We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Segrest. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.
Courtney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
I have always loved making in any form. Painting, crocheting, and ceramics when I finally started taking classes in my undergrad. The university I was at had a strong art community and often had opportunities to vend during art walks. The first time I put my application in I had a handful of ceramics, and crochet jellyfish that I was selling at my booth. Everything was priced horrendously cheap because I didn’t think anyone would want to buy my work, but by the end of the night, I was lugging back empty bins that had been full of my art. I was beyond the moon excited to have made money off of the pieces I had made, and after that first time vending I increased my prices to something that valued the hard work that went into making everything, and, to my surprise, things still sold.
Courtney, 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 received my BFA from the University of Oklahoma in 2019, and I went on to get my MFA in Ceramics from the University of North Texas in 2023. I found a love for ceramics in my undergrad, and I knew that whatever I did in the future I wanted it to be revolving this wonderful material. When I first entered grad school I had the goal of someday becoming a ceramics professor, but somewhere in those three years of school, I decided that I would prefer to make a living off of the work that I create. I couldn’t see myself putting my artwork to the side to be able to teach full time, and I decided it meant that that life just wasn’t for me.
After graduating I started an LLC for my ceramics, and have been holding sales through my website, www.courtneysegrest.com. I utilize Instagram to inform people about how I make the products I do, and I also use it to inform my followers about when my next sale will be. I’m still in the very beginning of starting a business, and I’m still learning about how to track everything. Thankfully, I have a partner who has a business background, and he has been a huge help in guiding me in what needs to be done. I have developed a few new ideas after graduating, a spinner cup being the one I’m most excited about. It’s a series of cups/mugs that have a ceramic chain at the bottom of the vessel that can be spun around as you drink from it. I wear two fidget rings on my fingers every day that help calm and focus me, so this cup was inspired by one of these rings, and I hope that it can bring people some happiness but also serve as a grounding device if needed.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I think the best thing that can help support artists and creatives is simply to be present, share their work, and buy any if you are able. As I mentioned in an earlier question, my first sale was vending on a side road during an art walk. There’s a possibility that if I hadn’t sold a single item that first time around I don’t know if I would have tried again. It’s the support of the community that can make a difference in the value that an artist associates with their work, especially when it’s at the beginning of an artist’s career. Spending five minutes just talking to someone about their work, expressing interest in seeing where you can find them later, giving words of encouragement, or purchasing something if possible make a world of a difference. The more we feed into small businesses the more individual and unique ideas will begin to grow.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of creating is knowing that something that my hands have made is now being cherished in the home of someone. I mostly make cups/mugs, items that are fairly intimate as they are held close to the body as they are used. Every time that I drink from a handmade cup I think about the person that has made it, and it creates a little connection that brings happiness to my heart. I hope that the people who use the items that I make feel the same way, and that it can bring a little bit of joy into their environment. It’s also lovely because the artwork never stops evolving, so each cup also serves as a landmark in time. I have a mug that I bought from an artist in 2019, and it’s vastly different from the work the artist is making now. It acts as a little memory box, and I know that I have a one-of-a-kind artwork.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.courtneysegrest.com
- Instagram: @courtnise