The Full Community Pottery Experience

There are pottery date nights. There are pottery classes. And then there is the full blow community pottery experience, and one like ours is a special thing to find.

Welcome to The Clay Hole! Where everything has been taken to the next level. The people are the best people. The studio is the best studio. And there is literally no other pottery experience like it on the planet. 

Did you know? Pottery can’t actually be done in a day or in a one-time class. 

A single attempt at the pottery wheel is going to offer little more than some really fun frustration. You certainly aren’t going to make anything great. The pottery wheel takes months to learn and years to master.

But did you also know… The pottery wheel is such a small part of what you can do in pottery.

Most of our Clay Hole members don’t use the pottery wheel at all. They sit around our giant worktables building beautiful projects by hand. They create everything from mugs, to bowls, to figurines, to beautiful art. There actually is no end to what you can build by hand. 

And just as good as what you build is who you build it with. The people here are second to none. The friendships here are powerful. The energy in the room can sometimes lift the roof.

Did you know, deep and powerful connections come from surrounding yourself with amazing people over and over again. Research has shown it takes more than 200 hours to develop deep, real friendships, and that’s what makes pottery at The Clay Hole the perfect place to do just that. Three and a half hours at a time, you build those 200 hours with the people around you. Strangers become acquaintances. Acquaintances become pottery pals. Pottery pals become friends. And those friends eventually turn into deep, real lifelong friendships.

When I built The Clay Hole, I didn’t want to go into the pottery studio business. I wanted to go into the community business, and pottery was the perfect vessel to make that happen.

If you’re wondering if you’ll fit in, you will. If you’re wondering if you’ll make friends, you will. So long as you’re willing to give it time and keep coming back. 

So, yeah, the humans are amazing. But pottery is also amazing for everything it will bring into your life.

Real pottery, the full pottery process… It takes time and you can’t ever cheat it. It takes time to build what you want to build. It takes time to meticulously dry your pieces, trim them, clean them up, fire them, glaze them, and fire them again. Most pieces take a month or more to make it through the full process.

Because of that, do you see the problem with one-time pottery classes? They’re fun and entertaining, but they’re lacking something profound… They’re missing the actual pottery experience! The one that has been evolving for tens of thousands of years and will be around forevermore because it’s profound for those who come to love it.

In this world where everything is now so instant, there is deep power in slowing down and taking our time to bring our creations to fruition. There is power in turning off our phones, getting our hands muddy, and turning strangers into friends. There is power in learning to center yourself when you come so that your work comes through in the end. There is so much power in so many things here!

And when you have spent a month working on a project, making all sorts of mistakes along the way, and you finally come pick-up your finished piece fresh out of the kiln, you will know you made the right decision when you joined The Clay Hole. 

Ahem. Sorry, not sorry, I’m a sentimental guy. But enough mooshy gooshy. I’m sure you want to know how The Clay Hole works.

It’s fairly simple. First, keep in mind that this is a million-dollar, 10k square foot, state of the art pottery studio. We have thousands of tools, giant kilns, more than 600 glazes and underglazes. We’ve got 29 pottery wheels, a huge community, and we’re right off the freeway.  

All that said, and amazing as it is, not everyone needs all of that, and so we have different levels of membership.

Our green level membership is the basic membership. You bring your own tools. You have access to basic glazes. And you get to come four times per month.

The next level is yellow level membership. This gives you instant access to about $150,000 worth of tools, glaze, and equipment, discounted clay, and you get to come five times per month, all for just twenty-five bucks more.

The next level, our most popular level of membership, gives you access to more than half a million dollars’ worth of tools, glaze, and equipment. It gives you even bigger clay discounts and you get to come six times per month, all for just thirty dollars more than yellow level.

Finally, we have black level membership. This gives you access to elite tools, glazes, and equipment, the biggest clay discount, and you get to come eight times per month.

Each level comes with bigger private shelves, bigger discounts, more tools, more glazes, and more times each month you get to come do pottery.

Speaking of which, one of the best parts of The Clay Hole is how our class structure works. We don’t have classes in the traditional sense. We have what we call “open studio classes” seven days per week! You don’t have to come on any set day of the week. You come when you wanna come. You can get all your days in at once every month, or you can spread them out. And guess what. As long as you’re a member, your unused days never expire. You can use this month’s unused classes a year from now, it’s all good. 

When you come to The Clay Hole, you work on literally any project that calls to you. We have four instructors in every class, two on the pottery wheel side and two on the hand-building side. They are here to help teach and brainstorm when you want it and will stay out of your way when you wanna just work on your own. 

Not sure what you wanna make yet? Just show up. You’ll figure it out quick and you’ll find that other members and staff are really good at helping you get your creative juices flowing.

Speaking of which, I haven’t told you about the molds, have I. Here at The Clay Hole, we have more than 150 different pottery molds. Using these pristine molds, you can make giant five hundred dollar serving bowls, platters, and so many other cool things starting on your very first day. No need to master the pottery wheel first. 

Though, if the wheel calls to you, you can spend most your time over on the wheel side, too. 

Ummm. Let’s actually talk about the wheel for a moment.

The pottery wheel is humbling. It’s difficult. It will push you endlessly. And then something will click. And then something else will click. And then you’ll fail some more. And then something else will click. And eventually, after a lot of work, you’ll suddenly be kind of good at it, and eventually you’ll be really good at it. 

The pottery wheel takes a special personality type, and if that’s you, you’ll never find a better place to learn and work on your pottery wheel skills. I myself am a wheel thrower.

Most people think they will want to spend their time on the wheel. Most people also end up loving the other side of the studio and start spending most or all of their time there. There are no wrong answers. 

Because, you see, pottery is personal. The journey is yours. And The Clay Hole gives you the whole experience. 

We have hundreds of members here, many of whom started when we opened and have been coming ever since. 

We’ve become friends. In some cases, we’ve become family. Friend groups have formed. Romantic relationships have developed. This place is just… something else. It’s amazing.

You don’t have much to lose coming and trying it out. No contracts. You only keep paying if you love it.

Just do me a favor and be realistic about it when you do…

Have faith in the system working longer term.

If you’re coming because you struggle with loneliness or you’re looking for community and connections, give it some real time. You’ll feel welcome from day one, but the deeper connections will only come with time.

If you’re coming because you want to start making incredible pottery, give it some real time. Pottery is a skill with a big learning curve. But once you figure it out, everything starts flowing.

The people who do best here are the ones who understand both of these concepts.

Gaaaaahhh. I’d love to have you here with us. If you’re a good-energy, authentic human, you are our people. You are my people.

A little more about me, by the way…

My name is Dan Pearce. I have one of the largest social media followings on the planet. Just search for The Clay Hole if you want to find me. 

Pottery is my hobby, but people are my passion. Humans are who I love. And I built this place based on that. 

I love this place. I love our community. I love my people. And I’d love to have you come be a part of it. Whether you’re an absolute beginner, or already an advanced potter, come be part of it. It’s the right move, I promise. 

See you over here.

Oh, and PS. If your biggest reason for not joining is thinking you don’t have that much time, do yourself a favor and take a leap of faith. What most find is that they wish they had a lot more time here. They start scheduling the rest of life around their Clay Hole classes. I’m betting the same will be true for you! Only one way to find out!