Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Cameron.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started selling take-home clay kits from my front porch in March 2020 after getting laid off from my job in the service industry. This was the same time that everything was shutting down & we were encouraged to stay at home & a social distance. I made a post on Instagram letting people know they could order clay from me for $10/lb, which included the firing & clear glazing of their finished projects. They’d pick up their clay kits from my porch at a social distance, create at their own pace, & then when they were ready, they’d return their finished projects to me so that I could fire them in my kiln that was in my basement. After I fired the projects I’d let them know that they were complete & ready for pick up.
Initially, I assumed a few friends would take me up on this, & eventually, it’d just fizzle out. I was completely surprised when the orders kept coming in – it totally snowballed! At one point my porch door broke from all the people coming & going, & I called upon some architect friends to build a clay kit drop box by the sidewalk (which to this day I consider to be my very first storefront).
Over the course of the year, I outgrew my basement studio & stumbled across a space for rent in my neighborhood. I hadn’t planned to open up a studio, & I always playfully referred to pottery as my “hobby jobby” never expecting to actually make it a full-time job. But everything in my life was just pointing me in this direction & despite not having any formal business plan (or funding) I took a leap & signed the lease.
Now that I’ve been in my new studio space for almost a year, it still feels like I’m sprinting to catch up to the growth of my business! Which is admittedly a pretty good problem to have, but also not ‘not a problem’. I wasn’t anticipating the second wave of growth I’d receive from stepping out of my basement studio & into a public storefront on Minnehaha Ave (when I say it out loud it feels very “no duh!”) but this is all so new to me, I’m definitely making it up as I go & taking things day by day.
My flagship offering in the new studio is still the take-home clay kits. I love them because they provide casual access to working with clay, which oftentimes is a craft that has a lot of built-in barriers to it. In addition to the take-home clay kits, I am able to host workshops & have discovered that I love teaching clay classes (and am very good at- if I do say so myself)! One of my favorite things in the world is to hand somebody a ball of clay & see what they’ll make with it- it’s the coolest feeling! I also offer private events, so people can get a group of friends together & I’ll teach them a custom clay lesson. This is a popular option for bachelor/bachelorette parties, birthday parties (of all ages), or just as a fun activity with no special occasion needed.
The past two years have been a wild ride! I’m super grateful to the community for their excitement & support & I’m excited to see what the future has in store!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
WOOF! I would definitely not call this journey a smooth one- I know my story seems very lighthearted “yeah I just accidentally started a business and it’s taking off!” but there’s so much behind-the-scenes work, stress & uncertainty that goes into it. Did I say work already? Yeah. It’s been a ton of work.
Financially this was & still is a self-funded endeavor. I’ve got some maxed-out credit cards that I’m slowly chipping away at to prove it.
For well over 1 year my entire home was dedicated to the clay kits. When my basement studio maxed out in capacity I overflowed into the dining room, living room, even the kitchen, bedroom & bathrooms at times. It was a full-blown takeover of both my physical space & mental space. I would be working nonstop, and with my home as the pickup & drop-off location it was really hard to disconnect & set up boundaries, it all started to feel very claustrophobic.
When I found the studio space there was a sense of relief but it wasn’t immediate by any means. I couldn’t slow down operations to take the proper time needed to move because I needed the money to pay rent on the space. So I spent ~6 months working at full capacity while I slowly moved my entire studio from one location to the next. I’d go from a full day of painting the new studio, doing admin on my lunch breaks, getting home to unload a kiln, spending hours glazing, checking clay kit orders for the next day, prepping those, lather, rinse, repeat.
I’m also a total softie (hence the name cry baby clay) so being vulnerable & putting myself & my services out there for sure caused some big feelings for me. I don’t like to disappoint people, so if my services didn’t quite meet the needs of somebody it took a long time for me to feel confident in standing behind my offerings as they were. I felt this weird need to bend over backwards to try and please everybody. Saying no was really hard for me, but my skin has slowly but surely been thickening & I’ve realized I’d much rather have a few offerings that I can do really well, instead of trying to do a lot of things poorly.
Throughout this whole journey & even now it’s been a constant struggle for me to find the right amount of work/life balance. I recall one super difficult conversation where my partner told me “I miss Katie. I only ever get to see cry baby clay.” That sucked. It was a huge wake up call that I had to make some changes. My mental health was definitely taking a major hit & I was battling some pretty gnarly depression & burnout. I’ve started seeing a therapist & that’s been a game-changer for sure! I know I still have a long way to go & there will always be ups & downs, but I’ve gotten a lot better at establishing & maintaining healthy boundaries, & I’m actually pretty good at saying “no” these days.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In addition to running my studio as a community clay resource, I also create my own ceramic wares! Or at least try to – it’s a balancing act to run the workshops, schedule & host the private events, prep the clay kits, do the admin, & make my own stuff. Clay takes a lot of time! But I’m getting a lot better at making sure I allow myself the time to be creative as well.
I make functional wares, lots of mugs, planters, etc. One of my favorite forms that I make is a ceramic light switch cover! That was for sure inspired by being stuck at home in the pandemic and realizing how much I hated my beige plastic switch covers. I also have a vase that hangs flush against a wall, it’s been fun playing around a bit more with home decor. I make a pet water dish that looks like a little swimming pool. I call it a pool party pet dish- it’s super cute & fun. I’d say all of my work is pretty playful. I try not to take myself too seriously.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Hmmm. My approach to my business is kind of the same way I approach working with clay. I have a general idea of what I’d like to do, but I just play around until I find the right technique that works for me. I also have let go of the idea of perfection a long time ago. I show up as my authentic self & that’s plenty.
I’d say just go for it! It may not be easy but if it feels right it’s worth digging into & seeing what you can make of it.
Business-wise, when things get scary for me I always remind myself that I could find a job again if I needed to, and that reality check of having other options if shit hits the fan is comforting, and also motivates me to focus my energy on solving my financial issues with my own business so I don’t have to go back to working for someone else. But if I had to, that’s life, I’ll make do & it’d just be another moment to take time to consider what’s next.
When things get wonky on a pot I’m making, there’s always the option to either adjust or start over. Overall I think it’s just helpful to remember there are options, & ya won’t know unless ya try.
Pricing:
- Take-home clay kits start at $10 / lb
- Workshop prices vary, ranging from $25 – $80 / person
- Private events hosted at cry baby clay are a flat rate fee of $150 for the first hour & $100 for each additional hour. There is a material cost per person as well, which typically ranges from $10 – $30. I can also travel for an added fee to do off-site workshops at locations like schools, offices, breweries, parties, weddings, etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: crybabyclay.com
- Instagram: @crybabyclay
Image Credits
Carina Lofgren
Zoe Prinds-Flash
Eason Green
Nina Perkins
