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Sara Ballek | Episode 602
Sara Ballek is a ceramic artist living in Asheville, North Carolina. Sara is currently a Resident Artist and instructor at Odyssey ClayWorks in Asheville. Sara works with a number of methods and processes to create functional pottery with a focus on color, pattern, and texture.
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How did you get past the roadblock that tells us, I don’t have time, I am too busy to chase after my dream?
Making space for it. Leaving that job that was, I knew that it was in the way, I don’t want to say it was in the way because it got me on my feet here, but I kept telling myself, Maybe if I save up this certain amount of money or maybe once I am at this point in my life. I was in my early twenties at that time when I first moved here and I thought, Maybe by the time I am thirty. You know, you keep putting these ideas that you have to get to a certain point before you can be at that point or in order to be at that point, I should say. But I kept feeling like I was missing out. I was becoming stressed and a little bit more anxious and less patient and I didn’t have my full mental and physical energy devoted to my craft. Although I was maybe discovering new things and feeling excited about certain things, I didn’t feel that it had my all and my full attention. But I told myself, now is the time and I could go back and get a job if I needed to.
Another roadblock people face is, I don’t have what it takes. How did you get past that hurdle?
Reminding myself that everybody starts somewhere. Everybody has a starting point and you look at people that you think you might idolize or you think they have it all and those people all had to have a starting point. Some people are born naturally into something but they still had to try to keep obtaining that. Others have to work in a different way, it depends on your situation. I keep reminding myself that everyone starts somewhere and you have to make room for that starting point. It is not going to get handed to you. Nobody is going to come down from the sky and tell you, The time is now. I do believe there are gut feelings where we might think, Okay, I think I am ready. But there is not a clear cut day that says this is your starting point. You have to make room for that.
How about the idea that there are not enough people that will like my work enough to buy all that I need to do?
I guess for that, you’ll find your crowd. There are times too, I mean I have seen with peers, with myself, it is a lot of trial and error. Maybe in your geographic location you don’t sell a lot of work but you sell a lot online. Maybe you start a certain market that you do poorly at but you try another one and do great at that. So it is kind of finding where to market your work, which is always tricky. It is a gamble, it depends. There is research involved in that, it’s word of mouth, you have friends who might suggest something to you. It is just like staying optimistic, I don’t know if I can say confident all the time, but staying optimistic that you will find a crowd for it. I think when you invest and start to put your time into something others do notice.
How about the idea of another doubt that comes in: Well it’s just not that important, what I am doing. ?
Oh yeah, that is definitely something that, it goes in waves for sure. It still does. There are still times when I think, What am I doing? To be honest to, it is like the little devil and angel on your shoulder. There are times like, You are just making coffee mugs all day! What are you doing with your life? There are other times too when you see so much joy and progress in yourself and the complexities that come along with it all, the community that is great, the people that you connect with. Like I said, being rich in other ways. Everyone can find a place in it. It’s for everyone. I think everyone should at least give it a try. I think it’s great.
Did you have a concern that you would be lonely?
Not at this point in my life and where I am at. I am in a really busy community studio and so I am one of the residents there and there are tons of studio assistants. There is also an abundance of students and then the tourist aspect. There are times when I wish I was a little bit more lonely. But I also think too, I am a very social person and I used to have trouble saying no to things to the point where it would exhaust me. I have started making more boundaries for myself. So I have also gotten to know myself pretty well in the last few years and working closely on my practice. It’s pretty nice, I listen to a lot of podcasts. That doesn’t make me feel very lonely, I feel like I know these people. Listening to a podcast feels like an educational lesson while I am improving on my practice or just spending time with my thoughts in my head. You don’t get to do that so much anymore. Some times I am thankful for the days I might be alone in the studio, just in silence. It feels pretty nice.
You said something earlier about being a starving artist. How did you turn that on its head and become a striving artist towards your future?
I guess not living in fear about the idea and trying not to. I mean there are moments of doubt that creep in or there’s moments when things are a little bit slower but then to really appreciate the moments when things are going well. To make sure to seek opportunities to put yourself out there, to make connections, to network. I think all of those feed into, to be able to sustain yourself and the way that I have picked where I choose to spend my finances too. In the last year I told myself, Okay, I am going to spend my income on my expenses, obviously, but also on nourishing my body versus getting a new pair of shoes or something like that, shopping more second hand. So making some changes like that. I have always done those things and have been mindful of them but being a little bit more mindful. ANd remembering too, I don’t have to eat ramen noodles. That is not going to give me the energy I need to get my work done. I guess being more mindful of myself as a consumer. To keep up the hustle but also take care of myself.
Book
Amazing Glaze by Gabriel Kline
Contact
Instagram: @saraballek_ceramics