Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Grammer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Something that many people in the ceramics industry believe is that you must produce large amounts of work regularly in order to make a living as a ceramic artist. It seems as though a large quantity of ceramic artists have the goal of becoming production potters, but I feel so differently! When I made the decision to work towards becoming a full-time artist I had the goal of creating a slower paced lifestyle where I can work at my own pace and create in a way that fuels my passion for art. In my opinion and personal experience, being a production potter where I create hundreds of pieces within a month or two is a perfect way to kill my passion for creating. I tried wholesale work and told myself I would never work like that ever again. It was incredibly monotonous, stressful and physically exhausting. I hated creating the same things over and over again in huge quantities in short periods of time. It can be quite difficult to not be pressured into making more by the consumer; I’ve most definitely given into that. But I quickly realized that completely goes against my original goal of creating a slower paced lifestyle. I had to learn how I could make a living while also creating at a slower pace and make smaller batches. I began creating one of a kind pieces and stopped repeating designs altogether. That grew my demand and I was able to raise my prices significantly. Also since I make small batches slowly people have to wait a long time before I have more pieces available. When I do finally release them they sell out within 1-5 minutes. It’s wild! It took a lot of trial and error to get to this point, but I’m so glad I listened to myself because now I can work at a pace that fits my desired lifestyle and I can make a living doing so.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

When I started my small business I was working as an after school visual art teacher for elementary school kids. I was creating ceramic work on the side. It was quite challenging on top of my teaching job since it’s quite and involved position but I have so much passion for creating art, I made time for it. I was in the process of building my social media following and was regularly filming TikToks and Instagram reels. One day an Instagram reel of me painting one of my ceramic cats went viral. It got around 9 million views and then suddenly the followers started pouring in. I went from around 500 followers to 50k followers within a few days and it just kept growing. I had hundreds of emails and DMs to get through. It was incredibly overwhelming but also really cool! Growth was exactly what I wanted, but I didn’t expect it to all happen so quickly. Suddenly I was in the public eye and I was just barely getting into the industry. My business was only a couple months old and I didn’t have anything figured out yet. I got quite a lot of backlash from people in the beginning because I was making mistakes and I couldn’t even come close to keeping up with the demand for my ceramic cats. My work was selling out in 5 minutes or less and then I was left with nothing for sale for months at a time while I created more. It was very mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting trying to keep up!

Eventually I realized I needed to find a better balance. I quit my job as an art teacher and created a Patreon. I now prioritize my Patreon members when it comes to ceramics sales. It’s a lot easier to keep up with demand when the amount of people who have access is smaller. I now also create stickers, keychains, pins, digital downloads, and printed clothing. This has helped me immensely because now I can make a steady income while I am creating ceramic work. Before I would have months of no income while I was making a new batch of cats. Selling smaller, easier to create items was the way to go! It also helps those who are unable to get a ceramic cat to feel like they are still able to get something made by me. It’s been a huge learning curve and I still don’t have everything figured out, but I’m getting there and each year gets easier. Putting your heart and soul into your work and taking a chance on yourself comes with a lot of stress and uncertainty, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m so thankful I made the leap.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I first started my social media page with barely any followers at all. Before I blew up I only had about 500 followers. I built my audience by one of my reels going viral on Instagram. I made a reel of myself painting one of my ceramic cats and talking about how I wasn’t expecting little ceramic cats to be so popular but I think it might because of their little buttholes, ha ha! I poke booty holes since my pieces are hollow and it’s for proper ventilation to avoid explosions in the kiln. I knew I needed a hole somewhere so I figured why not make a butthole! That reel got around 9 million views and I went from having 500 followers to around 50k followers within 1 week. It was INSANE! I had hundreds of emails and messages to get through. It was incredibly overwhelming. I grew very quickly. I think having a sense of humor and making something a lot of people can relate to is what helped me grow and continue to be seen. I’ve had a few more reels go viral and they have a similar vibe to that first one. Many people have cats and if you’re a cat owner you know cats are always sticking their butts in your face, so I think that’s why people got a kick out of my work. I’d say if you’re just starting out then it’s important to think about what kinds of things you relate to and how others might also relate. A sense of humor always helps too! Don’t take things too seriously.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I love to keep in touch with my followers/customers by chatting with them via DMs on Instagram, Facebook or on Patreon. I also tend to share a lot about my life on social media because it helps people understand and get to know the artist behind the work better. I’ve realized that people are much more inclined to purchase work from you if they like who you are as a person and feel some sort of connection. It’s important to me to be connected to my followers and customers, not just because it helps my business, but also because I genuinely enjoy getting to know people. I’ve made so many online friends and a couple in person friends that started out as just someone interested in my work! I love building relationships with the people who love my work. I want my business model to feel more personal. Without my followers and customers I wouldn’t be where I am today, so I try really hard to stay connected to them in the best ways that I can.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juneandgem.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juneandgem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuneandGem