The Mud Peddlers: Ceramic Art Behind the Scenes

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 production space, doing a wholesale order for the first time, developing glazes, making sculptures, opening a web store...it's been quite the year for our three clay goobers.

Shoutouts:

Echeri Ceramics (@echeri_ceramics and https://echericeramics.com/)

Made of Australia (@madeofaustralia and https://madeofaustralia.com/)

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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 discussion of specific gravity. https://suemcleodceramics.com/

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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 since 2014. Her supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)

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 face do that?"

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 ok, she'll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 30k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.

Find Lindsey

Website (https://www.lindseymdillon.com/)

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseymdillon/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindseymdillon/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lindseymdillon)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lindseymdillon)

Find Donte

Website and online store (https://www.earthnationceramics.com/)

Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics/posts)

Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/earthnationceramics)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/earth_nation_ceramics/)

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthnationceramics)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EarthNationCeramics/)

Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y)