Ep 512: Working with Retailers with Steve Tubbs

Living abroad. Sometimes, it sounds like the solution to all of my problems. All I need to do is choose a country with national healthcare and town with relatively low cost of living, and TA DA! Making a living from the things we make is solved, right? Right? It can look incredibly romantic online - strolling through tiny streets seemingly too small for cars, surrounded by historic architecture and the depths of tradition for a craft we all love. But how does it actually work? Is it really that simple? Much like anything in life and business, there are pluses and there are minuses. And it’s up to each of us individually to put those things on a scale and decide what’s best for ourselves, individually. However, the decision gets a lot easier when you have more information on the metaphorical scale, which is exactly what this week’s conversation with Joy Hanford - an American born ceramicist who’s been living in Portugal for the last 20 years - is all about. Big Announcement!The 4 Most Common Instagram Photography Mistakes (and how to avoid them) is coming BACK! This is by far our most popular FREE photographic resource, specific for makers & potters and it's happening again on June 11th and 12th. Learn more and save your spot by visiting: makersplaybook.com/instagram-photographyGuest Resources:Joy Hanford's Instagram - @joyhanfordToday’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

Wholesale… The assumption is there’s no way to reasonably make a living, as a maker, by doing wholesale. But is that true? Since I’m generally pretty skeptical of any sweeping statement that says an entire concept doesn’t work for anyone, at all, I jumped at the opportunity chat with Steve Tubbs, an ex-retailer turned potter, when he mentioned his entire business is wholesale. While it might not work for everyone, it’s definitely working for him and the nothing-short-of-brilliant ordering schedule he has that allows him to plan out his entire year’s work by spring time!Guest Resources:Steve Tubbs Instagram - @stevetubbspotteryResources - https://www.stevetubbspottery.com/Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

You’ve taken a few classes at your local community studio and you know you want to make ceramics a larger part of your life. In fact, you want to build your own studio, but what does that even look like? And what might be all the tasks and overhead that community studio has been handling without you even realizing it? What is it actually like to start and run a community studio? While we’re at it, let’s complicate things a bit and open that community studio in one of the most expensive places to live in the country. Lindsay Langsdale is doing just that, in San Francisco, and we’re talking all about it on this episode of The Maker’s Playbook.The Maker's Photography Styling System is coming back! Get first dibs at your spot for this 6-week online course specifically for makers & potters by joining our waitlist at: makersplaybook.com/waitlistGuest Resources:Lindsay Langsdale's Instagram - with @lin.langResources -https://www.linlangcreative.com/Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

Having a collector buy our work... It sounds… amazing! Awe-inspiring? Relieving? Luxurious. All of the above really. But how does it even happen? During the 2024 NCECA conference, Coalescence, held in Richmond, VA I sat down with Peter Beasecker and Louise Rosenfield to chat about their perspectives as maker and collector on how building relationships with collectors begins and how we might each be able to consider fostering our own. Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

“Etsy vs. Your own website. Which is better?” It’s a question I see asked online endlessly. I see the responses fought over just as endlessly. But is it really an either/or? We dig into that on this next installment of our “The Launch” series - where I dig into the firsthand experiences Francesco & I are having in starting our own ceramics business. Spoiler - We’re using both Etsy and our own website, because there are pros and cons to both. And it’s those pros & cons we discuss in this episode so you can make the decision that’s right for you.Start back at the beginning of The Launch series by clicking here. If you find you are still overwhelmed by it all, the place deeper conversations are happening with supportive makers from all over the world is inside of our virtual home - The Community. Click here to join now and be a part of the Instagram Masterclass happening on April 25th (or to get the recording if you are seeing this after April 25th!).Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

I know I'm not the only one who finds social media to be exhausting. The idea of keeping up with trends sounds equivalent to nails on a chalkboard to me. But at the same time, I know there is a huge opportunity on social media. After all, Instagram alone has 2 billion  users. Enter Allie Mason. A data-based marketing strategist who understands that us solo-preneurs and small independent businesses don’t necessarily have the time (or the desire) to be spending all of our time keeping up with the ever changing world of social media. What Allie teaches focuses on using social media for what it can do for us all to grow our businesses, but not having it be our businesses. And I love it so much we're bringing Allie into The Community for a very special Masterclass specifically for makers on April 25th! This Masterclass is open to Community  members only.  To gain access, join The Community by clicking here. Guest Resources: Allie Mason's Instagram - with @thatalliemasonResources - https://bio.site/thatalliemasonToday’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

On this week’s episode I talk with founding Community member, Connie Cole, about her winding path to becoming a full-time potter. We discuss her battle with imposter syndrome, what finding a “gateway drug” has done for her business and the assault on creativity she’s experienced over time (and of course, how she’s battling against it!)Interested in joining other makers from all over the world in a safe & supportive environment online? Come check out The Community by clicking here.Guest Resources:Connie Cole's Instagram - @twocentsceramicsResources - https://twocentsceramics.com/Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

Feeling the FOMO because you aren't going to NCECA? Come hang out inside of The Community - Learn more & join for 1 month by clicking here.One of my favorite books: Deep Work by Cal Newport (purchasing the book through this link helps support the podcast!)Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

Do you get overwhelmed at the idea of making your studio practice environmentally friendly? It can seem impossible to figure out where to start and what actually makes an impact. The science of climate change is complicated at best, and more often than not confusing. Which is exactly why I’m so grateful for people like Yuliya Makliuk - a trained ecologist and potter. Yuliya recently wrote the book Potters Save the World: Learn to Make Sustainable Ceramics and Help Protect the Earth, and on this week’s episode we talk all about the process of self-publishing this important book as well as creating her own pottery amidst an ever changing reality of living in Ukraine. Guest Resources:Yuliya Makliuk's Instagram - @hereandnowpotteryResources - Potters Save the World by Yuliya Makliuk (click here to purchase using our affiliate link & help support this podcast!)Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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

The internet can be amazing for connecting us all to resources we wouldn’t otherwise have access to. But it can also be absolutely overwhelming. With so many people teaching online, how can we tell who actually knows what they are doing? How do we know (especially if we decide to pay) that they are actually qualified to teach us? I’m not talking about formal qualifications and diplomas here - obviously, there are plenty of problems with the traditional structures of arts education. But at the same time, there’s additionally the sneaky problem of online education not having any sort of barrier to access - literally anyone can call themselves a teacher on the internet.During Part Two of my conversation with Hope Limyansky-Smith, we dig into the pros & cons of being online educators and the ways in which we ourselves vet other educators we want to learn from as students ourselves. Before all of that, we also have a very important discussion on setting boundaries online both for ourselves and with each other so that we can continue to enjoy building new friendships online, which really is what makes being on social media great, isn’t it? Guest Resources:Hope Limyansky-Smith's Instagram - @limyanskystudiosToday’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic ArtBray Clay by the Archie BrayLove 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