We were lucky to catch up with Anna Cummins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Anna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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?

I make a living as a full-time artist by selling my work in my local communities, and also online where I ship my pieces all over the country, and sometimes even around the world! From the start, I was lucky enough to find people who resonated with my work and wanted to support me, and I quickly realized this was what I wanted to do. The real challenges were more logistical, but from those moments arose what I consider my greatest career milestones so far.

Since ceramics is an expensive and equipment-heavy practice, and finding spaces to support my work has not always been easy. I got started in community studios, but as my business grew I quickly started to find the ceiling for how much I could do in these spaces. Taking big orders and prepping for events on a deadline also became a huge challenge, since I had no real control over firing schedules and such.

Since those days, I am thrilled to have opened my own private, production pottery studio. This was a leap of faith and felt like a very scary business investment at the time, but it has paid off in every way. Creating a space that is perfect for my workflow and creative practice has allowed me to grow in ways I never could have imagined.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I fell in love with ceramics in high school, though at the time, I never would have expected it to play such a huge role in my life. I graduated in 2020 at the height of the global pandemic, and when all of my plans fell apart, ceramics was there for me. When my study abroad scholarship fell through due to quarantine, I spent my unexpected gap year at a community pottery studio where I made art everyday. Spending a year with no responsibilities except to create changed the trajectory of my life, and in this space I was also held my a community of artists who helped me refine my clay skills but also taught me what it means to be a working artist.

After that year, I moved to Santa Cruz, California, where I became woven into another wonderful arts community, and I was also introduced to the inspiration for most of the work I make today, the natural environment of the central California coast. In this beautiful place we have a wonderful mix of forest, mountain, and ocean, and the mushrooms, tide pools, and forest creatures are at the center of my work. I love that people connect with my work because it represents the beauty of this place, but to me the flora and fauna that I depict don’t just represent the visual space, but also the community that I found here and my deep love for this place.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Pottery is by far my favorite art form, but I would consider video and storytelling to be a close second. My social media presence goes beyond pretty photos (although I also post those). These platforms are a place for me to share my work, the story behind it, and the stories of my everyday life as an artist.

It started when I was 18 years old, and truly falling in love with ceramics for the first time. I was definitely motivated by the potential to sell my work, but my passion for potting was in superbloom, and I wanted to share it with the world. This authenticity permeated through my content, and my audience resonated with that and quickly grew in size. That is the #1 advice I give to those who ask – be authentic on your socials.

Unfortunately I am also a terrible realist, and I do feel a responsibility to tell you that being yourself is not all it will take. I had an eye for videography, and I refined it by observing well performing creators and noting the video styles, tones, and trends they were using, and using it to inspire my own content. If you’re just starting, consider finding top performing creators in your niche, and noting what type of content they are making. Is it videos or posts? Storytelling based or process/teaching content? From here, work on refining the technical aspects of creating content, and start applying that to your craft!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist, for me, is the act of making something tangible. I can take a pile of mud and an idea, and turn it into a piece of art that you can not only hold, but use in everyday life. My work isn’t something to simply be observed and appreciated, it’s something to be engaged with, touched, and used. It brings me so much joy to know that I have thousands of pieces out in the world that are in stranger’s homes and a part of morning routines and everyday rituals.

Between a careful drying process and multiples firings, ceramics is a slow process. And the joy when I unload the last firing and I can hold the physical manifestation of hours of work between my hands is unmatched.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annacanart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annacanart/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@annacanart