Finding Artisan Works in this Season of Urban Craft Shows

The aroma drifting through the afternoon air might be one of hot Philly cheesesteaks, or the sounds could be those from the boats arriving on the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore. Artists will be converging on both cities in February for major shows featuring handcrafted décor. A little farther away, on a plane ride to the chilly Midwest, ceramic artists will descend on a third show in Minneapolis. Buckle up, here’s a preview of the roadtrip ahead.

In the midst of a flurry of chocolates and red wine, we’ll be exploring the tastes and talents of Philadelphia. For the first time, our travels will take us to the American Handcrafted show, touted as the largest handmade wholesale show in the U.S. It’s been recommended by artists we already collaborate with, and who will be exhibiting. This event includes juried American and Canadian artists, promoting more than 500 artists in attendance. As luck would have it, we had already booked a weekend in Philadelphia, that same show weekend, to enjoy Valentine’s in the shops and restaurants of Center City. The narrow streets and festive storefronts around City Hall offer a genuine creative vibe, not to mention their proximity to Reading Terminal (Hello! Breakfast pizza!). A lucky twist of fate for us to enjoy two adventures on the same weekend.

We’ve mentioned the American Craft Council show in Baltimore before, an annual event we regularly attend. This show is ever-expanding beyond ceramics and forged metal, with more than 550 artists showcased. We particularly enjoy the shared Hip-Pop booths for emerging artists. We recommend you research who you want to see in advance. It’s a big show, and strolling the aisles to admire and engage with artists takes us close to four hours. The good news is, there’s usually a bourbon tasting right at the perfect rest spot on the conference floor. Even your taste buds will be stimulated!

The Midwest will be home to the NCECA show this year, quite the shift from Pittsburgh where we were lucky enough to drive last year. As an educational event targeting ceramic artists, NCECA is more focused on the skills and tools ceramicists need to enhance their craft. The beauty of this event is the collection of pieces aggregated in regional showcases on the exhibit floor.

We plan to share the fruits of our show travels with you in upcoming newsletters so be sure you’re signed up (see bottom of this page to sign up). A few gems will make it into our home, as is the case every year, and some will be the highlight of future custom gift boxes.

Rules of the Road When You're Partners in Life and Business

Talking business over morning coffee, finances over lunch and operations at dinner. If you’re not careful, this is what happens when you’re married to your business partner. To some, this might seem exciting, others terrifying. Long term, I’d suggest that a constant integration of the two worlds isn’t optimal.

Walking the marriage/business partner line requires a different awareness level than working with a business partner who leaves at the end of the day. Here, our goal is to have both a successful business and a fulfilling marriage, and avoid having the business become all-consuming. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when you’re both passionate about the business and like to work.

The single most important change we made to separate work and personal, was to get back to a regularly scheduled business meeting. No missing it for our favorite TV show, or because I need to practice yoga, or he wants to get to the gym. Nope, our meeting time is sacred.

Consider these points, and the value of a set partner meeting where business issues get addressed on a predicable schedule. By absorbing most of the casual discussion around business issues, this meeting leaves more personal time for enjoyable conversation (or naps!).

Make note of the topics you need to discuss. I admit, I’m normally the guilty one when it comes to bringing up business issues randomly. With a set meeting now, I document the things that pop into my mind on our white board. They’re all in one place and the majority don’t require an instant answer. The spontaneous peppering of questions, however innocent it may seem, isn’t a great way to set the mood at home. Plus, it’s important to have a focused conversation and not be addressing business issues while you’re trying to cook dinner or do the laundry.

Consistent data points. Create a set of data points so both people are informed of key metrics. For example, when one person is doing the finances, the other person needs to be updated consistently. Data eliminates gray areas of question. If both partners are buying products, in our case wood vs ceramics, we both need to know the current status of the income statement. Other data points include social media and email marketing metrics, and web analytics. My partner is the “maker” in the business, however, he’s also a co-founder. He has good, objective business insights even though he prefers the maker space.

