The Maker's Playbook

Sometimes, making art can feel less important as we scroll through the news and battle with all that’s happening in the world. How can the things we make battle racism? How can a pot positively influence the needs of climate change? It sounds a little silly. Until we realize that culture is what changes the world. And art is uniquely linked to affecting culture and thus, change. Today’s guest, Kristina Batiste, creates minimalist c...

There are few things in life I find more encouraging than finding colleagues who understand your life. With all do respect to our supportive loved ones, there’s just something different about the depth of conversation you can have with another person who understands how heartbreaking it can be when you bump that perfectly trimmed bowl you’ve been working on for days off the shelf or how thrilling it can be to sell your first pot. O...

When I hear people talk about boundaries and cutting back on work hours and all of that beautiful sounding work/life balance stuff, I assume the person preaching this has already reached a certain point of success. I think to myself, “Well, of course you can cut back on your work hours now. You already have -insert whatever- going for you, so it's safe to slow down." But what if the very reason for launching your small bu...

A lot of the time, we think about the benefits of in-person markets solely related to the sales we do on the specific day(s) of the market. But what if you thought a little bit more strategically? This week’s guest shares how she’s approaching selling at markets as a means of direct market research for who her ideal customer just might be… or not be.

Guest Resources:
Yvonne's  Instagram - @_yvonnerausch

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In this 3rd installment of "The Launch" series, I'm comparing the dynamics between small markets and multi-day art fairs, shedding light on the energy and small bit of acting skills needed for face-to-face sales. As made clear by so many past interviews here on the podcast, there is a huge value to the direct conversations we can have at markets for understanding our potential customers' interests, but the thing...

Most of the time, when I talk with other makers about taking the leap to go full time, we talk about the logistical things - having a bit of savings put away in case of emergency, understanding your numbers to make sure the pricing can support your necessities, getting an email list going in order to have ownership over your audience, etc. etc. etc. And while these things are indeed important, the unsung workhorse of being able to ...

A 4 day work week… it’s the thing of dreams. And, according to many many studies I’ve read about in many books, actually highly linked to better productivity and all sorts of other very business-savvy things that only a fool would say no to. But in all of those books I’ve read, the examples have been from companies that had teams. So it was very easy to tell myself excuse after excuse of why it could clearly work for a team, but no...

Episode 2 of the special The Launch series! This week I reflect on our first in-person market experience - just 6 short days after it happened. So yes, I'm still tired. :)
We also have some insightful questions from our Community members as our framework for this review on the highs and lows of our first market.

If you want to see the visuals from the market (including the booth setup and our most popular items ...

Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall while someone else starts a ceramics business? From the very beginning? Well, you’re in luck! In this new series - The Launch - I’m sharing (in as real-time as I can) the reality of what it’s like for Francesco and I to start our pottery business, Carra Terra. First up, what the last 2 years of twists and turns, starts and pauses, has been like and how that’s brought us to this summer of...

Commissions… I feel like it’s a four letter word when I talk to some potters. You see them physically tense up and take a deep breath ready to do battle with a fire breathing dragon. And I’ve always been a little bit confused by this because I kind of like them. Just add it to the list of the ways that it makes me a bit of a black sheep in the art world. You can slot it right next to my love of systems and routine and willingness t...

Do you feel like the time you spent in a previous career (or a current one) is just pulling you away from moving forward in clay? But have you ever considered that the “background knowledge” you have gained from other life experiences is actually part of creating your unique voice and style as an artist? In this week’s episode, Larissa Warren of Rat Bag Studios and I discuss how her previous career as a teacher directly influences ...

My chat this week with Gloria Han opens up so many bit and important conversations (spoiler: this means, there’s going to be a part two!). From getting into education because of a passion for teaching (rather than it being the automatic route after graduate school as it is for so many), to balancing contemporary work with traditional making practices, and encouraging new artists to consider the wisdom of generations of knowledge be...

When I sat down with Paul Blais of the Potter's Cast and a packed room of fellow makers at NCECA, we hit upon a lot of business subjects. Frankly, just one of the questions he threw my way could have been its own entire episode. So today I’m expanding on a few of those subjects in this solo episode. If there are still questions you had from that chat, send me over an email at podcast@makers-playbook.com and I’ll queue up anoth...

When I say “making a living” what do you think I mean? Do you immediately think of income and how much money you make? Or do you think of how you spend your time? Do you think of the balance between working hours and leisure hours? I don’t think there is one particularly correct answer, but on this episode of The Maker’s Playbook, our guest, Danny Meisinger does put this phrase into some very helpful perspective for those of us try...

It’s our final replay week! Season 4 starts out next week, with someone who has been on my personal bucket list to interview for quite a long time. Before that though! Our final replay of one of the most popular conversations from last year - with someone who I have absolutely loved watch grow over the last two years. Jackie Wright was one of the inaugural members of my very first cohort for The Maker’s Photography Styling System. ...

While I take a long overdue break from the screens, we're replaying some of our most popular episodes!

At the end of this original episode I reference The Community - our online home for makers. One of the coolest things about The Community (aside from being an amazingly supportive group of makers from all over the world rooting each other on and joining together to creatively brainstorm around the myriad of problems ...

While I take a long overdue break from the screens, we're replaying some of our most popular episodes! And it’s no wonder these 4 episodes are some of our most listened to over the last year, because as I compiled them, I realized they are all on topics that really never end… Just as I mentioned in our Live taping at NCECA (episode 335 in case you were curious), one of the most unexpected things about being a business owner is...

While I take a long overdue break from the screens, we're replaying some of our most popular episodes!

In the original episode, I referenced our 6-week photography course specifically for potters: The Maker's Photography Styling System. I'll be hosting this course again this year, but I don't quite know the exact dates just yet. If you are curious about it and want to be the first to find out when doors...