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Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity
“Roll-up-your-sleeves advice on throwing pottery, growing dahlias, cooking her tried-and-true recipes, and everything in between.”
—Martha Stewart Living
“Suited to any type of creative, offering up lessons on inspiration and creativity that are sure to bring out your inner talent.”
— House Beautiful , Best New Design Books
What makes a creative life? For an artist like Frances Palmer, it’s knitting all of one’s passions—all of one’s creativity—into the whole of life. And what an inspiration it is.
A renowned potter, an entrepreneur, a gardener, a photographer, a cook, a beekeeper, Palmer has over the course of three decades caught the attention not only of the countless people who collect and use her ceramics but also of designers and design lovers, writers, and fellow artists who marvel at her example. Now, in her first book, she finally tells her story, in her own words and images, distilling from her experiences lessons that will inspire a new generation of makers and entrepreneurs.
Life in the Studio is as beautiful and unexpected as Palmer’s pottery, as breathtakingly colorful as her celebrated dahlias, as intimate as the dinners she hosts in her studio for friends and family. There are insights into making pots—the importance of centering, the discovery that clay has a memory. Strategies for how to turn a passion into a business—the value to be found in collaboration, what it means to persevere, how to develop and stick to a routine that will sustain both enthusiasm and productivity. There are also step-by-step instructions (for throwing her beloved Sabine pot, growing dahlias, building an opulent flower arrangement). Even some of her most tried-and-true recipes.
The result is a portrait of a unique artist and a singularly generous manual on how to live a creative life.
—Martha Stewart Living
“Suited to any type of creative, offering up lessons on inspiration and creativity that are sure to bring out your inner talent.”
— House Beautiful , Best New Design Books
What makes a creative life? For an artist like Frances Palmer, it’s knitting all of one’s passions—all of one’s creativity—into the whole of life. And what an inspiration it is.
A renowned potter, an entrepreneur, a gardener, a photographer, a cook, a beekeeper, Palmer has over the course of three decades caught the attention not only of the countless people who collect and use her ceramics but also of designers and design lovers, writers, and fellow artists who marvel at her example. Now, in her first book, she finally tells her story, in her own words and images, distilling from her experiences lessons that will inspire a new generation of makers and entrepreneurs.
Life in the Studio is as beautiful and unexpected as Palmer’s pottery, as breathtakingly colorful as her celebrated dahlias, as intimate as the dinners she hosts in her studio for friends and family. There are insights into making pots—the importance of centering, the discovery that clay has a memory. Strategies for how to turn a passion into a business—the value to be found in collaboration, what it means to persevere, how to develop and stick to a routine that will sustain both enthusiasm and productivity. There are also step-by-step instructions (for throwing her beloved Sabine pot, growing dahlias, building an opulent flower arrangement). Even some of her most tried-and-true recipes.
The result is a portrait of a unique artist and a singularly generous manual on how to live a creative life.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published October 6, 2020
35 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 21, 2020
This is a lovely look into pottery artist Frances Palmer's work, home, history and musings, filled with gorgeous photos. Palmer has been creating her unique pottery for decades, starting when her children were young. She gives you refreshing access to her life in this book, not just showing how she makes her pots (which are exquisite) but favorite recipes, in-depth information about growing dahlias (another of her loves, professions and hobbies) and more. It gives great information on how to achieve various effects with pottery, and those sections made me wish I had access to these materials.
This book has rave reviews from Martha Stewart and it's easy to see why. Palmer's work is beautiful and her life seems to be, too. She does not really seem aware of the vast privilege she has been afforded in being able to do this work, which is my one and only gripe. She proudly talks about how she always worked while her children were young, followed her dreams, financed her own business and worked hard. These are all very admirable accomplishments. That said, she also talks about moving with her husband Wally to a bigger house where they brought in antique beams to restore an outbuilding into a beautiful work space for her pottery, turning "an old dilapidated tennis court" on their property (she says this as if having your personal tennis court be dilapidated is somehow unfortunate) into a huge garden area with raised beds for her thousands of rare dahlias and other flowers, and other glimpses into her life that show that she was able to finance her passions because she didn't have to worry about financing real life.
