Today I’m talking with potter, photographer, gardener, mother, and longtime friend Kimberly Taylor. Kim lives on a small island off the west coast of British Columbia, where she and her partner have built a home, studios, and gardens surrounded by the sea, trees, and a slower rhythm of life. We talk about how life and friendships change as we move through different seasons, from young motherhood and the early days of blogging to becoming empty nesters and choosing fewer, deeper relationships. Kim shares how those friendships have shaped her, encouraged her, and reminded her that we need women in our lives who have walked before us as well as women who are walking through seasons we have already known.

We talk about Kim’s creative journey and the long process of learning to see her own gifts. She shares how photography helped her see the beauty of the life she was already living, and how food, markets, home, gardening, and travel have all become part of the same way she notices and nurtures beauty in her life. Kim shares about creating rhythms and rituals that make space for creativity and about paying attention to how we are uniquely moved by the world around us rather than assuming we should all be inspired in the same way.

Kim’s journey into pottery started years before she ever touched a wheel, but her practice really began with taking community center lessons, dreaming up pieces she wanted to live with in her home, and the simple desire to create. As she fell in love with pottery and grew her craft and business, glaze became the part of the process that intimidated and frustrated her most. Taking an intensive glaze chemistry course became a turning point; it not only gave ger the knowledge to make and fix her own glazes, but it gave her an entirely new confidence in herself. She discovered that she loved the precision and chemistry of glaze, but more importantly, she discovered that she was capable of learning something she had once believed was far beyond her. That confidence has changed what she believes is possible, giving her the tools to recreate colors and feelings she once could only imagine, and the courage to try, fail, learn, and adjust along the way.

This conversation is full of the importance of continuing to step outside our comfortable lives we can so easily create for ourselves, listening to what we need in each season, giving ourselves permission to change, and recognizing that what was right for us in one season may not be what we need in the next. I hope you walk away from this conversation more excited to do what scares you and more inspired to create a life that feels like you.

Episode Seventy-Eight | Chemistry Girl: You Don’t Grow by Doing What You Know with Kimberly Taylor

0:00 Intro

0:30 Meet Kimberly Taylor

1:47 Friendships, Seasons, and Growing Older

14:52 Being Seen and Discovering Your Gifts

19:23 Advice from the Early Days

25:06 The Life that Fits the Season

29:44 Falling in Love with Pottery

39:53 Inspired by Feeling

45:30 Daily Rituals and Creative Rhythms

48:00 Glazing Chemistry and Comfort Zones

58:22 The Conversations Women Need to Have

1:06:32 Creative Breakthroughs and the Green Cups

1:08:49 How to Connect with Kimberly

1:10:02 Outro

Kim Taylor is a ceramicist and photographer living on a small island off the south coast of British Columbia. Working primarily in stoneware clay, her pieces are thoughtfully made, each one unique while remaining part of a cohesive body of work. With a timeless, simple style and a neutral palette occasionally accented by colours found around the island, her pottery is designed to feel good in your hands and joyful to use.

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It is with the greatest pride that we start bringing back to our creative network excellent online courses from outstanding artists FROM THE ARCHIVES!

This month we are thrilled to offer John Singer Sargent with Kelly Berkey! You can get early registration pricing + instant access for the month of September, then the course will go to full price. This course is self-study.

-Jeanne

Early Registration pricing is open + INSTANT ACCESS for John Singer Sargent with Kelly Berkey. Early Registration is $52 and will go full price ($98) midnight on October 2nd.  This course is INSTANT ACCESS! The course has 8.5 hours of content. Come and read all about it. All videos are downloadable, lifetime access* and closed captioned.

There is a lost art of studying the works of others to find your own style. All of the masters were first apprentices. The apprentice sat beside the masters, listening to their process, paintbrush in hand, mixing paint, creating strokes that told a story, and stirred their creative spirit.

Have you ever taken an online course, gone to a retreat, purchased an art technique book and were taught an artist’s techniques and mediums? Have you ever been worried about what is your style and what is “their” style? Have you ever been afraid to create art that was inspired by another artist? This course is for you!

An integral part of the artistic process was to copy the master artist. In this course, you will watch as Kelly Berkey studies the work of John Singer Sargent. She will share what techniques she learned and what she learned about her own creative process. Kelly will then take what she has learned by copying the work of Sargent and create a piece in her own style.

