The Maker's Playbook

Kiln me Now: Peri - normal activity in the studio with Taylor Swilley

Send us Fan Mail Some days the clay is calling and you still can't make yourself go down to the studio (and the story you tell yourself about why is rarely a kind one). For potters in perimenopause, that tug-of-war gets louder: bigger feelings, words that won't come, and fewer spoons to spend. It's easy to read all of that as proof you're falling apart. But what if this stretch isn't a slow decline at all, and is instead a kind of fermentation period where you're quietly becoming someone new? In this Kill Me Now takeover, Community members Debbie Stoliar and Nadine Windsor sit down with Taylor Swilley of Backyard Kiln to talk about how perimenopause collided with neurodivergence, why spoon theory changed the way they think about rest, and how caring less about outside opinions led Taylor to value their time and price their work like it matters. Could giving less flux be what finally makes room for your most meticulous, confident work yet? --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Kiln Me Now: A Maker's Playbook Podcast Side-quest

Send us Fan Mail Have you been waking up at 3am wondering where the focus and stamina you used to have has disappeared to? Did you use to accomplish 100 things in the first half of your day, and now barely manage 10 things in 3 days? What if the real conversation us small, handmade artisan business owners need isn't another productivity system, but an honest one about what's happening in our changing lives (and bodies) while we're also trying to run a creative business? In this special season-break handoff, potters and podcast co-hosts Debbie of Curiosibee Ceramics and Nadine of Calgary Clay Co. introduce Kiln Me Now, a new side-quest show exploring the messy, funny, and often unspoken overlap of perimenopause and making a living with your hands. It's a reminder that our businesses were never meant to run separately from our bodies. And that naming the chaos out loud is often the first step toward feeling less alone in it. If you love this side-quest, come follow along @kilnmenowpodcast on Instagram! --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

Ep 723: AI and Your Handmade Art Business

Send us Fan Mail There's a strange kind of irony in selling something made entirely by hand using an image that wasn't. This episode sits inside that tension… What happens to the meaning of handmade work when AI creeps into how we market it, photograph it, or talk about it online? We’re not taking a moral stance on AI in this episode though. Rather, let’s consider a deeper question: Why did you start making what you make? And why did you start selling it? The real cost of forgetting that question isn't just a missed sale; it's losing the thread that made creating the work worth doing in the first place. --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

Ep 722: Bursts, Not Balance (Finding Your Own Creative Rhythm) with Shalya Marsh

Send us Fan Mail Many makers treat consistency as the goal and cyclical creative rhythms as something to fix — but Shalya Marsh, of Shalya Marsh Studios, has built a three-decade career on making, unmaking, and remaking herself: sculptor to potter, employee to entrepreneur, solo maker to (almost) business owner with an assistant. Her conversation digs into whether "balance" is really the wrong word for what most working makers experience, and whether cyclical bursts of energy — not steady daily habits — might be the more honest model for a sustainable creative practice. Shalya shares how she draws a personal boundary between the designs she keeps for herself and the ones she eventually releases as tools for other makers, and how a single "launch dirty" moment reshaped both her business and her sense of urgency around sharing new work. It's a reminder that protecting your creative practice and running a business aren't the same job — and that giving yourself permission to work in fits and starts might be exactly what keeps you making for the long haul. Take the Maker Archetype Quiz and find out what working rhythm works best for you by clicking here! --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 721: The Art of Being Recognizable with Jessie of Inkpot Creative

Send us Fan Mail You already know what it feels like to open a cupboard, see a mug, and know exactly who made it before you ever check for a signature. That's the instinct artists have always had. So why does the word "branding" make so many of us tune out? Jessie, one half of the duo behind Inkpot Creative, breaks it down: That same kind of recognition (built on purpose) is all branding actually is. Consistency matters more than any single logo. Niching down doesn't mean turning people away. Instead, it can create the version of your business that feels most like you, which is usually the one that finally lets people trust you enough to pay you what you're worth. Come join us for a masterclass on branding with Jessie & KP of Inkpot Creative inside of The Community on July 21st. Learn more and join at makersplaybook.com/community --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 720: Starting a Pottery Business Backwards (And Why It Worked) with Robin Corradino

