Kiln It! Personal Pottery by Jessie Smit Design

Life is busy for Jessie Smit and, at times, somewhat of a capricious adventure. Such as the way she connected with her husband Greg — and married him twice.

“In 2008, when I was 20, I traveled to Australia for a Bible scholarship,” Jessie said. Two of the dean’s sons were married to two of Greg’s sisters! I met Greg, and we immediately liked one another, but it was time for me to return home. We had three years of long-distance dating with a few in-person visits.”

They decided to get married, but Greg hit some passport problems. “He was denied twice, but finally made it in January 2012. Then we had just 90 days to get married. We did that in February and had our real wedding in May.”

Greg is a photographer. Jessie, who always nurtured a broad creative streak, joined him in Greg and Jess Photography.

“He left a job in finance to go full-time into photography in 2020,” Jessie explained. “Our main focus is weddings, but he’s branching into commercial and product jobs.” The couple moved to Nolensville in 2017 when Jessie was seven months pregnant with their first daughter. Their second daughter came just over a year later. Then COVID clamped down in 2020.

“All I did was feed babies and clean house,” Jessie said with a laugh. “I mean, that was great, but I wanted to create. Pottery always fascinated me, but it was too expensive.”
Finally, Jessie gave in to her creative urges. She watched pottery-making films on YouTube over and over. She bought clay and other supplies on a strict budget. She watched more YouTube. She bought an inexpensive wheel from Amazon. She watched more YouTube. She bought a kiln. She watched….never mind, you already know about that.

What emerged was a beautifully creative, self-taught potter who is committed to further developing her skills.

“The birth of a plate or a mug or a vase or a bowl goes through several stages before it’s ready for the world to see it,” she explained, “and I’m addicted to every stage. It’s never boring or repetitive. I’m constantly failing, but at the same time, constantly succeeding.”

She began moving forward in earnest in March 2020. “I pushed myself and was selling by 2021. My studio is at home. I don’t have a storefront, but I’m on Facebook and Instagram at Jessie Smit Design. I’ve watched myself grow, and even that becomes an inspiration.”

Today, Jessie has a top-of-the-line kiln and a much better wheel. She has a supportive, creative husband, with two beautiful daughters. She relishes the feel of wet clay and experiences both pride and humility as she sees a gray glob transforming into an energy-filled creation.

Check her out for yourself. You’ll like it.