Local faces

Breaking the mould ―

As told to Cara Cummings

Ceramic artist Aliya Rashid is the founder and owner of Clay Kiln Craft, a training and membership pottery studio in Crystal Palace. She shares the incredible story of how pottery changed her life - and how she built one of south London’s most thriving creative communities, single handed...

Ifirst did pottery at college in Middlesbrough, which is where I grew up. I absolutely fell in love with it, and thought: this is what I want to do. But my father, like any good Asian father, was having none of it. “No child of mine is going to make pots for a living!” So I ended up doing a graphic design degree. I did the things you’re ‘supposed’ to do - got a job, got married, bought a house – and pushed pottery to the back of my mind, because I knew that if I went back to it, I couldn’t not do it.

Then life happened; divorce, moving... I got offered a very good job as deputy art director on a national newspaper. That’s when I stopped and thought: I can’t do this. I immediately signed up to a pottery evening class in Norwood. I can still remember that class - I walked in, said hello, and just started making. I was like a woman possessed!

I’m actually a very ‘graphic design’ person - everything is rigid and lines up, all in its proper place. Normally my herbs and spices are in alphabetical order. Suddenly touching this material which couldn’t be precise was so liberating. I could zone out, and be out of my head just creating something. That’s what I love about pottery. It’s used in therapy for a reason - it allows you to express yourself without thinking you’re going deep, whilst you actually are.

I signed up for a five-day course at Camberwell College because I knew I couldn’t stop - and then I applied for a full degree, just thinking: “What’s the worst that can happen?” I took every portfolio I had with me to the interview. The poor tutor didn’t know what had hit him! I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I came out with first class honours.

But there was an almighty crash afterwards. I lay on the sofa thinking: what am I going to do with my life? I eventually managed to get myself a studio space in Gipsy Hill where I could keep making pottery. Another woman in the studio, who was moving to the US, did some teaching for adults with special needs in Wimbledon. She recommended that I take her place. I did a six-week course with these lovely students, all of mixed abilities. It was a baptism of fire in terms of teaching, dealing with people who are physically, emotionally and mentally challenged. I had no experience whatsoever - which was probably the best way to do it! One student, who couldn’t communicate verbally, didn’t want to participate. I realised that he didn’t like having dirty hands, so we gave him gloves - and he just thrived. When he hugged me at the end of the course, it made the whole thing worth it. I knew I wanted to carry on teaching.

My mother helped me buy my first three wheels. I started teaching on Saturday afternoons in Crystal Palace, and moved to our current studio space in early 2015. I can remember standing outside in the rain, handing out leaflets I’d printed at home. Every spare second was spent trying to let people know I was here. Up until fairly recently, I was doing the cleaning, emptying the bins and teaching - all alongside a full time job. I’m still not sure how I did it without the help I have now from my lovely team. It was incredibly hard work, but it was mine. That’s what you do when it’s your business: you sacrifice, because it’s yours.

Also - if you live in an area that you love, there’s nothing better than being able to work in that area too. Crystal Palace is very unique in that most of the shops are independent. There’s a huge amount of creativity in the air. I like that I know the name of every single one of our members - I know their style, I know their strengths and weaknesses. I could move to a bigger premises, but I don’t want to lose that personal touch.

The studio offers an open access model - it’s like a gym membership, so people pay a monthly fee to use the facilities. We provide tools, equipment and technical advice, especially if they’re fairly new. You can spot people who are really going to fly because they’ve got so much grit and determination. There’s one member who was able to give up her full-time job in just two years. She’s in every day, working hard and improving her technique, and she’s become very successful. She's really inspiring. It’s bittersweet though, because when someone becomes professional they leave to set up their own studio. But then someone else comes in, and the whole cycle starts again.

I think one of the special things is when you make a friend for life. The studio is its own ecosystem, a whole little community. It’s very supportive. I feel so fortunate that members get along so well - it’s lovely to think I’ve helped that by creating this space for people to meet each other, when they might not otherwise have crossed paths. It’s all the lovely touches around pottery that really make it special.

At one point in a hand building course I had three bereaved mothers, who had all told me privately about their loss. It took 5-6 weeks to tell each other. They sat and discussed the experience as they were making work. It was a moment of catharsis for them.

At the other end of the spectrum - one woman who had just been dumped by her long term boyfriend started making loads of vaginas… That was odd, opening the kiln and finding all these vaginas looking at me. I think she was just nursing a broken heart!

I’m really positive about the future. If you can survive a pandemic, you can survive most things. I feel very fortunate to have something that makes me this happy, but I want to be doing it a bit more full-time and have time to do my own work as well. That’s what’s missing at the moment. I’m getting itchy fingers. Clay Kiln Craft, 20 Church Rd, London SE19 2ET http://claykilncraft.com/