Send us Fan Mail As makers, we're told to define our ideal audience and nail our strategy before we ever start — but what if the real strategy reveals itself only after you've already begun? Robin Corradino of Rob Ceramics joins to unpack how she built a thriving wholesale and consignment-based business almost by accident, never doing a single craft market until years into selling her work. Her approach challenges the conventional wisdom around audience-building entirely: by simply making what she loved and paying close attention to who responded — and where those orders were coming from — her path revealed itself gradually instead of through any grand plan. It's a reminder that strategy doesn't have to come first; sometimes the most sustainable business decisions come from trusting the slow burn and letting your people find you. --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 719: Creative Blocks, Career Pivots, and Letting Go with Christina Orthwein

Send us Fan Mail Most of us have been told (or have told ourselves one way or another) that building a successful creative business means picking a lane and staying in it. But what happens when the lane you've built starts to feel more like a cage, and the work that once lit you up becomes just another obligation you can't motivate yourself to do? Christina Orthwein's journey from production potter to sculptor to jewelry maker and back again is a raw and honest look at how the pressure to monetize our work can quietly separate us from the reason we started making in the first place. The real tension isn't whether to niche down or stay flexible, but instead learning to trust that the creative restlessness pulling you toward something new might actually be pointing you somewhere worth going. --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 718: When Demand Meets Boundaries with Debi Stoliar of Curiosibee Ceramics

Send us Fan Mail Many of us assume that when demand for our work finally arrives, we're supposed to rise to meet all of it — that suddenly the rules of supply and demand apply to us the same way they apply to everyone else. What if deliberately not scaling up isn't leaving opportunity on the table, but is actually the thing that makes the work worth wanting in the first place? In her conversation with Debi Stoliar of Curiosibee Ceramics,, we explore what it looks like to hold two seemingly contradictory truths at once: taking your craft seriously as a future business while protecting the joy that makes it worth making at all. The most powerful business decision you might ever make could simply be deciding not to grow beyond what you genuinely love doing. Check out Debi's work at: https://www.curiosibee.com/ --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 717: "Where are They Now?" with Camille Beckles of Camille at the Wheel

Send us Fan Mail We spend so much energy measuring success by how visible or "full time" our craft looks from the outside, but the version of making that actually sustains you might look completely different from what you think it should. Over the last 5 years, since we first interviewed Camille Beckles (of Camille at the Wheel), on our debut episode here at the Maker’s Playbook, Camille has had the opportunity to say yes to the most exciting, challenging, and community-driven ceramics opportunities of her career. And it's her full-time job that gave her the freedom to do it. When survival isn't on the line, your art gets to be whatever you want it to be. Could releasing the pressure to monetize everything (and leaning into what genuinely sustains you) actually be the most serious thing you can do for your creative practice? --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

Ep 716: Taking My Own Advice

Send us Fan Mail For fifteen years, the first piece of advice out of my mouth to anyone asking about self-employment has been the same: keep the outside income as long as you possibly can. And for fifteen years, I wasn't doing it. Until now. In this solo episode, I'm sharing a significant personal update — what led me to take an outside job after fifteen years of running my own businesses, what burnout actually feels like versus just being really tired, and the surprising freedom that comes from detaching your creativity from your ability to pay the bills. Plus the one question every maker should ask themselves before they spend another minute stressing about Instagram. --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

Ep 715: Get Specific, Create Demand with Taylor Friese of Maker Bakery

Send us Fan Mail Most of us have been told — implicitly or explicitly — that success as a maker means growth: more followers, more orders, more revenue. But what if the real question isn't how big can this get, but what do I actually want from this? Taylor Friese of Maker Bakery built a waitlist that stretches years into the future not by chasing a bigger audience, but by getting radically clear about who she makes work for and why — and letting that clarity do the marketing for her. And when you get clear on what you actually want — not what success is supposed to look like, but what you want — the right people tend to show up, ready to wait in line for it. --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 714: How to Make Confident Business Decisions in Your Art Business (or side-hustle)

