When They Were Kids: Shawna Pincus

You are in for a real treat today for the latest of edition When They Were Kids, the new feature where I ask our favorite indie artists/designers/crafters to share what they were like as kids.  I contacted Shawna Pincus of Pinkkiss Pottery and asked her if she wanted to contribute and was so tickled when she said yes and sent along the cutest images ever.

I met Shawna a few years back (as well as her husband Michael of Spaghetti Kiss) and just fell in love with her and her pottery. She is a beautiful person, both inside and out, and her pottery reflects that beauty. I am totally enamored with her latest printed woodland creature collection and even have my own very special deer mug from that collection (I hide and protect it from all other members of my household). Her work is appealing both visually & tactilely, which is so important to me for ceramic work. She also has a great sense of humor as evidenced by the pics below, don’t ya think?

You can see more of Shawna’s work in her Etsy Shop, on her Website and her blog.

1. Share a favorite book(s) from your childhood.

– I was a big bookworm as a kid and read all the time; I had a very vivid imagination and started reading at a very early age. I loved all the mystery books like the R.L. Stein and Christopher Pike series. I also loved the Wrinkle in Time books and for my girly side, the Babysitter’s Club.

2. What’s your favorite childhood movie of all time?

– I actually had a few movies that I cycled through as a kid. Disney’s Robin Hood (the one with the fox), Splash (my cousin and I used to put pillow cases on our legs and flop around the living room claiming to be mermaids), Princess Bride and Cry Baby (I was a Johnny Depp fan from way back!)

3. What types of toys did you like to play with?

– I  loved Barbie. I know it’s not very feminist of me but it’s what I liked. I used to create houses and neighborhoods with masking tape on the floor and have the Barbies drive around in shoeboxes. I also loved playdoh, go figure! I had a collection of paper dolls too.

4. Were you an artsy-craftsy kid? if so, what types of things did you enjoy?

– Yes! My Mom is very crafty and we did lots of stuff together. Sewing, cooking, craft projects galore! We even took a ceramic class together once.

5. What have you learned as an adult that you wish you knew as a kid?

– To be more assertive. I was always really quiet and if I had one thing to go back and tell myself it would be to speak my mind more. I had a really good childhood though and there isn’t much I would change.

6. What was the best part about summer when you were a kid?

– I had a love-hate relationship with my summer camp. I hated sports, so I always complained about going, but at the end of camp they would show us this really sappy slide show set to sad music which always made me cry and come home begging my parents to sign me up for the next year! We also had a community pool in my development and I love to swim.

7. What did you want to be when you grew up?

– First, a marine biologist, I learned to scuba dive when I was in middle school and I love the water (Pisces!). Then I wanted to be an actress like my older brother (my sister-in-law was the casting director for Conan O’Brian when he first started) and finally an artist.

8. What are you up to now?

– Now I am living in Baltimore with my husband Michael and our two cats, Mexi and Stranger. I just left my job as an elementary school art teacher to pursue ceramics fulltime so now I work from my home studio making pottery. I also love to cook and keep a blog about my pots and the food I put in them.