Daily Inspiration: Meet Dirt Druid

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dirt Druid.

Hi Dirt Druid, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was always a creative kid and knew I would pursue a career in art one way or another. My intial interests were in drawing and painting, and I actually felt quite averse to 3D and sculptural art back then, which feels ironic knowing now that I would end up being a full time ceramicist.

I studied Art Therapy at Naropa University in Boulder, CO from 2017 to 2019, finding my time with higher education coming to a close due to lack of resources and a newfound obsession with ceramics after taking a required course.

After leaving Naropa I worked at Kentucky Mudworks for a period of time, and later apprenticed under a local Colorado Potter for a few years. For me personally, I find it easier to learn through lived experience rather than traditional education, especially when working alongside career potters who have made a name for themselves.

In 2020, I moved back to the Front Range and started teaching ceramics in a friends garage studio. At this point in time I had decided that I was going to make ceramics work for me one way or another. I got very lucky in knowing the right people and eventually found myself working under local potter Macy Dorf, who owns the Artists on Santa Fe Studios and Gallery in the Santa Fe Art District.

I stopped teaching in 2023 in order to fully commit myself to making and selling ceramics. Again, I have been extremely lucky in my circumstances, as I have my own studio space, kiln access, and ability to utilize deep wells of knowledge from Macy and other artists at our studio.

As of now, I primarily sell my work at in person art markets, with some highlights being the Telluride Mushroom Festival and Denver Pride’s Gayborhood Market. Eventually I would like to my prioritize online sales and presence more, but for now I truly enjoy the experience of meeting my customers face to face and seeing the many hands my pots make their way into.

Currently, my focus is on creating work that speaks to my inner child, as well as facets of the queer and neurodivergent experience. As a young artist, I am still finding my voice and style through every piece I make and kiln I fire. I hope to expand into larger sculptural works as well as use atmospheric firing methods when given the opportunity.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In some ways yes, in others, no. I often reflect on how grateful I am to have always known my purpose. It has never been a question on whether or not I would pursue a method of art as a full time career. Being sure of what I want to do with my life and feeling fulfilled within that is something I will never take for granted, even when other aspects of life have been difficult.

It’s been a journey further enriched after being diagnosed with Autism in 2020. I struggled most of my life in feeling very separate from the world with no explanation as to why. I had trouble making friends, finding resources in school, and generally just felt alone and with my only solace being my art. In a world that hasn’t felt designed for me, I have always found it easier to illustrate my experience through a creative process than through verbal or social expression. After my diagnosis I felt my world open up, and within that my art shifted as well.

What has been consistently challenging is surviving as an artist in todays current climate, while working to understand my neurodivergence, queer identity, and disability from an autoimmune disease. Making this lifestyle work for myself has taken a lot of resourcefulness, creativity, and sacrifice. I’ve accepted that for the time being I will make less money than many of my peers who work 9-5 jobs despite the fact I am working twice as many hours most weeks.

Learning how to balance my time and energy in running a business with myself as the sole employee has been a strange learning curve. I have had to learn time and again how to pace myself, prioritize aspects of the business that I am less eager to get done, as well as know when something isn’t working efficiently and how to reorient my work habits.

With that being said, I feel rich in life experiences and would rather have moments of struggle that I can learn to overcome, than lack autonomy and be unfulfilled in my career path.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For the most part I create functional ceramics, such as mugs and other kitchen items. I would say I’m most known for what I have dubbed “lattice” designs, which are double walled pieces, usually functional, that I carve organic designs into. The designs themselves are heavily inspired by mycelial networks, fungi, and other organic materials. These pieces feel very unique to me and embody a dialogue between form and function that I always aim to create within my work. I find a lot of joy in creating household items that feel like small sculptural pieces of art you can both use and have on display.

Recently, I have taken the lattice designs in a more sculptural direction and plan to keep moving towards making larger sculptural pieces. I would love to make more household decor, such as statement lamps, or large wall installations.

Over the past year I have found myself completely head over heels in love with the atmospheric firing process, primarily wood, salt, and soda firings. In these firings, the results are unpredicatable, difficult to reproduce, and often require a multi-day communal effort. There is a magic within the process that draws me in, and I feel it’s effects on my intentionality when creating the work itself as well as the results of the finished pieces.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Over the past 7 years or so I have found myself deeply intertwined with the underground bass music scene. Some of my favorite artists right now are Resonant Language, Quanta, and Shwamp. The music itself powers me through long days at the studio, and is also a major physical, mental, and emotional release for me when I am able to go to live shows. I’ve found that dancing is my best form of stress relief and there is something about experimental bass music that gets me up and moving like no other genre.

I am also a huge proponent of journaling! Since high school I’ve kept journals that I write in sometimes daily but more often weekly. It helps me flesh out my thoughts and feelings even if it’s just scrambled stream of consciousness or making a list of everything I’ve felt throughout that day. I am very grateful to be able to go back into my journals and reflect on past moments of my life in comparison to where I am now. It has served as a helpful reminder that life is ever changing and that personal growth in any capacity, takes time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dirtdruid.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtdruid
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dirtdruid

Image Credits
Folauhola Vakauta