Send us Fan Mail If you've ever Googled "how to price my art" or "how to grow a creative business" hoping someone would just hand you the right answer — this episode is for you. Rebecca digs into why making confident business decisions as an artist or maker isn't about finding the perfect formula. It's about treating your art business like a science experiment: forming a hypothesis, testing it, analyzing what actually happens, and adjusting from there. Whether you're a full-time maker relying on your craft sales to pay the bills, or a side-hustle artist still holding onto that day job, this episode will help you stop waiting for permission and start making decisions that actually move your creative business forward. --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

Ep 713: “Overnight Success” with Aaron Raymond of Redacted Ceramics

Send us Fan Mail Most of us assume that building a creative business takes years of groundwork before the work can speak for itself — but what happens when the work takes off before you've had time to figure out the business? Aaron Raymond of Redacted Ceramics went from renting a wheel for a week to running a full-time pottery business in under two years, and his story raises a quiet but important question: does the conventional wisdom about "paying your dues" actually hold up? As Aaron shares, a clear creative vision — one rooted in the Portuguese tile work he encountered while living abroad — combined with a willingness to use technology as a tool rather than a shortcut, allowed him to develop a style so distinctive that it found its audience almost before he was ready for it. The real lesson here may be that sustainability isn't about how long you've been at it, but about knowing your limits, protecting your hands, and resisting the pressure to scale past what the work can actually bear. Check out Aaron's work here: https://redactedceramics.com/ --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 712: Monetizing Our Hobbies with Matt Robinson

Send us Fan Mail As makers with hobbies turned side-hustles, many of us get wrapped up in the ultimate goal and dream of quitting our day jobs to pursue pottery full time—but what if that pressure to monetize everything is actually stealing the joy from the very thing we fell in love with? Matt Robinson's experience first burning out on wedding photography taught him that the freedom to experiment, fail, and follow creative whims only exists when your livelihood isn't riding on what you make. Through six years of pottery alongside a flexible full-time job, Matt has learned that constantly trying new forms and glazes, worrying less about having only one “voice,” and posting to Instagram only when the spirit moves isn't a failure to build a "real" business—it's the luxury of keeping pottery as the side hobby, not the thing that pays the bills. Perhaps the real privilege isn't escaping the nine-to-five, but rather finding work that gives you enough time, energy, and financial security to make whatever you want, whenever you want, and releasing the financial pressure of needing every piece to sell. --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 711: Part Two - "Where are they now?" Two Years Later with Hope Limyansky

Send us Fan Mail When you see someone juggling multiple jobs in their creative field, it's easy to assume it's because none of them could fully support them on their own—but what if having options is actually the most strategic business decision you could make? What happens when you intentionally build each avenue to be viable as a standalone career, then choose to keep them all anyway? In Part Two of this “Where are they now?” interview, Hope shares why she brought each of her four ceramic-related jobs to the cusp of full-time viability before deciding that she actually wanted all of them, for different reasons. We discover that sometimes building multiple income streams isn't about hedging your bets—it's about creating the security to make choices based on what you want rather than what you need. Could the freedom to say no to work that doesn't serve you—whether that's declining partnerships, stepping away from draining platforms, or choosing projects that energize rather than deplete you—be the real prize of building a multi-faceted creative career? --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 710: "Where are they now?" Two Years Later with Hope Limyansky

Send us Fan Mail So many of us carry the weight of what we thought our creative careers were supposed to look like—especially when formal education told us exactly what success should be. What happens when you realize that the dream you've been chasing (full-time solo artist, full-time influencer, the one perfect job) isn't actually what you want anymore? As Hope Limyanksy shares her journey from trying to fit into expected molds to embracing four different ceramic-related jobs, we discover that sometimes the path to sustainable creative work means giving different parts of yourself to different places rather than pouring everything into one all-consuming career. Could the freedom to choose multiple paths—instead of forcing yourself into just one—be what finally lets you build a creative life that actually serves you? Looking for support in figuring out these big questions for your own unique life? Come join other makers from around the world who are having these very same nuanced conversations, with pragmatic support alongside inside of The Community. Hope Limyansky is on Instagram @limyanskystudios --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 709: The Truth About Growing Your Creative Business in 2026

