I’ve written my first book! ‘By My Hands: A Potter’s Apprenticeship’ which is now available to order! It’s published by Particular Books in the UK & Ten Speed Press in the USA, both of Penguin Random House.

‘By My Hands: A Potter’s Apprenticeship’ isn’t a ‘how-to’ book, rather, it’s an introspective tale of a teenager finding a calling in clay. I write about my early education at a Waldorf Steiner school where craft was abundant and the following arduous apprenticeships where each pottery tutor taught in a different manner, be it their technique, the glazes they use or the kilns they fire. There’s no one way of making pots.

This book speaks about these paths, the relationships between master and prentice and the pots I honed my skills on by throwing thousands of them. A memoir leads this story, but it’s interspersed by more specific and technical sections that detail types of glazes, tools, clays and pots: like flowing bowls, challenging teapots or lowly mugs that we all use, a form most of us will have a favourite of, even if it’s a subconscious decision. Scattered throughout the pages are more than 150 colour images from ten years of learning a craft. From the earliest, rather cumbersome and ill-formed pots I ever made, to those were my own individual style just started to emerge, to pieces I’ll be able to make forever, with my eyes closed, as I made countless numbers of them during my apprenticeships both in the UK and abroad. Beyond pictures of pots there are photographs of places and people, sketches of pots and plans, smashed ceramics and kilns fuelled by fire.

I want this book to encourage people to see the pots they use every day in a new light, like a simple mug. Every morning I drink my coffee from a cup that was crafted by an old friend in Japan, whom I don’t see nearly as much as I’d like, and it enriches that process and adds meaning to those quiet moments of my life. By using a mug made by his hands, I’m able to feel the throwing rings left by his knuckle, the grooves in the back of the handle left by his thumb and even his fingerprints, subtly cast in clay, imprinted in stoneware that was once soft. I’m suddenly reunited with him.

Every time I open my kitchen cupboard, I’m met with a wall of mugs made by different potters collected over the years. Some are my closest friends, whom I trained alongside and others are crafted by famed makers whose work I aspire to. No two are the same, they’re all unique, each made with materials from all over the world, clays dug, stones crushed and fired in various types of kilns. I don’t think most people realise just how vast the world of pottery is, and I hope that this tome sheds some light on just how versatile, rich and personal this craft can be.

I hope this book makes people think about all the objects we choose to live with and to perhaps build connections with craftspeople themselves. Or, simply, to show a glimpse into how someone can dedicate their life to a passion they’re solely dedicated to. Most of all though, if the book can motivate somebody to have a go working with clay, be it throwing, hand-building, anything, then putting all these words on paper has been completely worthwhile.

For a decade I’ve been writing succinct captions for my posts on social media, and this opportunity to write a substantial tome about pottery, craft as a whole, and my journey of becoming a potter, has given me a chance to look back over my education and see how all of those years learning, and the influences and experiences encountered, have led to the work I create today. I can’t wait to share this with all of you and my dedicated following who’ve watched me grow from a budding apprentice, to running my own pottery business.

Reviews:

‘By My Hands is a fascinating and insightful book, written with the same quiet dedication to detail Florian puts into his calm and beautiful ceramics. Every page made me wish I was a potter’ — Nigel Slater

‘Florian Gadsby's ability to describe tactile, subtle, physical acts is remarkable, as is his ability to imbue them with emotional meaning. I loved reading this book, and whether pottery is a passion for you, or a curiosity to be discovered, you will love reading this book too’ — Seth Rogen

“Florian Gadsby has devoted his life to pottery, refining his technique towards the point of perfection - and as his skill has grown, so has his social media following, which today numbers in the millions. Based at a studio in North London, he releases three new collections per year, characterized by simple forms and sharp edges, which sell out in a matter of minutes.

In By My Hands , Florian tells the story of his artistic awakening, his education in England, Ireland and Japan, and of the sheer discipline which has led him to become the cultural sensation he is today. Arguing for the value in dedicating yourself to a craft, Florian weaves anecdotes about particular pots and processes into the narrative of his life, exploring what he has learnt from specific pieces he was taught to throw during his apprenticeships and how they have informed his philosophy and approach to his work.

By My Hands is an ode to the beauty of small things, such as a simple hand-thrown mug or bowl, which can brighten life's daily rituals and make them more meaningful - as well as an inspiring testament to the power of perseverance.”

For any media enquires, please contact:
Fiona Livesey, Penguin Random House UK — flivesey@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk