As a teenager, I got lost in San Francisco's Chinatown and wandered into a tea shop. The owner shared cup after cup of wonderful, welcoming teas with me before helping me find my way. That accident changed my life, and I’ve been getting lost ever since.

Since then, I've hiked the Appalachian trail from my home in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. I’ve walked from Canada to Mexico on the Pacific Crest Trail, and wandered over two-thousand miles throughout the Southwest—often with no trail to follow. I've rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I've spent summers clearing blowdowns in the North Cascades Wilderness, counting wildflowers, learning the names of every peak in sight. I've slept in semi-truck cabs, slot canyons, exposed ridgelines, and under more stars than I can count. 

Somewhere between those wilderness experiences and moving back to Georgia, I realized what I wanted to create: a small tea company that refuses to participate in the endless rush. Tea blends made without shortcuts. Ceramics made from local clay and glazed with ash from my backyard. Everything made with intention–slowly, by hand–in Ellijay,Georgia.

This isn't about selling you “premium” products. It's about creating objects and rituals that help you resist the noise—if only for a few minutes. Long enough to notice what you're drinking. Long enough to feel the weight of a handmade cup. Long enough to remember that the present moment is all there is.

As I wrote to my friend Caleb: 'Enjoy your day, enjoy your week, enjoy your life. Otherwise, what's the point of it all?' Make yourself a nice cup of tea. Then, maybe make one for someone else. That's the point.

Pottery Process

Good tea needs good teaware. I’ve been learning ceramics since spring of 2022 and am fascinated by the interplay of earth, water, air, and fire in this art form. Teaware should attract the attention of it’s user; it should not be easily overlooked. My work reflects the irregularity of nature. No two shapes, surfaces, or cups of tea are ever the same.

 There is something inherently human about being in contact with the materials I use. Craft is central to my experience as an artist, and a Southerner. I dig the majority of the clay I use in my studio. Most of it comes from my parents’ backyard in North Carolina, with the rest being harvested throughout Georgia. I want my ceramics to connect folks to the places I’ve been, and to the earth we share. I am honored to work with the earth as my medium, and collaborator.
Real beauty is created through the emotions we experience with our senses. The soul of an object has texture, weight, shadows, and gradients. It is only by touching, holding, tasting, and smelling the spirit of an object that one can fully experience its grace.
Beauty is infinite; it is all around us. I dig it out of the earth and incorporate it in measured amounts, revealing glimpses of the infinite–one form at a time. I offer those forms to the transfiguring forces of fire to create objects that come alive with each use.

A few pieces come out of the kiln nearly as planned. Most, though, reveal a drama within the kiln I can only begin to understand myself. In one sense, I’m just turning mud to glass, melting rocks over it, and growing crystals on the surface. In the end, my work may just be cups, bowls, and vases, but each piece is undeniably singular. I try to hold space for a lot of variability in my work, and from time to time, it pays off in ways I couldn’t have imagined. 

My pottery’s purpose is to soften and sweeten the moments we use to restore ourselves; to incorporate life into our bodies; and to help us hold onto the fleeting beauty of every day just a bit longer.

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