How to make it 25 makers share the secrets to building a creative business

With the popularity of artisan businesses and online marketplaces tailored to selling small-batch creations, makers of all types of items are interested in learning how they can find business success doing what they love. This book compiles the stories of 25 creators who have found that success. Author Abbott, whose Instagram series #ameliastudiostories highlights the creative spaces used by makers, expands on that idea by focusing on the people and how they run their businesses. In short interviews, these creators share lessons learned, a brief description of a typical day, and inspiration in the form of a DIY project and music playlist. Each entry is accompanied by a handful of artful color photographs, some of which will be familiar to fans of the Instagram series. It is apparent that these makers have worked hard to create their businesses and spend little time doing anything other than striving to continue their success. The interviews are quite brief and the details of their experiences will primarily offer inspiration rather than a blueprint that the reader could replicate.--Heidemann, Anne Copyright 2017 Booklist

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. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.