web01.fireside.fm Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:17:29 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Sustaining Craft - Episodes Tagged with “Creative Business” https://sustainingcraft.fireside.fm/tags/creative%20business Thu, 02 Apr 2020 19:00:00 -0400 Sustaining Craft started in 2016, when Elizabeth Silverstein, a writer, found herself discouraged after a move and a divorce. To find a little encouragement for herself and others, she decided to talk to people building businesses in creative fields. en-us episodic The stories of those making a living with their art, craft, or passion. Elizabeth Silverstein Sustaining Craft started in 2016, when Elizabeth Silverstein, a writer, found herself discouraged after a move and a divorce. To find a little encouragement for herself and others, she decided to talk to people building businesses in creative fields. no craft, art, small business, local business, creative business, stories, storytelling, content, marketing, business stories, creative, art business, craft business, passion, passion business, painting, writing, drawing, henna, woodworking, animals, opera, singing, music, welding, metal work, books, novels, flowers, floral arrangement, photography, photos, nonprofit Elizabeth Silverstein hello@hewandweld.com Episode 25: Morgan Allain: Discovering New Mediums and Techniques https://sustainingcraft.fireside.fm/25 149e68b3-4bb5-44bb-aedf-e9f543fab888 Thu, 02 Apr 2020 19:00:00 -0400 Elizabeth Silverstein full 3 Elizabeth Silverstein Morgan Allain is an artist in rural Louisiana who saw conventions being cancelled early on, which helped her and her family of artists prepare. Morgan creates art on her Instagram, offers special perks through her Patreon, and sells originals and prints through her Etsy shop. 16:14 no In the four years since we last talked, Morgan has moved on from her Muse series, which she focused on for two years. She's branched out into working on several different series, with focus ranging from Greek mythology to folklore to mushrooms. She's also teaching herself new methods and skills. "It’s fun trying new papers and different brushes and stuff because I’ve been missing out on a lot," Morgan said. "I’m kind of sad I didn’t discover this stuff sooner because it’s working on different mediums or different papers. I have to learn how to use the paint totally differently than on other stuff that I’ve worked on. It’s really interesting and keeps me from getting bored." Read the rest at: https://hewandweld.com/news/ Find out more about Morgan: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theinklinggirl/ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheInklingGirl Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/theinklinggirl/ Sustaining Craft is a passion project of Hew & Weld Writing. There are no fees for artists and craftspeople to participate. Music provided by Jim Ciago (Seven Second Chance on iTunes and Spotify). Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sustainingcraft/ Facebook - http://facebook.com/sustainingcraft Find more from Hew & Weld: Website - https://www.hewandweld.com/news Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hewandweld/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hewandweld/ Special Guest: Morgan Allain. creative, louisiana, creative business, artist, painting, painter, pandemic, getting creative, hope, hope on the other side, stories about painters, making a living from art In the four years since we last talked, Morgan has moved on from her Muse series, which she focused on for two years. She's branched out into working on several different series, with focus ranging from Greek mythology to folklore to mushrooms. She's also teaching herself new methods and skills. "It’s fun trying new papers and different brushes and stuff because I’ve been missing out on a lot," Morgan said. "I’m kind of sad I didn’t discover this stuff sooner because it’s working on different mediums or different papers. I have to learn how to use the paint totally differently than on other stuff that I’ve worked on. It’s really interesting and keeps me from getting bored."

Read the rest at: https://hewandweld.com/news/

Find out more about Morgan:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theinklinggirl/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheInklingGirl
Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/theinklinggirl/

Sustaining Craft is a passion project of Hew & Weld Writing. There are no fees for artists and craftspeople to participate. Music provided by Jim Ciago (Seven Second Chance on iTunes and Spotify).

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sustainingcraft/
Facebook - http://facebook.com/sustainingcraft

Find more from Hew & Weld:
Website - https://www.hewandweld.com/news
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hewandweld/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hewandweld/

Special Guest: Morgan Allain.

]]> In the four years since we last talked, Morgan has moved on from her Muse series, which she focused on for two years. She's branched out into working on several different series, with focus ranging from Greek mythology to folklore to mushrooms. She's also teaching herself new methods and skills. "It’s fun trying new papers and different brushes and stuff because I’ve been missing out on a lot," Morgan said. "I’m kind of sad I didn’t discover this stuff sooner because it’s working on different mediums or different papers. I have to learn how to use the paint totally differently than on other stuff that I’ve worked on. It’s really interesting and keeps me from getting bored."

Read the rest at: https://hewandweld.com/news/

Find out more about Morgan:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theinklinggirl/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheInklingGirl
Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/theinklinggirl/

Sustaining Craft is a passion project of Hew & Weld Writing. There are no fees for artists and craftspeople to participate. Music provided by Jim Ciago (Seven Second Chance on iTunes and Spotify).