When she walks us through her typical day, it includes rising early and enjoying coffee and reading, taking time to go to barre class to socialize with friends, working on her pots and filling orders, taking a short afternoon nap, working on her pottery some more, enjoying dinner with Wally (the kids are out of the house now), relaxing after dinner and going to bed early. The day does not seem to include any of the elements most of us would have to juggle such as cleaning, laundry, earning another income to make ends meet, caring for children, etc. It sounds like a truly wonderful life, but not one that many craftspeople will be able to easily replicate. For this reason, I view it more as a beautiful look at her pottery and flowers rather than real "inspiration and lessons" to make it on your own if you don't have a wealthy husband and privileged start in life. For that purpose, though, the book is really lovely.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
This book has rave reviews from Martha Stewart and it's easy to see why. Palmer's work is beautiful and her life seems to be, too. She does not really seem aware of the vast privilege she has been afforded in being able to do this work, which is my one and only gripe. She proudly talks about how she always worked while her children were young, followed her dreams, financed her own business and worked hard. These are all very admirable accomplishments. That said, she also talks about moving with her husband Wally to a bigger house where they brought in antique beams to restore an outbuilding into a beautiful work space for her pottery, turning "an old dilapidated tennis court" on their property (she says this as if having your personal tennis court be dilapidated is somehow unfortunate) into a huge garden area with raised beds for her thousands of rare dahlias and other flowers, and other glimpses into her life that show that she was able to finance her passions because she didn't have to worry about financing real life.
When she walks us through her typical day, it includes rising early and enjoying coffee and reading, taking time to go to barre class to socialize with friends, working on her pots and filling orders, taking a short afternoon nap, working on her pottery some more, enjoying dinner with Wally (the kids are out of the house now), relaxing after dinner and going to bed early. The day does not seem to include any of the elements most of us would have to juggle such as cleaning, laundry, earning another income to make ends meet, caring for children, etc. It sounds like a truly wonderful life, but not one that many craftspeople will be able to easily replicate. For this reason, I view it more as a beautiful look at her pottery and flowers rather than real "inspiration and lessons" to make it on your own if you don't have a wealthy husband and privileged start in life. For that purpose, though, the book is really lovely.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
April 11, 2021
This woman is seriously talented. Just her floral arrangements alone are pretty spectacular. The pottery is different. It's not perfect. It's a bit wonky but lovely. And she throws in some recipes as well.
March 27, 2021
This is a beautifully illustrated book that I chose to read based on my floral design experience. The author grows flowers which she then arranges in the pottery vessels that she makes. I enjoyed reading about her creative process, the management of her studio, stories from her personal life, and essays on growing, cutting and arranging flowers. She also shares photography tips, recipes and what she has learned about bees from beekeeping...sounds like Martha, eh? ..and she also lives in Connecticut!
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September 28, 2021A gorgeous outpouring of creative beauty.
October 23, 2020
Having followed author Frances Palmer on line (but not on Instagram), I was greatly looking forward to her book. I have to admit it was not quite as inspiring as I hoped. That said, I definitely liked the fact that it was divided into what I would called essays, rather than chapters. You could just dip into it, where and for how long you wanted. I don't think you really needed to start at the beginning and go straight through the way I did, as each essay was essentially self-contained. I don't grow Dahlias, one of Palmer's signature flowers for her vases and photos, but they were a swoon-worthy part of the book. When I've gone to her website and looked at her flower filled vases I am usually in awe of her skill at flower arranging. But here, I found many of her creations too full and fussy; clearly our tastes were mismatched on this score; but her advice on flower arranging was very instructive and useful. I must admit that I tried two of her recipes which I am going to add to my repetoire. Excellent dishes and clear instructions. My last picky point: I thought the image used on the cover was one of the least inspiring in the book. I enjoyed the article/interview with Palmer in the UK version of House and Garden magazine and the podcast with her on Cultivating Place as much as the book.
November 29, 2020
Reading this filled me with peace and inspiration. I expanded my appreciation for beauty.
