The Mud Peddlers: Ceramic Art Behind the Scenes
Arts
About
Two nerdy ceramic artists share the behind-the-scenes of their worlds of clay.
Episodes
- 122. Interview w/ Linda of Tea Cozy: “We’re drinking top tier sh*t right now…”
Even though they weren’t at NCECA, Lindsey and Donte had a grand time chatting ceramics and tea with local tea aficionado and Sacramento business owner Linda of Tea Cozy. There’s talk of Tea 101 for the leaf-curious, the connection between…
- 121. New year, new job, who dis?
Last year’s highlights. This year’s hopes. Lindsey and Donte are back for a late New Year’s check-in. There’s talk of glaze calculators, post-apocalyptic merchants, and Donte’s unexpected…marriage? _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon i…
- 120. Studio Update: Japan and New York and New Glazes oh my!
Lindsey and Donte catch up after coming back from two very different trips. There’s talk of Lindsey’s aesthetic aspirations, Donte’s change of heart with Mason stains, and why sometimes sh*t feels so crazy you gotta have at least a few min…
- Episode 119: Teaching Tips: "The Dad effect."
Ever thought about teaching a workshop or class? Lindsey and Donte chat about their experiences teaching, and share some tips for both beginners and those with some experience. There’s talk of class structure, communication styles…and how…
- 118. Live from NCECA: Chat w/ Mayco
Clay types and cooling rates and glaze absorption oh my! Donte sits down with Carmen Allen ( @shapethevoidstudios ) of Mayco to chat about finding flexibility and customization through glaze testing. Donte also brings along questions from…
- 117. “You ded?”
We’re not. We promise. Here’s an update filled with new jobs, new glazes, and new things on the horizon. Interested in mocha diffusion? In the Syracuse, NY area? Sign up for Donte’s Workshop with Clayscapes! _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey…
- 116. Live from NCECA: Chat w/ Amaco Brent
Join Donte for a chat with Cory Brown (@corybrownceramics) and Stephen Creech (@creechoftheeast) of AMACO Brent. There’s talk of the behind-the-scenes of product development, wading through glaze mysteries, and dream projects for these cer…
- 115. Myth-busting mocha diffusion: “I wanna double – triple – check…”
Donte walks Lindsey along his road busting some myths about mocha diffusion. There’s talk of viscous fingering, authority figures and critical thinking, and curiosity. Have you ever tried mocha diffusion in your work? P.S. This video was r…
- 113. Live from NCECA: Chat w/ Skutt
Donte chats with Jim Skutt and Chad Stewart of Skutt. Yes. That Skutt. There’s talk of firing best practices, the future of ceramics education, some really impactful new projects coming down the pipeline, Donte’s ultimate kiln feature wish…
- 112. NCECA Debrief: "Aren't you like...royalty?"
Lindsey interviews Donte about his recent experience at NCECA, or the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. There's talk of new clays, celebrity meetups, how Donte managed his social battery...and some ceramics world royalty…
- 111. The Tale of Red Lotus
It’s finally here. Head to Clayscapes and get yourself Donte's new glaze. _____ About Your Hosts Lindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and gee…
- 110. Replacing “Extinct” Glaze Materials: “It’s like a chocolate chip…”
Lindsey and Donte answer a question from listener @salnevarez_art about how to know what materials are going to become unavailable, and how to go about replacing an ingredient when it does. There’s talk of UMFs, glaze calculators, and way,…
- 109. Chat with Sue McLeod: “It’s not just information, it’s actually experience…”
Lindsey and Donte chat with Sue McLeod, a giant in the online ceramics education world. There’s talk of transitioning to full time ceramic work, creating a marketing approach that meets your needs, and how non science majors can experience…
- 108. Chat with Ben Carter of The Brickyard Network: “Trial and error and panic…”
Lindsey and Donte chat with Ben Carter – host of Tales of a Red Clay Rambler, founder of The Brickyard Network, and general artist and podcaster extraordinaire! There’s talk of how Ben got into clay and podcasting, how he’s made his career…
- 107. 2024 Year Review: “I have to stop...actually that's a lie.”
Lindsey and Donte return after a break for the first episode of 2025! They chat about the highlights and lessons learned from 2024, as well as what 2025 has in store. There’s talk of changing work/life balances, glaze development, new clas…
- 106. Working with local businesses: “That’s not the skill tree I chose…”
Lindsey and Donte chat about their experiences working with local businesses as another way to get their work out there. From pros and cons to best practices, these mud peddlers hope their stories will help you decide whether and how to ta…
- 105. Holiday Gift Guide for Clay People: “I. Want. Pretty. Buckets!”
