How to Make It

January 2, 2017
Readers curious about starting a creative business will find these 25 interviews with artisans an entertaining introduction to the challenges and rewards of turning art into a livelihood. Abbott, a photographer and owner of a design and home goods shop in Oxford, Miss., leads Q&A-format interviews with printmakers and painters, clothing and jewelry designers, and other skilled artisans, who recount how they made their passions into businesses. Readers quickly learn that the creative businesses require a tremendous amount of time and energy. Jessica Tata, a jewelry designer and co-owner of the Son of a Sailor store in Austin, Tex., describes her daily life as a “whirlwind,” a term that could apply to all the artists profiled here. Abbott asks how people stay organized, where they seek advice, and how they decide how to invest; the answers provide useful guidance to anyone looking to juggle a number of demands and set priorities. In addition to photographs of the artists at work, the book includes craft projects developed by the artisans for beginners, giving the book a broader appeal to readers dreaming of giving up their nine-to-five jobs or just considering new hobbies.