The Mud Peddlers: Ceramic Art Behind the Scenes

Lindsey interviews Donte about his recent experience at NCECA, or the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. There's talk of new clays, celebrity meetups, how Donte managed his social battery...and some ceramics world royalty he got to meet >_>

If you didn’t go to NCECA, were there any shared stories from the event that inspired you? If you went to NCECA, what’s a favorite memory from the event?

Tell us in the comm...

It’s finally here.

Head to Clayscapes and get yourself Donte's new glaze.

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics...

Lindsey and Donte answer a question from listener @salnevarez_art about how to know what materials are going to become unavailable, and how to go about replacing an ingredient when it does. There’s talk of UMFs, glaze calculators, and way, way too many baking metaphors.

Do you have a burning question for The Mud Peddlers? Send it to Lindsey at lindseymdillon@gmail.com. 

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning profes...

Lindsey and Donte chat with Sue McLeod, a giant in the online ceramics education world. There’s talk of transitioning to full time ceramic work, creating a marketing approach that meets your needs, and how non science majors can experience an inviting approach to glaze chemistry. Donte also finally gets to ask Sue his burning questions about iron oxide…

What has your exposure been to glaze chemistry? Are you good to go with what you...

Lindsey and Donte chat with Ben Carter – host of Tales of a Red Clay Rambler, founder of The Brickyard Network, and general artist and podcaster extraordinaire!

There’s talk of how Ben got into clay and podcasting, how he’s made his career work for his mental and financial health, and why it’s important to “look at the footnotes”. 

Plus, some of the most inspiring advice you could ask for.

Mentions:

Winnie Owens-Hart: Her book is forth...

Lindsey and Donte return after a break for the first episode of 2025! They chat about the highlights and lessons learned from 2024, as well as what 2025 has in store. There’s talk of changing work/life balances, glaze development, new classes, new glazes, the upcoming NCECA clay convention, and how to bring a little bit of Star Wars energy into your life.

What’s one success you can celebrate from 2024, big or small? Let us know in t...

Lindsey and Donte chat about their experiences working with local businesses as another way to get their work out there. From pros and cons to best practices, these mud peddlers hope their stories will help you decide whether and how to tap into this part of your local creative economy.

Have you ever sold your work through a local business? What’s some advice you might share with someone thinking about doing the same?

Let us know in ...

Lindsey and Donte put together a list to help out with holiday gifts for clay people– whether you have a clay person in your life, or you are the clay person in your life. From classic quality-of-life picks to some potentially surprising suggestions, these mud peddlers hope you can find some inspiration in this holiday medley.

What’s one of the most helpful gifts you’ve ever received, ceramics-related or otherwise?

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About Your Ho...

**Election Day is Nov. 5th! Go to Vote.gov to find your local polling place and do a democracy!**

Lindsey and Donte discuss the many ways you can use sculpture to expand the way you decorate your functional ware (whether wheel-thrown or hand-built). There’s talk of clay types, sculptural techniques, and how you might avoid some common pitfalls – as well as some trickier territory like pursuing representative vs. abstract work and pu...

**Do you have your voting plan? ^_^ Grab a buddy and participate in democracy together (then go get some ice cream or cake or some cheese, cuz you deserve it ;) ) Check your voter registration and find your polling place at Vote.gov**

Lindsey and Donte introduce you to bentonite, a common ingredient in glaze-making. 

From basic traits to baking analogies, these mud peddlers do their best to explain what bentonite is and what it does ...

Lindsey and Donte chat about SacAnime Summer: the good, the bad, and the gross – gross income, that is…

There’s talk of table positions, the price of goblets, and the never-ending challenge of figuring out what fandom to focus on.

How do you evaluate your experience selling at an event? Do you sit down and write things out, have a discussion with friends…? Tell us in the comments or tag us on the socials!

P.S. If you enjoyed this epis...

Lindsey and Donte sit down to reflect on their experiences with Patreon. What’s been working? What have they changed? How can Patreon be useful for more than the income? They also dive into their perspectives on creating free community content vs content that’s behind a paywall, and what they want to bring their members in the future.

What do you think is the best way to balance sharing free vs paid content online? What appeals to o...

Big episode. Bigger career shifts. Biggest lessons learned. Join Lindsey and Donte for the 100th episode of The Mud Peddlers for where they’ve been and where they’re going. 

What’s your clay journey like been so far? Where would you like to go next?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

Join Lindsey and Donte for the 35th Anniversary show at Alpha Fired Arts in Sacramento, CA ...

Lindsey and Donte do their best to define the tricky thing that is heatwork. What is it? What things affect it? Why is it making Lindsey crave cake? They also talk about a big business development for Donte.

Curious for more information? Check out Sue McLeod’s blog about heatwork and pyrometric cones and Glazy’s article about heatwork: 

https://suemcleodceramics.com/do-you-put-witness-cones-in-every-firing/

https://help.glazy.org/conc...

Lindsey and Donte talk about some of the things that might not seem ceramics-related, but actually make an impact on us in the studio. From the fear of small, irregular holes to EV’s, these mud peddlers have plenty to talk about…

What non-clay thing has had an impact on your clay journey in terms of inspiration or tools?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

Referenced Resourc...

Lindsey and Donte introduce you to a few of the ingredients that make up a glaze. From talk of why Lithium isn’t just an Evanescence song to why you shouldn’t try and order “Rio” from your local clay store, they hope to give you a better understanding of these arcane ingredients that make glazes so dang pretty…

Have you ever looked at a glaze recipe and felt overwhelmed? What ingredient/material would you like us to introduce next?

D...

Lindsey and Donte talk about how to describe the skills you have in ceramics in language that goes on a resume. From keywords and imposter syndrome, to business English and code-switching, these mud peddlers have a lot to debate when it comes to describing what they do all day.

Have you ever put your ceramics skills on a resume?  Do you find it difficult to write in “business speech”?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a ...

Lindsey and Donte are havin’ a week. So while they wait for the coffee to kick in, they chat about what’s been occupying their minds recently, from the wildly unpleasant to the gloriously sublime. And like every geek these days, they’re spending some time talking about Baldur’s Gate. Join them at the 25:10 mark to skip the life updates and get to the classic clay content, where there’s talk of world-building, glaze chemistry, and p...

Lindsey and Donte go over the questions they ask themselves before agreeing to sell at an in-person event. It’s great to live in an area with lots of event options, but it can be hard to decide which one will be worth your valuable time and effort. While being a vendor is always a learning process, these questions are here to help you narrow down your options (and hopefully avoid some painful bumps on the learning curve).

What are y...