Meet Graham Ottoson

We were lucky to catch up with Graham Ottoson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Graham, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

How did I find my purpose? My purpose found me, while I was firmly centered on a different purpose. I was a midwife. I LOVED my job. Miracles, every day. And challenges. I was good at it. But my hands weren’t busy enough. My hands MUST be busy. As a midwife, one spends a lot of time being patient. Sitting on one’s hands. (Or knitting, which I don’t). I recognized that I wanted more time to make stuff, as I had as a child. I was open to more art in my life.

One day, a small pile of gourds that someone was selling by the side of the road grabbed my attention. They literally GRABBED my attention. “Stop the car, Otto!” We brought one home. The next summer, we grew some. After a while, I had quite a pile of gourds. I started turning them into lamps and stuff. I messed with them. I had SO much fun playing with gourds.

As a young person, I had dabbled in lots and lots of crafts. With gourds, it felt like all of the skills that I had gathered, with clay and paper and wood and glass and even gingerbread, all came together. I tried lots of different techniques and experimented (not always wisely) with new tools. My skills grew. One day, I noticed that my hands were working almost of their own accord. I watched my own hands, busily working. That was a moment.

Gourds are so beautiful, all on their own. Even with growing skills, I had a lot of anxiety that I would not “do them justice”…. that my artwork might make a gourd less beautiful. I mentioned this worry to a friend. She said, “Well, have you ever looked at the way they grow?” Such a random question, but it was just what I needed. I looked. Gourds grow, like pumpkins, with an internal vein structure, like longitudes on a globe. My designs started to echo that structure, with repeating vertical patterns. The anxiety about not doing justice to the gourd went away.

I learned about more and more. I learned that working with gourds, like being a midwife, is an ancient calling. People and gourds go way way back, like people and dogs. There have been times in our history when gourds were actually critical for survival, as containers for water, for example. There was a time, not too many eons ago, when every cook had her favorite gourd. Yet people would ask me “What IS a gourd?” “How do you dry it?” “Why doesn’t it rot?”

My work, my purpose, has gradually become about maintaining this ancient connection, people and gourds. Gourds always come first, in my designs. Front and center. Highlighted, not disguised. It’s a purpose and an honor.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I grow gourds and turn them into lamps and other functional works of art. In all my work, the gourd shines. I totally, thoroughly enjoy doing this, so I also teach others. Classes happen every week at Gourdlandia, and I’ve been enjoying making short videos about the process. You can find these on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

I’m working on a picture book, Vivalina Grows A Gourd. It’s a fun story about a creative little vole who needs more space… so she grows it! There’s info about how to grow and craft gourds, at the end of the story. Sue Brightly is the amazing illustrator. We’ll probably self-publish within the next year or so.

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?

Three qualities that have aided my journey:
Appreciation
Creativity
Luck

I was born with a grateful heart and a creative mind, and luckily into circumstances where I haven’t had to worry too much about meeting my basic needs. May all aspiring artists have their basic needs met. In addition, I met a man who says yes to almost every single idea I have, bless his heart.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I can’t keep up with demand for my artwork! I know, this is a “good problem”… but it’s still a problem. I don’t want my work to be unaffordable, so just raising prices isn’t an option.

I’ve limited purchasing to in-person in my little shop, but I still have trouble keeping the shelves stocked. There’s even a little sign that says “Got too much stuff? Don’t buy more!” I will probably try limiting the number of items that can be purchased. An artist wants her work to be appreciated… my favorite customer is one who falls in love with a piece and wants it for herself, not to give to someone else. I’ve considered having people “apply” for a lamp, but that would be awkward.

I have a couple of people helping occasionally, but ultimately it’s just me, making art. Each piece is different. It’s inherently slow.

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