We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Thea Cheah a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Thea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
Though doubtful at first if being a full time potter can financially support me, I am extremely happy with my choice of being a business owner right now.
After graduation, I had the opportunity to have a ‘regular’ job in the Human Resources department in a wonderful company. I had everything I wished for but something felt amiss.
I then realised that, me too, would want to create artworks out of pottery clay — something my dad has been doing way before I was born and have made it his main hustle. Seeing him enjoying his life working an ‘unconventional’ job made me realise that it is better to be happy than to live a mundane life deemed normal by society.
Thea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Following suit my dad’s footsteps, I am now a full time potter. It definitely took some time after graduation to figure out what I want to do for a career. I have worked in corporate and high end retail, both which provided financial stability but I knew I wanted more.
I wanted to do something that makes me jump out of bed everyday, something that means something to me. This then led me to wanting to continue the legacy my father has built.
Now, I create artworks to sell to sustain this lifestyle. My signature works are my ceramic accessories. Though sales can be up and down, I have found a career that gives a meaning to my life.
For the future, I would love to have my own studio where I can create and also teach ceramics.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
To get new clients, I join art markets to widen my reach. These markets are great because you get clients who truly appreciate arts. Plus point is I get to meet a lot of interesting people!
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
When joining art markets, I love talking to people to pass time. Surprisingly through doing so, the people I talked to turned into clients because they wanted to support my business. I am truly grateful to each and everyone of them. Being friendly goes a long way.
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