We recently connected with Antonia Campanella and have shared our conversation below.

Antonia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

This response is in reference to an arts education. I think it is extremely important that artists understand the significance in treating themselves as a business. The art education should teach techniques and get the students inspired through prompts and critiques, but also have them seriously start considering how they will make a sustainable career from their art. What will they do with the money they earn?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

O L R A C R E A T I V E is Antonia Campanella. ( O L – R A is my son A R- L O’s name backwards!) Antonia is a maker, mother & Marketing Director for Nate Cotterman Glass. She brings over 10 years experience in consulting & sales for successful small creative businesses. Her experience also involves making, receiving a BFA in Ceramics from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 2010. She is a conduit of creative people & advocate for the handmade. If you are a current or aspiring creative business, reach out to see how OLRA CREATIVE can help you articulate your unique place in the market.

O L R A C R E A T IV E works with some of today’s top artists, design firms, restaurants and photographers. If we can’t help you, we can source the best person, product or skillset. OLRA CREATIVE is an ever- evolving endeavor, which looks to include the best people and products the world has to offer. OLRA CREATIVE looks to emphasize quality & authenticity

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many, I pivoted during Covid. My husband and I were in the middle of his Artist in Residency at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. We were still working together to run his business, but in an effort to really begin to help others during this uncertain time, I began to articulate and formalize what I could offer creatives through my consultancy Olra Creative. It was at this time that so many artists and small businesses were unsure of how to sustain themselves, I took the opportunity to partner with a variety of people to help them get organized, establish Terms, communication about what they do, line sheets, social media, email database etc. My sister & brother in law had exited the restaurant industry during Covid- due to the uncertainty, and developed a pizza pop up kitchen, I partnered with them to do their menu, website, marketing and social media. Covid was as good a time as any to flush out this business that I could use to help people and utilize my skill sets to make money while working from home.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

My husband, Nate Cotterman & I met in school at the Cleveland Institute of Art. We have been working together for over 15 years. When I met Nate, he was in his final year of school, working on his BFA presentation. I attended his BFA, he is an incredibly skilled glass blower and maker in general, however, he, like the majority of artists don’t like talking about what they do. I remember thinking that I needed to be a part of whatever he was doing because it would be so easy to make it successful if I was able to speak about it! We started collaborating on a project prototyping wine decanters for an Italian restaurant I was working for through college (2010) but it wasn’t until our time in his Artist Residency (2018) that he began trusting me with client communication without running everything by him first! I refer to Nate as my main client, we work together in his glass business and through my consultancy business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.olracreative..com
• Instagram: olra_creative

Image Credits
Myles Pettengill Laura Wood