Send us Fan Mail We're bombarded with messages telling us we're missing some secret key to business success—especially at the start of a new year—but here's the truth: There's nothing fundamentally new about running a successful business, no matter what year it is. What if the real problem isn't that you're lacking some proprietary system or special knowledge, but that you've been convinced you need to keep searching for answers instead of trusting what you already know? The basics of business haven't changed in decades: tell people your work exists, get better at reaching the right people, and keep showing up consistently—and while educational resources can help, the courses promising to 3x your sales or unlock secret formulas are preying on your imposter syndrome rather than addressing the real work of building genuine connections with your customers. Instead of chasing the next shiny solution that promises to make everything easier, what if you gave yourself permission to trust that the sustainable, incremental progress you're already making—even when it feels slow or uncomfortable—is exactly what building a real creative business actually looks like? I'm putting together a new free resource to help you trust yourself. To be the first to receive it, sign up for our email newsletter here: https://www.makersplaybook.com/newsletter --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

Ep 708: Craft as Community - 75 years of Haystack

Send us Fan Mail For many makers, opportunities to focus solely on creative exploration—without the pressure to produce work for sale or prove our worth through finished pieces—feel impossibly rare or reserved for those along a traditional academic path. When you discovered your craft later in life, already juggling mortgages and responsibilities you can't simply walk away from, where do you turn for intentional study and community that actually fits your reality? Craft schools exist outside traditional academia, offering experiences from weekend workshops to multi-week residencies that welcome makers at every stage—and in celebration of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts' 75th anniversary, Perry Price shares what makes these singular learning experiences so transformative. In this episode: Perry Price @haystack_school --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 707: Scaling a Pottery Business with Sarah Wolf (Part Two!)

Send us Fan Mail Building a team is one thing—but how do you actually run a production ceramics studio day-to-day without losing the handmade quality that makes your work special? In this second part of my conversation with Sarah Wolf of Wolf Ceramics, we dig into the operational realities of running an eight-person studio. Sarah breaks down weekly production rhythms, why cross-training her team across multiple tasks creates both flexibility and ownership, and the strategic decision to invest in a jigger jolly. We explore her approach to balancing 80% direct-to-consumer sales with custom restaurant orders, the importance of upfront honesty about lead times and capabilities, and why giving away $500 worth of samples can be a smart long-term investment. Sarah also shares the story of 2023's financial crisis—when stagnant sales forced her to consider layoffs—and the difficult decision to invest $10,000 in rebranding and ads when money was tightest. Her transparency about hiring for character over ceramic skills, the real value of building a mailing list, and why Instagram consistency isn't actually her secret to success offers practical permission for makers navigating their own growth. Whether you're trying to figure out your own production systems or simply curious what sustainable scaling actually looks like, this conversation provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at the real work of building a craft-based business. Looking for support in making your own long-game decisions? Click here to discover the amazing group of makers inside of The Community and learn about the additional perks of membership. In this episode: Sarah Wolf @wolfceramics Full Show Notes & Resources can be found at makersplaybook.com/podcast --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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Ep 706: Scaling a Pottery Business with Sarah Wolf (Part One!)

Send us Fan Mail What if you could grow your business and build a team without becoming a factory—creating a business that values craft, flexibility, and the humans behind the work? In this conversation, Sarah Wolf of Wolf Ceramics shares her journey from studying geochemistry to building an eight-person ceramics studio in Hood River, Oregon. She opens up about the early years working from her parents' basement, the vulnerable decision to hire her first team members, and how the pandemic unexpectedly accelerated her growth. Sarah reveals the real financial details behind major business moves—from signing her first commercial lease to buying a house that needed a mortgage workaround—and why learning to set clear boundaries actually created more freedom for everyone on her team. Whether you're considering your first hire or wondering if sustainable growth is even possible in ceramics, Sarah's story offers both permission and practical wisdom for building a business that works for your life. In this episode: Sarah Wolf @wolfceramics Full Show Notes & Resources can be found at makersplaybook.com/podcast --- Looking for support in building your own creative life? Come join over 100 other makers from around the world, having these very discussions, inside of The Community. Click here to learn more. --- Love this podcast? Support an episode! Follow The Maker's Playbook on Instagram @themakersplaybook

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