Ballsy Epidode 6: Curt Hammerly Part 1
Summary
TLDRIn the 'Ballsy' podcast, the host interviews Kurt Hammerly, a former entrepreneur turned ceramic artist. Hammerly discusses his unique approach to ceramics, combining 3D modeling and printing to create intricate molds. He shares his journey from a hobbyist to a full-time artist, driven by the desire to create pieces with geometric perfection unattainable by traditional wheel throwing. The podcast delves into his business insights, marketing strategies, and the pivotal moment when he decided to monetize his passion, propelled by a significant Instagram following and the thrill of selling his first piece.
Takeaways
- 🎙️ The podcast 'Ballsy' focuses on interviewing successful artists and creators, discussing the business side of their art practices.
- 🤝 The host, a former entrepreneur turned artist, believes that being an artist is akin to running a business, with the artist as the CEO.
- 🏺 Kurt Hammerly, the guest, initially considered various crafts before choosing ceramics due to its accessible entry through community studios.
- 🛠️ Hammerly's work involves using slipcast molds and 3D modeling to create unique porcelain pieces that are geometrically complex and cannot be easily replicated by traditional wheel throwing.
- 💡 His background in design and running a fabrication lab at a university contributed to his innovative approach to ceramics, combining digital design with traditional craft.
- 🔥 Hammerly's goal is to create art that others cannot, using his unique process, which includes designing in the computer, 3D printing molds, and handcrafting the final pieces.
- 📸 Hammerly shares his process openly on social media, believing that imitation is a form of flattery and that his unique methods and techniques are difficult to replicate.
- 🛑 He started his artistic journey as a hobby after a serious accident, which left him with time to explore new interests and led to his discovery of ceramics.
- 💰 The decision to sell his work came after building a significant following on Instagram, where people expressed interest in purchasing his creations.
- 🛍️ Hammerly's first sale was a significant milestone, marking the transition from hobbyist to professional artist, and he found the experience of selling his work exhilarating.
- 🚀 The podcast emphasizes the importance of turning a passion into a profitable business, highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit required to succeed as an artist.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the 'Ballsy' podcast?
-The 'Ballsy' podcast focuses on interviewing successful artists and creators, discussing the business aspects of their art, including marketing strategies and the courage it takes to make a living from their craft.
How did Kurt Hammerly get started with ceramics?
-Kurt Hammerly began with ceramics because it had the easiest barriers of entry due to the availability of community studios that offer classes. Initially, he considered blacksmithing, glassblowing, and woodworking, but ceramics was more accessible.
What unique aspect does Kurt Hammerly bring to his ceramic work?
-Kurt Hammerly incorporates 3D modeling and 3D printing into the creation of his ceramic molds, designing all forms on the computer first, which allows him to create geometrically perfect and symmetrical pieces that are difficult to achieve on a pottery wheel.
Why does Kurt Hammerly share his entire creative process openly?
-Kurt Hammerly shares his process openly because he believes that the barriers to entry he has overcome are difficult for others to replicate, and he is not worried about being copied. He also sees imitation as a form of flattery.
What was the turning point for Kurt Hammerly to consider ceramics as more than just a hobby?
-The turning point for Kurt Hammerly was when he had accumulated 12,000 Instagram followers and people started asking if he would sell his work, which led him to create an Etsy shop and begin selling his pieces.
How did Kurt Hammerly's accident influence his journey into ceramics?
-After being involved in a serious accident that left him with injuries and unable to do his usual activities, Kurt took a pottery class as a way to get out of the house. This led to his sketchbook filling with pottery ideas and eventually to his unique approach to ceramics.
What is Kurt Hammerly's educational background related to his work?
-Kurt Hammerly attended design school and later ran a fabrication lab at a university for 10 years, where he gained experience in 3D modeling and 3D printing, skills that he later applied to his ceramic work.
What is special about the kiln Kurt Hammerly uses for his ceramics?
-Kurt Hammerly uses a very expensive gas computer-controlled kiln that was built in Amsterdam and shipped to him. This kiln allows him to make all his own glazes and has been central to his learning of glaze chemistry and firing techniques.
How does Kurt Hammerly view the concept of competition in the art world?
-Kurt Hammerly views the art world as non-competitive, stating that each artist is in their own lane. He is not concerned about others copying his process unless they produce an exact replica of his work at a lower price point.
What was Kurt Hammerly's initial reaction to selling his ceramic pieces?
-Kurt Hammerly felt an immense sense of excitement and accomplishment when he sold his first piece, describing it as the most addicting and exciting thing he had ever experienced.
How does Kurt Hammerly's background in fabrication and design influence his approach to ceramics?
-Kurt Hammerly's background in fabrication and design has allowed him to apply technical skills and creativity to ceramics, resulting in a unique process that involves computer-aided design and 3D printing to create complex ceramic forms.
