Join the Free Unruly Clay Club
A welcoming community for people who love making stuff from mud.
It’s an online hangout for anyone who likes clay under their fingernails — total beginners very much included. Learn handbuilding, pinch out something wonky, ask the questions you’d feel silly asking anywhere else, and show off whatever comes out of the kiln. No experience, no fancy gear, no talent required.
Handbuilt. Imperfect. Slightly feral.
That’s the Unruly Clay philosophy and it’s the house rule in the Club too. Nothing in here is about making perfect pottery. It’s about making something — with your hands, at your own pace, with a few hundred people who’ll cheer for your lopsided bowl like it’s in a gallery.
Everything you need to start making things out of mud
All of it free, all of it beginner-friendly, none of it precious about technique.
Handbuilding techniques
Pinch pots, coils, slabs, joining, texture, drying without cracking — the actual hands-on skills, explained the way I’d explain them across a workshop table.
Beginner clay projects
Small, doable projects you can finish on a kitchen table. Little dishes, wonky mugs, coastal bits, and yes — the occasional Highland cow.
Ask anything
Why did it crack? Is this dry enough? What even is bone dry? Ask the “silly” questions here — nobody’s judging, and someone’s always asked it first.
Share what you make
Post your work in progress, your triumphs and your kiln disasters. The disasters are usually the most popular posts, honestly.
Ideas and inspiration
Colour, texture, coastal shapes, seasonal projects and whatever’s currently cluttering my studio bench. Steal freely.
First to hear about workshops
Club members get the heads-up on new Sunshine Coast pottery workshops before they go anywhere else. Handy, since they tend to fill.
Beginners are genuinely welcome here
Not “welcome” in the polite-website sense. Genuinely. Most people who join have never touched clay, don’t own a single tool, and are quietly convinced they aren’t creative. They’re wrong, and the Club is where they find that out.
There’s no skill test, no portfolio, no one comparing your pinch pot to theirs. Just a bunch of people at wildly different stages, all making slightly wonky things and enjoying it.
- No pottery wheel needed — it’s all handbuilding
- No studio needed — a table and a bit of clay will do
- No pressure to post, finish anything, or be good at it
- Free, and staying that way
You don’t need to be artistic. You just need some clay and a willingness to have a go.— the only entry requirement
How it works
Click the button
It takes you to the Club over on Skool. Free to join, no card, no trial that quietly starts charging you.
Say hello
Introduce yourself in the welcome post. Tell us whether you’re clay-curious or already elbow-deep in it.
Get your hands muddy
Pick a beginner project, have a go, post the result. Wonky is not just accepted here — it’s kind of the point.
A few quick questions
Is the Unruly Clay Club really free?
Yes. Free to join, free to stay. There’s no paid tier lurking behind a door. If that ever changes, the free community isn’t going anywhere.
I’ve never touched clay. Is this for me?
Especially for you. The Club is built around beginner-friendly handbuilding — pinch pots, coils and slabs — so you can start with a lump of clay and your hands. No wheel, no experience, no artistic streak required.
What equipment do I need to get started?
Less than you’d think. A packet of air-dry or kiln clay, a table you don’t mind getting muddy, and a butter knife will get you a long way. We talk about what’s worth buying (and what really isn’t) inside the Club.
Do I have to live on the Sunshine Coast?
Not at all. Unruly Clay is based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and the workshops are held here, but the Club is online and members join from all over. Come for the pottery, stay for the cows.
Is the Club the same thing as the workshops?
Different things, happily related. The Club is a free online community for learning and sharing. The workshops are in-person clay sessions on the Sunshine Coast — and Club members hear about new dates first. See the workshops.
How much time does it take?
However much you’ve got. Some members make something every week, some just lurk and read for a while. Both are completely fine.
Come and get muddy
Join the Free Unruly Clay Club
A welcoming pottery community for people who love making stuff from mud. Bring your curiosity, your questions and your wonkiest bowl.
handbuilt, imperfect, slightly feral