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 since 2...
Dec 19, 2023•50 min
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 Media: @b...
Nov 29, 2023•1 hr 39 min
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 professiona...
Nov 14, 2023•42 min
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 fan ...
Nov 01, 2023•17 min
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 Road...
Oct 31, 2023•55 min
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 recon...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 13 min
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 creatu...
Oct 03, 2023•34 min
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-m...
Sep 19, 2023•47 min
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 Lindsey...
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 1 min
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 an awa...
Aug 17, 2023•55 min
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 u...
Aug 01, 2023•51 min
Lindsey and Donte celebrate The Mud Peddlers’ three-year anniversary/birthday/marker of time being in your ears! Listen as they chat about what three years of this podcast has meant to them, and hear from fellow listeners! A huge thank you to everyone who listens to The Mud Peddlers…we wouldn’t be here three years later without you. An extra big thank you to those who sent in audio for this episode! Check out their work! Stephanie Krist of @firedfigments Caitlin (CJ) Jones of @moonphaceart Noell...
Jul 04, 2023•55 min
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 comment...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Lindsey and Donte check in on their progress towards the goals they set at the beginning of the year. Among conversations around contracts, classes, and children, they find out which goals they’ve met, and which ones have shifted since the dawn of 2023. How is your year shaping up so far? Tag us on social media or tell us in the comments! _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, mythology, ...
Jun 20, 2023•48 min
Lindsey and Donte continue their exploration of a question from listener @harta.vs. This episode's “eureka” moments focus on the emotional. There’s talk of who defines value, what defines success, and exactly how many tears Lindsey shed over her grad school application. What’s one of your biggest emotional eureka moments? Tell us in the comments, or tag us on social media! Referenced artists/organizations: Beautiful Bizarre Magazine (@beautifulbizarremagazine) Companion Gallery (@companiongaller...
Jun 06, 2023•50 min
It’s big breakthroughs this week as Lindsey and Donte answer a listener question from @harta.vs in way more detail than anyone wanted! It’s “eureka” moments, or situations where a lightbulb went off and changed everything. This week it’s technical breakthroughs – what ours have been, and how we think you can find your own. What’s one of your biggest technical eureka moments? Referenced artists: Sue McLeod @suemcleodceramics Tell us in the comments, or tag us on social media! _____ About Your Hos...
May 24, 2023•41 min
Lindsey and Donte catch up after Lindsey’s sudden and semi-mysterious disappearance. There’s talk of sand and washing machines, debates over lowering prices, and discussions of all the adult things that occupied Donte while Lindsey was away. Also Donte is starting a new in-person class at Industrial Minerals Co. (IMCO). If you’re in the Sacramento area, keep an eye out for when sign-ups open up! https://www.clayimco.com/classes Isn’t it crazy that it’s already May? 'Cuz *we* think it’s crazy it’...
May 09, 2023•42 min
In this special vlog-style podcast, Lindsey and Donte document their time at NCECA 2023. From sleep-deprived flights to amped-up live podcasting sessions, join them at they share each day's experience during the nation's largest ceramics convention. Did you go to NCECA? What was your favorite part? If you were to go, what would you be most interested in seeing? Referenced Artists/Institutions: Tim See (@timseeclay) Sarah Kin Ceramics Anne Egitto (@littlepotteryventure) Clayscapes Pottery Inc. (@...
Apr 04, 2023•1 hr 57 min
Lindsey and Donte finish their 2-part miniseries about how and why to develop a body of work – or, how to create a series of pieces in your own style. In Part 2, they discuss how to choose what to make your series about, different aspects of that series to focus on, and overall how to make work that’s “yours”. There’s talk of what makes conceptual art conceptual, how Lindsey and Donte’s different backgrounds influenced how they created their own style…and something about cat mugs and sci-fi mush...
Mar 07, 2023•57 min
Lindsey and Donte begin their 2-part miniseries about how and why to develop a body of work – or, how to create a series of pieces in your own style, in less art school terminology. In Part 1, they share their tips and techniques for getting consistent shapes. They talk tools, efficiency, and experimentation…as well as some risque anime tropes… Do you struggle with making consistent shapes? If you’ve been able to get some consistency, what’s one tip you’d share with someone trying to improve? Te...
