1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 &amp;nbsp; &quot;The Art of Looking: Rebecca Wood on Color, Clay, and Nature” There's something deeply comforting about sitting down with someone who has spent their entire life following what genuinely brings them joy, and this conversation with Rebecca Wood is exactly that kind of gift. Host Lesley Platek welcomes listeners into a conversation about creativity, patience, and the slow, unglamorous work of building something meaningful from scratch — a reminder that the most beautiful things in life rarely happen on a fast timeline. Rebecca Wood came to Athens in 1975 during the city's legendary arts and music boom, earned her art degree from UGA in 1977, and never left. What started as hand-painted fabrics and jewelry sold out of a Saturday shop on Dubose Street eventually grew into R.Wood Studio, now one of the largest pottery studios in America. Along the way, Rebecca shares the winding, often penniless path that led her there — from wanting to be an archaeologist and a weather girl, to painting portraits in Atlanta, to a life-changing $19,000 check from a Neiman Marcus buyer who believed in her before she'd even mastered ceramics. Rebecca's early life in the woods outside Atlanta, and how that unstructured freedom shaped her as an artist The scrappy, joyfully broke years in 1970s Athens, when $100 a month covered rent, food, and art supplies How a chance order from Neiman Marcus and an 18-year partnership with Sundance Catalog helped R.Wood Studio grow Her hiring philosophy (she hires for spirit, not resumes) and the tight-knit, supportive culture at the studio Her deep love of Japanese ikebana flower arranging and why staying connected to nature matters more than ever The conversation closes on something quieter and more personal: Rebecca's lifelong pull toward nature, her monthly &quot;Love Notes&quot; essays, and her belief that beauty and stillness are things people need now more than ever. As R.Wood Studio celebrates its 35th anniversary, this episode is as much a portrait of Athens' creative spirit as it is of one woman who built a life around color, craft, and looking closely at the world around her. Classic City Rewind with Lesley Platek https://sites.libsyn.com/600495 <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/42213630/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/42213630