Lindsey and Donte put together a list to help out with holiday gifts for clay people– whether you have a clay person in your life, or you are the clay person in your life. From classic quality-of-life picks to some potentially surprising s…
- 104. Adding Sculptural Elements to Functional Work: “Usually I’m the tangible one…”
**Election Day is Nov. 5th! Go to Vote.gov to find your local polling place and do a democracy!** Lindsey and Donte discuss the many ways you can use sculpture to expand the way you decorate your functional ware (whether wheel-thrown or ha…
- 103. Meet the Ingredients - Bentonite: “You disperse so good…”
**Do you have your voting plan? ^_^ Grab a buddy and participate in democracy together (then go get some ice cream or cake or some cheese, cuz you deserve it ;) ) Check your voter registration and find your polling place at Vote.gov** Lind…
- 102. SacAnime Summer 2024 Review: “Are you a *real* Pokemon fan???”
Lindsey and Donte chat about SacAnime Summer: the good, the bad, and the gross – gross income, that is… There’s talk of table positions, the price of goblets, and the never-ending challenge of figuring out what fandom to focus on. How do y…
- 101. Reevaluating Patreon: “Crunchyroll and chill…”
Lindsey and Donte sit down to reflect on their experiences with Patreon. What’s been working? What have they changed? How can Patreon be useful for more than the income? They also dive into their perspectives on creating free community con…
- 100. The 100th Episode
Big episode. Bigger career shifts. Biggest lessons learned. Join Lindsey and Donte for the 100th episode of The Mud Peddlers for where they’ve been and where they’re going. What’s your clay journey like been so far? Where would you like to…
- 99. Heat Work (+ Selling Your Glazes): “Heat plus things in physics…”
Lindsey and Donte do their best to define the tricky thing that is heatwork. What is it? What things affect it? Why is it making Lindsey crave cake? They also talk about a big business development for Donte. Curious for more information? C…
- 98. Non-clay things that impact clay things: “It’s almost as though we live in an interconnected world!”
Lindsey and Donte talk about some of the things that might not seem ceramics-related, but actually make an impact on us in the studio. From the fear of small, irregular holes to EV’s, these mud peddlers have plenty to talk about… What non-…
- 97. Meet the Ingredients: “It’s science!”
Lindsey and Donte introduce you to a few of the ingredients that make up a glaze. From talk of why Lithium isn’t just an Evanescence song to why you shouldn’t try and order “Rio” from your local clay store, they hope to give you a better u…
- 96. Translating Your Ceramics Skills onto a Resume: “It’s a whole other language…”
Lindsey and Donte talk about how to describe the skills you have in ceramics in language that goes on a resume. From keywords and imposter syndrome, to business English and code-switching, these mud peddlers have a lot to debate when it co…
- 95. Life Update: “I love Astarion and now I’m engaged…”
Lindsey and Donte are havin’ a week. So while they wait for the coffee to kick in, they chat about what’s been occupying their minds recently, from the wildly unpleasant to the gloriously sublime. And like every geek these days, they’re sp…
- 94. Questions to ask before saying “Yes” to an event
Lindsey and Donte go over the questions they ask themselves before agreeing to sell at an in-person event. It’s great to live in an area with lots of event options, but it can be hard to decide which one will be worth your valuable time an…
- 92. Navigating Short, Medium, and Long-Term Goals: “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”
Lindsey and Donte chat about how they handle goals with multiple timelines. There’s talk of monetary investments vs time investments, risk tolerance, saving mental energy, and working with what makes your brain tingle. What’s the main way…
- 92. From the Archives: NCECA 2023 Wheel Talk Collab.
In this blast from the past, Lindsey and Donte chat with Becca and Ryan from Wheel Talk Podcast in the NCECA 2023 Podcast Room. Have you ever been to an NCECA? Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics o…
- 91. Paperwork: “I spent this much on toilet paper…”
Lindsey and Donte chat about a few of the different kinds of paperwork they’ve dealt with as professional artists. From the different tax forms to contracts and what counts as a business expense, these Mud Peddlers give an overview of some…
- 90. Teaching Tales at Sun City: “More money, less work, I’m out.”
Lindsey and Donte chat about Donte’s big life news, and what his experiences and learning moments have been at his new teaching gig. There’s talk of age factors in teaching, politics in the classroom, and why it’s important to teach the “w…
- 89. A Brief History of Famous Glazes: “Is there a trademark on celadon?”
Shinos and celadons and tenmokus oh my! Lindsey interviews Donte about some of the most famous glazes you’re likely to hear about in the ceramics world. There’s talk of when and where they come from, what makes them unique, and why they’re…
- 88. ClayCon West 2024 Review: “We want it to feel cozy and interconnected...”
