The Maker's Playbook

Rebecca Ickes Carra
  • 4.8 (105)
  • ARTS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY
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. 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.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Ep 605: Finding Your Niche with Sue McLeod

    A self-described “failed production potter” Sue McLeod still very much makes her living from ceramics. Yet, she doesn’t make her living from actually making pots… As is true with any industry, we often forget just how many different supporting and tangentially related sub-topics and professions there are available to us. And, at least for me, when we start to see those, a whole myriad of options opens up to how we just might make this crazy dream - of making a living from the things we make -...

    1h 17m

  2. DEC 6

    Ep 604: Working with Intention with Bill Schwenzer of Aliveguy Pottery

    Described as the most supportive guy on the internet by numerous people, today’s interview with Bill Schwenzer feels long overdue. Better known as Aliveguy Pottery, we talk about his career transition from corporate quality control to clay, his commitment to thoughtful encouragement online and his unique approach to delayed gratification all while continuing to push himself outside of his comfort zone and not get too bogged down in analyzing. Resources in this Episode:Bill's InstagramThe...

    1h 36m

  3. NOV 15

    Ep 603: Receiving Delayed Attention with Stanley Tong

    I reached out to chat with Stanley after seeing his “Thoughts and Prayers” series - a powerful body of work creating strong visuals on the actual effects of a bullet striking a form. A series, he actually made more than a year ago. And yet, only recently and quite suddenly, has gotten quite a lot of recognition. We talk about how the series came about and what’s happened in the year since, as well as the time he’s taking to figure out the next steps, instead of letting the internet push him i...

    1h 12m

  4. NOV 8

    Ep 602: The Catharsis of Supporting Others with Tim Clark

    If you weren’t learning how to carve intricate designs in sourdough bread in 2020, odds are, you might have been learning how to make pottery. And while this is true for today’s guest, Tim Clark, that wasn’t all. Tim also was learning how to make pottery and navigate the rest of life after a spontaneous tear of the retina left him half blind. There seems to be quite the thru line for many of us finding pottery as a therapeutic thing, but Tim has taken this one step farther, in starting the Bl...

    1h 27m

  5. NOV 1

    Ep 601: Staying Okay (even when your business isn’t) with Clare Barboza of Poppy Bee Surfaces

    How do you stay okay even when it doesn't feel like your business isn't going well? Because while we might feel pulled to log the long hours and push ourselves to "work harder" to "grind it out," in reality, we can't really come up with new, interesting, creative solutions when we're exhausted or stressed or frankly, freaking out. As foolish as it might feel to get up and go for a walk instead of "being productive" it might also be exactly that walk that brings you a clever idea to turn thing...

    1h 19m

  6. OCT 25

    {Replay} Ep 206: Why Your Sales Results have Nothing to do with the Value of Your Work

    We're quickly approaching 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. Looking for help to increase you...

    43 min

  7. OCT 18

    {Replay} Ep 116: Real life vs. Instagram with Sophia McEvoy

    Do you ever think about what happened BEFORE the Instagram photos? Or BEFORE your favorite potter hit 25 thousand followers? Off and on, many people will talk about the real-life vs. Instagram life, and there are plenty of hilarious memes floating around the internet about them, but I’d wager a bet that while many of us (myself included) are scrolling through IG, we are never actively reminding ourselves of what that maker’s life looked like before that photo… The years of saving money, ...

    56 min

  8. OCT 11

    {Replay} Ep 217: The Social Responsibility of Businesses (and side-hustles)

    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. Listen to The Launch series by clicking here.If you're looking for a group of welcoming and supportive colleagues, fellow makers who sim...

    46 min
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4.8
out of 5
105 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Rebecca Ickes Carra
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    149
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 The Maker's Playbook
  • Show Website
    The Maker's Playbook

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