Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Whiteside.
Hi Summer, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my business as a fairly typical “starving artist”. I worked multiple part time jobs to make ends meet while I attempted to get my ceramics business off of the ground. I was teaching beginner throwing classes at 2 community art centers, assisting 2 local potters with their work, and, in my free time, focusing on my own ceramics & online presence. I began posting more regularly to social media and dedicating more time to video creation, which was eventually the catalyst for my success. I had a couple of videos go semi-viral in late 2021/early 2022, which quickly led to my first sell-out sale and left me with a commission waiting list that was longer than I could manage unless I went full-time with my art. There have been periods of time where I focused primarily on online sales, periods where I diverted my attention exclusively to high-end commission work, and, most recently, my focus has been on teaching my surface decoration techniques through online courses.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every moment between going full time and where I am today has been a massive learning experience. If I’m being honest, I feel like it’s only been within the last 6 months that I understand how to run this business without burning myself out. There isn’t a “one size fits all” guidebook for how to make a living as an artist. Depending on the type of work you create, you have to forge your own path. I’ve spent the last 4 and 1/2 years figuring out what path I want to be on, and there were some uncomfortable (yet necessary) failures along the way that aided me in figuring out how I wanted to move forward. Approximately 3 years ago, I experimented with creating a Patreon tier for customers who wanted my highest dollar-value level of custom orders, which seemed like a good idea at the time. I couldn’t have predicted that I would become massively burnt out & then experience a pretty major personal life event right around the time that these customs needed to be made. I was unable to keep up with the workload, and in the meantime, the customs were continuing to rack up. This created a vicious cycle that I’m only within the last year beginning to free myself from. At the time, the Patreon customs seemed like a way to help myself with monthly income and allow customers to pay over time for commissions, but in hindsight, I opened far too many spots and overestimated how long they would take me. All of this being said, I learned so much from that failure and it forced me to grow in unexpected ways.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a ceramic artist who is known for my unique porcelain mugs that feature hand-painted designs from Anime, Manga and Videogames. My mugs are recognizable with or without their surface decoration due to some key design features. They all have 3 hand sculpted feet in place of a traditional footring as well as having ornately carved bottoms. I am also known for using vibrant glaze colors and leaving lots of exposed porcelain in my designs.
My specialty is combining the very traditional medium of pottery with bold pop-culture imagery in a way that blends the two seamlessly. Every detail of my pieces is lovingly scrutinized until we are left with a luxury collector’s item fit for both display and function.
I am proud of the consistent high-quality standard that I maintain for my work, and how my pieces retain originality no matter what media source the designs come from. At the end of the day, they are beautiful, well-crafted porcelain dinnerware, and the hand painted underglaze designs are the cherries on top.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
It’s very important to me that the work I create is fundamentally well-crafted and functional. While it’s endearing to hear customers say that they love their pieces so much that they would never risk breaking them, the greatest compliment I can receive is that they love using my work in their day-to-day lives. In my mind, pottery is meant to be used. Functionality is one of the key features that made me fall in love with clay. I adore the concept of art that can become part of your daily routine, like that sacred first cup of coffee in the morning. With all of that in mind, I am always striving to make sure that form and function come first, and that while the painted illustrations are certainly never an afterthought, they also never overwhelm the physical form. I want to be known for making beautiful objects that feel at home in your hand just as much as I hope to be known for my underglaze paintings.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://summersceramicarts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/summers_ceramicarts?utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17nif8xakW/?mibextid=wwXIfr
