We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laurie Caffery. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laurie below.

Laurie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have intended to pursue a creative path since I was a child. Working with my hands and making art was my absolute favorite activity while I was growing up. Academics and athletics were difficult for me, but art was a skillset I was consistently encouraged to pursue. My parents are both self employed creatives so that is what was modeled for me.

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 name is Laurie Caffery and I am a ceramic artist and illustrator. Painting and drawing were my favorite modalities from childhood through highschool. In college I took a beginner wheel throwing class and was absolutely terrible at it – the worst in the class. It was the first time I felt so challenged by an art medium, and it made me want to pursue it all the more.

I make highly illustrative functional ceramics. I form work using a variety of techniques from wheelthrowing, to hand building, to slipcasting. From there and in between, the drawings are carved and inlaid into the surface, glazes are mixed in-house and applied, and every piece is fired twice.

My I think of myself as equal parts production potter and artist. My work is extremely niche, thoughtfully designed, and painstakingly slow to make. I also consider things like production schedule, efficiency and business practices.

I adore my work and adore making it. I’m proud to be an artist that is able to make truly unique art pieces that are also highly functional and can last literally forever.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is ever-challenging and evolving. For folks who are looking to build a social media presence, I like to advise them to intentionally observe as much as you can (without doom scrolling). Different social media platforms and niches within those platforms each have their own language, and you need to spend time there to become fluent.

Within that, I recommend observing folks that you find aspirational on social media. Pay attention to their business model as much as you can, pay attention to what they share on social media and the responses. Emulate what you find the most authentic and interesting to you (while being conscious of not ripping anyone off, of course).

Once you have done this research, hopefully you will feel more confident in your own social media presence. It’s a craft of its own. Like any medium, you need to practice in order to find your authentic voice.

As a last note to that – don’t forget that social media is meant to be social, and don’t underestimate the value of creating real relationships there. It’s not just a platform for your art, it’s a tool to share your unique personality and relate to others. I have found such unexpected joy in connecting directly with my clients and collectors through Instagram.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There were several lessons from artists in academia that I am still working to unlearn. What comes to mind at the top is that sharing your art on social media is embarrassing or pandering. It is brave to be vulnerable, and there is nothing wrong with making a sincere effort to share and make a living from your artwork.

Contact Info:

• Website: lauriecaffery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriecaffery.clay/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriecaffery