Passion for pottery

Clay is the instrument that changed Tena Payne’s life. And now that medium has taken her full circle.

Payne’s products will be featured in Southern Living’s 2016 Idea House. 

Payne, who grew up in Homewood, is the owner and designer of Earthborn Pottery in Leeds. And thanks to Southern Living, she has been able to turn her passion into a career.

Payne said it was hard making a living as a potter, and that is why she decided to join Southern Living from 1991 to 1997.

She did not have a college degree when she was hired. The only experience she had was one semester of personal typing.

With no degree, Payne said they didn’t want to hire her. But Southern Living gave her a position with the condition that it would be temporary until they found someone more qualified.

“I taught myself their computer system, so when it came time for them to hire, I said, ‘Look, I got this. You guys love me, and I love you. You don’t need anybody else,’ and they kept me,” she said.

Southern Living had a tuition reimbursement program, which allowed Payne to go back to college and finish her college education at Samford University. 

But Payne said she decided to go back to pottery because that was her first true love, a love she discovered at Homewood High. 

After Southern Living, Payne created the dishes, serving pieces and dinnerware for Chris Hastings, the executive chef and owner of Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham. Payne also made the dishes and banquet pieces for Sensi at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

She said that was her very first order and the beginning of her pottery career.

Payne went to hospitality and culinary shows to display her work, and after a couple of years, she started Earthborn Pottery.

Payne said she loves what she does, loves her customers and wouldn’t change anything. 

She also said she is glad that she didn’t skip school on the day she figured out her passion for clay. 

Payne was in Homewood High School when her art teacher invited Dr. Lowell Van from Samford University to give a demonstration on the potter’s wheel. 

Payne said the minute she saw that clay move in Van’s hands, she knew she had to do it. 

“All my life, I was the problem child. I was always into trouble, and it was because I was curious about what is going to happen next. Very often I would find myself saying to myself, ‘I would get into trouble for this.’ I just liked experimenting, and that is when I found my passion for clay,” Payne said.

When Payne was a senior in high school, Principal Michael Gross let her take the potter’s wheel home over the Christmas holidays. Payne said she was hooked, and she spent as much time as she could on it.

Payne said one of the reasons why she fell in love with clay was because, just like cooking, you can do it how you like. 

“A chef and a potter have a lot in common. We take our ingredients out of the ground; we rearrange them according to our experiences; we put them in the ovens and then we offer them to other people,” she said.

Payne said she believes that what you put into the universe comes back to you. 

“I tend to be a giver, and I try not to worry because at any given time I don’t know where my next paycheck is coming from. I could not tell you today how I am going to make payroll next week, but it has been that way the last 13 years. It is just a walk of faith,” she said. 

Payne said she just wants to make great pots, make chefs happy and make enough income to keep her comfortable.

“I’m not in it to get rich or famous. I absolutely love what I do, and I give all the credit and praise to God. I am truly blessed to be doing what I love,” she said.