About

Potter. Mother.
preservationist.

I find the process of making pottery so enthralling because, in many ways, it hasn’t changed. You work the clay, fire the clay, and then it serves a functional role in your home — just like it did thousands of years ago.

“I like crooked coffee mugs

and people that laugh too loud.

They feel real.

I like the things and people that are odd

and slightly awkward.

Those little imperfections keep life interesting

and remind us to feel.”

-Brooke Hampton

My Journey with Pottery

I studied material culture and historic preservation at UNC-Greensboro where I developed a love of preserving historic artifacts. After completing my masters, I found myself at UNC-Asheville for my high school social studies certification and that’s where I began pottery in 2009. I worked with clay for several years and then pursued a career in teaching, before working with the historic districts of Asheville. Then I had two babies, and then I returned to pottery in 2017. I’ve now been working part time as a potter and full-time as a wife and mother for the last few years. I work in my home studio and teach classes at Mud Mamas Studio in Hickory, NC.

I started Ashley Gaylord Pottery because I fell back in love with the process. I start lots of little hobbies but this is by far the best one and the one that has continued through the years. I wake up thinking about it every day!

shop my store

SEE MY INVENTORY

These are my favorite people: my husband, Kevin, and my two ginger gents, Parker and Harrison.

When I'm not spending time making pottery, you can find me with my family or at the gym. I love being outdoors and traveling with my husband and ginger gents. My other interests include cooking, needle felting, and making beeswax candles (perfect for the candle holders on my shop page). I also collect vintage cookbooks."

You can connect with me on social media to see what I’m making and little peeks of our daily life!

my background

It’s wild to see my journey towards pottery start to take shape even before I knew that it would bring me to this space. I love making pottery, raising my family, and teaching classes at Mud Mamas Studio in Hickory.

Undergrad | Meredith College

Masters | American History with a focus on museum studies and historic preservation

Teaching certification | UNC Asheville

Ceramics | AB Tech

While I’m creating, I love to daydream about this functional art still being around in a hundred years.