Episodes
June 18, 2024
97. Meet the Ingredients: “It’s science!”
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 @eart...
June 4, 2024
96. Translating Your Ceramics Skills onto a Resume: “It’s a whole other language…”
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 _____ About ...
May 21, 2024
95. Life Update: “I love Astarion and now I’m engaged…”
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’...
May 7, 2024
94. Questions to ask before saying “Yes” to an event
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 i...
April 23, 2024
92. Navigating Short, Medium, and Long-Term Goals: “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”
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 _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes m...
April 9, 2024
92. From the Archives: NCECA 2023 Wheel Talk Collab.
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 _____ 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 profes...
March 26, 2024
91. Paperwork: “I spent this much on toilet paper…”
Lindsey and Donte chat about a few of the different kinds of paperwork they’ve dealt with as professional artists. From the different tax forms to contracts and what counts as a business expense, these Mud Peddlers give an overview of some of the most confusing parts of being a working artist. What was the most confusing part of getting your business started? What’s the most intimidating part of selling your work in terms of the paperwork that goes along with it? Drop your suggestions in the c...
March 12, 2024
90. Teaching Tales at Sun City: “More money, less work, I’m out.”
Lindsey and Donte chat about Donte’s big life news, and what his experiences and learning moments have been at his new teaching gig. There’s talk of age factors in teaching, politics in the classroom, and why it’s important to teach the “why” along with the “how”. Do you have a burning question about teaching you’d like us to discuss? Drop your suggestions in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winnin...
Feb. 28, 2024
89. A Brief History of Famous Glazes: “Is there a trademark on celadon?”
Shinos and celadons and tenmokus oh my! Lindsey interviews Donte about some of the most famous glazes you’re likely to hear about in the ceramics world. There’s talk of when and where they come from, what makes them unique, and why they’re different from the bottled glazes of the same name you can buy today. Is there a historical topic within ceramics you’d like us to talk about in the future? Drop your suggestions in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon ...
Feb. 13, 2024
88. ClayCon West 2024 Review: “We want it to feel cozy and interconnected...”
Lindsey interviews Donte in this low-key chat about his solo adventures at ClayCon West. There’s talk of crowd sizes and artist talks, expectations and infrastructure… And why there might be a new Hogwarts-style sorting ceremony to be had. Do you like going to big festive events? Or do you gravitate towards those that are more small and low-key? Tell us in the comments or tag us using @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning profes...
Jan. 31, 2024
87. SacAnime Winter 2024 Review: “Uuuhh…I made some poor decisions…”
Lindsey and Donte chat about their experiences at their first event of 2024! There’s talk of navigating price changes, successful and failed plans for inventory management, creating an efficient booth setup, avoiding wifi struggles, and what to do when there are just some things that are out of your control. Oh, and what these mud peddlers think of the new 18+ “Degenerate Alley”. Is there an event in your area you’d like to sell at? What’s your favorite event to attend, either as a seller, or ...
Jan. 2, 2024
86. 2023 Year Review Part 2: “You’re psyop-ing yourself!”
Lindsey and Donte look forward into 2024. There’s talk of taking care of our bodies, the fun to be had while procrasti-planning, and why Donte just can’t stop experimenting with glazes. What are you most looking forward to in 2024? Tell us in the comments or tag us using @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon _____ 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 ha...
Dec. 19, 2023
85. 2023 Year Review Part 1: "Punch my internal dialogue would you?"
Lindsey and Donte look back at 2023. They touch base with the goals they set, share the unexpected changes that came up along the way, and dig through some of their biggest lessons learned from this past year. What was your biggest takeaway from this past year (ceramics or otherwise)? _____ 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 sin...
Nov. 29, 2023
84. Chat with Birdie Tam: “You have to be a bit delusional…”
Lindsey and Donte chat with Birdie Tam! Join them as they discuss Birdie’s world of ceramic art and illustration, style development, going full time as an artist, balancing social media with making, hustle culture, what it’s like being an artist in Sweden…and more! What’s one question you’d want to ask Birdie if you were interviewing her? (And hey, why not pop over to her social media (@birdietam.art) and ask her! Check out everything Birdie is working on: Website: birdietam.art Social Medi...
Nov. 14, 2023
83. Pottery Myths Part 2: “Can we just all have sprinkles?”
Lindsey and Donte discuss some technical and social myths around the pottery and wider ceramic world. Welcome to Part 2! Which of our social and technical myths was most interesting to you? Got one you think should be on the list? Tell us in the comments or tag us using @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon! Referenced Artists and others: For Flux Sake episode on silicosis: https://www.brickyardnetwork.org/forfluxsake/ep20 _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning prof...