Feb 22, 2023•52 min
Lindsey and Donte share how they’ve shaped and balanced their social lives with their time in the studio. They describe the wildly different ways they structure their friendships, how they navigate time with family, how their non-ceramics work schedules have changed as their businesses have grown, their biggest challenges as they’ve shaped their social lives as working artists…And Donte reveals the magical secret society that has total power over him. What’s your favorite way to make time for yo...
Feb 07, 2023•47 min
65. SacAnime Winter Review: “We wanna buy our nerd sh*t!” Lindsey and Donte share their experience at the recent SacAnime Convention (Jan 6-8th 2023). There’s talk of what worked well, things they did differently this con compared to conventions past, how much inventory they brought vs. how much money they made, and generally how they fared at a convention that has an attendance of over 20,000 people. Have you ever been to a convention focused on a thing you love? Anime, birds, coffee…? **CERAMI...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Lindsey and Donte have a chat about glaze chemistry. Or, rather, Lindsey interviews Donte about a medley of glaze chemistry topics as he descends deeper into the knowledge pool provided by Rose and Matt Katz in their renowned Ceramic Materials Workshop. Donte shares some of the experiments he’s exploring regarding cones, melting points, and adjusting glaze recipes to give both Lindsey and the listener a bit of a better understanding on each of those topics. Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz at ...
Jan 09, 2023•38 min
Lindsey and Donte reflect upon this past year, and share their exciting prospects for the year to come. There’s talk of goals met and goals abandoned, glaze chemistry and slip casting, and some new projects (both at home and out of state) that they’re looking forward to in 2023. What’s one big success you’ve had this past year? What are you most looking forward to, or want to work on the most, this coming year? Tell us in the comments, or tag us on social media! https://www.ceramicon.co/ https:/...
Dec 28, 2022•56 min
Lindsey and Donte debate the pros and cons of selling online and selling in person – and which they prefer. There’s talk of everything from personality types and performance, to location and love notes. How do you prefer to sell your work? If you’ve never sold your work before but are interested in doing so, what’s your biggest barrier to getting started? Tell us in the comments, or tag us on social media! Mentioned Artists Florian Gadsby (@floriangadsby) Mike Cinelli (@mike_cinelli) Mary Alice ...
Dec 13, 2022•50 min
Lindsey and Donte talk all things handles: the different ways you can make them, the pros and cons of each making method, style vs. function, tips for improving your handles if you’re a beginner, and how the way they make handles has changed with time and projects. They recommend a few different artists to look at for reference, and even suggest a bit of handle “homework” if you’re up for it… How do you prefer to make handles? Is there a method you’ve never tried but might like to? Tell us in th...
Nov 22, 2022•52 min
Lindsey and Donte again touch upon the topic of preparing for the holidays. In a more musing sequel to their 2020 episode on holiday prep, these two mud peddlers discuss their holiday shop update plans, where they focus their numbers on inventory when there’s multiple demands on their product, and changing perspectives on money-making and efficiency. Is this your first time selling your work during the holidays? If you’re a holiday season veteran, what’s one piece of advice would you give to hel...
Nov 08, 2022•39 min
Lindsey and Donte sit down with Aaron Navarro of Dirty Panda Ceramics for a very nerdy discussion of everything from pricing, glaze techniques, and inventory management, to B movies, Warhammer, and Nick Cage. Find Aaron’s work on Instagram (@dirtypanda_ceramics) and meet him in person this January at Sacramento’s SacAnime Con. What was your favorite part of this conversation? Tell us in the comments, or tag us on social media! _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professio...
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 14 min
From sponges in beginner packets to touch-screen kilns, Lindsey and Donte discuss tools – and their experiences with what’s a necessity, what’s a luxury, and what’s totally superfluous. They consider what you gain or lose by using certain tools, how perceptions of what’s a “necessary” tool have changed over time, and when it’s better to experiment with lots of tools vs. when it’s better to invest in a single one. And of course, they share the tools companies that might help you find the tool tha...
Oct 11, 2022•54 min
Lindsey and Donte discuss what they do when the kiln gods do NOT bless their firings, and they end up with pieces that don’t meet their regular quality standards. They share what makes a “second” for them, the pros and cons of selling seconds, the different ways you could go about it if you’re considering selling your seconds, and how we navigate the abject horror of our audiences on hammer-happy Link Day... Have you ever bought a “second” from an artist? Do you sell your seconds? Tell us in the...
Sep 27, 2022•41 min