April 23, 2021
This is a beautiful book exploring one woman's relationship to her creative life. She has many forms of self expression, all of which feature in this book. Though pottery is the dominant one, this book is also filled with garden and floral arranging tips/recollections, thoughts on photography, bee keeping and a number of recipes. It's also a kind of memoir. I found it interesting, inspiring and encouraging. I loved seeing the creative process of an artist who works or explores areas of artistic expression I don't, I found so much of value. However, what would have made the book even more valuable, is an acknowledgement of her obvious financial privilege and how that has helped her as an artist. Phrases like "we started our second garden in the tennis court no one uses" were dashed off without even a blink of self awareness. She also extolls toward the end on how she can't possibly understand how other women can forsake their art for child rearing when she herself could never sacrifice either and found a way to be successful at both. I mean, c'mon. Seriously? I mean maybe she's thinking of her own milieu, which given that she lives on a colonial estate in rural Connecticut is probably not exactly filled with minimum wage working moms, but still. A little self awareness around some of these things would be really great, in general, for all successful artists, most of whom have financial support of some kind. I would have appreciated the honesty of saying, "my husband makes a lot of money and that allowed me to get the help I needed to care for my kids and renovate the barn so I could have a studio space." I am tired of everyone wanting to sound like they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps when they didn't. This is not to say her struggles weren't real or she has no creative insights to offer because she's wealthy-- she absolutely has many valuable things to impart. But I feel like this kind of lack of perspective hides an important part of creative work behind a veil, which is that it can't be achieved without support and I'm not taking about emotional support. Frances Palmer is a gifted woman, I just wish she was able to be a little more vulnerable about her success.
October 11, 2020
Somewhat Disappointed
I looked forward to this book for its emphasis on creativity. However, I found it loosely organized, jumping from pottery to recipes to flowers to travel. The differences in font size and the juxtaposition of subjects gave the appearance of a cut-and-paste venture. There is no doubt that
Frances Palmer is gifted and knows much about a number of areas. While the only piece I could afford of her pottery is a mug, I really seized on the dahlia section(s). I too dabble in flower gardening but spent a large part of my life professionally teaching the "art" of writing to willing and sometimes unwilling college students.
I looked forward to this book for its emphasis on creativity. However, I found it loosely organized, jumping from pottery to recipes to flowers to travel. The differences in font size and the juxtaposition of subjects gave the appearance of a cut-and-paste venture. There is no doubt that
Frances Palmer is gifted and knows much about a number of areas. While the only piece I could afford of her pottery is a mug, I really seized on the dahlia section(s). I too dabble in flower gardening but spent a large part of my life professionally teaching the "art" of writing to willing and sometimes unwilling college students.
April 17, 2021
There’s real, useful information on throwing, types of clay, glaze formulas and techniques for the ceramic artist. There’s also gorgeous photos. But the format of a coffee table book leaves this less useful as a manual. Maybe the author didn’t intend for it to be a manual. But I kept thinking she should write one: break out the nuts and bolts information into a companion book. It’s obvious Palmer has a lot of knowledge and it’s inspirational that she reminds us that she started out as we all do — knowing nothing.
December 23, 2025
I found this beautiful and vaguely infuriating -- to be good at ceramics, and photography, and gardening and cooking and also to have raised a family and found a beautiful place to live... it must be nice? Which is my catty side talking. I also found it inspiring to read how deeply Palmer loves her craft. It's a visual feast of both ceramics and flowers, and just a really delightful sharing of things that she loves. I enjoyed it immensely and will look at her other books. Both her philosophies and her ideas resonate with me, and it's calming to look at the splendid photographs.
July 1, 2021
In a perfect world every artist of Palmer's caliber would have a lovely old Connecticut home to scratch all of their artistic itches. Until that happens we can marvel at the photos she has compiled of her pottery, her floral arrangements, (from the flowers she grows in her lovely Connecticut garden) and her life. Lots of interesting essays on her approach to pottery as well as cooking and photography. She is like an earthier Martha.
June 14, 2025
Truly a beautiful book and delightful read. Never have I been more pleased to be a flower grower, artist, and food enthusiast. Frances is a kindred spirit. Her studio is a dream and this left me with a new appreciation for ceramics that inspired me to recently purchase a vase at an antique shop to add to my growing collection. Looking forward to exploring her next book.
