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Chelsea Erdner | Episode 1131
Chelsea Erdner is the artist behind Bombabird Ceramics. Chelsea has been working with clay for over two decades, but left her job as a graphic designer in 2017 to pursue Bombabird full-time. What started as a business focused primarily on functional production work has evolved to explore symmetry, clean lines, texture, balance, and repetition. Chelsea enjoys pushing the boundaries of the materials she works with — often piecing multiple wheel-thrown objects together to achieve balance and harmony in a finished shape or adding complex flourishes to a simple form. Since the beginning of Bombabird, Chelsea has prided herself on work that is not only beautiful, but meant to last. She has produced and sold thousands of pieces to folks all over the country, including selling through retailers like Food52 and Schoolhouse Electric. Chelsea’s business has seen a lot in its eight years—studio moves, a pandemic, the birth of her first child—but she still wakes up every day feeling incredibly fortunate and inspired to do this work.
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How did you narrow down your vision to where it was a very specific vision?
I truly had this gut feeling from working in a community studio I was so grateful for the facilities that we had but there were gaps that I wanted to fill, whether it was clay bodies we were using or time we had to work on things, or glazes that we didn’t have. Those gaps kind of shaped where I wanted to go and what I wanted to fill.
What measurements did you use to be able to quantify “success”?
It started off really tangible. How much do I need to make to cover my bills? And how much work do I need to produce to do that? And then it changed to a goal of having my own studio space and for awhile that was the end vison. And then when I got there it changed to the next thing which was kind of the work life balance of it all.
How did you find the courage to be actionable in your goal chasing?
Well, I was a little bit delusional at the beginning. (laughter) I truly was just so laser focused on the possibility of making things happen that that was it for me. I also really enjoy learning and enjoy challenge. So it was the perfect storm coming together.
It’s real scary to move ahead sometimes. How much is courage required to chase your dreams?
Yeah, I think you have to believe in yourself. That’s the baseline right, you have to believe in the vision you have and more often than not I find that people are really open and welcoming and excited about what you are excited about.
Is it important to put a timer on, so to speak, on your goals and by this date it’s working or it’s not working?
I can see that being the case, you know, everyone’s circumstances are different. I think when I started out I needed a little more baseline proof of concept. When I had my design job as my main source of income just those few projects I worked on gave me enough proof of concept to kind of run with it.
What has you challenged in the studio and what has you excited in the studio?
They are one in the same, but a challenge for me is that I feel like I’m kind of towing this line right now with my production pottery roots and this kind of vison of capital A “Art pots”. You know, a little bit leaning into flourishing designs, some hand built stuff and I’m kind of stuck in the in-between there. But I am quite excited because I picture myself in twenty years with a quaint home studio making pots that I love. And I love that vision.
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