Barry Brickell
Driving Creek Potteries and Railway
Coromandel, Waikato, New Zealand
"The answer is having a passion and a vision, and not kowtowing to fashion, style or vogue."
Career Roadmap
Barry's work combines: Art, Engineering, and Building Things
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Education, General
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Knew from a young age that he wasn't great at academic work, but he always loved to sculpt, make pots.
2.
Everyone assumed he would go to university, get a degree and a stable job, but he wanted none of it.
3.
Reluctantly got a degree and became a schoolteacher; was so unhappy he quit after one year, went back to pottery.
4.
His dad told him making pots would be no way to support a family; Barry said, that's fine, I'm still going to do it.
5.
Lived in poverty, but always preferred wearing raggedy clothes and "being free" to wearing a suit and tie.
6.
His other interest was railroads: he invested all of his money on a plot of land and spent years building his own railroad.
7.
Estate came to be named Driving Creek Potteries and Railway-combined his two passions in one space.
8.
Says Driving Creek is successful because there's nothing else like it; "don't copy; be original."
