We recently connected with Chrys BonnayLewis and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chrys 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?

Diversification is the name of the game! My business is successful not because I design and create lovely functional porcelain ceramics, but I also teach and offer studio experiences. Offering a mix of products and services is the secret to my successes. Chrys’ Porcelain was created as an inclusive space where creating with clay is the foundation of the business and the studio is open to all that want to learn and create.
I offer pottery and ceramic lessons; on and off the wheel; mold making, slip casting, hand-building and wheel-throwing. Additionally, my offerings include: Pot Parties (Pottery making party), Workshops; Kiln firing, kiln maintenance, glaze development, “The Ceramic Surface” etc. as well as project workshops; Kinetic clay, tile making, etc.
When I first started, I thought my porcelain wares would be my main source of income for the business, however it’s proven to be the community of students and creatives that makes up Chrys Porcelain that has become the foundation of the business.
Lessons, pottery experiences and offering studio space to other artists is what pays the bills. I’ve learned that the real value of my business is my extensive experience, acquired knowledge and my enthusiasm.
I’ve used the medium to teach children and adults from 4 – 90 years old, subjects include clay and cover; problem solving, science and art. Working with clay has some therapeutic values as well and my studio has a couple of professionals that use their weekly studio visits to unwind and reduce the stresses of their professional and everyday lives. Chrys’ Porcelain Studio has become a community space where many take creative refuges from the tensions of everyday life.

Chrys, 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 a daughter of an engineer and as a young single mother I followed my father into the automotive industry and worked as an engineer in the auto industry. While working as an engineer and manufactures representative I learned metallurgy and mechanical processes. Always an artist I was not a happy engineer unless I was allowed to create new processes. To find my passion I attended art classes at colleges and local community centers at night while working at General Motors during the day. Once my hands found clay and I discovered how science and ceramic processes worked together I knew that clay was my medium. After finding clay I attended the College of Creative Studies and obtained a BFA in Ceramics / Material studies.
Upon graduation I was scooped up by a historic pottery in Detroit were they were losing contracts they held with Detroit Public Schools to teach art. The school system was changing the programs from art to STEM. It was at this time that I become aware of how uniquely qualified I was to turn ceramic art programs into STEAM programs and change the direction of the community outreach with Detroit Public Schools and combine art and science to teach chemistry, the periodic table, centripetal force etc.
After working as a Director for the historic pottery I worked for the College for Creative Studies both as an administrator and educator.
The pandemic changed the direction of my career and it was this unexpected change that created, Chrys’ Porcelain studio!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society is stuck in the “starving artist” mindset. My desire is for artist to be respected as much as other professionals. Those of us that work as professional artists are miss-understood as being “starving” or “hobbyists” when the reality is that arts and cultural sector add more to the economy than do construction and transportation/warehousing combined. The value added by arts and culture to the U.S. economy is five times greater than the value from the agricultural sector and totals approximately 4.2 present of the Gross domestic product in 2022. That needs to be celebrated not dismissed as less than any other professions. After all it is art that teaches us problem solving skills and there are many professions that require creative thinkers both 2D and 3D. The lack of education about the arts and how they contribute to our humanity is not only a dis-service to those of us trying to make a living as creatives, but it also discounts how artists communicate to our humanity and economy.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

We as artist need to present ourselves as professionals both in appearance and in how we conduct business. We are professionals! It sadness me to see that these things are overlooked when educating creatives. The education of the arts could benefit from a re-evaluation. Obtaining an arts degree is out of reach for many and therefore making a living as an artist appears unattainable. There are more programs offering MFA’s (Master of Fine Art) then there are jobs for MFA’s to teach. And an MFA does not teach anyone how to teach. As a result, those that do not obtain teaching degrees or work as educators in higher education end up working in other professions with a ton of student loan debt that far exceeds the cost that the degree will contribute to living expenses. Most higher education professionals pay their bills and student loans from teaching salaries not their artwork! And therefore, have an unrealistic view of how artists actually pay the bills and make a living. In 2011 I was a fellow for the NCECA (National Council for the Education of the Ceramic Arts) and researched and wrote a thesis on how potters make a living. My findings are that college professors have unrealistic views of how ceramicists actually make a living after graduation, and that the health care costs were an obstacle in working as a potter and/or artist. Moreover, those that were making a living as potters had spouses that had professions that offered health care and / or taught in higher education. Very few at that time were making a real living from their pots. Today that has changed a bit, but we still have a long way to go to place artists on the same level as engineers and other professionals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chrysbonnaylewis.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrysporcelain
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrys-lewis-48753221/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNNEKDVjvZUyjQA3aWSdEKQ
• Other: https://linktr.ee/chrysporcelain https://www.tiktok.com/@glammapotter