Regular communication. Talking about issues such as the timing of shipments, the hand-off of projects, the arrival of items, is necessary. In our case, I need to know when the gift boxes will be in the studio and ready for fulfillment. I can’t get gift boxes the day they ship and he can’t be expected to hand-craft a gift box overnight. Surprises aren’t good, discussing timelines is critical to a streamlined process and lower blood pressure.

Plan time off for the year. We looked at calendars during our December meeting and set time off throughout the coming year. Now we don’t have to pry open a long weekend, in the midst of projects, which is way more stressful. We have some flexibility built in, however, it’s marked on our calendars.

I won’t kid you and say it’s a perfect plan. There’s still overlap. However, the scheduled meeting has cleared the way for more relaxing personal time together. Namaste!

Let the Textures Do the Talking

A ceramic piece doesn’t have to be flashy or fancy to capture your mood and end up as your go-to cup, forever claiming a spot on your kitchen counter. It can be the color or texture, the feel of it in your hands, that makes it the perfect choice. This is what makes artisan work so different, it’s like a living piece of your personality, right there in your cabinet, ready to serve.

Part of an artists’ gift, aside from throwing a ball of clay on a spinning wheel and turning it into something beautiful, is their ability to create unique textures and finishes throughout their career. Years of studying, practice and persistence often yield something truly special. The lines, drips, curves, flecks of color, each one adds to the finished work. Mix that with the different kiln firing techniques, and it can be hard to narrow the choices some days.

When you’re looking for defining pieces to gift or for yourself, keep an eye out for the extra details that give a piece it’s personality. The detail can be subtle or dramatic. The finish can be a single shade or blended across colors. You’ll know it when you hold it in your hands, and imagine it in its new home, as the next coffee mug to hold that trusted spot on your kitchen counter or whiskey cup perched on your bar.

The Value of Playing Outside Your Sandbox

After five hours of driving through snow, sleet and rain, I answered my cell phone to hear the manager at our bed and breakfast destination tell us they were out of power – an ice storm. By now we were only fifteen minutes away. The Inn, and the associated event (the entire reason for the trip), he said, were in the dark. We pulled over and were still in shock trying to figure out what to do next, when the phone rang again. “Nevermind,” he said, “the power is back on.” False alarm.

This is just one example of our traveling life adventure. We drove five hours through dicey weather for an evening dinner, and then drove back the next morning to meet other commitments. The manager of the Inn laughed when he told us at breakfast the next day, “You get the award for the longest ride for a dinner.” It was a long twenty-four hours, but it was worth it. We received quite an education on how to showcase a spectacular evening of food, wine and hospitality, in a beautiful setting outside of Charlottesville, VA.

This business requires a lot of creative energy, as I’m guessing yours does. I get asked why we spend the money to travel to dinners and abroad if it isn’t directly related to a specific sale. But I say it is. It’s important for us to see first-hand how different professionals select their décor, host an event, and display their wares. How do others put on a show? How do they show off their products? What are their products? This is how you see trends and spot new ways of doing things. Or see what’s possible. Sometimes, you see what not to do.

Our travels have taken us down the road to Philadelphia and the Eastern Shore, up north to Vermont, along the Hudson in New York, and flying west to Colorado. We’ve also journeyed to Rome and Paris. These trips have inspired us to figure out how best to bring the beauty of the world around us into what we create in our artisan business - in terms of color, accent pieces and textures. We have a better understanding of just how many choices there are, with a lot more to learn. It has broadened our minds.

The expense of travel to locations and events outside our niche, or sandbox, is tied to business growth, creative energy and our own inspiration, I’m sure of it. You don’t have to travel around the world – although that would be nice – it’s amazing what you can learn from people just down the street. Saddle up, start your engines, hit the road. Play in someone else’s sandbox and see where it takes you.

Notes from a Living Postcard: Rome

Our recent trip to Italy was quite an excursion, this being our first visit. I’ve highlighted a few notes from our journal of adventures in Rome, to give you a sense of each day. I won’t get into the details of each tourist stop, for that I’d need an e-book, and more time. This is about how it feels to be immersed in the neighborhoods of the city. Ciao Bella!

