The Mud Peddlers: Ceramic Art Behind the Scenes

Lindsey and Donte sit down to reflect on their experiences with Patreon. What’s been working? What have they changed? How can Patreon be useful for more than the income? They also dive into their perspectives on creating free community content vs content that’s behind a paywall, and what they want to bring their members in the future.

What do you think is the best way to balance sharing free vs paid content online? What appeals to or repels you about how creators approach this topic?

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and shop – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and shop – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

Big episode. Bigger career shifts. Biggest lessons learned. Join Lindsey and Donte for the 100th episode of The Mud Peddlers for where they’ve been and where they’re going. 

What’s your clay journey like been so far? Where would you like to go next?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

Join Lindsey and Donte for the 35th Anniversary show at Alpha Fired Arts in Sacramento, CA on Saturday August 17th from 5-7pm.

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and shop – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and shop – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

Lindsey and Donte do their best to define the tricky thing that is heatwork. What is it? What things affect it? Why is it making Lindsey crave cake? They also talk about a big business development for Donte.

Curious for more information? Check out Sue McLeod’s blog about heatwork and pyrometric cones and Glazy’s article about heatwork: 

https://suemcleodceramics.com/do-you-put-witness-cones-in-every-firing/

https://help.glazy.org/concepts/temperature/

*CORRECTION*

In this episode, Donte and I talk about resources about heatwork on Digital Fire. While that website does have great information, the article that Lindsey read in preparation for this episode is actually on Glazy.org.

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

Referenced Resources:

Sue McLeod (@suemcleodceramics)

Glazy (Glazy.org)

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and shop – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and shop – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

Lindsey and Donte talk about some of the things that might not seem ceramics-related, but actually make an impact on us in the studio. From the fear of small, irregular holes to EV’s, these mud peddlers have plenty to talk about…

What non-clay thing has had an impact on your clay journey in terms of inspiration or tools?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

Referenced Resources:

For Flux’s Sake (https://open.spotify.com/show/6jgiddm9KnLrg8J6Wsch5H)

Mud Tools (mudtools.com)

Dirty Girls (dirtygirlspotterytools.com)

Garrity Tools (garritytools.com)

Xiem Tools (xiemtoolsusa.com)

Hand and Fire (handandfire.com)

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and shop – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and shop – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

Lindsey and Donte introduce you to a few of the ingredients that make up a glaze. From talk of why Lithium isn’t just an Evanescence song to why you shouldn’t try and order “Rio” from your local clay store, they hope to give you a better understanding of these arcane ingredients that make glazes so dang pretty…

Have you ever looked at a glaze recipe and felt overwhelmed? What ingredient/material would you like us to introduce next?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

Referenced Resources:

Digital Fire (digitalfire.com)

The Ceramic Materials Workshop (ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com)

Glazy (glazy.org)

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and shop – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and shop – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

Lindsey and Donte talk about how to describe the skills you have in ceramics in language that goes on a resume. From keywords and imposter syndrome, to business English and code-switching, these mud peddlers have a lot to debate when it comes to describing what they do all day.

Have you ever put your ceramics skills on a resume?  Do you find it difficult to write in “business speech”?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and shop – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and online store – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

Lindsey and Donte are havin’ a week. So while they wait for the coffee to kick in, they chat about what’s been occupying their minds recently, from the wildly unpleasant to the gloriously sublime. And like every geek these days, they’re spending some time talking about Baldur’s Gate. Join them at the 25:10 mark to skip the life updates and get to the classic clay content, where there’s talk of world-building, glaze chemistry, and production plans.

How you doin’? Is life treating you well? What’s on your mind these days?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

Referenced Artists:

Sue McLeod (@suemcleodceramics and suecmleodceramics.com)

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and online store – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and online store – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

Lindsey and Donte go over the questions they ask themselves before agreeing to sell at an in-person event. It’s great to live in an area with lots of event options, but it can be hard to decide which one will be worth your valuable time and effort. While being a vendor is always a learning process, these questions are here to help you narrow down your options (and hopefully avoid some painful bumps on the learning curve).

What are your “green flags” that make you want to say “Yes” to an event invitation? What are your “red flags”?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and online store – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and online store – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

Lindsey and Donte chat about how they handle goals with multiple timelines. There’s talk of monetary investments vs time investments, risk tolerance, saving mental energy, and working with what makes your brain tingle. 

What’s the main way you get your sh*t done when you’re juggling multiple goals?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and online store – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and online store – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

In this blast from the past, Lindsey and Donte chat with Becca and Ryan from Wheel Talk Podcast in the NCECA 2023 Podcast Room.

Have you ever been to an NCECA?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon

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About Your Hosts

Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.

Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k 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 and online store – lindseymdillon.com

Patreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon 

Find Donte

Website and online store – earthnationceramics.com

Patreon – patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

Youtube – Earth Nation Ceramics

Instagram – @earth_nation_ceramics

TikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramics

Join the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y