You can work with it in so many different states: as a liquid, as a really soft plastic solid, as a hard plastic solid, and even after it’s glazed and fired. It’s really rich in terms of the site of negotiation between maker and material and process.

Absolutely. People may assume it’s machine-made, and then discover that it is handmade – to me that’s a bit of magic. During my research at the Royal College of Art I quickly realised how much more profoundly I prefer making things to sitting in front of a computer!

I enjoy the turning, which has a lot of risk. One piece could involve six hours on the lathe, with quite intense concentration, and you can’t make a mistake. People talk about the flow of making and I do experience that. It’s physically enjoyable, productive and has a lovely simplicity to it.

It gets me out, socialising, talking to people, otherwise I spend all my time in my studio by myself. And it’s really helpful and productive for me, because I am talking to students, helping them understand what they are doing, and I can’t help but hear myself and think I should take my own advice!