Are those Palm trees? It was one of the first things we noticed getting off the plane. It never occurred to us that Rome was in a climate of Palm trees. Sorrento, we expected it to be balmy and Mediterranean. But Rome? We had not expected it. We need to get out more.

The minute you step outside and into the streets of Rome, you are in the thick of it. That’s the best way I can describe the feeling. It’s loud and boisterous, yet friendly. On the other hand, crossing the street, navigating between motorcycles and cars, is an act of pure survival. Riding in the backseat of a taxi is even more so. We’re still unclear how the drivers know when they can turn and drive on the active train tracks of the above ground transit lines.

It must be the narrow streets that seem to put you so much closer to the action (than in NYC by comparison). There appear to be minimal rules-of-the-road too, mere guidelines, except for the fact that motorcycles can do whatever they want, go wherever they want, and park wherever they want. The few times we were inside a car, I stopped looking out the front windshield at the chaos, and focused on looking out my passenger window. I figured, if I was going to go that day, I’d be looking at something lovely when it happened.

Black is the new black. Women sport chunky boots and black skirts or jeans, with helmets in-hand. And they wear it well, even in 90 degrees. It almost made me want to come home and buy a motorcycle. My rugged half definitely wanted me to do it.

Live music is everywhere. From Piazza Navona, to the Saturday morning market, to the side streets near Trevi Fountain. A budding musician plays at every turn.

We stumbled into an area known as the Ghetto, after being lost for 90 minutes when we tried to navigate our way home from the Colosseum, in the rain. (Note: The blue dot on GPS does not always show where you’re really located.) This streetscape was the silver lining discovery of Rome, with outdoor restaurants lining each side, and pedestrian only foot traffic. Pasta was being hand-cranked outside by the front door of the restaurant where we decided to eat dinner. The live entertainment arrived at dark to attempt back flips over a hand-held bar, in the middle of the street. I tried not to consider what would happen if they miscalculated and landed on our tables. The waiters seemed unconcerned.

Then there was the marching “tin man” as we called him. It was hard to imagine the miles he must cover in a day. (Remember, it was almost 90 degrees at the end of September.) He marched around the market, then showed up hours later at the Pantheon. And he was still marching. He carried the drum like a backpack, with the beat of the drumsticks tied to his shoes. Every time he walked forward, the rope pulled and the drum beat. His free hands then played a tune on the accordion. We had to give him a tip. As I said, a musician at every turn.

After four days in Rome, we were ready to hop our train and head to Sorrento to indulge in the warm breezes, Aperol Spritz, and relaxation of the Amalfi Coast. Rome is both intoxicating and exhausting. There’s no denying that you feel alive and energized in Rome, as all your instincts and senses are on alert. The people, and energy of the streets, command your full attention.

From left to right below: The Ghetto, Pasta making in the Ghetto, Trastevere neighborhood, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, “Tin Man”

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How to Set Yourself Apart with Artisan Gifts

Giving an artisan gift says something special about both the occasion and the people involved. These gifts are thoughtful and make a statement. Since each artisan piece is hand-crafted, the time and attention-to-detail needed to create the gift adds value and is part of what makes each one unique.

There’s an amazing variety of styles, colors, sizes and textures available with artisan work. Engraving can also add a beautiful touch for weddings, employee or executive milestone events, and engagements. And giving a gift of quality, beauty and true craftsmanship doesn’t have to be complicated. First consider, are you looking for formal, contemporary, elegant, or natural? Here are a few examples of artisan pieces we’ve included in our gift boxes for different occasions:

- A hand-forged corkscrew paired with black ceramic wine goblets for a wedding celebration in Napa Valley.

- Two ceramic shot glasses combined with a custom-made slicing knife (with limes added!), and hand-crafted cutting board, for a client’s new bar.

- A hand-crafted cheese cutter, and custom cutting board, complete with Chesapeake caramels, for the bride and groom who love the Bay and cooking together. This one also included a porcelain ring dish in the colors of the wedding.

Now consider the time needed to create a ceramic piece. While your gift may be important to you, an artist isn’t going to kiln fire only a few items. Their business requires batch work, which could be tens of pieces or hundreds, depending on the size of the kiln. Hand-crafted leather, forged metal and custom wood designs should get the same consideration. Yes, artists will be ramp-up for big event seasons, but these are hand-crafted items, so “stock” means different things to different artists.