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sustainingcraft/
Facebook - http://facebook.com/sustainingcraft

Find more from Hew & Weld:
Website - https://www.hewandweld.com/news
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hewandweld/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hewandweld/

Special Guest: Morgan Allain.

]]> Episode 21: Joshua Kurtz: Socializing through World Building https://sustainingcraft.fireside.fm/21 69f038b9-2b0a-4005-8e45-e8ebd693d304 Fri, 03 Jan 2020 14:00:00 -0500 Elizabeth Silverstein full 2 Elizabeth Silverstein Joshua Kurtz's journey towards professional dungeon master began years ago. He traveled the world with a theater college program, then started his own production nonprofit. He was teaching theater classes when a parent asked him if he provided childcare. He said no, but he had a tabletop game he could play with the kids. Now, he provides professional dungeon master services for Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing table-top games to the greater Philadelphia area, while offering a positive role playing experience for all ages and occasions. Over the past year and a half, he grew his business from part-time to full-time as of January 2020. 50:21 no Joshua Kurtz joins Elizabeth Silverstein of Sustaining Craft for a follow-up interview. Over the years, Joshua has found that simply asking might lead to unexpected results, like when he asked his drama teacher if the school could perform the musical he wrote at age 17. Or when he needed to raise his rates as a professional Dungeons and Dragons dungeon master. “I realized at that point, ‘Huh, I’m a very niche market, this is a very niche market, I’m not charging enough for my services,’” Joshua explained. “And it’s hard, because I’m asking people to come back over and over and over again, and I’m asking an audience and it’s mostly kids. But I did wind up raising my rates, which got very little resistence. Everyone was very supportive, especially when I said why.” As of January 2020, Joshua is a full-time dungeon master, teaching Dungeons & Dragons and other table-top role-playing games to audiences of all ages. Find more of Joshua’s work: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dndforhire/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dndforhire/ Website - https://dndforhire.com/ Email - dndforhire@gmail.com Sustaining Craft is a passion project of Hew&Weld Writing. There are no fees for artists and craftspeople to participate. Music provided by Jim Ciago (Seven Second Chance on iTunes and Spotify & Nomad Neighbors in the Denver area most weekends). Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sustainingcraft/ Facebook - http://facebook.com/sustainingcraft Find more from Hew&Weld: Website - hewandweld.com/news Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hewandweld/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hewandweld/ Special Guest: Joshua Kurtz. art stories, arkansas, little rock, art career, central arkansas, southern new jersey, philadelphia, business, creative business, creative stories, failure, dungeons and dragons, dnd, dungeon master, dnd business Joshua Kurtz joins Elizabeth Silverstein of Sustaining Craft for a follow-up interview.

Over the years, Joshua has found that simply asking might lead to unexpected results, like when he asked his drama teacher if the school could perform the musical he wrote at age 17. Or when he needed to raise his rates as a professional Dungeons and Dragons dungeon master.

“I realized at that point, ‘Huh, I’m a very niche market, this is a very niche market, I’m not charging enough for my services,’” Joshua explained. “And it’s hard, because I’m asking people to come back over and over and over again, and I’m asking an audience and it’s mostly kids. But I did wind up raising my rates, which got very little resistence. Everyone was very supportive, especially when I said why.”

As of January 2020, Joshua is a full-time dungeon master, teaching Dungeons & Dragons and other table-top role-playing games to audiences of all ages.

Find more of Joshua’s work:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dndforhire/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dndforhire/
Website - https://dndforhire.com/
Email - dndforhire@gmail.com

Sustaining Craft is a passion project of Hew&Weld Writing. There are no fees for artists and craftspeople to participate. Music provided by Jim Ciago (Seven Second Chance on iTunes and Spotify & Nomad Neighbors in the Denver area most weekends).
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sustainingcraft/
Facebook - http://facebook.com/sustainingcraft

Find more from Hew&Weld:
Website - hewandweld.com/news
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hewandweld/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hewandweld/

Special Guest: Joshua Kurtz.

]]> Joshua Kurtz joins Elizabeth Silverstein of Sustaining Craft for a follow-up interview.

Over the years, Joshua has found that simply asking might lead to unexpected results, like when he asked his drama teacher if the school could perform the musical he wrote at age 17. Or when he needed to raise his rates as a professional Dungeons and Dragons dungeon master.

“I realized at that point, ‘Huh, I’m a very niche market, this is a very niche market, I’m not charging enough for my services,’” Joshua explained. “And it’s hard, because I’m asking people to come back over and over and over again, and I’m asking an audience and it’s mostly kids. But I did wind up raising my rates, which got very little resistence. Everyone was very supportive, especially when I said why.”

