Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather McCalla.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Heather. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m originally from San Diego, where I studied furniture design and woodworking while attending San Diego State University. I obtained my BA in Applied Design in 2006 and my MFA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2013. While in graduate school at UW – Madison, I was introduced to the process of ceramic slip casting. I began using it in my sculptural work in 2014 when I moved to Richmond, Virginia to become a Fountainhead Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University.
In 2015, while I was still living and teaching in Richmond, VA, I opened Tiny Badger Ceramics to explore the more functional side of slip casting, and to help supplement my adjunct teaching income. In July of 2017, I moved back to San Diego to take over the caregiving responsibilities for my special needs sister, Kristin (she has Downs Syndrome). I stopped teaching and started working on Tiny Badger full-time once I got to California. It has been amazing to be my own boss and wake up each day to build my business and do what I love in my studio.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Nothing’s easy that’s worth doing. It’s definitely been a bumpy road. When I started out, Tiny Badger was my side hustle. I was teaching woodworking at the college level, which was exhausting in its own right, and all my nights, weekends and non-teaching hours were taken up with building my business. It didn’t leave much time for social activities, hobbies or getting a full 8 hours of sleep each night. But, it felt very rewarding to know that every bit of progress or success that I saw was a direct result of the effort that I had put in. I was building something that was all mine, that I could shape to be whatever I wanted it to be. That made all the hardships worth it.
Starting a creative business can be very stressful, both financially and emotionally. As a creative, you’re not just selling a product, you’re selling a little bit of yourself and when someone isn’t receptive to your work or is openly critical of it, it can sting a little. You have to develop a pretty thick skin and learn not to take ANYTHING personally. You also have to be very careful not to compare yourself to other businesses and what you see from them on social media. I think it’s a trap that we as women fall into fall too often. It’s so easy to say to ourselves, “oh, their photos/products/branding/whatever are so much better than mine” or “wow, look how much more they’re doing than me – maybe I’m doing this whole thing wrong – I should probably just quit.” The comparison game is a slippery slope and can spiral quickly out of control. As cliche as it sounds…. you just gotta do you, and ignore everyone else. Most of what you see on social media is smoke and mirrors anyways; no one’s going to post about how burnt out they are or how they screwed something up at the 11th hour.
We’d love to hear more about Tiny Badger Ceramics.
All of my work is slip-cast, which is a particular niche of ceramics that involves plaster molds and liquid clay. The forms and textures are drawn from vintage glassware that I have collected over years and years of thrifting, eBay scouring, and estate sale hunting. I tint my porcelain slip in a variety of colors, and my finished pieces are usually left unglazed on the exteriors to showcase the silky, matte finish of the porcelain. You don’t see a lot of matte ceramics, and I think that this is one of the aspects of my work that really helps it to stand out.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
Definitely. There are tons of small business grants and opportunities out there that are just for woman-run, woman-owned businesses. It’s a step in the right direction to help support this kind of progress in business ownership and start-ups. I also think that the consumer culture is slowly but surely changing and that a lot of people are seeking out businesses BECAUSE they are woman-owned/run. There’s a community of support out there if you seek it out or know where to look.
Pricing:
- Cups $25-36
- Bowls $25-60
- Vases $55-65
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tinybadger.com
- Email: tinybadgerceramics@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinybadgerceramics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinybadgerceramics/
Image Credit:
Tiny Badger Ceramics
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