As stylists and makers, we find and create beautiful gift combinations because we’ve taken the time to identify and work together with the artists. Most artists create multiple lines of work, which means we also have an array of options. However, in order to take advantage of these options, you’ll need to plan ahead:

- Which clients or guests should receive a premium gift?

- What is your budget for the gifts?

- Is there a theme or geographic location that’s meaningful to the recipient?

- Is there a vibe the gift should evoke?

- Is there a color theme connected to this event?

- When do you want clients to receive the gift?

The bottom line is, if you want to make a big impression with a client, then don’t leave their gift up to chance. It’s best to work a minimum of 90+ days ahead of the event delivery date – the bigger the season the more the lead time. Get the conversation going with your gift stylist early.

Planning ahead can pay off big dividends with clients and guests by providing an opportunity to set yourself apart, while your competition rushes to make magic out of the mundane items left on store shelves.

Simple Ways to Enhance Your Gift Box Photos

Pop of Color

A touch of color in accent pieces can go a long way to highlight the elements of your gift box. These extra items don’t have to be expensive, but they do need to attract the eye. They can also add a festive element to the artisan pieces they complement. Red berries or colorful tea towels, are two examples. I don’t pass up a chance to pick up accent pieces when I spot options out on the road. Even if the items are out of season, pick up a few and keep them stashed for the future. It never fails that some gift boxes need a dash of bright to complete the look.  

Dimension

Adding fullness, or dimension, can enhance the gift box items, especially if you have a few flat surfaces together. Pine cones or air plants for example, can attract the eye and make the flat surface more interesting in the photo. Even if the item is beautiful, if it’s a flat surface, you may lose the full effect without something to enhance its features.  

Zoom Zoom

We’ve had some fun, unique pieces in our gift boxes - like a pewter spinning top - that make for a cool close-up shot for social media or on the web. Photograph the unique pieces individually, outside the gift box, to add interesting diversity in your pictures.

Make sure the accent items you select match your company's personality – fun, elegant, festive, adventurous? If it’s really “you” then it will work.

Read more tips on how to make the most of your photo shoot. Or, see how we've integrated color and design accents into our gift boxes. 

Office Renovation: Lessons in the Purge & Pack

It’s late in the day and we’re staring at our huge filing cabinet and bookshelf (read: heavy), trying to figure out how to move them out of the office. Since this involves a flight of stairs, it’s not a trivial task. My husband is looking at me, but I can’t carry those huge things down steps! We’re now into week five of the renovation, which has gone slightly past the targeted one week I had planned.

I’ve discovered that renovation is like a giant puzzle. It’s tricky and everything has to keep moving in sync for all the pieces to fit into a pretty picture - on time. I love the managed chaos of coordinating pieces for gift boxes, but not so much for my own office revamp.

To be fair, my husband got all his assigned tasks done on time; ripping out carpet, replacing the flooring and painting the room. Check! The challenge was really mine in not having all the furniture ordered a month ahead of time. (Where we would have put all those huge boxes, I don’t know, but that’s not the point.) Maybe some of you can relate on the patience this requires? Searching, reading reviews, dimensions and specs, delivery date changes… Lots of painful administrative details.  

This process reminds me of that little traffic toy where you have to move the cars around to get your piece through the traffic jam. You need to be thinking three steps ahead on shredding, purging, packing. Yuk. Who likes to do this stuff?! We need to pitch stuff from the storage room, to then make room for containers to move from the office to storage. Hmm, that means buying storage containers, doesn’t it? Next, deciding what to discard, what to shred, and then what you don’t need immediate access to because it’s now out of the office. The list is long.

In the midst of all this, the business still runs. Products need to ship…by the way, has anyone seen the shipping tape, and where the heck did we move the bubble wrap? Oh vey. This is the not-so-glamorous stuff, between family vacations, new client appointments, and traveling to meet artists. In the end, I had to suck it up and do it. Period.

