In 2021, I launched an artisanal pottery venture built around the preservation of traditional craft and the artisans who practise it, many of them struggling to keep the work alive. It was work I believed in. I had built the business with the intention of eventually taking these pieces to markets where handmade craft is deeply valued.
When we began preparing for international markets, the required lead testing brought something to light that I had not known to look for. The traditional glazes contained lead that was leaching from the finished pieces.
Until that point, I had never considered that something so beautiful, so traditional and so carefully made could carry a hidden risk. Once I knew, there was no version of the business I was comfortable continuing.
I closed it.
I include it here for one reason. It is the only credential in this document that was expensive to earn.