Sign-In
Cart
How to Make a Pot
Paperback
Pottery & CeramicsMetaphysical GeneralSculpting
Publisher Price: $28.00
ISBN13: 9781736146958
Publisher: Sacred Bones Books
Published: Nov 17 2026
Pages: 240
Language: English
How does one make a pot? According to ceramicist Maggie Boyd it requires expanding our definitions of skill and technique to include the immaterial in a material-centred craft.
HOW TO MAKE A POT is an illustrated treatise on art-making, a kind of cross between MC Richards' Centering and Ram Das' BE HERE NOW. The book is part spiritual manifesto and part practical guidebook, including the glaze recipes and surface techniques that have defined her work over the past 20 years. HOW TO MAKE A POT will appeal not only to those who work in clay but to anyone interested in the subconscious forces at play in art creation, and will take its place among other classic guidebooks for both the mind and the hands.
The book is presented in two parts - part one is a kind of reflexive metaphysical exploration of making a pot. It asks the reader to explode the idea of a pot and then rebuild it from a place that will describe the maker to themself if they are able to create with curiosity and deep listening - to use a term of Pauline Oliveros'. Part two is an instructional ceramic guidebook, with images, tips and recipes for the studio.
Key Features:
- The book consists of two deluxe paper stocks to differentiate its two separate parts
- Hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations of ceramic work and more by Maggie Boyd
- Accessible to ceramicists and aspiring creatives of all levels (even if you've never held clay in your hands!)
HOW TO MAKE A POT is Boyd's first instructional book and the result of many years of teaching and coming to learn that in this skill-based medium, the tricks and techniques aren't actually the most important factor in learning how to make a pot. It is the cultivation of the ability to carry on a conversation with the material, the process, and the self that gives a person the ability to make their pot.
Also in
Pottery & Ceramics
Amazing Glaze Food-Safe Recipes: Innovative, Lab-Tested Techniques and Recipes
Kline, Gabriel
Collins, Bill
Hardcover
Mastering Hand Building: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coils, and More
Cobb, Sunshine
Hardcover
Mastering Cone 6 Glazes: Improving Durability, Fit and Aesthetics
Hesselberth, John
Roy, Ron
Paperback
Making Pottery Without a Kiln: Happy Little Projects to Make for Your Home
Schmidt-Kohl, Daniela
Paperback
Making Things: Finding Use, Meaning, and Satisfaction in Crafting Everyday Objects
Pearlman, Rose
Boyle, Erin
Hardcover
Wild Clay: Creating Ceramics and Glazes from Natural and Found Resources
Shibata, Takuro
Shibata, Hitomi
Levy, Matt
Hardcover
A Beginner's Guide to Kintsugi: The Japanese Art of Repairing Pottery and Glass
Hori, Michihiro
Hardcover
Native American Pottery of the Southwest: 25 Pieces from the Isaacs-Swartz Collection
Isaacs, Stephen
Paperback
Amazing Glaze Recipes and Combinations: 200+ Surefire Finishes for Low-Fire, Mid-Range, and High-Fire Pottery
Kline, Gabriel
Hardcover
The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building: Functional and Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter
Cobb, Sunshine
Paperback
Practical Pottery: A Complete Guide to Getting Started in Making Beautiful & Functional Bowls, Plates, Vases & More on the Wheel
Borgbjerg, Sus
Liebe, Susan
Hardcover
Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery
Pottery Collective, Pueblo
Poon, Elysia
Kinsel, Rick
Hardcover
Mastering Kilns and Firing: Raku, Pit and Barrel, Wood Firing, and More
Oesterritter, Lindsay
Hardcover
Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay: A Guide to Capturing the Human Form for Ceramic Artists
Córdova, Cristina
Hardcover
Creative Pottery: Innovative Techniques and Experimental Designs in Thrown and Handbuilt Ceramics
Schwartzkopf, Deb
Paperback
Playful Pottery: The Mud Witch's Guide to Creating Curvy, Colorful Ceramics
Matsuda, Viviana
Paperback
Pottery for Beginners: Projects for Beautiful Ceramic Bowls, Mugs, Vases and More
Leigh Ford, Kara
Paperback
Magical Metal Clay: Amazingly Simple No-Kiln Techniques for Making Beautiful Accessories
Heaser, Sue
Paperback
The Beginner's Guide to Wheel Throwing: A Complete Course for the Potter's Wheel
Weber, Julia Claire
Paperback
Pinch Your Pottery: The Art & Craft of Making Pinch Pots - 35 Beautiful Projects to Hand-Form from Clay
Atkin, Jacqui
Hardcover
Earth & Fire: Modern Ceramicists, Their Tools, Techniques, and Practices
Johnson, Kylie
Johnson, Tiffany
Hardcover
Around the World in 80 Pots: The Story of Humanity Told Through Beautiful Ceramics
Museum, Ashmolean
Jones, Keith Brymer
Hardcover
Architectural Pottery: Ceramics for a Modern Landscape
Head, Jeffrey
Lauria, Jo
Chavkin, Daniel
Hardcover
Material Matters: An Artist's Guide to Understanding Ceramic Materials
Swanson, Linda
Bloomfield, Linda
Hardcover
Modelling Figures in Clay. Simple Animals.: Practical clay modelling made easy.
