Marina Temkin is a potter in Washington, D.C. She got into making pottery on a whim, when she took a class at a local community studio and fell in love with clay—but quickly learned that making good pots requires a lot of hard work and vigor, hence her business name: Whim and Vigor. Marina loves to play with color, texture, and pattern, and she gets her inspiration from nature, museums, books, and conversations with creative friends. Her focus is on functional pieces because she wants her work to be loved and used often—folks who own her pieces tell her that they keep washing them to use over and over, even when there are plenty of other clean mugs or bowls in the cabinet! Marina wants her work to produce the kind of happiness that one feels when they get a hug from someone who cares about them—being enveloped in kindness, warmth, and love.