If you’re still wondering about the bookshelf and filing cabinet I mentioned, two nice gentlemen arrived with a piece of new furniture, and we gave them cash to move the old stuff for us. We saved our backs and they had weekend cash! Yay!

The office is now 95% done. (It WILL be done by August 31st!) We’re waiting on one last furniture piece to arrive (the original piece was delayed until Sept so I had to nix it and start looking again). It’s already so much more clean, crisp and bright in here, and I do believe one cannot call forth creativity and new ideas, if you’re surrounded by clutter. If that's the case for you, as you read this, I feel your pain, but stop procrastinating and let the purging and packing begin!  (If you're not sure, here's my earlier blog on how this got started.) 

Let's Get a Grip on This!

Customers ask us a lot about the different hardware options on our gift boxes, what to choose, what styles work best? First, there’s no “right” answer, go with what lights you up. If you’re not sure, then we can serve up a few things to consider here.

Selecting unique hardware for the gift boxes is the finishing touch, it helps set the overall vibe of the gift. It’s subtle, yet it adds style and is one more way to easily personalize the gift. And, it offers up more ways to use the box (see Clink Outside the Box for ideas) when the artisan pieces are removed and put to good use! 

Here are a few ways to think about it when you’re considering the hardware accessory:

For those who enjoy a bolder statement and a bigger impression, we use the rounded brushed nickel. With a bit more bulk to the handle, it makes a solid addition, especially on the black stain gift boxes.

If whimsical or more playful is the personality you want to give the box, we love the rounded twirl hardware. It adds a lighter, more carefree attitude to the gift.

When sleek, yet tasteful, is the name of the game, the pewter squares or long slender pewter hardware work well. The carved lines add interest to the piece, without being quite as bold as the rounded.

The long slender nickel, with etched lines is simple yet quite stylish. And, like its bolder rounded brushed nickel cousin, it looks great on the black stained boxes.

We offer all the options above on our gift boxes, and customers can indicate a different hardware piece than what they see on a box at Checkout (except the leather,  when available, is custom order). Simply indicate what you prefer in the “What Else Should We Know” area at Checkout. Otherwise, you can go with what we’ve selected for our hand-crafted beauties as shown in the photos.    

It All Began in Paris...

Looking around our office, it’s clear we are in a major state of upheaval as we dismantle furniture and pack up memorable bits and pieces in prep for our office makeover. Ironically, it occurs to me that the same thing is happening in our professional lives.

In addition to the complete makeover of our office, the other big change underway is that I’m transitioning from my full-time day job, into a part-time role, in order to focus more time on Red & Rugged.  This was a year in the making and it’s halfway to our ultimate goal.

We’ve both been thinking a lot about where we are in our careers and the next season of lives, especially since our kids are grown and gone, and we are both (thankfully) healthy. As I share in the About Us page, the call of the entrepreneur has been a steady beat in the background of my noisy life and my husband has been a craftsman since the day I met him. Even so, this change hasn’t happened without thought and careful planning.

The tipping point came last spring, on our first vacation abroad together – ever! We stayed 10 glorious days Paris last May and it was a magical, life-changing event. Time had suddenly become more valuable, as had flexibility and the freedom to do something different. We were both missing the creative element in our lives. We began talking about what we loved to do, where we enjoyed spending time, this business, our future, and what we wanted the next years to look like. Did we want to clock in and out for the next ten years? No can do. Immediately, I started talking about next steps and asking about options at work. (We were already in the midst of change at work, and thankfully leadership supports entrepreneurs in their midst.)

Someone asked me the other week if this was scary? Um, yes! Not gonna lie. However, to quote other successful entrepreneurs, “What got you here, won’t get you there.” A steady diet of the same thing isn’t going to elevate our business, accelerate growth, or spark the energy and creativity we need. And the “same old” isn’t going to attract the life we envisioned while day dreaming in Luxembourg Gardens. That comes from within and requires courage. So here we are.

In another week, when we open the new world headquarters of Red & Rugged (okay, our office), it’s all because my “rugged” half and I embraced the calling we felt on the streets of Paris and took the bold steps to move forward. We encourage you to do the same in your world. Open some new doors, close a few old ones, let’s see where we go!