Rollins, Brian
Paperback
A Practical Guide to Kintsugi Techniques: Mastering the Japanese Art of Broken Pottery and Glass with Gold
Takara, Jun
Paperback
Ceramic Glazing for Beginners: What Every Ceramic Artist Should Know to Get Better Glazes
Roy, Gill
Paperback
Artisan Air-Dry Clay: The Beginner's Guide to Easy, Inexpensive & Stylish No-Kiln Pottery
Hostasova, Radka
Paperback
Wheel-Thrown Ceramics: Altering, Trimming, Adding, Finishing (A Lark Ceramics Book)
Davis, Don
Paperback
Ceramic Glazes: A Beginner's Guide to Understanding Ceramic Glazing and Firing Techniques
Williams, Jacob
Paperback
Glaze Inspirations: A Photographic Guide to Glaze Practice & Surface Techniques
Taylor
Punter
Paperback
Intermediate Guide to Ceramic Glazing: Layer Glazes, Underglaze, and Make Triaxial Blends
Roy, Gill
Paperback
The Urban Potter: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Art of Hand-Building Bowls, Plates, Pots and More
Proctor, Emily
Hardcover
Pottery For Beginners: Projects, Equipment & Tools Needed To Get Started: Pottery Making Guide
Knight, George
Paperback
Ceramic Glazing for Beginners: What Every Ceramic Artist Should Know to Get Better Glazes
Roy, Gill
Hardcover
Inside Japanese Ceramics: Primer of Materials, Techniques, and Traditions
Wilson, Richard L.
Paperback
No Kiln, Handbuilding Clay Projects: 50 Elegant Projects to Make for the Home
Vannier, Charlotte
Paperback
Complete Guide to Paper Clay: Mixing Recipes; Building, Finishing and Firing; 10 Practice Projects
Tardio-Brise, Liliane
Paperback
The Lladró Guide: A Collector's Reference to Retired Porcelain Figurines in Lladró Brands
Whiteneck, Peggy Rose
Hardcover
Totally Kiln It: Pottery Project Book - 80 Project Sheets to Record your Ceramic Work - Gift for Potters
Project Book, Pottery
Paperback
Aramaic Bowl Spells: Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Bowls Volume Two
Ford, James Nathan
Bhayro, Siam
Shaked, Shaul
Hardcover
A Passion for China: A Little Book about the Objects We Eat From, Live with and Love
Hatch, Molly
Hardcover
Talking with the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery in the 21st Century, 20th Anniversary Revised Edition
Trimble, Stephen
Paperback
From Mud to Market: Tips and observations on selling Pottery. For those just starting out or those wanting a boost
Johnson, Adam
Ceramic, Adam
Paperback
Mastering Microwave Kilns Methodology: Techniques for Fast and Efficient Ceramic Firing
Franklin, Luther
Paperback
Digital Crafts: Industrial Technologies for Applied Artists and Designer Makers
Shillito, Ann Marie
Paperback
Keep Calm and Glaze On: Pottery Project Book - 80 Project Sheets to Record your Ceramic Work - Gift for Potters
Project Book, Pottery
Paperback
Ceramic Sculpture: Making Faces: A Guide to Modeling the Head and Face with Clay
Irvine, Alex
Paperback
Intermediate Guide to Ceramic Glazing: Layer Glazes, Underglaze, and Make Triaxial Blends
Roy, Gill
Hardcover
Wheel-Thrown Ceramics: Altering, Trimming, Adding, Finishing (A Lark Ceramics Book)
Davis, Don
Hardcover
Polymer Clay 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-By-Step Instruction
Mabray, Angela
Otterbein, Kim
Paperback
Lessons with Clay: Step-By-Step Techniques for Colorful Designs in Hand-Thrown and Hand-Built Tableware
Dora, Melisa
Paperback
Moche Fineline Painting from San Jose de Moro
Donnan, Christopher B.
McClelland, Donna
McClelland, Donald
Paperback