You will leave this course with freedom in your creativity. Freedom to pull from everything around you that inspires you and how to incorporate it into your art. The confidence to realize that nothing is new under the sun and how to build upon others that have come before you.

Early Registration pricing is open + INSTANT ACCESS for John Singer Sargent with Kelly Berkey. Early Registration is $52 and will go full price ($98) midnight on October 2nd.  This course is INSTANT ACCESS! The course has 8.5 hours of content. Come and read all about it. All videos are downloadable, lifetime access* and closed captioned.

If this is your first course with us or you are a longtime member we want to share how easy it is to find out more, register, see the supply list and share with your friends.

1. Come and read all about the new course HERE.
2. If you think your friends would love this course we would be beyond honored to have you share the promo video. We have included all of the social media links under the video to make it easy. You can also directly share the course page. You do not have to be a member of this site to see what we have to offer!
3. We also have over 160 other courses and to see what we are offering you can go directly to jeanneoliver.com and then click on courses.
4. All of our courses are pre-recorded so you can watch them at your convenience. The best part is that you have lifetime* access.
5. If you have any questions about the course please contact support here.

*As long as we manage the creative network

Early Registration pricing is open + INSTANT ACCESS for John Singer Sargent with Kelly Berkey. Early Registration is $52 and will go full price ($98) midnight on October 2nd.  This course is INSTANT ACCESS! The course has 8.5 hours of content. Come and read all about it. All videos are downloadable, lifetime access* and closed captioned.

Imagine a year where you made art every single week — through winter’s quiet, spring’s new growth, summer’s fullness, autumn’s gathering-in.

That’s Wanderlust 2027 — the Seasons Edition. 47 guided lessons, 40+ artists (including me!), one whole year, one page at a time.

Grab a spot before the price goes up! 

It begins 1 January — and the doors are now open!

My lesson will be during the wintering season (which is my favorite creative season)

The first 2,000 places are $119 — the lowest it will ever be. There are only 500 spots left at this price!

Teaching for Wanderlust is one of my easiest yes all year! The community is incredible and the work that comes out of the lessons always blows me away!

Click here to register!

If you love to read books on art and creativity please join the group (it is free) and you will be a part of the next discussion.

The next book we are discussing is The Diary of Friday Kahlo, An Intimate Self-Portrait.

This book club is scheduled for Monday, October 26th at 5pm Central Time.

In the midst of getting set up here in Nashville we have loved, loved, loved walking all over our new neighborhood to groceries, coffee, dinner, the park, bike paths, flower shop and more. We are so happy to be here! I wanted to share some of what I have been reading, listening to, learning etc. during this past month of boxes and papers!

I would love it so much if you comment on this post and share the same that you are reading, listening to, watching etc. I love hearing what is inspiring YOU!

-Jeanne

| THIS DOES NOT HAVE A LINK |

| THIS DOES NOT HAVE A LINK |

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some or all of the links in this post are affiliate links.  This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission and we are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.  And as always, we only share the links to products that we actually use and love.

Get 40% off ALL of our September featured courses! This month we are featuring courses dedicated to portrait work!  You can choose one or you can use the discount on all of them!

Use Code: SEPTEMBER

In this comprehensive online course, professional printmaker Francesco Geronazzo guides you through every stage of the traditional line etching process, from preparing and drawing on a metal plate to acid biting, inking, and printing your final edition. Combining centuries-old techniques with practical studio knowledge, this course is designed to give you the confidence to create professional-quality etchings in your own studio.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced artist looking to expand your printmaking practice, you’ll develop a solid understanding of the materials, tools, and techniques that make line etching one of the most expressive forms of printmaking.

Early registration is open for Line Etching Masterclass with Francesco Geranazzo. Early registration is $52 (and will go to $98 on September 25, 2026) and begins on October 23rd @ 5am MT. The course has 4 hours of content. Come and read all about it. All videos are downloadable, lifetime access* and closed captioned.