As of January 2020, Joshua is a full-time dungeon master, teaching Dungeons & Dragons and other table-top role-playing games to audiences of all ages.

Find more of Joshua’s work:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dndforhire/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dndforhire/
Website - https://dndforhire.com/
Email - dndforhire@gmail.com

Sustaining Craft is a passion project of Hew&Weld Writing. There are no fees for artists and craftspeople to participate. Music provided by Jim Ciago (Seven Second Chance on iTunes and Spotify & Nomad Neighbors in the Denver area most weekends).
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sustainingcraft/
Facebook - http://facebook.com/sustainingcraft

Find more from Hew&Weld:
Website - hewandweld.com/news
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hewandweld/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hewandweld/

Special Guest: Joshua Kurtz.

]]> Episode 12: Katie Childs: Problem Solving with Photographs https://sustainingcraft.fireside.fm/12 8446fcb9-ae91-4c99-8ffc-5279a04b78e6 Wed, 10 Oct 2018 12:00:00 -0400 Elizabeth Silverstein full Elizabeth Silverstein Katie Childs intended to be a graphic designer. Her first job out of college led her to a different career: photography. She started freelancing by asking her friends if anybody needed a family portrait. Now, she owns her own business, travels to photograph destination weddings, and continues to learn new things and ways to use her skill. 28:26 no Now, Katie Childs photographs over 30 weddings a year, along with family portraits. In 2018, she booked 35 weddings, but hopes to reduce to 20 yearly. That may prove challenging--she’s already booked 14 weddings for 2019. Childs also started working with the Arkansas Times this year, traveling to farms for Food and Farm, and working on family-based shoots for Savvy. Savvy has brought projects that have been familiar due to her previous work, while Food and Farm offers opportunities to learn additional photography skills. “We’ll do the farmer’s portraits and try to pull a story from their farm and situation,” Childs explained. “With the cattle and corn, I’m just doing a documentary kind of style. A lot of the time, with these shoots, I don’t get to choose what time of day or what situation the cattle or the corn is going to be in. So it might be in the middle of the day. I’m trying to make the best use of whatever’s happening. And that is its own specific challenge, but I love figuring things out like that, it’s kind of my favorite thing. If it were super easy all the time, I don’t think I’d enjoy doing it. I like being thrown into a situation and having to figure it out.” Special Guest: Katie Childs. photography, Arkansas, Arkansas business, local business, photography business, problem solving, commercial photography, weddings, newborn, portraits, headshots Now, Katie Childs photographs over 30 weddings a year, along with family portraits. In 2018, she booked 35 weddings, but hopes to reduce to 20 yearly. That may prove challenging--she’s already booked 14 weddings for 2019. Childs also started working with the Arkansas Times this year, traveling to farms for Food and Farm, and working on family-based shoots for Savvy. Savvy has brought projects that have been familiar due to her previous work, while Food and Farm offers opportunities to learn additional photography skills. “We’ll do the farmer’s portraits and try to pull a story from their farm and situation,” Childs explained. “With the cattle and corn, I’m just doing a documentary kind of style. A lot of the time, with these shoots, I don’t get to choose what time of day or what situation the cattle or the corn is going to be in. So it might be in the middle of the day. I’m trying to make the best use of whatever’s happening. And that is its own specific challenge, but I love figuring things out like that, it’s kind of my favorite thing. If it were super easy all the time, I don’t think I’d enjoy doing it. I like being thrown into a situation and having to figure it out.”

Special Guest: Katie Childs.

]]> Now, Katie Childs photographs over 30 weddings a year, along with family portraits. In 2018, she booked 35 weddings, but hopes to reduce to 20 yearly. That may prove challenging--she’s already booked 14 weddings for 2019. Childs also started working with the Arkansas Times this year, traveling to farms for Food and Farm, and working on family-based shoots for Savvy. Savvy has brought projects that have been familiar due to her previous work, while Food and Farm offers opportunities to learn additional photography skills. “We’ll do the farmer’s portraits and try to pull a story from their farm and situation,” Childs explained. “With the cattle and corn, I’m just doing a documentary kind of style. A lot of the time, with these shoots, I don’t get to choose what time of day or what situation the cattle or the corn is going to be in. So it might be in the middle of the day. I’m trying to make the best use of whatever’s happening. And that is its own specific challenge, but I love figuring things out like that, it’s kind of my favorite thing. If it were super easy all the time, I don’t think I’d enjoy doing it. I like being thrown into a situation and having to figure it out.”

Special Guest: Katie Childs.

]]>