The Maker's Playbook

Send us Fan Mail I thought about cutting this episode into 2 parts, but I just didn’t know where to pause this conversation, so settle on in because Sherrod and I just don’t stop. We’re two impassioned Scorpios who didn’t realize we were going to find such a fast connection so needless to say, we got a little carried away. And as two fire signs, we also get fired up, so there is a bit of cursing i...

Send us Fan Mail How do you go from a farm with a woodfire kiln and two potters to an industrial warehouse that already feels too small? Vision. And a bit of luck. At least, that's what worked for Alex Matisse, founder and chief strategic officer of the one and only Eastfork Pottery. On this episode, Alex shares insights into the pros and cons of growing such a large, successful business and...

Send us Fan Mail This week I'm catching up with one of my first ever potter friends, Angela Venarchik. As I was properly learning ceramics for the first time, Angela was preparing to quit her day job and go full-time with her pottery business. She taught me tricks to be more efficient with my throwing, and I shared business knowledge I'd learned over the last decade of entrepreneurship....

Send us Fan Mail When I first started learning photography, what made it so overwhelming was the number of variables. Not just stand-alone variables (like the effect humidity has on my hair) but intersecting variables. If I change my shutter speed, what does that do to the effects of the ISO or the aperture? But at the same time, if I start changing everything at once, then I really have no freaki...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever thought about WHY you're taking the photos you're taking of your pots? Do you pull out your camera and just start shooting because you feel obligated? Or do you start photographing knowing what the photos you're taking are specifically going to be used for? This week, week 3 (out of 4!) of the Photography Extravaganza, I'm talking about the 3 prim...

Send us Fan Mail “What camera should I buy to have better photos?” It's a question I get asked more times than I can count. And if it's not that question then it's a close version of it:  - “Can I take good photos without a real camera? Only with my cell phone?” - "But I don't have a swanky kitchen with marble countertops to make my photos look like that..." All of th...

Send us Fan Mail The other week I asked all of you to tell me what you struggle with the most with photography over on our Instagram stories. One brave person said - “I”m not sure I even know what a good photo is.” I had one of those smack your palm to your head moments as a teacher and coach where you realize after 11 years, there is so much I take for granted and don’t fully break down when teac...

Send us Fan Mail It's a bonus episode! Normally this is our "off" week for publishing the podcast, but I have something very exciting in-store... I'm preparing a  month-long series of upcoming episodes specifically about photographing your work. In order to do that, we'll be taking the next 2 weeks off, so I cued up this very special bonus episode with the one and only Rya...

Send us Fan Mail Do you ever think about what happened BEFORE the Instagram photos? Or BEFORE your favorite potter hit 25 thousand followers?  The years of saving money, the months of trial and error, the delays because of things outside our control, and the sacrifices made because we want this crazy dream - to make a living from the things we make - so freaking badly… Well, that’s exactly what So...

Send us Fan Mail Have you been dreaming of taking your ceramics work full-time? That’s probably a stupid question, isn’t it? Don’t we all dream of that? I’ve discussed with a number of our past podcast guests about what it took for them to go full-time. Some of their stories were planned transitions and some just kind of happened... But, there’s been a common thread between everyone in all of thes...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back my friends. For those of you that are new to our little slice of the podcasting world, I publish this show 3 out of every 4 weeks. And on that 4th week (which was last week) I send out my top photography tips for ceramicists and other makers. This last week was all about how to photography glossy glazes!! One of the most popular questions I get asked. So if you missed...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder what it might be like in your very first year of full-time ceramics work? Take a peek behind the curtain of that very moment in time with Rachel Russell of Upper Call!   Click here for the full show notes, episode timeline, and links to any resources we discuss on this episode.   If you're struggling with the seemingly endless amount of decisions to be made in sta...

Send us Fan Mail At its core, I started this podcast to help the maker’s community with so many of the business struggles I’ve had to learn and overcome over the last 11 years of entrepreneurship. But frankly, my chat today with Soula Pefkaros of Golden Ratio Clayworks feels like exactly what I needed to hear for myself. We talk about managing customers expectations as a one-woman shop and solo ma...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back friends! For those of you who have just found our little slice of the podcast world, the Maker’s Playbook airs 3 out of every 4 weeks. On that 4th week (which was last week) I share my top photography tips of ceramicists and other makers on my email insiders list. If you missed out on last week’s tips, I shared my top 6 things to consider when buying a camera (or upgr...

Send us Fan Mail Diana & I dig into the limitations she’s coming up against in trying to balance a full-time job and Sample Haus - which - spoiler alert - Between the time we recorded this conversation and now, Diana has actually put in her notice! She’s going full time! So if you’ve been wondering about that yourself, this episode is definitely for you (and you know I’m already planning to ha...

Send us Fan Mail I'm catching up with my friend and fellow wedding photographer (who has a pottery side hustle too!) Kate McElwee.  We share how COVID made us unemployed for the first time in our lives, how pottery and other mediums bring us the creative exploration that we can’t really take in weddings, and… perhaps of most interest to many… we dish a few secrets on how, as photographers, we...

Send us Fan Mail This week I’m chatting with woodfire potter, Simon Levin. A self-proclaimed “evangelist of clay” who continually finds ways to bring educational resources outside of the traditional structure to the clay community. After over 30 years working as a full-time studio potter, there were almost endless subjects we touch upon in this conversation that could be entire podcast episodes on...

Send us Fan Mail This week is a little different than most of our episodes. As I've been listening back through some of the amazing interviews we've already had in this first month of the podcast, I'm noticing some common themes and I wanted to take a minute to pull some of those together. It’s my goal that these occasional solo episodes will help connect the dots on many of the com...

Send us Fan Mail This week I chat with a wonderful past instructor of mine, Sandy Lockwood. Sandy has been making and teaching ceramics for the last 40 years. As a teacher, she has the unique skill of being able to help guide her students in finding their own unique style and approach to the craft. And as a maker, her ability to capture movement in stationary pieces, while also showcasing the wond...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered whether or not you should set up an Etsy shop vs. your own website? This week, Emilie (Twinette Poterie) and I dig into that very subject plus the pros and cons of working out of a shared studio vs. your own space. Not to mention her transition from being a formally trained painter into finding her unique ceramics style with the ability to bring that painterly qualit...

Send us Fan Mail Stephen Phillips and I talk all about that constantly nagging itch in the back of our heads to take the leap and make ceramics a full-time career rather than a side-hustle. We dive into how Stephen planned out initially starting his studio after his plan for the “safe route” of teaching didn’t work, and how he would use that same approach in preparation to go full-time (but he&apo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we talk about the realities of transitioning from a full-time job to being a full-time potter and what it's like now that Kara and her husband's roles have actually switched when it comes to supporting the life they want. We also discuss the huge role our mindsets play in being able to succeed as an entrepreneur but also the tactical realities of chargin...

Send us Fan Mail A chat with Camille Beckles of Camille at the Wheel. Her iconic logo, which first drew me to her work, is a singular example of her clear commitment to knowing and owning her brand story. It's central to our conversation about representation in the art world, making work you actually enjoy making, and continuing to explore the meaning of that word "balance" when it...

Send us Fan Mail The debut episode of The Maker's Playbook! A podcast where we talk all about what it's really like to make a living from the things you make. This first episode is just a taste of what you can expect from The Maker's Playbook in the weeks to come. Every three out of four weeks, I'll have candid conversations with other makers about what life is really like. Occ...