So I blame Shoanna Jackson, Year 9. 

I had broken my PB that morning, three separate teenagers had vomited in my classroom, all before breaktime. Despite being a science teacher, I wasn't teaching anything particularly disgusting. No dissections in sight, just good old atomic structure, which I’d taught for almost a decade. 

But after Shoanna’s final blow (sorry for the visuals!), trapped in a room with no windows, broken air con, and thirty screaming teens, I knew I needed a career change...

… and so I became a potter. 

Well, there’s a little more to it than that. I first started pottery in 7 Limes Studio, mainly to help take my mind off episodes like the above. I became obsessed with throwing on the wheel, and developed my skills over several years. Then, I trained under Sam Andrew, and progressed into a studio share with many other talented throwers. In 2022, I left school — along with all the vomsacs — and opened up my own studio in Macclesfield. 

Now, I teach adults pottery on the wheel, helping them escape from their own ‘Shoanna Jacksons.’

Between teaching, I make small batches of pottery which I sell to the public, and collaborate with local businesses to bring nice pots into their shops. 

Emma x 

P.S. Sorry Mum — I didn't think this is what I'd end up doing after my Cambridge degree, but here we are!