We recently connected with Anna Frantz and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

If I’m being honest with myself, throughout my life I have felt a little bit lost regarding what I wanted to do. For years I felt like I was just going through the motions of what you’re “supposed to do”. Off to college I went as I began shoveling my way into debt and popping out the other side with my MA in Psychology but still uncertain of what I really wanted. I began my career working various jobs in the mental health field, from an In Home Therapist to group home director to a care coordinator. I kept moving forward as there was always this feeling that everything I was doing was building up to something that I wasn’t aware of. I would tell myself periodically “you are exactly where you’re supposed to be”. I spend years telling clients to recognize their own needs and care for their own mental health and it got to a point where I needed to do the same for myself. I realized over time that taking care of my well-being meant doing a job that I loved, which I knew deep down wasn’t mental health, but something to do with art. Art has always been my escape, my self- care, my happy place.

When COVID first hit, I think a lot of people like myself had revelations like, “what am I actually doing with my life?”. I was only getting older and more scared of losing time. I had taken up pottery at a local studio at the insistence of my ever so honest and straightforward sister who told me to “just do it”. She reminded me that it was always something that I loved and had a knack for. In October of 2020 I became a member of Mudstone Studios. I started getting positive feedback about my art which helped me build confidence in my craft and more importantly myself. A huge source of inspiration came from seeing other members pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams. It was the first time I had been around people who were making a living off of selling their art. That’s when I began to truly envision myself making a living doing pottery. My mind began constantly thinking about how “I could do it, I could actually do it”. I began plotted how I could make it happen. Within a few months I had quit my 9- 5 and opened my own pottery business, Earthen Jungle.

Anna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I still don’t know what I should call myself. Am I a potter? A ceramicist? A clay connoisseur? Regardless of my unclaimed title, I’ve been working with clay a little over seven years. Pottery for me was not love at first sight. We met in high school but it was not until college that I fell in love. We fell off for a few years, periodically taking classes or joining studios but outside forces or circumstances didn’t allow the love to flourish… that was until Covid-19. The studio allowed for a much-needed break from social isolation and a way to connect with myself again. I found a new appreciation for the craft and began to connect with it in way I had not before.

I never thought I had a personal niche or artistic style but I have come to realize that everybody really does have their own unique perspective in life, and that individuality will naturally leave an imprint on am artist’s work. Many of my pieces are inspired from my experience growing up in different parts of the country. I was born in New Mexico “The Land of Enchantment” and feel in love with the landscape. When I was six we moved to Texas for a year and although our time there was short lived it made an ever lasting impact on my life. It was at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center that my love for nature and plants began to grow. I remember it being just so breathtakingly beautiful, and I think that really cemented my understanding of how connected I felt with nature. In college I began working at a local farm with my sister. We spent hours picking ground cherry tomatoes and as my skin roasted in the hot 3pm sun my fondness for nature continued to grow. Naturally my love for nature has been incorporated into my art. Earthen Jungle is where you can explore nature inspired ceramic smokeware (i.e. pipes, vape holders, ashtrays), home goods (i.e. mugs, planters, wall hangings) and jewelry. Combining textures, patterns, and bright colors into pieces of functional art. I often utilize a third kiln firing in order to add mother of pearl iridescent or gold accents to my pieces. It is important to me that each piece feels special and unique.

In the pottery world often you are either someone who uses the pottery wheel or someone who uses hand building techniques. Something that sets me apart is that I do both. I take a lot of pride in the details and time I put into each piece. There is no better feeling than helping a client find a one of kind piece that you know they will treasure. I love knowing that someone might be having their morning coffee in the new mug I made them or smoking out of their new pipe with friends. It is really cool being able to make functional art that people are able to use in their everyday life.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There was an article I read that explored some of the world’s most prolific artists and what made them so impactful and relevant. It went into detail about how all of the artists were constantly innovating with new techniques and mediums. It resonated with me because I’m someone who hates feeling stuck and wrapped up in life’s everyday monotony. I want to constantly be learning and challenging myself to elevate my business to its highest potential. To me that begins with learning, taking chances and being open to new experiences. When I first started Earthen Jungle I was honestly terrified and extremely confused.

As someone who has no business background, I literally had no idea what I was doing or where to begin. One of my brothers had sent me “The Personal MBA” by Josh Kaufman. It is a quick, information packed page turner on all things business. He touches upon many different aspects of running your own business in a way that is clear and easy to digest. I took notes as I read this book and often will look back on them to feel inspired and to get new ideas on how to optimize my systems.

I would highly recommend the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. This is a fast and entertaining read for anyone looking to change habits in their daily life. I enjoyed that the book provides many different strategies to try and explains the science/reasoning behind each one. You end the book feeling like changing habits is not as scary as you may have thought. You are more confident as you have a toolkit to try out. There are usually not enough hours in the day to finish everything I want to accomplish. This book helped to instill in me the importance of taking a step, no matter how small, each day towards your goal.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I first opened Earthen Jungle as an online store through Etsy. I sold a few items at my studio but my sales were predominantly driven through E-commerce. I started feeling overwhelmed and insecure that my sales were fully online since it requires so much social media marketing, something I admittedly don’t enjoy. I knew going into this business that I would have to confront my own biases and accept social media as a necessary evil to succeed. I quickly experienced social media burnout to the point of wanting to give up completely. I remember spending over an hour making an Instagram Reel only to have the app freeze and delete the video before I could post it. After resisting the urge to throw my phone out the window, I realized that maybe I could pivot my marketing strategy.

I decided to take a swing at selling my products in person at local art markets and festivals. I signed up for my first show weeks in advance, which was just enough time to play every negative scenario in my mind about how it might go. I was so nervous, but to my astonishment it was a massive success, and it’s been pretty much uphill from there. Vending opportunities have allowed me to make a profit in my business for the first time and have given me the flexibility to approach social media at my own pace while I learn more about online marketing.

My own resiliency comes from my drive to try new things and explore different strategies when something is not working. I am always willing to at least try something once and then step back to analyze whether it is worth continuing to go forward. At the end of the day, I like to pause to remind myself that I am a success for the fact that I am trying.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.earthenjungle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthenjungle/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/earthenjungle https://www.reddit.com/user/EarthenJungle