SPOTLIGHT ON… Marlow Studio Pottery

From a pottery studio in India to a thriving creative community in Marlow, Sonali Bolar has spent a lifetime working with clay. We chat to her about trusting your instincts, the joy of making, and why sometimes the best creative business is one that stays small.

Tell us a little about your work and your background

I’ve always been a potter - it’s really all I’ve ever done. I grew up in Pune, near Mumbai, and when I started out there wasn’t really a university route for ceramics. Instead, I learnt through apprenticeships and gradually built up my skills.

I started out as a production potter before setting up my own business. We made tiles and hand-built ceramics, and had two studios as well as shops and kiosks in shopping centres.

Then life took us in a different direction. My husband was doing his MBA here, so we moved to the UK... eventually settling in Marlow and, while my children were young, pottery naturally took a bit of a back seat.

I did continue working in studios and managing a pottery space, but eventually that came to an end. I was actually planning to set up something very small in my garden shed when an opportunity came up to create my own studio here in Marlow.

It has grown from there - now I run clay classes, host hen parties, sip & paint nights, and offer a membership model.

Tell us about the studio and the community you’ve created

The studio has grown organically. Initially, I didn’t even have a proper online presence. Someone suggested I put the studio on Google Maps and, from there, things went a little bit mad!

The workshops are a big part of what we do, but the membership is probably the thing I enjoy most. It’s become a real community, rather than just a place where people come to make pottery. 

People come from all over - Henley, Marlow, Oxford and even London - and they’ve made genuine friendships here. We have members’ evenings, go on trips together, visit exhibitions and occasionally just turn the studio into a bar and have a drink.

What does a typical working day look like?

Every day is different, which is one of the things I love about it. I teach three mornings a week, but on the other days I’m usually here with the members, helping them out and getting on with my own work. Because members have access to the studio, they’re pretty independent.

Then there are the less glamorous jobs: loading and unloading kilns, emails, admin and all the things that come with running a business.

What has been your biggest highlight - and your biggest challenge?

The biggest highlight is probably the community that has grown around the studio. I never really set out to create that, but it’s become such an important part of what we do. Most people don't come to 'be a potter'; for many, it's about switching off from a stressful job or having some time for themselves. I have members dealing with all sorts of challenges, and pottery can give them somewhere to come, make something and talk to people. It's like therapy.

Seeing those friendships develop - and knowing that people have even found jobs or opportunities through connections they’ve made here - is really lovely.

The biggest challenge has probably been finding the right people to help run the studio. Being a good potter and being a good teacher are completely different things, and running a studio as a business brings another whole set of skills into the mix.

Do you have plans to grow the studio?

I’m happy with the size it is. I don’t want to open more studios or make the business bigger just because I can. I’ve done that before and eventually found myself spending more time managing than actually doing the thing I love.

What I really want now is to get back to making more of my own work. I used to do lots of shows around the world, but when the children were younger that naturally took a back seat. Now they’re getting older, I’m starting to think about doing more exhibitions and focusing on my own pottery again.

• 

• 

• 

Best nugget of wisdom you can share with your fellow Creative Ducks?

Enjoy what you do - and trust your instincts.

I’ve always followed my instincts rather than overthinking things. Whenever there has been a big change in my life, it has ultimately led to something better.

Even moving to Marlow happened very spontaneously. My husband and I were having a glass of wine and I said, “I think we need to move.” A month later, we were here!

I think we can spend so much time worrying about whether something is the sensible decision, but sometimes you just have to trust that feeling.

For me, it’s about finding the balance: making, teaching, sharing what I know and having a really nice group of people around me.

Find out more about Sonali’s clay taster sessions, wheel throwing, and handbuilding classes here, or follow her on Instagram. 

Images by Gabrielle McMillan