Abbott - How to make it: 25 makers share the secrets to building a creative business

This book is for all the makers, crafters, artists, and working creatives who get up every day and pour their hearts into their work because they simply love what they do. You are Making It . And for my wonderful husband and son, Sean and Tom Otis, who have supported me, always. And for my mother, Dorothy. May I always carry on the tradition for her.

Copyright 2017 by Erin Austen Abbott.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781452150529 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Abbott, Erin Austen, author.
Title: How to make it / Erin Austen Abbott.
Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2016011931 | ISBN 9781452150017 (pb)
Subjects: LCSH: Handicraft.
Classification: LCC TT145 .A33 2017 | DDC 745.5dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016011931

Design by Kristen Hewitt

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

S ome people follow their creative path as a hobby, while others are able to pursue it as a career, driven by a passion that they cant walk away from. What led them down the path to become a working creative? How did they get there, what hurdles did they have to jump? There are so many questions that we ask ourselves, and most start with the same one word: How? Thats the question I want to answer with this book: How they made it.

My own creative path began at a young age. As a child, I used to rearrange my room monthly, always looking for a new way to display my things, never able to settle for the same old arrangements. As I got older, I began making mixtapes for friends filled with bands they hadnt heard, always seeking out what they didnt know they loved yet. Before eBay, in 1994, I worked in a vintage store, spending hours hunting for discarded treasures that would find a new home. In graduate school, I curated art shows, looking for artists that I knew were going to break out one day but hadnt been discovered. I found that curating and hunting for the undiscovered was my passion.

I worked in retail in high school and all through college, first at an art gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida, where I was put to the task of making a lot of the art we sold, then moving on to a vintage store in Tampa, where the art of the hunt was the name of the game. After college, I moved around, eventually winding up in Seattle, where I worked at a small art and design store in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. After graduate school, I toured with bands full time, working as their merchandising manager. Each day, we would drive into a new city, and after I set up my merch table, I would head out to explore. I would seek out the area of town with local restaurants, gift shops, vintage shops, and record stores. I would look for handmade items from local artists or 7-inch records of local bands. I would gather business cards and write down names of artists, with the hopes that I would carry them in my one day shop.

My previous experiences in retail, vintage sales, design, and merchandising all guided me to where I am today. I learned about what to look for and what customers were also looking for, about designers, and how to think about and look at designmore than I could have learned in school.

When I finally had my own store, I thought that was where it would stop, that I would share my finds with my customers and tell the artists stories and that would be that. But the new craft movement was becoming such a force in the world of working creatives and the handmade nation, and I felt I had to speak louder to be heard outside of Mississippi and the 187 square feet that encompasses my shop. I felt like more was needed than just selling their goods, but actually sharing their stories. In 2013, I began a series on my Instagram feed called Studio Stories, a place to share the faces behind the products. I wanted people to walk into my shop and feel like they were supporting a friend, not just another faceless company. For me, it has never been about being a giant store that makes thousands of dollars, but more about forming an engaged communitya community of people working together, supporting one another, while also helping others just starting out find their voice and create a brand.

This book expands upon Studio Stories by sharing not just the space and work behind the artists products, but also revealing how they got to the place they are with their business. I always knew I wanted to be an artist and I think I was just naive enough to not be too scared to pursue it, said Georgia-based painter Britt Bass Turner. Some makers in the book talk about how they decided to take the leap to being a self-employed working creative, while others share tips theyve learned to help them stay on top of the business side of things.

I wrote this book to share lessons weve all learned along the way and the routes weve taken to grow our small, creative businesses. Whether you are an artist just starting out or someone whos been a working creative for years, I hope each chapter will give you perspective into the life of a small business owner. I have grown as a shop owner by writing How to Make It , learning valuable information that I, too, can apply to my business. That is what I want this book to do for you. I hope this will help you with managing the day-to-day and give tips and tricks that seasoned artists have figured out and want to share with you.

One of the great pleasures in writing this book was finding that so many creative people have fun DIYs that are doable, quick, and easy. The twenty-five projects in this book will inspire you in your own business, while also leaving you with a little piece of art. Projects range from making your own watercolor paint to fabricating a simple brass bracelet.

From the firsthand industry knowledge, to the inspiring playlists, to the carefully selected photographs shot in natural light, I wanted to create a feel for each space that would allow you to feel like you just walked into the studio. You can attain these spaces and you can make it.

How to Make It is just the beginning of the conversation. We have so much to learn from one another as we follow our creative paths. Lets all be in this together. There are so many people who are living as working artists, supporting these artists, and shopping the handmade movement daily. Without you, none of this would be possible.

Erin Austen Abbott, writer and photographer