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Krista Coons | Episode 559
Krista Coons is the ceramic artist known as Her Name Is Mud. Krista graduated from Brigham Young University with her BFA in ceramics. Krista lives in the Arizona desert with her husband and three children, working out of her home studio with blush tiled floors.
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Where did your name, Her Name is Mud, come from?
It came from, I remember I was pacing in my sisters living room, thinking about it, but the idea comes from when somebody makes a mess of things then you say, Oh, your name is mud. So I thought to myself, How fun that I literally make a mess of things, like that is my job. I make a mess in my studio. And so I thought that it was just a play on words, that mud being our ceramic, our art form, our material, but also I thought, I would really like to make a name for myself using this material. So it really is just a play on that.
Why does the idea of touching someone’s heart with your work, why is that an important thing for you?
I think in part it is because I am working alone a lot. I work after my kids go to bed, so I work from eight to twelve or one. And so to have the opportunity to cross paths with someone and have this relationship where really a lot of the interactions I get are just on Instagram. So to have these interactions where you know that you have connected on a whole new level. I think that that is what feeds my creativity and inspires me to keep on going even when it is hard. It is not an easy thing to do, but I think that that is something as an artist has been the most rewarding and fulfilling thing.
What is a story that pops out for you that your work touches someone’s heart?
I remember I had an order for these two banner style pins that said, be brave and they are all black and the words are white. And I remember thinking, These are so great. A banner that you can pin on. So I became familiar with this company that was launching, their name was Bravery Magazine and it is a magazine for girls that highlights these beautiful, their theme is, I see bravery in you, but then they go and show these women. So the first one was about Jane Goodall and there was one about Julia Child and Frieda Kahlo. When they were just starting I reached out, I saw them on Instagram and said, I don’t know if there is a way that I could help, but I would love to get the word out about it, I would love to make something for you, whatever it is. They wrote me back and they said that they found me, they found my shop, and they ordered these two be brave pins and when they came they pinned them on their shirts and they wore them to meetings because they said it almost never got started because they were nervous and they never done it before. They didn’t know how to begin, they didn’t know what they were doing, they thought it was hard, you know all these things. They said that they wore them to key meetings and they would remind themselves over and over to be brave. And then by chance I just reached out to them and said, I love what you are doing, I want to be a part of it, like how can I be? And they told me this story and it’t the thing that gives you goosebumps because you are like, how did we connect before this? So we had this initial thing where they just randomly found me and then for me to come back and work my way back to them and hear this, it does something to you. You know? It hits you right in the good stuff.
What keeps you going when the stories aren’t coming in?
I think that I have made a conscious effort to find joy in the process and I enjoy the experimentation and I also find that I enjoy looking for inspiration. So I keep a sketchbook. I put ideas in there for when things are a little bit slower, but I also think I recognize that I have a need for that. I have a need to experiment and to explore. So I really do think that I find joy in the whole process and the patience of it and the fact that it is weeks and months and sometimes years that go into these things that we create. So that is something that helps me, I just sort of keep going back to the roots and the foundation of things. I have found it is necessary to take breaks and to fill those wells back up.
Do you think you will ever outgrow your Skutt 822?
I am almost there. I was thinking to myself, that Betty is getting a little bit small. Especially for when the holidays are coming up . I feel like she doesn’t even have a chance to slow down. I think I will actually outgrow my home studio at some point. But for now because I have young kids it is nice to be able to pop in and out. I have already looked at some bigger kilns and I’m sort of like, Don’t tell Betty I’m doing this. But I looked at one and if I get a bigger one I am going to name her Bertha and she will be Betty’s big sister and I think I would have to have them side by side, you know, my old faithful and the new one. Yeah, I think there will be a time when I outgrow both my home studio and Betty, but we are not there quite yet.
Has the growth of your social media directly correlated to the growth of your business?
Yes, in fact, you hear all this scaling up right now and I had to scale back because I think I was so excited and I was worried that things would pass me by. So I said yes to every thing and in reality I realized that not all of that were things that I enjoyed or things that I could sustain. So I think that I have grown but it also has been at a nice pace and I have been able to collect these wonderful friends that support me and come back for more pieces. Even thought I know, I know this name, I know that your husband is going to cut you off any time, but I think that it has been so helpful to be able to have more eyes on your work. That has been so great.
Since your husband gave you a surprise gift of a kiln, what does your husband think of all your success as a business person?
He sees the behind the scenes. He is so great, like he built me my stand for shows, but he says that he has “paws” so he doesn’t touch my ceramics. He sees how hard I am working and he sees that it is important to me and he also sees that it is good for our kids that they see me doing something that I love and to invite them into my studio. But he has a hard time when there are busier times, like when I release a collection or something. And the mess. The packing mess or whatever it is. He told me one time, it was really sweet. I remember it was a night time show and I normally have my friend and assistant come with me but this time Steve came with me. He would normally stay with the kids while I am doing the shows, buy he stayed and he said he got a little teary eyed watching me interact and being with customers and seeing people appreciate. A lot of them haven’t worked with ceramics and didn’t know that it is hard and difficult and it takes a long time or that I have experienced heart-aches and that some product didn’t work out. So that is beautiful and I think it bonds us in a way because he doesn’t call himself artsy but he says that he does love it and he loves that I have something. So he is really supportive and I think that that makes a difference to because I couldn’t do it without him.
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https://www.etsy.com/shop/hernameismud
Instagram: @hername_ismud