Featured Member Meg Murray of RedandMain

Our next featured member is the extremely talented and creative Meg Murray of RedandMain.
RedandMain features handmade, kiln-fired ceramic critter sculptures, mythical beasts, and ferocious monsters. It's cuteness overload and nearly impossible not to smile the entire time you are in Meg's shop. Meg is one of our newest Treasury Tree members and a welcome addition at that. We asked her to tell us more about her and her art.

Would you be so kind as to tell us who you are, what you sell, what you are all about?
I’m Meg and I live in downtown Washington, DC with my totally awesome husband. I create handmade, kiln-fired ceramic critter sculptures, mythical beasts, and ferocious monsters. I’m all about making adorable creatures that, hopefully, make people smile when they see them.

Who are your business inspirations?

My mom and dad are both exceptionally talented entrepreneurs; they both have started and successfully run their own businesses for over 25 years. Growing up and witnessing their shared successes and failures – it made me acutely aware of the responsibility of owning your own business… but it also inspired me to create a business that was my own.

What are your business inspirations?

I receive inspiration for my pieces from all sorts of places: cute videos of animals online, graffiti in my neighborhood, weird dreams I have. Really, anywhere I can get it.

Do you sell online full time? If not, what is your other business/job?

I quit my big corporate job in April this year to pursue Red & Main full time. There are things I miss about office culture – camaraderie with coworkers is something I miss very much – but I’m so happy I decided to take the massive, scary step of going out on my own.

What is the biggest challenge when selling your work online?

Getting noticed in the marketplace is the biggest challenge I have found. Etsy is now a very large place with so much talent – distinguishing your shop from others in both appearance and merchandise – is so important.

Tell us about how you got your start selling your craft, either online or local?

I took my first ceramics class in high school and instantly fell in love. I have pursued lots of other forms of art, but there is something about working in three dimensions that really speaks to me. I was really unhappy at my day job, so I purchased a kiln and 50 lbs of clay. My initial intention was to blow off steam after work, maybe sell on Etsy. As soon as I started working with the clay, I was addicted. I started my Etsy shop and applied to local craft shows within a couple weeks of receiving the kiln. The whole thing kind of got legs after that…and now here I am.

Tell us why you do what you do (your particular craft; why make it a business vs. just a hobby).

I love ceramics and I love making really cute things. The largest aspect of my day job that was missing was hands-on creativity.
Prior to starting Red & Main, I believed that politics was my business and art was my hobby. Once I started to pursue ceramics at home, it became abundantly clear that I had my priorities reversed. Now, art is my job and politics is my hobby… and I have never been happier.

Are there any tips or tricks to selling online vs. local that you can share?

The most helpful thing you can do for yourself on Etsy is to have exceptional photos, which is not crucial selling locally. At local sales, I try to make certain I have an eye-catching booth display and lots of business cards.

A few of my favorite Etsy shops:

Merrypad: awesome household goods made from repurposed materials
Digforvictory: incredibly gorgeous hand-sewn dresses
Dandyrions: The freaking cutest shirts ever
Babus: adorable hand-felted, sustainable toys for children (and adults)