We recently connected with Lacey Sutton and have shared our conversation below.

Lacey , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In the winter of 2019/2020 my good friend Jessi Wacker and I signed a lease on a storefront and studio space in Knoxville. The building was old and needed some love, and neither of us had owned/ operated a storefront before. We both had established businesses already, but they where from our homes and local markets. The idea of signing a lease felt like taking on a second mortgage with no guarantee that our venture would be a success. I was scared, hopeful, and excited, but scared. After much planing, scrubbing, painting and networking it was almost time to open. It was March of 2020, and just days before we where scheduled to open, the city entered its first full Covid shutdown. It seamed painfully ironic that we had worked so hard to open an in person store to move away from just online and instead we just had an additional place to run an online business. It was not the magical start we had both hoped for.
However I was able to move my studio out of my home. It was wonderful to not fill my dining room table with wet clay mugs anymore. It was amazing to not need to clean ( or not clean) the mud splatters off the walls and washing machine in my laundry room anymore. And with time we opened our doors to the masked friends and customers, of our little shop Whimsy & A Dream.
It’s been almost three years now, and I feel so blessed by the community of customers, fellow artist and makers, and now friends who have joined and supported us. It’s been an adventure for sure, but one I’m endlessly grateful for.

Lacey , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lacey Sutton, I am a local Knoxville artist/ shop owner. I mostly make and sell functional ceramics, but I also love to sculpt and paint. My work is overly detailed, I love to illustrate each piece with whimsical drawings, glazed with bright colors, and finished with 22kg details. My work is often inspired by my daughters and their beautiful imagination and fascination with nature, and folklore. I also co-own a small handmade and vintage store on Sutherland Ave called, Whimsy & A Dream. My ceramics studio is located there, and I am able to not only sell my work, but also the work of other local makers and curated vintage treasures.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being an artist has given me so much freedom to just enjoy the world around me. Don’t get me wrong, I also feel like I’m always working, always behind, and can’t possibly stay ahead. But I get to act, on the things I imagine. I get to spend hours working with my hands, doing the things that truly bring me joy. With the freedom of working with my children. And of course working with children has its down sides as well. When my youngest was just learning to walk, I always made several extra mugs in each batch. I called them the Maggie mugs, and just anticipated that they would inevitably get broken by her chubby and curious fingers. But looking back, even the downsides have become cherished memories for me. I feel so honored that people spend their hard money on the things that I get to create. I wouldn’t trade this messy, busy, creative life for anything

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Being a creative I often work long hours, sometimes late into the night. Particularly around special events and holidays. I often have people ask why I do it. Wouldn’t I prefer to have regular hours and consistent paychecks? But as ideal as those things are, I love the process of being a maker, more then I need the predictability of a traditional job.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: [email protected]