We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ellen Blomgren a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ellen, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

My income comes in various ways, adding up to a modest living. It has taken me 15 years to get to this point and I hope to be able to start saving for retirement this year.

I knew that I needed a studio and I knew that I loved sharing the love of my medium with others, so in opening a community studio, I was able to do both! I have a thirst for learning and have not stopped taking workshops and inviting teachers to the studio to teach.

I opened Mudstone Studios in 2007 and with the following recession, it was a slow go. I built it up slowly, one wheel at a time. But at the same time, I was hired at RISD for their CE program and was able to suppliment my income for the first 8 years before leaving that job. Over the 15 years we’ve been open, I developed a huge waiting list and have just opened a second location! That filled up and has full class offerings already. The second location is more streamlined and we now know what works best and what doesn’t.

As for my own work, I’m getting my pricing down. During my early years, my prices were very low and I was not even making a minimum wage for my efforts. As my time becomes more valuable and my work evolves, I ve been able to increase prices. Now I’m pricing in such a way that a gallery can keep 50% and I will still earn a livable wage. Pricing has been a big hurdle as well as being able to represent myself. Selling my own work is not always an easy thing. An artist needs to practice talking about their work, presenting it and promoting themselves.

I’m not sure that this process could be sped up because there’s nothing like actual experience to make an artist better. But practice is a lot like play, so the entire journey has been well worth it.

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

I got into my practice when my mother in law bought me a bag of clay and some tools for Christmas. I quickly found a place to fire my little figures and ended up in a class with Allison Newsome, a world renowned sculptor who mentored me for several years. I later found work with Pat Warwick, an amazing tile maker who thought me how to refine my work and give it a level of finish.

My ceramic garden sculpture usually depicts animals that have some anthropomorphic quality. I use the ceramics medium to tell a story. As I mold the clay into the form I’m trying to achieve, the mythology will evolve. Every cut into the clay reveals another layer. I embellish it with textures and details. Next the story is colored, enhancing every detail. Once installed, the narrative can be read in it’s entirety.

I’m pretty skilled with creating sculpted pet portraits. Especially dogs. I have a back of getting the perfect gesture and including personality. I’ve sculpted cats as well. I interview the client and ask questions about their pet and work from pictures. I have a lifetime of interest, my own pets and animal observation to draw from.

I love a challenge, so figuring out how to install a large piece or a new glaze doesn’t scare.me.away.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I’ve known for a while now, that the most successful artists have found representation. An artist can’t be awesomely talented, great businesspeople AND fantastic salespeople all at once. We need to delegate. I’ve hired a social media person to promote my community studio and she has taken my business to the next level. Well worth the expense. And I know that I’m not the snappiest dresser, my hair is just blah and there are other people more suited to selling my work. It’s hard to make the time to get my work out there on top of all the other things. I would very much like to see an art rep that was willing to work on commission instead of asking for money up front. If they are good at what they do, they could represent an artist community and everyone would make out. But for now, a reputable gallery or two is a good step.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My work often shows an environmental issue. I don’t work to resolve it, I just bring awareness to it. With anthropomorphic details, my intention is to create a level of empathy that may engage the viewer into action.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mudstonestudios.com, www.Ellenblomgren.com
• Instagram: @ellenblomgrensculpture
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/210165035251/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/EMeu557r5w4