Running a small creative business as a sculptor is a unique blend of lots of time, passion, creativity, and—hard work. In this post, I want to give you a behind-the-scenes look into my own journey—how I set up an Etsy shop and started to sell on Etsy, what I’ve learned along the way, and how I manage the day-to-day tasks of selling art online.
Whether you’re an aspiring artist looking to turn your passion into a business or just curious about the life of a sculptor-entrepreneur, I hope this offers some valuable insights into what it really takes to run a creative business.
The Beginnings: Turning My Passion Into a Profession
Like many artists, my journey didn’t start with business goals in mind—it began with a deep love for sculpting. From a young age, I spent hours recreating my favorite characters from films and TV shows, refining my sculpting skills over time.
When I was around thirteen I started sending my work to Aardman Animations, sharing videos of my clay stop-motion animations, and pictures of my Plasticine sculptures. This led to a work experience opportunity, followed by a second one, and eventually, my first professional job as an assistant animator on Creature Comforts season 2, and I then worked on the USA version of the show.
But after those projects wrapped up, the work I was passionate about was harder to find. As CGI animation began to dominate the industry, opportunities became scarcer and I couldn’t find any work closer to home.
I briefly returned to the building trade as a laborer, but the pull to sculpt was always there. I knew I needed to make a living doing what I loved. That’s when I made the decision to turn my sculpting hobby into a full-time career.
Starting On eBay - Moving On To Etsy - Then Moving On To My Own Website
Once I decided that I wanted to sell my art online as a full time career, I first turned to eBay. The hardest thing was trying to find something that people wanted to buy. It’s hard when you put all your time and passion in to something only to find that hardly anyone is actually interested in buying it!
A lot of the early stages of starting my business was A LOT of trial and error! Which can be frustrating but is also very rewarding when you finally start to get traction with one of your creations. I ended up doing fairly well on ebay for a while, but then Etsy came on to the scene!
I came across Etsy many years ago after searching for other selling platforms to expand my handmade business. I started selling on there and within four hours of listing some of my original sculpture I sold one of my Elephant sculptures!
I was over the moon and this was a great start! It wasn’t all fun and games though as I think it took around two weeks to get my next sale and things were steady like that for a year or so before I came up with new sculptures to sell, and then the ball really started rolling.
Etsy was a great place to sell my handmade sculptures and it’s what Etsy was really about in the beginning. But then they went on to the stock market and things began to change, and it seems to have become harder and harder to sell on there. What with more competition, and thousands of unscrupulous sellers drop-shipping things from China and other places, and trying to pass them off as handmade!
This has made it harder and harder for legitimate handmade sellers like myself to be seen which is a great shame! Having said that, I still sell on Etsy and will continue to do so but I’ve had no choice but to branch out with my own website. One of the biggest things I’ve learnt from this is to not put all your eggs in one basket.
By all means start on Etsy as it’s probably still your easiest barrier to entry to get past, and still has a lot of customers going there to find handmade products. It’s just a lot harder now to get your work seen by them for reasons mentioned earlier.
If you establish on Etsy that there is a market for you work, then I’d recommend starting your own website as soon as you can and build that up and focus your marketing efforts towards that and you should reap more of the rewards due to lower selling fees. And if Etsy ever decides to shut your shop for some reason, then you always have your own website to fall back on!
The Balancing Act: Creativity vs. Business Demands
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in running a creative business is how to balance the creative side with the business side. Early on, I found myself either too absorbed in sculpting or bogged down by the logistics of running a business. And when one side took over, the other suffered.
It’s a delicate juggling act. Over time, though, I’ve learned to set up systems and tools that help me manage both sides of the business without getting overwhelmed. Staying organized is key—tools like QuickBooks for bookkeeping and Todoist for tracking daily tasks have been lifesavers.
There are still days when I wish I could just focus on sculpting without worrying about dispatching orders, responding to emails, or keeping my website and other selling platforms up to date.
But in the end, the business side of things supports the creative side, and both are essential to making a living as an artist. You can’t have one side of it without the other, so you have to appreciate all aspects of the business.
The Marketing Challenge: Getting Your Work Noticed
Marketing is another crucial piece of the puzzle, and in today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever. Social media is a powerful tool for reaching new audiences, but it requires consistent effort.
I’ve made it a habit to document my sculpting process—filming my work as I create it, sharing time-lapse videos, and showing the intricate details that go into every piece. Not only does this showcase the craftsmanship behind my sculptures, but it also builds trust with potential buyers, who can see firsthand the time and skill that goes into each piece.
In an era where more and more mass-produced items flood online marketplaces, it’s vital to differentiate myself and show that each sculpture I create is 100% handmade by me. This level of transparency has helped build trust with customers and grow my business.
Pricing Your Art: How Do You Value Creativity?
One of the trickiest aspects of running a creative business is pricing. For many artists, myself included, it’s hard to put a price on something so personal—something that comes from hours of work and years of skill development.
Early on, I struggled with this, but over time, I realised that pricing isn’t just about covering costs; it’s about valuing your time, your expertise, and the uniqueness of your work.
I’ve learned to break down costs—materials, time spent on each sculpture, overhead costs like postage and packaging, and marketing. It’s all about finding a balance: ensuring my prices reflect the quality and time invested, while still keeping them accessible to my audience.
Pricing will always be a work in progress, but I’ve gotten much more confident in setting fair and sustainable rates over time.
The Challenges: What No One Tells You About Running a Creative Business
Running a small creative business isn’t all fun and games. Behind the social media posts and finished sculptures is a lot of hard work and plenty of challenges. Cash flow can be unpredictable, especially when sales aren’t steady.
Creative blocks happen—sometimes, motivation just isn’t there and you feel burnt out at times, but you still have to keep showing up to keep the dream alive. And let’s not forget the constant juggling act of handling customer inquiries, keeping track of orders, and managing the administrative side of things.
But over time, I’ve learned to embrace these challenges. They’re part of the journey, and each setback is an opportunity to grow, learn, and refine my processes. The satisfaction of seeing my work appreciated, though, is what keeps me going through the tougher days.
The Joys of Being Your Own Boss
Of course, there are also countless rewards to running your own creative business. Being your own boss means you get to make the big decisions—what projects to do, what direction your work will go in, and how you balance your time to a certain extent. But just like with any other job or business you have to show up and do what you have to do, because it won’t work if you don’t work!
I’m fortunate to do what I love for a living, and the joy of sculpting never fades. Getting to share my creations with the world while supporting myself financially is something I’ll never take for granted and I’m very thankful to all my wonderful customers from around the world!
Conclusion
Running a small creative business as a sculptor is never easy, but it’s always worth it. It’s about finding harmony between passion and practicality, and navigating the challenges that come with running a business while staying true to your art. From learning how to price your work and market it effectively to handling the inevitable ups and downs, every day brings new lessons.
If you’re considering starting your own creative business or are already on your way, I hope my story has shed light on the reality of this journey. No matter where you are, remember: every step you take is a learning opportunity, and the challenges are just part of the process that will get you closer to your goals.
Good luck with your handmade business journey—and thanks for reading my blog!
If you'd like to take a look at my sculpture gallery and sculpting videos, as well as castings of my work available for purchase—whether for yourself or as a thoughtful gift for a loved one—please explore my website mwpstudio.co.uk. I’m sure you’ll find something that sparks your imagination! Thank you for visiting!