It’s taken me longer than expected to finish writing this episode. But I suppose that should come as no surprise given the constant influx of world news being thrown at us. At times like this, just like in 2020 and so many other moments of social awakening in the last few years, our work as artists can feel disconnected with the immediate needs of the world. On this week’s solo episode, I’m peeling back the curtain on how I process that for myself. Alongside my originally planned episode of discussing a few of the various business models you can choose in order to create a business that serves your life and not the other way around.

Do you think of the word “business” as a dirty word? Does the idea of starting a business seem like the last thing that might bring about the change we so desperately need in the world? Could a business possibly do as much good for our communities as a non-profit organization? Well, this week’s podcast guest is building a business on their terms. And it’s one creating quite an impact. Phi Le has built their community pottery studio, Illuminated Clay, specifically focused on not only providing a safe space for people often not included in traditional structures but also a space that can provide resources to historically marginalized groups regardless of their ability to pay. And Phi is only just getting started…

Burnout - If it wasn’t a word in your vocabulary before 2020, it probably is now. It’s a topic talked about a lot in the land of the self-employed and generally, the tactics for avoiding it are always given by someone who’s just recently, slowly, crawling out of it. But don’t worry - Nicole Dacey and I aren’t going to give you any of those tactics you’ve heard a million times. No, instead, we settled in for a simple, candid, straightforward conversation about the twists and turns your career can take and the many ways burnout can show up even when you are doing things you love.

What if you set up your life around one non-negotiable? How would that inform the decisions you make every day? How would that change your day-to-day schedule - where you live, what you choose to do for work (if it’s outside of the non-negotiable), how you commute… all of it. Maybe it’s a radical idea, but when I heard today’s podcast guest, Mike Tavares, describe this decision it was a big lightbulb moment.

What’s the through-line for everyone thinking about going full-time with their art? Or even for those who are already full-time and self-employed? No matter what, aside from a slightly obsessive passion for our craft the big elephant in the room for us all is Risk. And today’s podcast guest stared risk in the face and said yes anyway. She said yes to moving cross country and yes to taking on the overhead of a storefront studio in the hopes of propelling her business farther forward than she ever has before. Listen in to hear how Leila Srouji of Tierra Madera is managing all of these big changes as a full-time, self-employed maker.

Our first ever panel is on the podcast this week! I’m chatting with not one, but two of the founding members of the Village Potters Clay Center in Asheville, North Carolina - a brilliant community studio that clearly has cracked the code on not only helping potters and artists push themselves creatively but also in creating sustainable partnerships and viable businesses.So basically, they are all living the dream…

Today, my photography tips come directly from a recent email conversation I was having with another maker about how things “should” look on Instagram. As in, do all of your photos have to have the same colors so the feed looks cohesive? Do you need to have a pattern to your posts? At the heart of all of these questions about the look of photos and the flow of a feed on Instagram to me was one thing: Your Style. Because the specifics of whether or not you have a pattern or whether or not it’s all one color, are less important than making sure everything feels cohesive together.

Photography can be overwhelming if you don’t have an efficient system for it. But it is possible to have an efficient system for it! And if you don’t believe on that - because you’ve been totally exhausted and frustrated by the google search results so far... Well, I’ve asked a few past students to share their experiences on the podcast.

Have you ever thought, "If I only had a larger Instagram following then..." But have you thought about what it would really take to do that? How many hours it would take to create the content to grow that audience? There's no one that knows that reality much better than the one and only Curt Hammerly of Hammerly Ceramics.

Our final new interview episode before a little holiday and end-of-year break is an insightful one. So often all of us can feel like we're behind... As if we could be so much farther along with our making practices or small business had we only known 10 years ago that this is what we were going to want to do. But what if all those disparate life experiences are actually creating the precise set of skills you might need in the future to in fact launch your business? In big and small ways, that's precisely what's been true for Kisha Reed of Peaks Candles. On this episode, she and I chat about the unintended benefits of having worked and studied on a variety of topics, as well as the perks of quietly launching a business.

I've heard it said more than once by makers of many kinds: Being a self-employed artist isn't a job you turn off. It's more a way of life. There are certain choices we can make that can make life more stressful or more in tune with the kind of business (and making practice!) we want to have. This approach to building a life came up once again in my conversation this week with Bryan Hopkins.

It's the holiday season and makers around the world are hustling to get their listings online and take advantage of increased sales during this time of year. But what if your sales aren't going as planned? What if you haven't sold as much as you'd hoped? What if you haven't sold ANYTHING? What does it all mean?On this solo episode of the podcast, I'm talking about 2 words that get a bad reputation in the arts - sales & marketing. If taking photos for all of those online listings is exhausting to you, be sure to download our free Photography Cheat Sheet for a quick to implement 3-step process for taking better photos faster, even if you're just using your cell phone.

Is there a singular aspect of your craft that you love above every other step of the process? For the ceramicists that are listening, there are SO many steps to our process! Making clay, building or throwing, trimming, glazing, firing... And there's seemingly endless options within any given one of those steps. How are we supposed to become proficient in all of these things?! Well, today's guest on the podcast would argue - Maybe you aren't supposed to try and master every single step?

When I first started this podcast I wanted to make sure that we had a diverse breadth of stories. In fact, it was paramount to the focus of what this podcast would be. I was looking out onto the internet for how other ceramicists and makers made a living from the things they make, and all I really saw was one example - people hustling on Instagram to grow an audience, push that audience to Etsy or an online store, do a massive shop update, then lose their minds with packaging and shipping for a couple of days, and do it all over again. There had to be other options out there, and thus… The Maker’s Playbook podcast was born... And on this week's episode, I'm excited to be filling a gap we've had in our interviews! This week I chat with David T Kim, an independent, full-time ceramicist, living and working in Chicago, focused predominately on creating custom work for some of the greatest restaurants the city has to offer.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "well, if I had that many followers, than I could sell more and quit my full-time job. Getting more followers is the solution to all my small business dreams!" Or perhaps, you've been watching a bit of TV and thought, “Well, if I was on the Great Pottery Throw Down, I could quickly increase my audience size, sell loads of pots, quit my full-time job and all of life's problems would be solved!" So, the question is: Is that the key to success? A big break like that? Well, today's podcast guest has some firsthand experience (and perhaps, some surprising insights). Rosa not only got to be on the Great Pottery Throw Down in Season 3, but she won the whole darn thing! And while there's been great interest in the work that she made during the show, that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to spend all of her time making Alice in Wonderland tea sets…

So often I hear makers talk about what they “should” be doing. How they “should” start posting on Instagram or “should” sell at markets, or “should” sell online. But how many of us have stopped to consider what we prefer? What suits us the best? What is the route in business that is most natural to our personalities and our personal lives? Greta Michelle is crafting a business that not only suits her life, but also beautifully uplifts other local businesses from her home of Trinidad & Tobago. Listen in to this episode to get your own brainstorming started on how you might be able to partner with some of your favorite local small businesses to help support each other!

Season 2 is here! We are kicking things off with the one and only Sunshine Cobb. Sunshine and I dig right into it from the beginning. From sharing, oversharing, and the importance of boundaries as makers and educators, to diversifying income streams, to deciding what you are willing to give up to make these crazy full-time artist lives of ours work. We talk about moving cross country, the importance of mental health, self-care and how to sustain your art practice for the long run. This intro barely grazes the surface. There is A LOT in this episode!