In this course you will learn

• The history and principles of line etching
• Essential tools, materials, and studio safety
• How to prepare and polish an etching plate
• Applying and working with hard ground
• Transferring and drawing your image onto the plate
• Safe and effective acid biting techniques
• Cleaning, correcting, and refining your plate
• Professional inking and wiping methods
• Printing on an etching press
• Evaluating, signing, and editioning your prints

Techniques Taught

• Materials needed for a Traditional etching session
• Considerations about what design to use
• Preparation of the metal plate
• Coating of the printing plate
• How to transfer any design on your printing plate
• Mark making test
• Etching your plate with different tools
• Preparing the plate for the etching bath
• Preparing the etching solution
• Etching bath process
• Cleaning the plate
• Improving the plate with a second state
• Preparation of the cotton paper for the printing session
• Proofing the plate relief/intaglio
• Considerations and references

Early registration is open for Line Etching Masterclass with Francesco Geranazzo. Early registration is $52 (and will go to $98 on September 25, 2026) and begins on October 23rd @ 5am MT. The course has 4 hours of content. Come and read all about it. All videos are downloadable, lifetime access* and closed captioned.

If this is your first course with us or you are a longtime member we want to share how easy it is to find out more, register, see the supply list and share with your friends.

1. Come and read all about the new course HERE.
2. If you think your friends would love this course we would be beyond honored to have you share the promo video. We have included all of the social media links under the video to make it easy. You can also directly share the course page. You do not have to be a member of this site to see what we have to offer!
3. We also have over 120 other courses and to see what we are offering you can go directly to jeanneoliver.com and then click on courses.
4. All of our courses are pre-recorded so you can watch them at your convenience. The best part is that you have lifetime* access.
5. If you have any questions about the course please contact support here.

*As long as we manage the creative network

Registration open for First Layers | Oil Pastels with Hallie Kohn. Registration is $98 and begins on September 25th @ 5am MT. The course has 4 hours of content. Come and read all about it. All videos are downloadable, lifetime access* and closed captioned.

Registration open for First Layers | Oil Pastels with Hallie Kohn. Registration is $98 and begins on September 25th @ 5am MT. The course has 4 hours of content. Come and read all about it. All videos are downloadable, lifetime access* and closed captioned.

Techniques Taught

• Exploring paper options
• Oil pastel brands and their differences
• Mark making techniques
• Layering and exploring
• Protecting your oil pastel paintings
• Exploring everyday objects

Come and Watch The Course Trailer

Registration open for First Layers | Oil Pastels with Hallie Kohn. Registration is $98 and begins on September 25th @ 5am MT. The course has 4 hours of content. Come and read all about it. All videos are downloadable, lifetime access* and closed captioned.

If this is your first course with us or you are a longtime member we want to share how easy it is to find out more, register, see the supply list and share with your friends.

1. Come and read all about the new course HERE.
2. If you think your friends would love this course we would be beyond honored to have you share the promo video. We have included all of the social media links under the video to make it easy. You can also directly share the course page. You do not have to be a member of this site to see what we have to offer!
3. We also have over 120 other courses and to see what we are offering you can go directly to jeanneoliver.com and then click on courses.
4. All of our courses are pre-recorded so you can watch them at your convenience. The best part is that you have lifetime* access.
5. If you have any questions about the course please contact support here.

*As long as we manage the creative network

Sometimes I find it while shopping in a tiny market and instantly missing my apple tree from Colorado, kissing Kelly goodbye as he rides his bike for a quick visit to see his brother, hearing my Grandpa Loran’s voice for the first time in my life because my brother figured out the old tape, working with our daughter and getting to watch how her beautiful mind works, and seeing how our things from Colorado are fitting right in here in Nashville.

Sometimes I even find it online within this vast and beautiful creative community

-Jeanne

Joan’s writing seems more like poetry to me than other forms of creative writing. I find myself underlining, writing notes, observing her writing style and being engrossed by all aspects of how she chose to tell a story. Whether she is writing about her own creative process, a political work, a novel or grief…I go away feeling like she didn’t use any extra words. Her natural style is honed and intentional.

“Joan Didion was a journalist, novelist, memoirist, essayist, and screenwriter who wrote some of the sharpest and most evocative analyses of culture, politics, literature, family, and loss. She won the National Book Award in 2005 for The Year of Magical Thinking.” – Joan Didion Official Website