We recently had the chance to connect with Taylor Emery Eck and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Taylor , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I am a first time mom to an incredible 10 month old baby boy. He has brought more joy to my life than I could’ve ever imagined.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! My name is Taylor Emery Eck! I am a full time self employed potter while also trying to be a full time stay at home mom – make that make sense! My pottery is all created by hand on the pottery wheel and is decorated with bright colors, floral imagery and pop culture references. I fell in love with ceramics in college and my business, ClayByTay, is turning 10 years old this fall. I feel incredibly blessed to have spent my adult life making art and pursuing my dreams. The fall is my busy season so I am gearing up for my favorite shows of the year. I am extremely fortunate to be returning to the Missouri Botanical Gardens for Best of Missouri the first weekend of October as well as already have Christmas ornaments in the works for our most cherished show at Bevo Mill over black Friday weekend.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
I feel incredibly lucky that my father has always been an inordinate example of hard work and I feel like he has taught me the most about the benefits of a strong work ethic. I was raised with a dad who always worked but was also always present. He guided me thru college to take business classes alongside my art classes, he is always the first person I call when I have a big investment to make and him, alongside my mom, instilled early on the idea that if you work hard enough anything is possible.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I was a small business that existed prior to the pandemic. While I feel a lot of amazing makers found their passion and turned hobbies into careers during that time, I was pivoting in every direction trying to keep ClayByTay going. Going into 2020 I actually had the most large scale art fairs and events lined up to participate in that I had ever planned on my career. Very quickly, by March, every single event/farmers market/art show was cancelled for the foreseeable future. There was an incredible surge of support in the first few months of the pandemic with shopping small and supporting local but then it trickled. By the end of the summer took an office administrator job to pay the rent. The office job quickly became all consuming and much more than anticipated and it became incredibly difficult to keep ClayByTay going. Fortunately, by the spring of 2021 I felt like the world was opening up more again and I quit the office job. Taking a chance on ClayByTay full time again was the best risk I’ve ever taken.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I feel like there is a notion in the maker community that the more events you do the more money you will make. Certain events are definitely extremely profitable and I do think there is a time and place for a full event schedule. However, if you are trying to make an income full time being an artist you need to have diversified income streams. Having an active and updated website store is a must as well as selling in other shops, selling on social media, etc. I know there are people who survive entirely off of doing events but personally I think more ways you have of bringing in money the better. Shows are so fantastic for ~hopefully~ making a chunk of money in a day but when there is bad weather or they flop for some reason it’s such a harder hit if you don’t have revenue coming in from other places to supplement.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What light inside you have you been dimming?
Raising my baby boy is my reason for being. I feel so privileged to be able to be home with him, raise him, nap with him everyday and watch the world thru his eyes. However, finding the balance of working and being a full time mom has been a struggle I didn’t quite anticipate the complexity of. I do find that i’ve been struggling with putting ClayByTay second and not letting that light shine as much. I get so many fun ideas and bursts of inspiration but at this exact moment of time and I usually can not act on those impulses unless I can tag in a babysitter or its bedtime for baby boy. I wonder if I wasn’t full time self employed to begin with if I would struggle as much because I can admit I’ve been spoiled for the last 9 years of working when and how I want with little interference. But I know this is only a season of life, I truly never regret any time I spend raising my son, I just wish I had more time in general and authority over it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.claybytay.com
- Instagram: @claybytay
- Facebook: ClayByTay
