The Mud Peddlers: Ceramic Art Behind the Scenes

It’s finally here.Head to Clayscapes and get yourself Donte's new glaze._____About Your HostsLindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 100k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.Find LindseyWebsite and shop – lindseymdillon.comPatreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillonInstagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon Find DonteWebsite and shop – earthnationceramics.comPatreon – patreon.com/EarthnationceramicsYoutube – Earth Nation CeramicsInstagram – @earth_nation_ceramicsTikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramicsJoin the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

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 an inviting approach to glaze chemistry. Donte also finally gets to ask Sue his burning questions about iron oxide…What has your exposure been to glaze chemistry? Are you good to go with what you have, or are you still looking to scratch that itch?Follow Sue and her work:Website and Blog: suemcleodceramics.comYoutube, Instagram, and Facebook: @suemcleodceramics Understanding Glazes with Sue Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/UnderstandingGlazes/_____About Your HostsLindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 100k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.Find LindseyWebsite and shop – lindseymdillon.comPatreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillonInstagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon Find DonteWebsite and shop – earthnationceramics.comPatreon – patreon.com/EarthnationceramicsYoutube – Earth Nation CeramicsInstagram – @earth_nation_ceramicsTikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramicsJoin the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

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 classes, new glazes, the upcoming NCECA clay convention, and how to bring a little bit of Star Wars energy into your life.What’s one success you can celebrate from 2024, big or small? Let us know in the comments (if you're listening via Youtube) or send us a message on the socials!***Resources for resistance and survival in the Trump administration***FOLLOW Blair Imani (@blairimani) for social justice education delivered with detail, receipts, humor, and pizzazz.SHARE and/or ACCESS queer youth resources from The Trevor Project.PRINT Red Cards/Tarjetas Rojas through the Immigrant Legal Resource Center or other organizations helping immigrants assert their civil rightsDONATE $5 to the National Network of Abortion FundsREAD this guide from The Guardian contributor Robert ReichMentions:ClayScapes – clayscapespottery.com (Use Donte’s discount code: earth10 at checkout)Dirty Panda Ceramics (@dirtypanda_ceramics)_____About Your HostsLindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 100k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.Find LindseyWebsite and shop – lindseymdillon.comPatreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillonInstagram, Youtube, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon Find DonteWebsite and shop – earthnationceramics.comPatreon – patreon.com/EarthnationceramicsYoutube – Earth Nation CeramicsInstagram – @earth_nation_ceramicsTikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramicsJoin the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

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 suggestions, these mud peddlers hope you can find some inspiration in this holiday medley.What’s one of the most helpful gifts you’ve ever received, ceramics-related or otherwise?_____About Your HostsLindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 100k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.Find LindseyWebsite and shop – lindseymdillon.comPatreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillonInstagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon Find DonteWebsite and shop – earthnationceramics.comPatreon – patreon.com/EarthnationceramicsYoutube – Earth Nation CeramicsInstagram – @earth_nation_ceramicsTikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramicsJoin the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

**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**Lindsey and Donte introduce you to bentonite, a common ingredient in glaze-making. From basic traits to baking analogies, these mud peddlers do their best to explain what bentonite is and what it does to your clay and glazes.What ingredient do you want to meet next? Tell us in the comments or tag us on the socials!**Do you have a voting plan? Grab a buddy and participate in democracy together (then go get some ice cream or cake or cheese, cuz you deserve it ;) )**Sources and further reading:Digital Fire – Bentonite (https://digitalfire.com/material/bentonite)Sue MacLeod on the Ceramic Arts Network (https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/ceramic-recipes/recipe/bentonite#)Rose and Matt Katz’s Ceramic Materials Workshop (https://ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com/)_____About Your HostsLindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.Find LindseyWebsite and shop – lindseymdillon.comPatreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillonInstagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon Find DonteWebsite and shop – earthnationceramics.comPatreon – patreon.com/EarthnationceramicsYoutube – Earth Nation CeramicsInstagram – @earth_nation_ceramicsTikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramicsJoin the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

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 content vs content that’s behind a paywall, and what they want to bring their members in the future.What do you think is the best way to balance sharing free vs paid content online? What appeals to or repels you about how creators approach this topic?_____About Your HostsLindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.Find LindseyWebsite and shop – lindseymdillon.comPatreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillonInstagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon Find DonteWebsite and shop – earthnationceramics.comPatreon – patreon.com/EarthnationceramicsYoutube – Earth Nation CeramicsInstagram – @earth_nation_ceramicsTikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramicsJoin the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

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? Check out Sue McLeod’s blog about heatwork and pyrometric cones and Glazy’s article about heatwork: https://suemcleodceramics.com/do-you-put-witness-cones-in-every-firing/https://help.glazy.org/concepts/temperature/*CORRECTION*In this episode, Donte and I talk about resources about heatwork on Digital Fire. While that website does have great information, the article that Lindsey read in preparation for this episode is actually on Glazy.org.Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillonReferenced Resources:Sue McLeod (@suemcleodceramics)Glazy (Glazy.org)_____About Your HostsLindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.Find LindseyWebsite and shop – lindseymdillon.comPatreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillonInstagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon Find DonteWebsite and shop – earthnationceramics.comPatreon – patreon.com/EarthnationceramicsYoutube – Earth Nation CeramicsInstagram – @earth_nation_ceramicsTikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramicsJoin the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y

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 understanding of these arcane ingredients that make glazes so dang pretty…Have you ever looked at a glaze recipe and felt overwhelmed? What ingredient/material would you like us to introduce next?Drop your thoughts in the comments, or send us a message @earthnationceramics or @lindseymdillonReferenced Resources:Digital Fire (digitalfire.com)The Ceramic Materials Workshop (ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com)Glazy (glazy.org)_____About Your HostsLindsey M Dillon is an award-winning professional ceramic artist who makes mugs and creature sculptures inspired by history, folklore, and geek culture. They have been working in clay since 2007, and doing so professionally since 2014. Their supernatural powers haven't manifested yet, but it's ok, they’ll wait.Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics is a professional ceramic artist and Youtuber with over 90k artists in his community, all helping each other grow through their ceramic art journey one step at a time. He also has a massive addiction to boba milk tea and anime.Find LindseyWebsite and shop – lindseymdillon.comPatreon – patreon.com/lindseymdillonInstagram, TikTok, and Facebook – @lindseymdillon Find DonteWebsite and shop – earthnationceramics.comPatreon – patreon.com/EarthnationceramicsYoutube – Earth Nation CeramicsInstagram – @earth_nation_ceramicsTikTok and Facebook – @earthnationceramicsJoin the Discord – https://discord.gg/Xtmwk7y