Oct. 31, 2023
Halloween Special: "Family Dinner"
You may have heard me say I’ve been wanting to integrate more creative writing into my art practice. While this episode has nothing to do with ceramics, it is born from a love of writing and love of horror stoked by podcast The Magnus Archives. My eternal thanks to the incredible artists behind The Magus Archives not only for making an incredible show, but for being a light for artists in a world where creativity can easily succumb to darkness. I hope you enjoy this tribute, and if you’re a fa...
Oct. 31, 2023
82. Pottery Myths Part 1: “Porcelain isn’t a boss fight…”
Lindsey and Donte discuss some technical and social myths around the pottery and wider ceramic world. From thoughts on porcelain to setting goals for followers, they discuss some of the myths they’ve faced, the ways they’ve formed, and the ways they’ve navigated them. Have you ever had a moment where you realized a lesson you’d been taught wasn’t really the whole picture? Tell us in the comments or tag us using @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon! Referenced Artists and others The White ...
Oct. 17, 2023
81. Financial Deep Dive: "How do you do what you do?"
81. Financial Deep Dive: “How do you do what you do?” Lindsey and Donte go deep into the details of how they manage the financial part of their lives as working artists. From yearly income and where that income comes from to healthcare and retirement planning, these two mud peddlers invite you to see how they’re surviving and thriving* in this late-stage capitalist nightmare. Turns out the answer (if there is one) is more than time management skills and Lindsey’s bullet journal… How do you rec...
Oct. 2, 2023
80. Teaching Tales: Curriculum Update
Lindsey checks in with Donte about his teaching adventures. Ever wondered what kind of challenges might meet a first-time in-person instructor? From balancing time between students to updating his curriculum, Donte shares his. What’s a time you had to adapt to suddenly-changing circumstances in your art? Tell us in the comments or tag us using @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon! _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and c...
Sept. 19, 2023
79. SacAnime Summer 2023 Review
79. SacAnime Summer 2023 Review Lindsey and Donte discuss their experiences at SacAnime. They walk through their expenses and profits, how they dealt with the tricky business of getting reception in a giant building made of concrete, and both new and old strategies they put to work to navigate their *very* busy weekend. Curious about the nuts and bolts of selling at an anime convention? This episode is for you. What’s your favorite event to either sell your own work, or buy some small-business...
Aug. 29, 2023
78. When should you push yourself? “Bubble glaze! Backflips! Whoo!!”
Lindsey and Donte wrestle with the question of when you should push yourself beyond your comfort level in your work. There’s talk of the techniques Lindsey and Donte have used over the years to push their own work, how to balance creative itch-scratching with your income goals, and methods to push yourself should you choose to do so. When is a time you took on a new creative challenge? Tell us in the comments or tag us using @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon! _____ About Your Hosts Li...
Aug. 16, 2023
77. Chat w/ Evie of @mudmonsterclayworks
Lindsey and Donte sit down with Evie of @mudmonsterclayworks to chat about everything from pricing philosophy, to navigating big life changes that affect studio time...to the best way to bribe your studio manager to make sure your piece gets into the next firing. If you were on the call today, what question would you ask Evie? Tell us in the comments or tag us using @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillon! Shoutout to Jordan of @santacruzceramics _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is ...
Aug. 1, 2023
76. Teaching at a Ceramics Studio: “Promised money vs. potential money…”
With Donte’s upcoming, first ever in-person classes starting this week, Lindsey and Donte chat about teaching at a ceramics studio. They discuss everything from their approaches to curriculum development and how much they’re getting paid, to the pros and cons of teaching at a ceramics studio and how they’ve decided if teaching is or isn’t for them…at least for now. Do you teach as part of your art practice? Would you, or have you ever taught classes or workshops? Tell us in the comments or tag...
July 4, 2023
74. Tips for Starting a Youtube Channel
74. Tips for Starting a Youtube Channel Lindsey picks Donte’s brain about starting a Youtube channel. From whether it’s better to buy a nice camera or a nice mic, to what “success” on Youtube might look like for you, join these mud peddlers for both an in the weeds and 30,000 foot view of this giant among social media and entertainment platforms. Do you have a Youtube channel? What convinced you to start one? If you don’t, what’s been your main reason for not doing so? Let us know in the comme...