About

Hi, I'm Sherród! 👋🏾

It took me a long time to come to pottery, but it was time well spent. As soon as I could read I took to books about electronics. This lead me to computers and by fifth grade I was well versed in several programming languages. In high school, computers took a back seat to culinary arts, but a chef’s life was not for me. I spent two years at The College of William & Mary, majoring in Japanese Language and Printmaking, until a chance encounter with Tim Gunn (yes that Tim Gunn) led me to transfer to Parsons School for Design in New York City. I pursued a degree in Photography but after only a semester — and the best grades of my life — I decided to leave school to start a software shop with one of my best friends. That venture lasted three years and thereafter I pursued several very fulfilling software development and design positions, the last of which moved me to central North Carolina.

The first big thing I did in North Carolina was start a food media company with another best friend — Slice & Torte. WIth the knowledge of how to shape a brand from the ground up we explored many ventures: recipe development, podcasting, food tours, selling at a farmers market, and videography. A lifetime of skills converged into an exciting and thriving business. Then I took a beginner’s pottery class and everything changed. I quickly outpaced the basics of the class and began to practice the craft in earnest. So great was the impact of ceramics on me that I decided to move my life in a direction that 12-, 20-, and even 30-year-old me would never have expected.

Mid-2020 I decided that in order to take DEEP BLACK full time I would need stability and support. In November of 2020 I bought a house in the closest thing to my ancestral homeland — Portsmouth, Virginia. The house was specifically purchased for its 900 sq. ft. detached workspace, now known as the studio Temple. From here, the business continues to thrive in ways I never imagined possible.

DEEP BLACK was originally conceived as the physical embodiment of my aesthetic and ethos. In August of 2021, I had a profound magic mushrooms experience and the focus of the business began to shift. I realized my design sensibilities are merely a means to an end. I believe small, thoughtful, intelligent design choices work together to create a delightful experience. And this experience should be accessible to everyone, whether they have twenty or two-hundred dollars to spend. This is why I create beautiful things that help you cultivate moments of joy, connection, and love.