landed on my Etsy feed page some time ago. Although a considerably new store, it has become a favorite of mine from the very beginning. His pottery is unique, a fusion of art and function, everyday objects with a level of creative roughness that can either keep you company through your daily rituals or decorate your home with them. Or both. You can read his (rather thought provoking) interview after the jump plus find a code for a 15% discount he is kindly offering to you to use at his store.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your store. 

My name’s Erik these are my pots for you or people to use that is: pottery or functional ceramics that is: take in your hand or to your mouth (how sensual it is to hold it to your mouth) or rest upon your table this an object a piece of the earth and know it was made by hands for hands my hands are 28 years old as they type these. 

Till today at least we’re all on the same earth and it’s that the earth in my pots at least in part. The earth in my pots it comes from the earth and the pots their surface is stone and glass and burning wood melted and unmelted wood it survives 1240˚C or 1360˚C or more or less humans melt at those temperatures but my pots experience. Hold my pot and suffer the experience and enjoy it.

“Hipster level 4” and “beanpole” written in my magazine feature’s comments section. Never read the comments section. My shop’s comment section shows ★★★★★. 

How/when did you realize that your love for creating can be something more than a hobby? 

I make hazards out of hobbies I got into photojournalism because I liked to take pictures and said how can I make money or that is survive taking pictures. I couldn’t so I didn’t I couldn’t compromise and take pictures for other people then go home and take pictures for me when I took pictures for me I thought what pictures do They want and made no pictures that I want. I quit = I give up without truly pushing myself to do it I don’t regret it that decision got me here. 

From there to here: 2011–2017: Minnesota Missouri New York Nepal Germany Austria. I live in cities near the water perhaps a subconscious decision.

Unemployment forces employment, or, self-employment. Creating a company taxes insurance forms bureaucracy paperwork the logistics of it who wants to do that but I didn’t do it because I wanted to (a lie: I did, but I didn’t) and so I did it and in a foreign language foreign culture no less because I have to else I wageslave I now push myself to do it and every day ask myself is this that I’m doing is it enough do I want to do it.

Guinomi ($30.10)

What is it that makes your products special? 

Do you like me do you buy into my marketing language and story do you want my pot to be special then it’s special. It’s not the pot that’s special.


What influences your work?

A good cup of tea because a good cup needs a good cup. Making my pots once upon a time the soundtrack was podcasts but who can concentrate on pots when podcasts. Then later it’s still now music but music makes me, i.e. I let myself, make what the music tells me. Too much time spent online: Instagram Pinterest Facebook Google Image Search it’s too easy to think too much thinking that thinking will make for good making there are too many good pots out there none of mine will be those pots so: so: acknowledge. None of my pots will be those pots because those pots have been made. All pots have already been made all photos have already been taken. So I can make my pots because it’s not that they’re made but that I’ve made.

Suzuki Goro Tsujimura Shiro Aaron Scythe the potters. and Anja Slapničar because she believes in pottery or has to. Iron Heart 301S blue jeans. A mint-green plastic watering can of unknown make because the maker doesn’t matter. I sign my pots.

Woodfired ceramic guinomi ($30.10)

Describe your typical day.

Wake open eyes see other eyes that make me smile. Two to four slices of bread, would you like some bread with your butter?, atop German porcelain and a at least one cup of coffee from a cup the shelf their pots and mine I test my pots. Bicycle 4,6 km including past the house where Schubert died Stalin lived Hitler stayed Beethoven played and thousands upon thousands did? Vienna’s been continuously settled since 500 BC I had to check my sources for that fact. Into the cellar an Austrian cellar pots and dust it’s not dust it’s silica and this isn’t good for my health but what is. In one room one 20 m2 me my supplies on shelves my wheel on the floor my kiln on the floor my pots on the shelves and the floor. Before during after: indulgences mine and others hi how are you? i don’t speak as I write. There’s the sun; or there’s the cloud; there’s me existing we exist let’s exist together isn’t this just: it. Other things happen in between the things that happen.


What is the one thing you would change if you were starting over?

Start over.

Okay so I’m telling you because I’m telling me because there are a list of emails I need to write that is: in a word: write. Or,: do. Don’t think too much because they don’t think about you.

Woodfired ceramic vase ($126.41)

What aspects of your business/store do you enjoy the most/least? 

Enjoy.

I’m making money am I making money is this what I’m supposed to do like who cares about a pile of clay: You should care about a pile of clay Why? because I’m telling you to. But who am I to tell you? But how much better your life would be if only you knew. Give me money and your life will be better. That’s it: give me money and your life will be better. In the mean time I’m going to go over to this hill over there and dig clay out of the ground because that’s the clay I can use to make the pots you use. Excuse me I’m going to take a hammer to my bad pots there are lots of them I can’t change them I can only make new ones and break the bad ones like bad memories don’t you wish you could break your memories and poof they’d be gone forever.


Erik is kindly offering a 15% discount to his store for the readers of the blog with code MYPARADISSI (valid until 24th December)

Follow Erik on facebook, instagram and pinterest.

Woodfired pilgrim jar ($210.69)