Heidi Morel didn’t realize that moving to Alaska with a last name the same as a popular wild mushroom would be so good for business.
“Texas in general is not a foraging mecca like it is here in Alaska,” Morel said. “I moved here in 2008 … I had no idea my name was a mushroom — not one bit. Within 24 hours of arriving it was all, ‘Like the mushroom.’”
Morel moved to Fairbanks sign-unseen to attend graduate school at UAF. Prior, she had been living in Tennessee as a resident artist at East Tennessee State University after attending college at the University of North Texas.
“I don’t even think I could point to Fairbanks on a map at that point, if I absolutely had to, being 22 and like, ‘Whatever,’” Morel said.
After meeting her partner in school and giving her the push she needed, Morel began Morel Pottery Clay Studio in 2013 out of her home in the Goldstream Valley. For the majority of her time running her business, Morel also coached the swim team on a part time basis.
“The first year I started running the business without coaching I kind of went balls to the wall, every event, every show, and this year I kind of realized, ‘I am one person, I will always be one person,’ she said. “I make as many pots as I can. I do as many shows as I can. There are a lot of things that are used in everyday life that are made by machines, but if you can touch something handmade, it gives you a little bit of humility.”
Morel’s life was turned upside down after a miscarriage and the death of her mother almost exactly a year later. She said she needed a personal reset.
“I kind of went the other way, I started making pots about sunshine and happiness,” Morel said. “Even when sad things happen there is still joy to be had, especially after my mom passed away — it was weird to find something funny to laugh at. Why does art have to be sad and angsty, even when sad and angsty things happen?”
Most of Morel’s work is available at vendor events across the state, although she does sell her work online as well. She has pieces available for purchase at Salted Roots in Seward, and The Bear Gallery in Fairbanks.
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.
