We were lucky to catch up with Gina DeSantis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gina, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so one thing we think people don’t talk about nearly enough is investments – either time or money. What’s one of the best or worst investments you’ve made and what did you learned from the experience?

The worst investment I have made for my business is hiring a PR team to promote my artwork and secure press. I had reached out to an all female team after a very condescending conversation with a male marketing agent in the Cleveland area. I wanted to help launch my brand fully into a national arena. I now realize not many companies understand how to market a brand that is handmade.

Being an artist and a maker in the context of capitalism is a consistent uphill march. Most systems in place for things such as PR, advertisements, funding, etc are at odds with the arts. As artists we are constantly competing for projects and fighting to get paid our worth.

The best investment I made after spending thousands of dollars on a team was to begin promoting myself. No one can speak for my brand like I do. I have been living and breathing art my entire life and I realized to grow I needed to be my biggest advocate.

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 background and context?

Gina DeSantis Ceramics was established in 2013. I am the lead creator behind my handmade dinnerware and home decor. I employee two part time studio assistants and one part time shipping assistant. We are a small but mighty team focused on creating high end tableware. We do not employ methods of mass production. I am focused on small batch production for homes and restaurants.

My work is currently sold online through my own website along with major companies like Nordstrom and Anthropologie. Additionally my work is carried at over 300 stores nationwide.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Small batch creation is at the core of my business. I have tried to seek out larger manufacturers for my business with much trial and error. I have learned a lot of what works and what I want my business to be and become. I have one item mass produced in Hong Kong. It is an item for a catalog that we could not keep up with by wheel throwing as a manufacturing method. I do not do slip cast ceramics in my studio. It is a completely different set up than how I produce work. The investment did not make sense therefore I found a smaller business in Texas to help produce this item. Sadly the owner passed away and I was left to find another slip cast artist. I found someone in Cleveland however that artist became too busy with their own work so I was forced to turn over seas.

What I have learned through this process is the following:
1. Almost no options exist for manufacturing of ceramic artwork in the USA.
2. Most customers do not like that aspect of my work and prefer my handmade items over my design work.
3. Major retailers constantly fight me on using over seas manufacturing despite wanting an unrealistic amount of work coupled with tight turnover times for a single artist. The way I produce work cannot meet their demands but they want that “handmade” mark to their offerings.

All of these issues were enough to make me realize I do not want to be a factory. I want to be an artist. Thanks to tariffs this process is reinforced because even it if did work it no longer financially works for most small businesses.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

In addition to selling my artwork I run a membership based ceramics studio. There are so many people who love to work in clay but the investment in space, glazes, kilns and learning how to fire work overwhelms them. I run a small space with a monthly membership fee and 24/7 access. An application process is necessary as this is not a supervised workspace. It relies on the sense of community amongst these artists to keep the space running smoothly. This source of income helps create a solid stream of consistent revenue each month. This is extremely helpful during slower seasons for my art business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ginadesantisceramics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginadesantisceramics
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GinaDeSantisCeramics
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginadesantis/

Image Credits

Photo credits: Whitney Traylor