Date Night Review: Pottery Studio 1 in Brooklyn, New York

By Christine Stoddard

My main criterion for a date night craft activity is this: Is it fun? Close second and third: Will it bring us together? Is it achievable? After all, a date night is more about getting to know a person or, for long-term couples, keeping that flame aglow. It's not about perfection or making a museum-quality work of art. While, my partner, Aaron Gold (whose name you may recognize from other Quail Bell endeavors), and I enjoyed our first-ever ceramics foray together at Pottery 1 Studio in Brooklyn, NY, we have a couple of caveats.

Pluses: We had a somewhat intimate atmosphere, with one instructor for us and another instructor/couple trio on the other side of the studio. We had more than enough instruction without feeling overwhelmed, and we were allowed to bring whatever snacks we wanted. The activity was definitely intro level, meaning we had enough time to accomplish what we wanted. We certainly learned a thing or two and got to clown around with each other, too.

Minuses: The activity was not the most conducive to eating and drinking. Clay is messy, so we really had to get to a point in our respective pots—we each made one—where it was safe to start reaching into bags and crunching and chewing. There were no snacks available for purchase. Due to the physical properties of clay and the studio's process, we had to wait a month before we could come back and pick up our finished pieces.

On one hand, we loved getting to create and personalize our own pieces. We have different interests, styles, and abilities, so it's nice to fly solo in that sense. On the other hand, it would've been more romantic to make one piece, perhaps a more ambitious one, together. 

Overall, we rated this experience 4 out of 5 stars. Find out more about date nights at Pottery 1 Studio on their website.