Ep 623: Side Sauntering with Melisa of MWY Pottery

The Maker's Playbook

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As makers, many of us feel pressure to choose between our creative passions and a more traditional career - but what if that's a false choice entirely? What if taking your craft seriously doesn't require abandoning a career you are equally passionate about? Melisa's journey from taking her first clay class as a 40th birthday gift to creating what she calls a "side saunter" shows us how blending our different worlds can actually make both richer. Could embracing your own pace and connecting your creative work to the career you already had be the key to building a sustainable making practice that enhances rather than competes with all of life’s other demands?

Melisa's work can be found @mwypottery

Featured in this episode: Check out our Community member, Alisha's work @alishahagenart

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Chapters

1. Melisa Wong Yajima (00:00:00)

2. Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:04:38)

3. Melissa's Journey into Pottery (00:04:55)

4. Challenges and Discoveries in Clay (00:05:56)

5. Balancing Pottery with a Medical Career (00:09:26)

6. Entrepreneurial Spirit and Past Ventures (00:11:53)

7. Teaching and Sharing Knowledge (00:21:43)

8. Setting Boundaries in Academia (00:27:57)

9. The Importance of Community in Coaching (00:28:45)

10. Navigating the Pottery Community (00:29:02)

11. The Concept of Side Sauntering (00:36:13)

12. Transitioning from Etsy to a Personal Website (00:38:13)

13. Connecting Pottery with Personal and Professional Life (00:43:12)

14. Fundraising and Supporting Nonprofits (00:48:42)

15. Conclusion and Contact Information (00:50:56)