Art for Art's Sake: Artist Stories From Sfingiday's Local Art Program

“I’m never not thinking about different ways to make things in the studio. Like it’s just constantly something I’m thinking about, and it’s a form of expression.”

Niki Seligman

June 22, 2026

If you have ever sat in a classroom for a period of time, you may have found yourself doodling in a notebook or writing out little notes. For Niki Seligman, creator of Niki Knacks, those doodles have turned into something incredibly special. 

Seligman is an artist participating in our Seattle Local Art Program, creating wonderful ceramic pieces and porcelain jewelry. If you’ve stopped by the shop recently, you will likely have come across her splendid Doodle Tumblers and unique earrings and necklaces. 

Originally from the Los Angeles area, Seligman moved to Seattle for college.

After almost a decade here in Seattle, Seligman began creating art about three years ago after looking for something to channel her free time. Although she felt happy and fulfilled in many other ways, Seligman had to ask, “What is it that I enjoy doing?” To which she found a new path through her art. 

“My roommate at the time was going to the studio that I’m now at, and she loved it. And I was just, like, infatuated with all the mugs that she brought home,” Seligman said. 

She originally tried out a memoir-writing class but instead found a newfound interest in pottery. While recalling some difficulty at first, she stuck with ceramics and continued to pursue the new creative outlet. 

“I traditionally have been someone who’s like, ‘if I am not good at something right away, I’m gonna just bounce.’ With ceramics, it just feels so much more forgiving. You’re allowed to be bad and figure it out,” Seligman said. 

Pottery is a large part of Seligman’s life. Still, she has a primary profession outside her art. Her art serves as her creative outlet, allowing for fulfillment outside of her professional life.

According to Seligman, she is “never not thinking about different ways to make things in the studio. Like it’s just constantly something I’m thinking about, and it’s a form of expression. And I think I’ve also been really careful about, while I do want to monetize because it’s really expensive to do pottery, not making it a full-time gig right now, at least, so that it still is filling like kind of an outlet role for me.” 

While she considers art a hobby, Seligman has taken to showing those around her the benefits of her creative endeavors. 

“I also, anyone I can get to listen to me, I try to get them to come to the studio. So like my Brother-In-Law, my sister’s husband, I talked his ear off about pottery for like two years, and now he’s a member, and he’s obsessed. We are obsessed. It’s never not on my mind. If I’m on vacation, it’s like ‘that’s great,’ but I wish I was in the studio.”

Seligman is a member at the Clay Corner, a ceramic studio offering memberships in the “Frelard” area of Seattle. They offer a variety of options for interested members, including classes and free Friday nights where artists can come in and work on their creations. 

She started crafting her work in the very classes they offer, cultivating her niche and honing her specialties. Although Seligman was making some jewelry before taking a class, she believes it is a way for her to try out textures and colors before making larger pieces. She recalls her teacher describing jewelry as “‘it’s sculpture that people can wear.’ Which I love, and it just feels like there’s endless ways to create art that people can wear.”

“My cups are really focused on surface designs. I do like little doodles of faces and things, but I am always kind of exploring new kinds of mediums. My ceramic jewelry is mostly porcelain, and I kind of just lean into playful and fun shapes, and putting things together that I haven’t seen really before out there,” Seligman said. 

As for her doodling, Seligman’s ceramics feature wonderful, vivacious faces. She recalls doodling these faces on her notebooks since Junior High, taking something instinctual and turning it into her brand. 

“You know how people just like mindlessly draw things in class? It’s always just been faces, I also just like goofy art,” Seligman said. “The first few that I made felt kind of vulnerable. I took them to a market, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is kind of embarrassing.’ But then the way people responded to them was so fun. 

Ceramics and pottery represent so much more than just art to Seligman — they serve as a community. She recalls that after historically working remotely, the studio has provided her with a physical space to find a collective. According to Seligman, ceramic artists are “rad.” They are extremely willing to help each other out, and she has found wonderful friendships at her studio. 

“It’s just, yeah, it’s a very sweet community, very supportive. Everyone’s kind of ready to drop anything to help people with markets or whatever. The way that the membership is set up, you can go anytime, and then you’re introduced to people you wouldn’t otherwise meet in your life,” Seligman said. 

As for her art journey, Seligman is happy with her current direction. She loves that her art brings joy to people, and she hopes to continue learning from her peers. 

“It’s just so important to find things where you can be light and playful. And you don’t have to be good,” Seligman said. “Like I am not, and I traditionally have not been very good at art in general, and so I just think it’s leaning into what brings you joy rather than like how you are perceived around it.”

Written by Cori Caplinger