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

KELSEY, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

I’ve been working full time as an artist for over three years now. Previously I worked full time at a bridal shop and was selling my work on the side. As long as I could make enough to keep buying supplies that was all I needed.

After covid hit it was harder to work in retail emotionally and I felt like I needed to make a change. I had a few personal reminders that life is short and I needed to pursue what made me most happy.

At that point I decided to take a year trying to make more pots, set up an online selling platform, and see if over that year I felt like I could truly support myself solely selling pottery.

Around this time was when I began creating my wildlife series and the demand for these pieces was instantly seen. I was selling out quickly, receiving messages for custom orders, and it was clear that this would be a viable steady income.

I feel that making this financial leap from a very pragmatic mindset was crucial. I couldn’t just assume that if I made more inventory it would result in more sales. I knew I needed an online platform to supplement the local shows I was doing, and now online sales make up 85% of my annual income.

I am a very analytical person, so I look into every aspect of my business. I have adjusted my pricing, my way of creating, my daily workload, all to ensure my sales continue. I think it’s different for every artist. Finding the right avenue to reach your customers looks different for your style of work, your geographic location, and there isn’t just one way to make this work as a business.

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 back background and context?

My first experience with the world of ceramics was in high school through beginning wheel classes at my local YMCA. After I graduated I moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for my undergraduate degree at Coe College. I began as a photography major for my freshman year, but after a ceramics class the following fall I knew I couldn’t return to the darkroom and keep my hands out of clay. I graduated with a degree in fine art ceramics and French.

I’ve been working in clay for over 20 years now, and working full time to support my family with my art since 2022. I live in the Black Hills of South Dakota with my husband and two children.

I have always loved nature, particularly animals of almost any kind (I’m not big on spiders or bugs but that’s about it). As a kid I was always trying to learn more about any animal. My original dream was to become a veterinarian or a zookeeper, until I realized that sometimes I would have to witness animals dying and realized I couldn’t handle that. So I decided to be an artist instead.

I have always felt a spiritual connection to nature, and I’m continually inspired by so many things in the natural world. Big cities never appealed to me, but put me in any national park and I’m happy. Put me in front of any animal and I likely won’t stop smiling for days.

If you asked me as a kid what my biggest ultimate dream would be, I likely would have said I wanted to make art and save all the animals. So that’s what I’m trying to do. I still don’t know all the details on how to do that, but I’m trying bit by bit.

I believe that art has the power to impact people, so I hope my art has the impact to spark passion for conservation. I try to capture the personality of animals and the beauty of their habitats in each piece. The more we fall in love with something, the more we strive to protect it. I hope that when you fall in love with an animal I sculpt on your cup, you would also be inspired to help protect them.

I believe we all have the power to make the world a more beautiful place. I’m trying to do that by spreading joy and love for nature and giving back with every piece I make.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think some people might be surprised to know how much work goes into running my business. It might be easy for someone to think I’m just having fun making whatever I want and that I’m lucky to be able to not have a “real job”. But the truth is that I run every aspect of my business. I’m the one not only making each piece from start to finish, but also running my social media, photographing my work, advertising, tracking all my finances, shipping, responding to customers, everything. If all I did was make pretty pots there’s no way I could be successful.

I think a lot of non creatives also might not understand the emotional toll it takes to be creating work full time. When I create something I put a bit of my soul into it. I create it because it resonates deep within me, and I’m hoping that the final result will then resonate with the viewer. You have to be putting your best out until the world, and your best has to be part of yourself. It’s vulnerable and scary.

In a “regular job” there of course will be days when you don’t want to do a certain task, and of course I have that now too. But being able to power through say a tedious task is entirely different that having to power through and create when your heart isn’t in it. It shows in the final work. I have had to set boundaries in my business to protect my creative energy, simply to be able to keep going. Some of these decisions mean changes for what kind of pieces I create, no longer taking custom orders that are too logistically difficult to manage, and simply saying no sometimes. That’s hard when you want to please every customer and wonder if any given decision will affect your sales and livelihood. But I’ve found that when my creative energy suffers, my business suffers in turn, and it’s crucial to protect that emotional aspect of my job.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The most basic answer is that I want to support my family with my art. The bigger answer is that I want to make a difference in the world. I’m not looking to be the next global social leader or anything, but we all make an impact on our world.

A few years ago when my grandmother passed away I got to see how many people she affected just in her local community. She was a nurse practitioner and was instrumental in creating the family planning clinic in her town in the 50’s. She saw a need, she was passionate about making it happen, and at her memorial numerous women shared with our family that because of her efforts they were able to have both the career and the family they wanted. There won’t be a statue erected for her or a national holiday in her honor, but she added beauty and good to the world. She made a difference just by pursuing what she was passionate about and doing that with joy.

For me that passion is conservation and spreading love for the natural world. I’ve realized that part of what resonates with my audience is this deep love for animals and wild places. This inspires not only the pieces I create, but also my desire to use my work to benefit conservation. From the beginning of creating my wildlife series I chose to donate part of my personal proceeds to the World Wildlife Fund to support their conservation efforts.

Over the years it has become clear that I can use my work to do even more. I have continued to donate pieces for fundraisers and this year I decided to put together a collective show of artists all united for conservation. The show ended up raising over $7000 for conservation groups around the world. That isn’t billions of dollars, but it’s more than I could have raised on my own, and it’s more than anyone would raise by doing nothing. The world isn’t always changed by charismatic world leaders. It’s the efforts of people doing what they can, spreading joy where they can, and pursuing their passion that add up.

It’s my hope the the work that I create would continue to spread a love for nature and the unique species that are vital to our global ecosystem.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kswildlifecreations.com
• Instagram: @kelseyceramics

Image Credits
Images are all my own