Recently, I have been trying to get outside my little work-and-school bubble, and I cannot say it has been easy. finding new things to do in the areas around me is more of a task than I thought it would be. Everyone posts on their own Instagram and Facebook pages, and there is no singular place for upcoming events to be posted by breweries, stores, and experts. For a while, I felt lost, until Instagram invited me to a cute place in Laurel Maryland called Savage Mill.

An old textiles mill, turned ornament factory, turned circus, turned antique storage area, now turned into a services mall, Savage Mill is a place I am baffled that I have not heard about before. The old mill holds dozens of unique businesses. Some offer you the ability to learn a skill you might not have the ability to learn anywhere else. Others provide their skills to you through storefronts or fun evening outings. There are sewing lessons, a tattoo parlor, a cupcakery, a candle-making studio, an adventure park, a stamp-making studio; almost anything you can think of.

For my first time at Savage Mill though, I did something I thought I would never have the ability to do. I did something I didn’t even know I could do. I learned how to make pottery on a pottery wheel.

Clay Coven is a pottery studio in Savage Mill that offers, not only beautifully made pottery pieces for sale, but also pottery classes. You can choose from a one-off class (like I did) or a full 6-8 week-long dalliance with the art style. All classes can be booked through their website at https://www.itsneighbormade.com/events.

We sat down for our class and were given a bucket of water, a towel, a clump of clay, a few utensils, and the promise that, in an hour, we will have created something we didn’t think was possible. Our instructor, Freya, spent that hour helping us center our clay on our wheel and create a flat center we can then use to create whatever our hearts desire. It was a true test of patience and stability to keep the walls thick, to keep the clay centered, and to understand how the clay moved during each spin of the wheel.

Every student in our little 10-person class made something entirely unique by the end of the class. I will show some examples from my friends here:

We finished the class by picking what glaze we would like on our creations and leaving our contact information to pick them back up afterward.

If you have a free weekend, I would definitely recommend a class with Clay Coven. The instructors are great, and the things you learn are invaluable! As for Intragram’s recommendation, I would give it a 10/10.