Get To Know: Mary Loves Clay
Justine Durrant
Mary is another fabulous young Instagram artist. She creates really cute mini clay charms and proves that hard work and perseverance goes a long way.
A word from the designer:
My name is Mary and I run the Etsy shop CharmShopByMary for my polymer clay charms. I am still in school, so I have to balance out my craft life with my school life and social life. I have been into crafting ever since I was young; I would always make paper crafts and miniatures. Crafting has been a great way to relieve boredom, stress, and it is a way to escape my problems.
I started making clay (such as ceramics and pottery) a few years back, and it was always my favorite part of art class. I started working with polymer clay about a year and a half ago when my friend introduced it to me. Once she showed me some of her creations, I had to try it immediately. That night, I went on YouTube and looked up polymer clay. I was introduced to a whole community that I itched to become a part of. It was tough at first. I had this image in my head that my charms would be perfect from the start, but boy was I wrong. It has taken so much practice (and lots of failed charms) to get to where I am now. I still have my old charms to remind myself of how far I have come. 
In August of 2015, I opened my Etsy shop. I opened it for many reasons, one of them being the fact that I had a surplus of charms that I wasn't sure what to do with. Another reason was because I was very interested in the creation of your very own business and advertisement. I loved the idea of being able to run something all by myself. In the interest of more advertisement of my shop, I created an Instagram account in October of the same year. It was slow getting recognized at first, but soon I had many loyal followers who I valued as friends. My Etsy shop is a definite passion of mine. It has taken up many hours of my time, and I get ecstatic every time I make a sale! I hope that I can continue to think and create for many years to come!
-Mary (MaryLovesClay)
A word from the Maker Heart team:
Thank you for sharing your story and your "charming" work with us Mary. We are certain that you have inspired many young artists to pursue their talents just as you have. We wish you must luck for your future plans with your clay work as well as with your schooling.
