This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
Hello there and greetings. What's up? Welcome. This is Chris Guillebeau here with you, your host for Side Hustle School. Hey, guess what? This is episode 279.
I just noticed that and it reminded me of something I wrote long ago called 279 Days to Overnight Success. I actually wrote that many more than 279 days ago. It's actually a manifesto I wrote that chronicled my entry into the blogging world, how I got my first book deal, how I learned to make a living by writing online. I think that some parts of that manifesto are now a little bit outdated but some are evergreen, still relevant. To this day, I actually have people who find me because of that manifesto.
That is just a side note. It's got nothing to do with today's episode, but I will link that up in the show notes if you'd like to read it. It is free, of course. More to the point of today's episode, what if you have more than one passion? There's more than one thing you like to do.
Well, guess what? It means you are normal. I did an event at the New York Public Library recently, had somebody say, "I don't know how to introduce myself at cocktail parties because I have like three or four different side hustles and I feel like I need to have some kind of explanation, like I need to have my elevator pitch down." I thought, "Isn't that interesting? Because I know this person is not the only one who feels that way. Isn't it interesting that we feel like we have to justify ourselves to other people?" I understand the need for an elevator pitch.
You don't want to go into a three minutes soliloquy when someone says, "What do you do?" But I also think if you do more than one thing, well, that's great. You don't have to justify that. In fact, what somebody else said at this event when we were talking about it, somebody else said, "You know what? Some of those people are actually probably envious of you." It's not that you're being judged. It's that some people would like to do more than one thing, and they have more than one passion too, but somewhere along the way they were told or they got the impression that they had to leave those parts of themselves behind.
You probably won't be surprised that I completely disagree with that perspective. I think we are complex people and you're actually going to reach more of your potential when you look at your whole being and all the things that you're interested in. With that in mind, today's story is about someone who cares about agriculture, and also handcrafted materials, specifically pottery. He does one thing for his day job and another for his, well, wait for it, his side hustle. I'll bring that story to you in just a moment after this quick word from our sponsor.
Today's story comes from the beach town of Santa Cruz, California. It's a nice place actually, I'm going there soon for an event. In Santa Cruz, Drake Bialecki has two very different passions that he's managed to integrate into his life. By day, he works as a farm certification specialist. He provides customer service for organic farmers, making decisions that comply with the national organic regulations on new labels, input materials, suppliers, products, and new land.
This satisfies his passion for supporting organic sustainable agriculture, but he has another more artistic passion and he nurtures on evenings and weekends. As a freshman in high school, Drake took a beginning ceramics class and was hooked. That very first time he got his hands on the clay and turned it into something usable, he felt that this art form would play a big role in his life. Throughout high school, he gifted his finished pottery pieces to friends and family, and then his grandma bought his first decent mug. Here's how he describes it, "I was totally stoked.
I couldn't believe she wanted to buy a mug for me. True, she was my grandma, but that moment was a huge confidence booster for me. If it wasn't for the support of my family early on, this side hustle may not have developed." To celebrate that first big sale, Drake bought more clay so that he could get back to work tinkering around with new designs and create more products. When he graduated from high school, he made his way to UC Santa Cruz for college, where he majored in environmental studies, a subject that would later serve him well in his day job. But while going to college full-time, he kept doing pottery on the side.
He managed to land apprenticeships at a couple of local pottery studios. In those apprenticeships, he learned traditional techniques, but he also learned a few things about making a living as a production potter in the 21st century. That led him to focus on making functional tableware that he could sell to fund his artistic passion. Once he finished up college and went to work, Drake needed a studio where he could create his pottery pieces. Since setting up his own studio would be prohibitively expensive, he joined a community studio for about $160 a month, which gave him access to everything he needed.
Wheels, slab roller, extruder, work tables, etc. That plus $30 for a 25-pound bag of clay, meant that his monthly expenses are about $200. Those monthly costs have remained fixed over the past several years, and the revenue he brings in ranges seasonally from a few hundred bucks during the slow months to a lot more during the holiday season. Regardless, his annual costs have remained stable, leaving him with extra income from a passion that he would have pursued anyway. Now, we mentioned functional pottery.
During that apprenticeship, he noticed that people were most excited about functional pottery, or at least they were most likely to pay for it. Functional pottery is things like mugs, teacups, bowls, plates, serving platters, teapots, or even olive oil bottles, basically anything that you could use and enjoy every day. So he naturally gravitated toward creating those kind of pieces, as opposed to the works of art that sit on a shelf and get used maybe once a year. Having that focus allowed him to perfect his art, and also meant that new customers referred to him by happy customers knew what to expect. Drake not only has happy customers coming back, in fact, he now has happy students.
In 2016, he started teaching a six-week wheel-throwing pottery class for all levels at the studio he's a member of. He gets paid hourly for teaching, which depending on the number of students who enroll, ends up being another $500 or so per six-week course. Not only is this an additional source of income for him, it's helped to solidify his own knowledge about the entire process. He says, "I feel like teaching has helped me look at my own studio practice with a fresh perspective." Fast forward to 2017, Drake has actually had to turn orders down in order to continue delivering a quality product he's proud of on a reasonable timeline. He's also come to realize that his two passions are actually interconnected.
Back when agriculture was first taking roots in society, way back in the day when America Online was how people use the internet, pottery was used for everything from storing seeds, transporting the finished products, and even irrigation. Ceramics have since been replaced by more modern materials in agriculture, but there's still something nourishing about eating your food off a plate crafted by hand. At least Drake believes so. He thinks it creates a sense of community that is often lost in global supply chains. For Drake, this love of designing and creating beautiful yet functional pieces for people to use and eat off of, is an extension of his desire to support sustainable agriculture.
Both practices have their roots in ancient traditions, and both encourage customers to know their local farmer, or their local potter. As I said, if there's more than one thing you like to do, if you have more than one passion, you are normal, or if you're not normal, if you're crazy, there's a lot of us who are crazy. Either way, you're not alone. Not every side hustle works this way. Not every side hustle has this direct connection.
Some people have passions that are totally different, and they use one skill, one interest for their job, and their side hustle is something that seems like it's completely different. But like Drake found, sometimes the connection comes through a bit later, or you only realize as you go along how different parts of your life intersect. I encourage you to think about those different passions today. Don't worry about your elevator pitch, worry about doing something that's important and meaningful to you. Friends and listeners, inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better.
Today's show notes are online at sidehustleschool.com/279. I'll also link up that long ago manifesto I wrote called 279 Days to Overnight Success. I should probably write a new manifesto at some point. When I'm not visiting 100 cities or making an episode for you every day or all the other things I do, I'll put it on my list. I have more than one passion, and I'm very grateful to be part of your world.
Even a small part. Thank you so much for listening. I'm Chris Guillebeau for Side Hustle School. [Music]
