“I have to throw a pot,” or “I have to check on my snakes,” are just some of the replies junior Joe Petty says when friends ask him to hang out. If Petty wasn’t busy enough with studying for his AP classes, winning first place at the eco meet, or organizing his robotics team, he also makes ceramics and breeds snakes. This well rounded student unearths his identities as a craftsman and herpetologist.

Nanae Urano: How often do you spend time making pottery?
Joe Petty: The hours change every day. It can be anything from an hour a day to 10 hours a day.

NU: How did you start making pottery?
JP: In second grade there was a project with clay, I was horrible with pen, pencils and markers but I loved using clay and that’s where the love came from. I started taking classes through middle school and then sophomore year got own pottery wheel.

NU: What do you enjoy creating the most?
JP: Horse hair fired pottery. It’s really natural and you never know what you’re gonna get as your final product.

NU: Do you do other forms of art?
JP: I only do ceramics. I consider myself more of a craftsman than an artist. I concentrate more of the overall function of the piece rather than the aesthetics.

NU: How do you sell your work?
JP: I used to sell my ceramics on Etsy but not as often anymore. I also sell them at the KC Holiday Show in December. Some people tell others what I do and if they ask I will make something for them.

NU: What is the price range for your ceramics?
JP: Mugs are $15 and the most expensive is a horse haired fired pot which could be as high as $150.

NU:When did you start breeding snakes?
JP: Freshman year, I was at summer camp and I heard about this guy talking about breeding snakes. I just thought if I could get the materials to breed them then it could become a really nice gig.

NU: What is the process of breeding snakes?
JP: The snakes are in a storage closet which I have revamped into a snake room. Every day I spot clean, or just regular maintenance, which aquires time. In October I cool down the rack which is a system that cools down the snake. December is when it will be the lowest temperature and I introduce the male cages to the female cages. This gets the males ready for the breeding that counts in the springtime. Beginning of March, I raise temp and the breeding process starts. Around end of April or beginning of May the eggs are laid and it takes around two months for them to hatch. There is no set schedule for the breeding process so you just have to keep watch.

NU: How many snakes?
JP: Currently, there are about 13 snakes.

NU: How have your parents reacted?
JP: There aren’t a lot of parents who can say their child breeds snakes so they are very supportive of what I do.