Here at Cottage Hill, we celebrate wholehearted living. And often times, artists and artisans are spectacular examples of that kind of living. That is why we feature so many of them in our print and online stories. 

Our Brand Manager Ajenda has a penchant for pottery - a hobby of her husband's - and is always sharing her favorite potters and pieces with the office. Helen of Helen Levi Ceramics in Brooklyn is one of her favorites to follow. Ajenda was able to chat with Helen about her craft and heart behind her work. Enjoy the interview below with photographs by Stephan Alessi.

When did you first start working with clay? When did you get serious about it? 
I started working with clay as a child in an after-school program in the West Village. It's been a hobby for as long as I can remember and it became my job about three years ago.

Where do you seek inspiration? 
I find inspiration from all kinds of things in my surroundings: travel, landscape, nature, my dog, antique dishes. Also I get ideas from the medium itself and stumbling upon new techniques or unexpected reactions within the process.

How does your photography and pottery influence each other? 
I am constantly photographing my work, because selling online or posting to Instagram are the ways a lot people see my pieces. So I interact with photography all the time, but I don't practice it the way I used to in the past, which was focusing on longer documentary projects. I hope I can find time to do that again someday!

How do you keep your work authentic? 
I try my best to not overthink my work. I think sometimes when I was doing more photography, I was so emotionally invested to my projects that it almost hindered me sometimes, and my ceramics practice is in not as strictly 'fine art' and I find that freeing. It's art but it's also craft, and at the end of the day making functional dishes is more casual to me than making art intended to express a specific idea and live in a gallery setting. 

Favorite tool to work with?
A wooden knife.

What do you treasure most about your work? 
The freedom I have to work when I want and to choose what I make, makes me feel very lucky.

What creation is your most treasured piece? Why is it significant to you?
I don't have a singular treasured piece, but I do feel attached to several, and I keep them on a very high shelf in my studio. Sometimes the cast of pieces shifts and I'll add one or take one away, but there are always several pieces at any given time that I'm not ready to part with.