An Interview with Nicole Porter, Indoor Recess

Can't stop. Won't stop. Wise words from Indoor Recess co-founder Nicole Porter, who specializes in taking the image of often overlooked everyday items - think apple cores and tube socks - and making them into offbeat and whimsical ceramic creations.

When Nicole isn't creating with clay, she engages in crafting, using upcycled materials to make mobiles, flowers, embossed stamps, and more.

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What does crafting mean to you?

To me, crafting is the manipulation of physical materials as a means of creation. It's a way of changing the world around you to make something that wasn't there before.

What interests you about making upcycled and sustainable creations?

It's a way to reduce waste that almost anyone can do! We use so many different objects in our daily lives that make great art supplies-- cartons, aluminum cans, magazines, cardboard, you name it! Materials are versatile, and repurposing an object that would otherwise be thrown away allows me to appreciate the human effort and intrinsic value in the small things, like packaging. 

How long have you been teaching for?

I started as an assistant ballet teacher when I was 12-- 16 years ago. Since then, I've taught in elementary school classrooms, preschools, theaters, ceramic studios, and community centers. I'm the oldest of four children, so maybe I have a predisposition to instruction.

Which crafts do you find yourself drawn to?

I'm a chronic dabbler, but over the past few years I've grown very fond of sculpture and printmaking, and the means of combining the two. My undergraduate thesis is in dramatic writing, so I've been interested in ways to preserve text in physical form.

Why do you keep coming back to crafting?

I just enjoy making little things. I think it's fun. Can't stop, won't stop.

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Nicole Porter will be teaching classes at A.MANO Brooklyn all summer long as part of our CRAFT THIS WAY event series. Nicole works next door at BKLYN Clay, and her work can be found at A.MANO Brooklyn.