We recently had the chance to connect with Vanessa White and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Vanessa , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Ceramics 100%, it’s a running joke at the studio that we only came to glaze one pot, or trim the foot on a planter and suddenly we end up looking at the clock and it’s 10pm. There’s something special about being so immersed in the act of creation that it makes you lose track of time. I am so fulfilled after each studio session.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a creative enthusiast, multi-passionate-whatever you’d like to call it! I don’t remember a time in my life that I wasn’t consumed with some kind of creative medium whether it was painting, ceramics, drawing, or digital media/design. Within the past few years I made the transition from teaching elementary art to a corporate product designer, and while working remotely I found myself craving being around a physical art medium– something that would 1. get me out of the house and 2. fulfill my sense of creative purpose and curiosity. I also sensed that working with my hands again would deepen how I see and design for my creative clients, making me a richer visual storyteller. I came across Glaze Ceramic Studio in McKinney as I was online surfing for art studios near me, and signed up for a beginner’s throwing class, and about a year later I have a ceramics brand that I’m confident and excited about.
Additionally, I have an absolute love for plants and as some of my plants were growing it was time for repotting into a new home. While shopping for new planters, I had the hardest time finding unique planters that were my aesthetic and… with a drainage hole. As I was testing different shapes of planters I kept feeling like it needed more…like a little bling so I pushed the concept of adding a chain to my planters so that people can customize and add charms. I’ve never seen planters with customizable chains and charms, so it’s been exciting to develop this concept from scratch and watch people light up as they respond to it. It’s like a collaborative piece of me deciding the shape of the planter and glaze that I select, and the customers being able to select the charms. I’ve tested multiple types of glazes, shapes, chains, and charms for my charm planters… and I’m continuously growing this idea–as I’m now learning how to develop my own glazes!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful was realizing that I could make something exist that wasn’t there before. As a child, I was constantly creating and building in various mediums, and anytime I finished something and someone responded to it I remember thinking “I did that! I imagined it, and now it’s real”
That sense of creative agency, that ideas could become form, made me feel powerful long before I had words for it. I didn’t think of it as talent or ambition; it just felt natural to follow what intrigued me and see where it led. That feeling never left –it’s the same pull that guided me from teaching to design, from design to ceramics, and into creating original charm planters.
Looking back, that childhood moment wasn’t just a memory – it was a blueprint. The power for me was never in control or perfection, but in making, experimenting, and watching something spark joy in others. I still allow that feeling to guide me today!
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me that growth doesn’t always feel like growth while you’re in it. Some of the most defining moments in my life didn’t look like breakthroughs– they felt like confusion, uncertainty, or being stretched more than I thought I could handle. What I learned is that discomfort often has information in it. It nudged me to slow down, listen to myself, and get curious about what I actually needed rather than what I thought I should be doing.
Ceramics, plants, and creation became an outlet during this time – not because I was chasing achievement, but because I needed a space to play, to process, and to make things with my hands. Through that, I discovered how restoring creativity can be.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I genuinely believe that deep creative or career clarity and confidence comes from exploration, not certainty. A lot of people may think that you have to have a perfect plan before you take a step, but my experience has taught me the opposite, and that momentum comes from trying things before you understand where they will lead.
When I signed up for that ceramics class, I didn’t know that it would become a business, a community, or even a brand. I wasn’t trying to build anything; I just followed something that made me feel alive. That impulse to get back into creating for myself ended up reshaping my life. The same is true with plants, charm planters, glaze testing, and even my transition into the design field, I learned as I moved, not before.
Most people want guarantees before they invest in effort, I think that the guarantee is the effort and the journey to get there.
I believe that creativity is direction even when it doesn’t look like it. Trying things, playing, learning, failing, and paying attention to what lights you up is the most reliable way to build a life that feels aligned. Curiosity and creativity knows where you’re going long before logic does!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
I would regret not showing up for myself and the business that organically grew from following a spark. Looking back, everything that matters in my life today – the ceramic brand, the community around it, and the confidence in my voice – started because I said yes to my curiosity and allowed myself to explore without proof or certainty.
My legacy isn’t just about what I make; it’s about giving myself permission to evolve and letting that evolution become something that helps others feel brave enough to do the same. I want to be remembered for choosing curiosity over fear, for creating work that brings people joy, and for honoring the part of me that always needs to create. If I didn’t pursue that path, experiment, learn, and believe in my own vision, that’s what I would regret
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nessnicoleart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fuchsia.stone/
