In 2023, I left my job as a Senior Product Manager at Amazon to pursue a passion full-time. What started as an occasional hobby during the pandemic a few years ago grew into a regular activity. Ceramics became a helpful therapeutic aid while I navigated significant life changes of becoming a father and moving across states.

At night, once work was done and our daughter was in bed, I felt exhausted. But something about throwing on the pottery wheel energized me, and doing it each night helped me feel refreshed. Working with clay on the wheel needed a new kind of focus, utilizing touch and movement. It became a form of active meditation, keeping me in the present. I started to wonder, what would it be like to have a full-time job this therapeutic? Then, I took the plunge.

I was a complete beginner in ceramics, but had confidence that it would work out as long as I continued to focus on enjoying the process. Over the past 10+ months, I threw thousands of cups on the wheel, took classes on glaze chemistry, and completed hundreds of glaze experiments. I worked extremely hard, and yet I still had the emotional and physical energy to be present with my daughter and wife. I will always cherish that time I spent with my family.

I’ve taken many of the lessons and experiences I’ve had as a Product Manager and combined them with my artistic voice to design new ceramic products.