#244: Kate Schroeder & Thayer Bray (Kate Schroeder Ceramics) (pt. 1 of 2)

Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast: Making Art Work

This week on the podcast is part one of our interview with Kate Schroeder and her husband Thayer Bray. Kate is the artist behind Kate Schroeder Ceramics, whose works are in collections around the globe. Before becoming a full-time artist, she spent nearly a decade as an educator, and spent several years working in non-profits. She also managed Accessible Arts, a not-for-profit arts organization which specialized in teaching art to people with disabilities. Thayer is a printmaker with experience as a shop assistant at the Lawrence Lithography Workshop, a gallery assistant at Crane Yard Clay, and teaches bookbinding, papermaking, and lithography workshops. Thayer also helps with many aspects of the ceramics business. Join us as we touch upon a wide variety of entrepreneurial activities in this interview.
In this episode:
Sometimes, life throws you a curveball, and for Kate, it came in the form of a viral video. What followed was a whirlwind of fulfilling orders and managing the chaos that follows internet fame. Through it all, it was her small but dedicated team that stepped up to meet the demand. From discussing her successful Braille jewelry line to her popular mini mountain burners, Kate shares the evolution of her production line. With a balance of fine art and production, the conversation traverses the highs and lows of the artistic journey and the surprising pathway to entrepreneurship.

Chapter

1. Starting in Ceramics (00:00:00)

2. Starting an Online Ceramics Business (00:12:53)

3. Evolution of Artistic Production and Entrepreneurship (00:24:33)

4. Viral Videos and Business Growth (00:31:11)