The Mud Peddlers: Ceramic Art Behind the Scenes

Lindsey and Donte talk websites: why they think they're important, how they built theirs, the challenges they ran into along the way, and some tips that might be helpful for those looking to build their first website. They try their best to stay on topic as the one subject of websites brings up debates about websites vs Etsy, artist statements, and shipping. But don't worry, it's not a Squarespace...

Lindsey and Donte talk imposter syndrome -- what it is, how they've dealt with it, and how Donte *definitely* doesn't have it. No sir. They also discuss the importance (or lack thereof) of awards, and the difference between confirmation and validation. Also, they have their first sponsor! The Mud Peddlers listeners get 10% off by visiting  foundfamiliar.com/themudpeddlers and using Discount Code:...

Four ceramic artists walk into a Skype call... Lindsey and Donte chat with Becca and Ryan of Wheel Talk podcast. There's talk of podcast and friendship origin stories, social media, business development, selling venues, work/life balance, artist heroes...and Donte and Lindsey begin to introduce Becca and Ryan to the world of anime conventions. Because they wanna be the very best, like no one ever...

Lindsey and Donte talk about their experiences and thoughts on making fanart and dealing with copyright issues. They discuss where the line in the sand is for them, resources for getting second opinions on your fanart, and how they navigate the sea of gray area. Also, they are 110% not lawyers. Just sayin'.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who mak...

Lindsey and Donte discuss their artistic styles. Proverbial wine glasses in hand, they ruminate over such questions as: How long does it take to develop an artistic style? Does one find one's artistic style, or does it emerge from one's cumulative experiences? What does it mean to make someone's head explode..?   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who...

In this fun extra episode, Lindsey and Donte share their post-interview thoughts about their chat with Jon the Potter. They discuss what stood out most to each of them, share what they were nervous about, and wrap up with some reflection on being around people who are different than you.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe...

Lindsey and Donte sit down for a virtual chat with ceramic artist and Youtube star Jon the Potter. Amidst conversation about time management and business development, we hear how Jon navigates changing priorities, learning new skills, and his alternate reality career. A big thanks to all of you who sent us questions to ask Jon! About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional cer...

Lindsey picks Donte's brain about sponsorships. They cover what kinds of sponsorships are out there, views on competition in the world of ceramic Youtubers, and things to consider to help you enjoy and benefit from your partnership. We also learn that Donte definitely isn't a tropey anime girl..not at all...it's not like he likes you or anything...   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-w...

Lindsey and Donte share their answers to your most burning questions. There's talk of foggy mirrors, broken ankles, marriage, and Windex...indexes...dyslexia...?   Thanks to @artslinger111, @whereismyremote, @robotronink, and @andrewkcurry for their questions this week!   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dishware, and crea...

Lindsey and Donte discuss the medium of their careers: clay. They share which clays they've worked with, how those clays differ from one another, and what they might recommend for folks either getting into clay for the first time or looking to experiment. With words like like cream cheese, butter, exfoliation, garbage...and baby poo...these mud peddlers are gettin' real high-brow this week.   Abou...

In this end-of-the-year episode, Lindsey, Donte, and special guest Natasha (@tashathrowsraw) reflect on what changes this last year has brought them, and what they hope to focus on in 2021. There's talk of shifting from a hobby practice to a monetized one, honing in artistic styles and business practices, navigating social media after getting a big boost in exposure, creative solutions to minimal...

Lindsey and Donte discuss their day jobs: how and why Lindsey quit hers, and what it would take for Donte to quit his. About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dishware, and creature sculptures. She has been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Her supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's...

Lindsey and Donte discuss how they navigate the great December dungeon crawl of the holiday season. There's talk of which events to go to, what designs to sell, and thoughts on maintaining perspective while crying it out over the remains of their best laid plans.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dishware, and creature sc...

Lindsey and Donte share some specific, practical tips that might have helped them level up a bit faster. Amidst the talk of ergonomics, slow-drying, and the best way to avoid upsetting your grandma, they examine some of the assumptions and cultural norms that shaped what they thought of as good pottery and what a high-level artist looked like. A special thanks to Sue McLeod, who came up in our dis...

Lindsey and Donte discuss the ins and outs of commissions. We hear how they decide whether to take a commission, what they've learned from past mistakes, and how they navigate the sometimes challenging dance of artist-client relations. Donte and Lindsey may or may not have some stylistic differences.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerd...

We all know it's been one hell of a year, and a lot of us are feeling a LOT of different emotions. So this episode, Donte and Lindsey talk about just that -- their emotions. They discuss the "proper" response to random acts of tears, they note the value of going on a "therapist date", and we hear Lindsey ramp up from 0-100% on the "Am I seriously crying on my own podcast?" scale.   About Your Host...

Thanks to a suggestion from Renee of @saltwaterstoneware, Lindsey and Donte share some of the stranger aspects of clay culture. There's talk of kiln gods and coping mechanisms, kiln gender and critical thinking, and Donte's favorite way to start a religion. Hint: it involves hamsters.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dis...

Lindsey and Donte discuss how they reconcile life's demands with the finite nature of time. We follow Lindsey's journey paring down hours at her part-time job before going full-time artist, and learn that Donte fits work into an hour like an anime nerd fits cosplays into a suitcase.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dishw...

Lindsey and Donte share how they price their work. There's talk of formulas and intuition, outside opinions and internal principles, and -- last but not least -- pigs and elephants.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dishware, and creature sculptures. She has been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally sin...

In this special extra episode, Lindsey and Donte take a moment to thank all of you for making the rollout of The Mud Peddlers so exciting, and shoutout the folks who taken the time to write a review on Apple Podcasts. They discuss what it was like to start something totally new, what editing your own voice is like, and they join the thousands of people who have seen themselves and asked, "Does my...

Lindsey and Donte share their experiences and tips about tabling at conventions and fairs. They cover how to use the zombie-apocalypse crowds to your benefit, when you *don't* want to maintain eye contact, and how to do the hardest thing at an anime convention -- stop talking about anime.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe...

Lindsey and Donte share how they navigate the wide world of social media. There's talk of what it means to be "spammy", how to satisfy the algorithm and stay sane (maybe at the same time), and how they approach branding. Also sunset walks with sorcerers.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dishware, and creature sculptures....

Lindsey and Donte share how their business has grown from where it began to where it is now. There's talk of rent bills and studio fees, part-time jobs and cases of mistaken identity at conventions. And Donte might be a vampire.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dishware, and creature sculptures. She has been working in c...

Lindsey and Donte share how they got started in ceramics and how they met. There's harrowing tales of getting mono in high school, the proper way to react to a bad breakup, and why it may not be the best idea to bring an 18-inch vase to a pub.   About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes nerdy mugs, cafe dishware, and creature sculptures. She has be...