From Data Analytics to Clay: My Unexpected Journey into Ceramics

When I started this blog, I had it all planned out. This was going to be my professional platform for sharing insights on modern data stacks and subtly promoting my analytics consulting business. I’d write about integration patterns, data governance frameworks, and maybe throw in some spicy takes on GCP vs AWS.

But life had other plans.

Spoiler alert: you won’t find those technical posts here. Instead, this blog chronicles my journey of resetting, finding genuine purpose, and making an entirely unexpected trajectory change from data executive to ceramicist and trying to build a sustainable living from it.

The Medium Post Reality Check

As I drafted the initial content for this blog, something unexpected happened. The process of writing forced me into an uncomfortable self-reflection. When you sit down to create content about a subject, you quickly discover if it’s something you’re genuinely passionate about.

Despite building a successful 15-year career in analytics — leading teams at Accenture, Google, Dropbox, and several unicorn startups — I found myself staring at the blank Medium “create post” page more often than not. The words wouldn’t flow. What should have been easy for someone with my experience felt like extracting teeth.

This realization triggered what I can only describe as an existential crisis.

Burnout in High Definition

In 2019, I had joined a high-flying Series B fintech startup as their first executive data hire. The mission: build their data infrastructure and team from scratch and help propel their growth. On paper, it was an exciting opportunity. In reality, I knew deep inside I was running on fumes, but decided to push forward anyway.

Then March 2020 arrived, and with it, the pandemic. Like for so many others, the already blurry line between work and personal life completely dissolved. With social activities eliminated, my wife and I retreated further into our work. We were practically fused to our devices, and our relationship suffered. After work, we didn’t want to talk about work, but increasingly found there was nothing else to discuss. I’m sure countless couples faced similar challenges during those extraordinary times.

A Serendipitous Discovery

Following a particularly tense argument about something so trivial I can’t even remember it now, we decided to find COVID-friendly activities we could enjoy together outside the house. By sheer luck — though looking back, I believe it was more of a calling — two spots had just opened at a pottery studio near us. I signed us up without much thought.

Meanwhile, my relationship with work continued deteriorating. Despite working with talented people on interesting business problems, the global situation made everything feel inconsequential. My response was to push harder — the classic pathway to burnout for anyone who hasn’t experienced it.

But pottery? Pottery was going great. My wife and I were completely hooked. We attended drop-in classes nearly every day, creating for hours. We’d watch YouTube pottery videos together and discuss techniques, designs, and everything in between. For the first time in months, we had something meaningful to share.

The Breaking Point

At work, I reached my limit. I had no energy, no enthusiasm, and would stare at my computer with dread before logging in each morning. I’d never experienced anything like it — feeling simultaneously paralyzed and frustrated, occasionally breaking down completely. My supportive wife and I decided together that it was time for me to wrap up this chapter. The company was being acquired, and I knew the situation wouldn’t improve, making it the perfect moment to step away.

Finding Myself in Clay

We booked an Airbnb on the west coast for a few weeks to escape. My wife had the brilliant idea to rent a pottery wheel to keep at the house so we could throw anytime. Those weeks became one of the most magical periods of our lives, deepening my love for creativity.

By this point, I was developing my own artistic identity — integrating Islamic geometry (another emerging passion) as surface decoration using tape resist and glaze techniques. For the first time in years, I felt genuine pride in what I was creating.

I’d love to say that this was the moment in 2021 when I experienced immediate enlightenment and quit everything to become a full-time potter. But life is rarely so neat and tidy. There’s more to this story, including the metaphorical kick in the balls that came with becoming a dad — but I’ll save that for next time.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​