We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Klapp recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Having self- esteem is an integral part of living life to the fullest. In a culture that doesn’t value women’s bodies or queer identities it takes incredible fortitude to maintain ones self-esteem.
These are the ways I work to maintain my self-esteem
– functioning out of the belief that I can take care of myself and meet my own needs
– keeping promises to myself
– rejecting criticism about my body or gender expression, accepting criticism about my behavior
– following my intuition instead of following money
– telling the truth without exceptions
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My main focus professionally is to create unique ceramic objects for the home. I make sets of mugs, bowls, pitchers, and vases that are all handmade and, by nature, one of a kind. My goal is to move toward ceramic fine art and produce work in the decorative and gallery world.
Something exciting that I have been doing this last year has been inviting people into my personal studio space to take a wheel-throwing class with me. Anyone can book a lesson through my website klappceramics.com and reserve a spot for a Clay Date for two people or private lesson for one where they will learn how to make their own handmade pottery.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The most important quality is definitely the knowledge of your craft.
Every medium has a world of skill and knowledge to obtain. My advice would be to really practice your craft before you start to market your products. In opposition to our world of instant gratification, I recommend really committing yourself to a creative practice, a creative community, and learning your creative voice over time. Your work will be stronger if you hone your creative voice before entering it into the marketplace.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
No one in my life has been more inspirational than my late grandfather, Bill Teachout. In many ways he embodied the perfect businessman in my mind. He was extremely successful in business while maintaining a priority of people over profit. The essential skills and qualities that he exemplified to me were mental fortitude, inclusiveness, and making magic out of the mundane.
Contact Info:
- Website: klappceramics.com
- Instagram: klappceramics
