We were lucky to catch up with Ranita Haanen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ranita, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

As a kid I always dreamed of being an artist and small business owner but as I grew up I didn’t know where to start or if this dream was even possible for me. After getting my bachelors in Arts, I bounced around from desk job to desk job trying to find a career while spending all the free time I had in my garage creating art. That’s when the COVID shutdown hit. I was laid off my day job and had nothing but time. So I used this time to create more art and posted it online. Much to my surprise people started buying up everything I made, and I couldn’t keep up with the orders! As things opened back up I decided to take a gamble on myself. I continued making and selling art rather than going back to my desk job. It was scary, but I thought “Hey, what is there to lose in trying?”. After all, I could always go back to a desk job if it didn’t work out, but I don’t think I would have ever forgave myself for not giving my art a chance. Throughout the years I have had to pick up some part time work as I built up my business, but eventually I didn’t need that anymore. Today I have my own downtown storefront and am soon opening up a new space to teach classes in and provide creative space for my community. Perhaps I could have sped up this process somehow by taking a chance on myself sooner, but honestly I don’t regret a step in my journey. Every place I have worked has given me new knowledge and made me who I am today.

Ranita, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an interdisciplinary artist and love playing with all kinds of materials, but my primary focus is in ceramics and painting. My work often focuses on the little joys of mundane life. I create a lot of functional vessels in my ceramic work, and love the idea of bringing a human touch to the everyday objects we surround ourselves with. By this I mean I don’t strive for perfection. Rather, I embrace the wobbles and the whimsy that I stumble into within the process. I also really enjoy creating highly personal work for my clients. Sometimes that means solving a practical issue in their life. Like creating an extra heavy dog bowl for a pooch missing some of his legs so he can eat properly without his bowl moving, or a mug with extra handles to grip for someone battling arthritis so they can enjoy their morning coffee with ease. Other times it means helping someone to remember a special time, place, person, or thing that brings them joy. Like painting an image of one’s grandmother’s house so they can look at it and let all the memories of this special place rush back. My goal has always been to spread joy, and help others take a pause to enjoy the little things.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

There are many things we as a society can do to support our artists. The biggest thing we can do is actually buy less, but buy with intention. Instead of buying a lot of cheaply made items from big box stores, find a real human and invest in them making you a high quality product. It will cost more up front but will last so much longer, and can often be repaired when damaged. Not only is this good financial and environmental advice, but it provides a much better quality of life as well. Word of mouth and sharing artists work on social media also goes a long way in helping our creative community. If you like someones work, show it to others!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation has been a huge resource for me in learning how to begin, maintain, and grow my business. They are a continual resource I go to when I have questions or need advice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://needspottery.com
• Instagram: needs_pottery