Homeware designer Jonathan Adler says being unemployable is the best
Getting fired from five jobs and having his talent dismissed by a ceramics teacher only made American strive harder for success
You often tell of your pottery teacher dismissing your talent in college. How did you overcome the rejection? “I wanted to be a potter and my pottery teacher at RISD [Rhode Island School of Design] told me I had no talent, so I left with my tail between my legs. I think that having someone tell you you can’t do something is a fabulous incentive to do it.
The best thing about me is that I’m completely unemployable. And that was proven by the fact I was fired from five jobs in a row. Making a career as a potter was a preposterous idea but when I had no choice, it was the one skill I had.”
Who makes your products? “Many of the pots [...] are made by Peruvian craftsmen. I was a production potter about 18 years ago and I was burnt out from making pots all day long. Then I stumbled on the NGO Aid to Artisans and it changed my life. I found people to help me with my production.
“And I’m doing a lot of lacquered goatskin in Vietnam – there are a lot of crafty skills there and a lot of soul.”