Outlines
🎨 From Entrepreneur to Artist: Embracing the Business of Art
The podcast 'Ballsy' is introduced, where the host interviews successful artists about the business side of their art. The focus is on how artists can be like CEOs of their own businesses. The guest, Kurt Hammerly, is introduced as a ceramic artist who uses 3D modeling and 3D printing to create unique porcelain pieces. Hammerly's background in design and fabrication is highlighted, as well as his approach to creating art that is distinct from traditional pottery due to its geometrical perfection and symmetry. The podcast aims to explore the business and marketing strategies that have allowed Hammerly to turn his passion into a profitable career.
🛠 The Accidental Artist: From Tragedy to Creative Triumph
In this paragraph, Kurt Hammerly recounts how a severe accident led him to discover his passion for pottery. After being hit by a car and suffering multiple injuries, he took a pottery class as a way to recover physically and mentally. Hammerly's journey from a hobbyist to a professional artist is detailed, including his use of 3D modeling and 3D printing to revolutionize the creation of ceramic molds. The narrative also touches on his decision to share his process openly, his philosophy on imitation, and the barriers to entry he has overcome, such as owning a sophisticated kiln and mastering the chemistry of glazes. Hammerly's transition from a full-time university job to selling his art on Etsy is highlighted, emphasizing the excitement of his first sale and the realization that his art could be a viable career.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ballsy
💡Artist as CEO
💡Ceramics
💡Slipcasting
💡3D Modeling
💡3D Printing
💡Geometric Perfection
💡Etsy
💡Glazes
💡Kiln
Highlights
Introduction to the 'Ballsy' podcast, focusing on the business side of art and the entrepreneurial spirit of artists.
Interview with Kurt Hammerly, a ceramic artist who uses 3D modeling and printing to create unique molds for his porcelain art.
Ceramics chosen as an art medium due to the accessibility of community studios and ease of entry.
Hammerly's background in design school and running a fabrication lab, influencing his approach to ceramics.
The process of creating porcelain using slipcast molds and the integration of 3D technology.
Hammerly's goal to produce geometrically perfect and symmetrical ceramic pieces that are difficult to achieve on a potter's wheel.
The artist's approach to sharing his creative process openly, embracing imitation as a form of flattery.
Hammerly's experience with a severe accident leading to a discovery of pottery as a new passion.
The transition from a hobby to a full-time career in ceramics, leveraging social media for exposure.
The importance of having a unique selling proposition in the art world to stand out from competitors.
Hammerly's use of a computer-controlled kiln and his expertise in glaze chemistry as barriers to entry for others.
The artist's decision to sell his work after amassing a significant Instagram following.
The excitement and validation of selling the first piece of art to a stranger, separate from personal connections.
The comparison of the creative process and the rush of selling art to an addictive experience.
Hammerly's perspective on the non-competitive nature of art and the individual lanes artists occupy.
The potential issue of direct competition arising from someone selling identical work at a lower price point.
The artist's journey from a full-time university job to embracing the role of a CEO in his art business.
Transcripts
welcome to ballsy the podcast where I
interview successful artists and
creators and I look at the balls to sell
their art I turn their practice I do a
profitable business as a former
entrepreneur turned artist I realized
that being an artist basically like
running a Closs art and you the artist
are the CEO I talked to partiest about
their businesses talk real numbers throw
attacks trolls and TRS and how they were
balls enough to make that their
career welcome to ballsy you clearly
have had the balls to sell some SM
everybody I would like to introduce you
to Kurt and how do I pronounce it
hammersley Hammerly Hammerly and it's it
sounds like a good sculptural name
Hammerly yeah it's not a it's a funny
thing to make Ceramics
with right I feel like you should be
working in steel or something like
something like that but this is how it
ended up that's actually a good story is
when I first started the I was thinking
of either doing blacksmithing glass
blowing woodworking or Ceramics but
Ceramics has the easiest barriers of
Entry because there's so many Community
Studios that teach classes that you can
just hop into on a whim I went the
Ceramics route because it was easy at
the
beginning no it's the path of least
resistance they say that's how it often
works I've taken a wheel throwing class
or two in my life I was not particularly
successful I liked it I had fun with it
I don't do it too much anymore but but
yeah that's how I started everything was
thrown on the wheel so your work is
actually super unique and interesting
and has so obviously this podcast is
going going to be more focused around
the business the nuts and bolts the
marketing like how you turned what I
assume was a hobby at one point and it
like what were those inflection points
that you're like I can do this as a job
and but before we set that let's kind of
frame like what your art is what it
looks like because it's super unique and
really interesting and that way people
can go look at it while they're
listening so I make porcelain from
slipcast molds so you take liquid clay
you pour it into a plaster mold and it
gives you a form of whatever that mold
is I put a little bit of twist on it I
went to design school and then I ran a
fabrication Lab at the University for 10
years after I graduated and I brought
this Twist of 3D modeling and 3D
printing to the creation of those molds
so all of my forms are designed in the
computer at first and then the molds
themselves are designed and then I use
3D printing technology to bring those
molds into real life and then finally
make the stuff out of
clay that's why yours has very kind of
like super
GE yeah my goal is to make stuff that
other people can't on the wheel because
of geometrical Perfection or symmetry or
just like hard edges and things like
that my my whole goal is to make stuff
