Life & Work with Hadley Stoub of West Akron

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hadley Stoub.

Hi Hadley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a very creative and business-oriented household where my love for art was nurtured and I grew my interest in creating wearable art which led me to study fashion design in college. My mom is a potter and gave me a very solid foundation of knowledge and resources to start my own ceramic journey in 2020. My dad owned a small business in my hometown and I learned a lot by watching him run it. This medium has allowed me to find an illustration niche that I love and allows me to send my art out into the world. I started my shop on Etsy so I could have a reason to keep making more jewelry. I personally only need so much, so I truly had to find somewhere for it all to go. This has opened up so many opportunities to get more involved in my community in NE Ohio and has helped me learn and exercise my creative business muscles in ways I hadn’t before. I love the whole process from making the pieces, to photographing them for the listing, to choosing the right packaging, to sending everything out. All of the details are important and so fun to think about.

I draw a lot of inspiration from Delft pottery. My family is Dutch and Delft wares have always been around. I love the antique feel and the intricacies the artists are able to include and I like to use blues in a lot of my work that reflect the iconic Dutch pieces. I often challenge myself to see how much detail I can fit in the small space a charm provides so as to not limit what designs are possible. It’s so fun trying a new idea and sending it off into the kiln. There’s no sure way to know what it will look like until it’s fired. It’s like Christmas morning every time I unload a new batch.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I feel like I am just starting to feel the friction between my From, Hadley side hustle, my day job, and my social life. Up until the past few months, it has been smooth sailing as far as compartmentalizing my projects goes. I’m a full time illustrator and following my success at The Cleveland Market at the beginning of June and the launch of my collab with Etsy and Breanna Stewart, From, Hadley had been requiring much more of my time. Doing From, Hadley full time is my long term goal, but in the meantime I’m grinding two nearly full time jobs. I will definitely have to make some tough decisions regarding my time soon.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I make handmade ceramic jewelry, primarily charms. They are hand formed, hand painted, and hand finished all the way through.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fromhadley.etsy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/from_hadley?igsh=NzViM3A4MGF6YzV5&utm_source=qr