After studying and practicing Japanese ceramics techniques for four months in Osaka, Japanese design principles such as wabi-sabi (the beauty of the natural and imperfect) became a direct influence on Kelsey Barton's work. This necessitates acceptance, encouragement, and appreciation of imperfection during her art-making process. She is drawn to organic and nonsymmetrical forms, as well as unexpected and sometimes irreproducible glaze and firing effects that make each piece one of a kind.