About Mudroom
Three people, one garage, one kiln.
Mudroom started as free pottery videos filmed on a phone in 2019. The membership opened in 2022 for people who wanted lessons in order, live sessions and someone to look at their pots.
The studio at a glance
- Where
- A garage in Burlington, Vermont
- Equipment
- One secondhand wheel, one electric kiln
- Team
- Three people and two volunteer hosts
- Free videos
- Since 2019, every other week
- Membership
- Since 2022
- Members
- About 2,400Sample
How it started
Nico taught Tuesday evening classes at a community studio in Burlington for six years. The same thing happened every term: people loved the first class, then hit centering, and a third of them didn't come back. Not because they couldn't learn it, but because one evening a week wasn't enough practice and nobody could see what their hands were doing at home.
So he started filming short videos of the moves people got stuck on. They were free, and they still are. What people kept asking for was the rest: the lessons in order, a time each week to throw together, and someone to look at the pot they actually made.
That's Mudroom. Nico teaches, Marisol hosts the community, Hattie runs the studio and the support inbox. Two long-time members help host spaces in exchange for a free Studio membership. That's the whole team.
What we care about
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Free stays free
The free videos keep going up every other week. The membership is for order, live sessions and feedback, not for locking up the basics.
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Wobbly is welcome
Every member's first pots are wobbly. The community is built so posting one feels normal, because it is.
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Plain prices, easy exits
Prices on the page, two-click cancel, refunds in plain words, and a $5 rate for anyone who asks.
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Our own home
Lessons and the community live on our own site, not inside a social app, so a change of rules elsewhere can't take them away.
The team
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Nico Ferrante
Potter, founder, teaches every lesson
Throwing since 2012, teaching since 2017. Films every lesson in his garage studio in Burlington and still answers Wheel help posts most mornings.
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Marisol Vance
Community host
Runs Sunday open studio, welcomes every new member, and writes the pinned safety notes. A handbuilder first, and proud of it.
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Hattie Brennan
Studio and member support
Answers the support inbox, handles refunds and pauses, and packs every seconds box. If you email us, Hattie is probably the one who writes back.
Plus two volunteer hosts, both members since 2022, and a captioner who checks every transcript by hand. Guest potters are paid for their sessions.
Where your money goes
Every $24 Studio month, roughly split.
A rounded, illustrative breakdown, shared so you can see what a membership pays for. It isn't an audited statement, and it moves a little month to month.
- 36% · about $8.64 Nico's teaching and filming time
- 22% · about $5.28 Community hosting and member support
- 14% · about $3.36 Editing, captions and transcripts
- 12% · about $2.88 Website, video hosting and payment fees
- 9% · about $2.16 Clay, glaze materials and kiln power
- 7% · about $1.68 Saved for the next course and guest potters
Why the lessons live on our own site
Plenty of creators run everything inside one app. It's easy, until the app changes its rules, its fees or what it shows people. Then the lessons and the community are stuck somewhere you don't control.
Mudroom's lessons, replays and community live here, and we email members directly. The free videos still go up on the usual video sites, because that's where people find us. The membership is the part we look after ourselves.
Six lessons are free. The rest is $12 a month.
Start with the free sampler, no card needed. Join when you're ready, cancel in two clicks, and get your first payment back within 14 days if it isn't for you.