that other people can't using my
process yeah I mean it's and it and it
shows it's really unique and interesting
and different found you I assume as many
other people have via Instagram and the
stylistic nature of it and also just all
your like process videos and like that
it's like a very intimate look inside
your studio yes so that and that's the
other part of my process is I share
everything because uh there are certain
barriers of Entry that I'm passed that
are hard for other people to jump into
so it's not I'm not too worried about
getting copied
outright and by the way I hate to break
it imitation is the is the form of
flattery right you it shows that you've
got something that's really cool and
that You' got a market it tends to be
like yeah sure there's knockoffs of
everything absolutely so it's people
using my same process and I follow them
closely but none of them are are
anything that I'm concerned about
surpassing me that's a weird thing to
say because it's art it's not a
competition we are all in our own lane
as long as someone doesn't come out with
my exact same mug with my exact same
glazes for a lower price point that
would be a problem but I don't see that
happening and so you design your own
glazes and everything as well huh yeah
and that's the other side of the barrier
entry is I have a I have a very
expensive gas computer controlled kilm
that was built in Amsterdam and shipped
over here and I make all my own glazes
and I've spent the last 10 years
learning the chemistry of that and how
the different glazes interact and how to
fire them and so there's just all these
levels to my practice that makes it
challenging for other people to
copy and fact that you're willing to
lift your kimono and put let everybody
behind is the test to that right so it's
fun bring it on so how did you first
obviously took a wheel throwing class
and that was exciting how did you get
how did you get from there I assume it
was a hobby when you started obviously
so actually worked a little bit
I sorry go ahead finish I was say you
worked in fabrication so you clearly had
some experience around that yeah so
actually I got started because I was
riding my bike to work at the University
one morning and got hit by a car and
broke my neck and seven ribs fractur or
ruptured my kidney spleen liver and had
a collapse lung I spent 2 weeks in the
hospital and three months in a traction
Halo for the neck break and when I got
out of that neck brace I took a pottery
class because I couldn't go lift weights
I couldn't ride my bike I was like dying
to get out of the house and do something
but I couldn't do any of the things I
used to do and there's a Pottery Studio
right next to my house so I took a class
never really intended to take another
one and then my Sketchbook started
getting filled with ideas and then I
learned about mold making and how people
use plaster to make molds for clay and
very quickly my desire became taking
these 10 years 15 years of experience of
3D modeling and 3D printing and take
that kind of disappointing end result of
plastic and turn it into an end result
that's actually a material that everyone
has a 3D printer these days you print
[ __ ] out of plastic you show it to your
friends it's cool but it's like the
shitty plastic is not a final product
right you don't want to touch it yeah
you don't want to touch it you don't
want to eat off of it so my goal was to
take this technology that at the time
was pretty new everyone knows what a 3D
printer is now but 10 years ago it was a
lot more niche
I say that like it was a really long
time ago but it really wasn't but it was
a lot more Niche back then and finding
clever ways to or finding a methodology
for turning those 3D models into 3D
prints and then finally into clay was
what I got hooked on and luckily like
you said it was a little bit unique
there were opportunities to capitalize
on that via Instagram and show people
stuff they'd never seen now when you
made that
transition did you when you started
making these things did you say to
yourself oh I'm going to sell these or
were you just making them because it was
cool to make them and you like liked
what you were doing and you were like
there was an interesting technique here
I didn't sell my first piece until I had
12,000 Instagram followers I had a
full-time job at the University I had
every intention of staying at that job
until I hit my 30-year pension and then
I would retire and do something cool
with my time so I started posting on
Instagram just for fun I had been a
lurker following other artists for a
very long time and was like Hey if
they're sharing what they're doing I
could do that too that would be fun so I
started putting up pictures and I
started putting up videos and people
started latching on to it and then
eventually it got to this point where
people were like are you ever going to
sell any of this [ __ ] I don't know what
is your uh swearing policy on this no go
ahead swear all you want okay good to
know but it was like people were like
are you going to sell any of this [ __ ]
or are you just going to tease us here
and I was like huh I've never considered
that but when you start doing art or po
Pottery any kind of art form and you are
really into it your house just starts
getting filled with [ __ ] so you just
have like your art everywhere and people
were asking so I was like I have some
time I have some extra time I have this
full-time job but I could get some of
this stuff out of my house so I made an
Etsy at that point and sold a couple
pieces in the first month that was
really exciting and as the year went on
no better feeling in the world than yeah
no better feeling like when the first
person bought something that I made with
my hands and they were not my mom not my
friends like someone that didn't know me
put their
money out and said I want this thing
that you have made here's money it was
like holy [ __ ] this is the most exciting
[ __ ] thing on the planet it was
amazing and it was like I worked for the
University I helped students with their
work I helped them build stuff on all of
our fabrication equipment but I designed
this and then I built it and it is a
finished product you can hold in your
hand and someone's giving me money yeah
it was it's the most addicting thing
I've ever experienced in my life it's
crackes and it's excitement oh yeah it's
amazing
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