Ep 619: Building a Creative Practice Across Continents with Eva Champagne
Send us a textAs makers, we often believe that stability - often in the form of continuous access to the same studio and materials - is essential for building a creative business, but Eva Champagne's nomadic journey reveals a different path. Throughout our conversation, Eva shares how she's built a ceramics practice while constantly relocating - from Florida to the Virgin Islands, Bali to Montana, and numerous residencies in between - by prioritizing experience and adaptation over permanence. Despite the challenges of restarting with new materials, kilns, and glazes in each location, Eva embraces this constant reinvention as part of her creative process. Rather than seeing her nomadic lifestyle as an obstacle, she's transformed it into a strength, connecting with ceramic communities worldwide and developing a unique artistic voice that thrives on curiosity and discovery. Could insatiable curiosity and a willingness to constantly try new things be a new approach to unlocking something new for your own creative journey?Resources in this Episode:Evas' InstagramLove this podcast? Support an episode! Click here to learn more. Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybookHave questions about the show or want to say Hi? Email us at: podcast (at) makers-playbook (dot) com
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Ep 618: A Journey to Gallery Ownership with AnnMarie Cooper of Good Earth Gallery
Send us a textAs makers, we often envy others' seemingly polished creative lives without seeing the winding path they took to get there. AnnMarie Cooper's journey from gallery employee to pottery gallery owner, cohorts program manager, and shared studio founder reveals how real artistic careers evolve through countless iterations - from taking community college classes and working in an 80-square-foot backyard shed to finding her voice through unexpected owl designs. Her story reminds us that the current stage of any maker's journey was built on multiple transitions, space adjustments, and boundary-setting exercises that responded to both creative and family needs. Behind every Instagram-worthy studio or established gallery lies years of gradual growth, experimentation, and community-building that transformed initial passion into sustainable creative practice.Resources in this Episode:AnnMarie s' InstagramLove this podcast? Support an episode! Click here to learn more. Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybookHave questions about the show or want to say Hi? Email us at: podcast (at) makers-playbook (dot) com
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Ep 617: Part Two with Amy Roadman
Send us a textMissed Part One? Listen here!Having established her community studio through careful listening and intentional growth, Amy Roadman now faces the challenge many creative entrepreneurs encounter: balancing business sustainability with personal fulfillment. What happens when you're finally the boss but struggle with pricing your work, protecting your creative time, and growing at the right pace? In Part 2, Amy shares how she navigates charging what she's worth (especially when protecting her team's time), finding resources through local grants and networks, and creating a business model that honors both her lifestyle goals and financial needs. Her journey reveals that perhaps the truest measure of success isn't found in rapid scaling or maximizing profit, but in building a creative business that provides both community connection and enough personal freedom to remember why you started making in the first place.Resources in this Episode:Amys' InstagramAs always, the options are practically endless for figuring out what version of a maker business or side-hustle works for your unique life. And, as always, if you're looking for help figuring out what version of maker business fits your specific life circumstances right now, there are 100 other makers from all over the world having these very conversations inside The Community, including Amy! Click here if you want to learn more about the perks of Community membership (joining supports the creation of this very podcast!)Love this podcast? Support an episode! Click here to learn more. Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybookHave questions about the show or want to say Hi? Email us at: podcast (at) makers-playbook (dot) com
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Ep 616: The Slow Growth Community Studio with Amy Roadman (Part 1)
Send us a textTransitioning from classroom teaching to entrepreneurship - In some ways it’s a huge shift, in others, it can be all too easy to maintain the old habits of overworking and prioritizing others’ needs over your own. So many of us can struggle with finding the balance between serving our communities or caring for ourselves. Is it possible to start a business and protect your own creative needs while helping others? What would that even look like? Amy Roadman's journey of launching a community pottery studio reveals how listening closely to student feedback (from class scheduling to glaze options) transformed her teaching approach and business model while preventing burnout. Her story reminds us that rapid growth and 100s of thousands of internet followers isn’t always necessary for success. Instead, perhaps the deliberate practice of slow growth can produce a small business that sustains the life you actually want to have.Be sure you've subscribed to this podcast wherever you're listening so you don't miss out on Part Two!Resources in this Episode:Amys' InstagramAs always, the options are practically endless for figuring out what version of a maker business or side-hustle works for your unique life. And, as always, if you're looking for help figuring out what version of maker business fits your specific life circumstances right now, there are 100 other makers from all over the world having these very conversations inside The Community, including Amy! Click here if you want to learn more about the perks of Community membership (joining supports the creation of this very podcast!)Love this podcast? Support an episode! Click here to learn more. Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybookHave questions about the show or want to say Hi? Email us at: podcast (at) makers-playbook (dot) com
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Ep 615: The Importance of Mentorship with Lisa Orr
Send us a textHere on the podcast, we often talk about the delicate balancing act between creative fulfillment and business sustainability - a struggle that can feel overwhelming without guidance. What if finding the right mentor could be the pivotal moment that transforms your creative practice and career trajectory? When Lisa Orr sought out Betty Woodman as a mentor, it completely shifted her perspective on materials, giving her permission to pursue colorful earthenware despite the stoneware-dominated ceramics world of the 1980s. Through her journey from studying with established potters to international research and eventually becoming a mentor herself, Lisa reveals how these relationships provided not just technical knowledge but practical business skills alongside the confidence to challenge current assumptions. Could the difference between struggling in isolation as an artist and building a sustainable decades-long pottery career be found in actively seeking mentorship and finding your creative community?Resources in this Episode:Lizas' InstagramLooking for your own creative community? THE Community is the place to be! With over 100 makers from all over the world, The Community is where you can dive deeper into any of the topics we’ve started talking about here on the podcast. Whether it’s the debate back on episode #509 about choosing between Etsy or your own website, or trying to sort out what type of side-hustle or full-time business works for your own personal life after hearing so many different kind of stories here on the podcast, if you’ve been listening along and find yourself wishing for more at the end of an episode, The Community is that more. Learn about more of the perks of membership by visiting makersplaybook.com/community or send me a message and I can put you in touch with one of our members to get an insider’s perspective.Love this podcast? Support an episode! Click here to learn more. Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybookHave questions about the show or want to say Hi? Email us at: podcast (at) makers-playbook (dot) com
A podcast where we talk all about what it's really like to make a living from the things you make. Featuring candid interviews with other ceramicists and makers, as well as helpful business tips to make your side-hustle into a life-giving, viable business.
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