Lindsey interviews Donte in this low-key chat about his solo adventures at ClayCon West. There’s talk of crowd sizes and artist talks, expectations and infrastructure… And why there might be a new Hogwarts-style sorting ceremony to be had.…
- 87. SacAnime Winter 2024 Review: “Uuuhh…I made some poor decisions…”
Lindsey and Donte chat about their experiences at their first event of 2024! There’s talk of navigating price changes, successful and failed plans for inventory management, creating an efficient booth setup, avoiding wifi struggles, and wh…
- 86. 2023 Year Review Part 2: “You’re psyop-ing yourself!”
Lindsey and Donte look forward into 2024. There’s talk of taking care of our bodies, the fun to be had while procrasti-planning, and why Donte just can’t stop experimenting with glazes. What are you most looking forward to in 2024? Tell us…
- 85. 2023 Year Review Part 1: "Punch my internal dialogue would you?"
Lindsey and Donte look back at 2023. They touch base with the goals they set, share the unexpected changes that came up along the way, and dig through some of their biggest lessons learned from this past year. What was your biggest takeawa…
- 84. Chat with Birdie Tam: “You have to be a bit delusional…”
Lindsey and Donte chat with Birdie Tam! Join them as they discuss Birdie’s world of ceramic art and illustration, style development, going full time as an artist, balancing social media with making, hustle culture, what it’s like being an…
- 83. Pottery Myths Part 2: “Can we just all have sprinkles?”
Lindsey and Donte discuss some technical and social myths around the pottery and wider ceramic world. Welcome to Part 2! Which of our social and technical myths was most interesting to you? Got one you think should be on the list? Tell us…
- Halloween Special: "Family Dinner"
You may have heard me say I’ve been wanting to integrate more creative writing into my art practice. While this episode has nothing to do with ceramics, it is born from a love of writing and love of horror stoked by podcast The Magnus Arch…
- 82. Pottery Myths Part 1: “Porcelain isn’t a boss fight…”
Lindsey and Donte discuss some technical and social myths around the pottery and wider ceramic world. From thoughts on porcelain to setting goals for followers, they discuss some of the myths they’ve faced, the ways they’ve formed, and the…
- 81. Financial Deep Dive: "How do you do what you do?"
81. Financial Deep Dive: “How do you do what you do?” Lindsey and Donte go deep into the details of how they manage the financial part of their lives as working artists. From yearly income and where that income comes from to healthcare and…
- 80. Teaching Tales: Curriculum Update
Lindsey checks in with Donte about his teaching adventures. Ever wondered what kind of challenges might meet a first-time in-person instructor? From balancing time between students to updating his curriculum, Donte shares his. What’s a tim…
- 79. SacAnime Summer 2023 Review
79. SacAnime Summer 2023 Review Lindsey and Donte discuss their experiences at SacAnime. They walk through their expenses and profits, how they dealt with the tricky business of getting reception in a giant building made of concrete, and b…
- 78. When should you push yourself? “Bubble glaze! Backflips! Whoo!!”
Lindsey and Donte wrestle with the question of when you should push yourself beyond your comfort level in your work. There’s talk of the techniques Lindsey and Donte have used over the years to push their own work, how to balance creative…
- 77. Chat w/ Evie of @mudmonsterclayworks
Lindsey and Donte sit down with Evie of @mudmonsterclayworks to chat about everything from pricing philosophy, to navigating big life changes that affect studio time...to the best way to bribe your studio manager to make sure your piece ge…
- 76. Teaching at a Ceramics Studio: “Promised money vs. potential money…”
With Donte’s upcoming, first ever in-person classes starting this week, Lindsey and Donte chat about teaching at a ceramics studio. They discuss everything from their approaches to curriculum development and how much they’re getting paid,…
- 75. The Mud Peddlers Turns Three!
Lindsey and Donte celebrate The Mud Peddlers’ three-year anniversary/birthday/marker of time being in your ears! Listen as they chat about what three years of this podcast has meant to them, and hear from fellow listeners! A huge thank you…
- 74. Tips for Starting a Youtube Channel
74. Tips for Starting a Youtube Channel Lindsey picks Donte’s brain about starting a Youtube channel. From whether it’s better to buy a nice camera or a nice mic, to what “success” on Youtube might look like for you, join these mud peddler…
- 73. Mid-Year Review: “More than just dudes in a garage…”
Lindsey and Donte check in on their progress towards the goals they set at the beginning of the year. Among conversations around contracts, classes, and children, they find out which goals they’ve met, and which ones have shifted since the…