October 13, 2020
I just got this book and I’ve already gotten through the whole thing! I love Palmer’s writing and photography. It’s comforting to read some life lessons from another artist and gives one the inspiration needed to make your work a daily practice.
November 10, 2020
A few years back, Frances Palmer generously opened her pottery studio and grounds for a 'Studio Arts' tour in my town of Weston, CT. I was inspired so much by her beautiful dahlias and pottery that I painted an acrylic painting of the studio and dahlias in front of it from a photo I snapped that afternoon. This book is a beautiful addition to a collection of Weston author's works and art that I started recently. I keep it in our living room and have already picked it up many times while having afternoon tea. It is a treasure trove of images and tips on how Frances started her garden and how her creative life intermingles her passions of growing dahlias, photographing them, making pottery, arranging her flowers into her vases, and photographing still lives of the result. I share many passions - flowers, cooking, creative living, photography, etc. and hope to start a small dahlia bed in our garden next summer. Thanks for the inspiration, Frances Palmer!
January 28, 2021
Inspirational for anyone who loves flowers, especially Dahlias in all their wild and colorful glory, and who doesn’t?, gardening, pottery, ceramics, creative life, and wonderful writing and photographs: you will treasure this book by CT potter and gardener Frances Palmer! A BIG Treat!
February 8, 2021
A lot of this book was focused on the art of pottery. But Frances Palmer's insight on creativity and the creative process made it a good read for me. And the photos showing various pottery pieces and room design were a delight.
September 28, 2021
So many of the things I love all in one book: pottery, flowers, cooking, gardening, beekeeping, photography, travel, learning, books, and memoir. One artist’s thoughts, tips, and images on living a creative life. It is a beautiful book both to read and to look at.
January 7, 2022
Lovely photographs, especially of dahlias, coupled with the author’s engaging, creative outlook on life make this book a treat guaranteed to ward off winter blues. I borrowed this title from the library but think I will buy one for myself so as to have a copy on hand.
January 5, 2021
Loved this book - a little bit of everything.. read it to whet your appetite and for inspiration.
January 17, 2021
Refreshingly inspirational for any creative.
January 24, 2021
This book is beautiful! The pottery is stunning, of course, but there are also inspiring essays about creativity and even some recipes.
February 7, 2021
A beautiful book on the life, studio and garden of this outstanding potter.
A delightful book to savor!
A delightful book to savor!
March 6, 2021
A great inspiration and confidence booster for anyone who wants to discover their own creativity in any field. I loved it.
March 30, 2021
Good insights not only for artists but life, and great photos.
May 25, 2021
One of my favourite books about creative living
August 9, 2021
great photos, interesting to read
March 6, 2022
Great read - I like her philosophical approach to work and life, and I also enjoy her other interests and hobbies. I'll buy this if I see it in a store
December 27, 2023
Amazing creative person who taught herself pottery, gardening, photography and baking. I was so inspired by her and her book!
January 7, 2025
Beautifully put together. A refreshing book integrating inspiration, practical how-tos & insights, recipes, a feeling of woman to woman wisdom from a female artist’s life.
June 10, 2021
I took this out of the library because it looked attractive. Perhaps I’m not the target audience, (although I am a potter and do a fair bit of flower gardening), but I’m finding the tone pretty pretentious. The pottery is quite nice for the most part, the flowers pretty, the photography well done, but I didn’t care for the tone.
For example... She had to change the name of her “pot sale” because “that name is a misnomer”, as she “doesn’t usually have a lot of work “on sale” ... then several more sentences about the wonders of selling (hence the word sale) pots to customers.
Not exactly scintillating.
So to wrap up this review, I’m glad I got it from the library.
For example... She had to change the name of her “pot sale” because “that name is a misnomer”, as she “doesn’t usually have a lot of work “on sale” ... then several more sentences about the wonders of selling (hence the word sale) pots to customers.
Not exactly scintillating.
So to wrap up this review, I’m glad I got it from the library.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews