It’s far too easy to look at a successful crafter and assume that you, too, can achieve that level of success. But here’s the thing: you can. Remember, the crafter you admire did not achieve that level of success immediately. Nor will you. And never forget the far greater number of crafters you can’t see, because they’re no longer in business.
The verdant hills and dark hollows that surround potter Keith Lahti’s home in the rugged Appalachian Mountains of central West Virginia belong to one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth. Exposed rock formations found along riverbanks and cliffs offer a timeline in geology and natural history reaching back to the earliest days of mankind and millions of years beyond. After working with clay for over 35 years in the shadows of this awe-inspiring environment, it’s little wonder that Lahti’s creations are so thoroughly infused with a sense and spirit of the past, even as he embraces a growing new niche market for memorial urns that has arisen in the 21st century.
My studio could qualify for a Guinness World Record for “world’s densest collection of matter.” I have a lot of stuff. When I get more stuff, I just squeeze it into tinier and tinier spaces around my other stuff. I swear,...
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I’m from a family of non-artists. Actually, a town of non-artists. Not only did we not know any artists, nobody knew anyone who knew an artist. Consequently, a kid who spent all her free time drawing and doodling (moi) was a strange ranger. Other habits set me apart. I was always looking at the ground, not because I was shy, but because I was a natural hunter-gatherer. I acquired a huge collection of rocks, driftwood bits and pretty shells early on. (Want to see my Petoskey stone collection?)
When you work a craft show, it should be obvious that you will be handling money. But how to handle money often isn’t so clear.
Free eBook: Bruce Baker Guide to Handcrafted Success. Click photo above.
Expert advice from Bruce Baker, who has run more than 500 workshops.
