Rising Stars: Meet Bruce Fraser of Sedona

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bruce Fraser.

Hi Bruce, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have an unusual story. My ceramics journey began in 2013, at 51 years old. I started working in clay out of desperation to make a living. It was kind of laughable that I looked to ceramics. I had no experience in retail or wholesale. I was in video production for years, but the business was changing rapidly.  It was even more challenging in the small town of Sedona, AZ, with a population of 12,000. I thought I should stay in the technology sector for work, but there wasn’t enough. Fortunately, I have experienced a wide array of work in my adult life.

My girlfriend then tried to get me to make something in clay as that was what she did for a living. She tried for a couple of years. Finally, one day I made a ceramic bell under her tutelage. I posted a picture of it on Facebook, and a friend wanted to buy it; another said he would sell the bells in his store. Within 6 months, I had 17 retail locations but wasn’t making enough money to go full-time. I was still doing video, and IT work for a local school.

Working multiple careers at the same time was a great lifestyle for me. I’m naturally curious and like to tinker, so doing different kinds of work fed my soul. Over the years, indulging my interests and having a diverse work history gave me quite a bit of confidence to pursue ceramics. Everything just came together after many years of struggling. Next thing I knew, everything I tried just worked. Everything I needed to learn seemed easier than other things I had previously tried.

I never had any aspirations to be an artist. I thought of myself as more of a creative problem solver. I love the deductive process, figuring out how something works or how to improve it—iterating over and over, embellishing and editing with small incremental changes.

My favorite artist quote is from the photographer Garry Winogrand “I don’t care what you’re doing, painting, sculpting, the problem is always the same. The problem of the artist is to stay in the problem.” I “stay in the problem” and the anxiety of uncertainty because I know the answers (design) will come. Sometimes it takes 6 months to figure out how I will tie a design together. That’s why I stick with making bells only. It allows me to focus on one thing and get too much deeper levels that I wouldn’t encounter otherwise.

When I started my Etsy shop in 2013, I told myself, “I’m going to do this my way,” warts and all, with no social media or extended hours. I wove my work around and through my life, tinkering here and there. Everybody thought I was crazy, but I got to choose how I created my success or failure.

I wasn’t in a hurry. I took my time, and I made fewer mistakes. Over a few years, I learned the fundamentals of ceramics, kept it simple, and just kept making bells over and over; that was the best way to learn the feel of clay. I was also making other products for wholesale, but slowly over time, the bells took more and more of my time. I never got bored. I loved doing the work, and I still do.

The turning point came in 2016 when I started learning how to market my shop inside of Etsy. In a few months, I tripled my online sales. From that moment on, I was full-time. I’ll be frank. I loved the limited customer contact. Without all the distractions of social media, phone calls, tons of emails, and in-person interactions with my other work, I flourished. For me selling a product online is a much more palatable experience than selling a service. I love being in the studio listening to music, podcasts, and books while working. It’s simply wonderful. I hope to work for another 20 years if possible.

I had always wanted to combine modern technology with the second oldest profession in the world. In 2019 I diversified a bit and purchased a laser etching machine. I noticed other sellers buying traditional metal wind chimes from China and simply adding a personalized laser etched memorial wind sail and selling them on Etsy. It pissed me off. I thought I was on a handmade platform. If I couldn’t beat them, I could at least compete with them with a handmade product. I had a background in Adobe Photoshop and After Effects while creating motion graphics for video. I learned Illustrator, and I was on my way. Today my bereavement chimes are 80% of my business.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggles I’ve had are finding a studio space in Sedona and acquiring the supplies it takes to put together and ship my product. There’s a myth that Sedona is an artist community. During the 20th century, yes, an artist could live and work in Sedona. These days all the commercial spaces are taken or don’t have water as part of the infrastructure of the space. It’s been a constant challenge to learn how to work in a smaller space or a space with no natural light. Creatively outfit that space with the proper worktables, lights, storage, and tools to make it all work.

We are shipping daily, so we need space to put together and prepare all the parts. I use glass and ceramic beads, copper, wood, galvanized steel, and clay. The copper needs a patina to give it its green or blue color, so we need some room to apply the patina. I have computers all over the place for putting the orders together to see which color ceramic beads, birds, and glass beads are with a certain bell design. I need a somewhat dust-free environment for the laser cutter to design and etch the personalized wind sails for the bereavement bells. Also, I need room for the 3d printer I have incorporated into my work process and some space to make the bells. It’s a lot! Right now, I’m doing all that with 800 sq ft. plus 100 sq. ft. storage facility down the street for boxes, packing peanuts, and other stuff. The management of it is quite a challenge, but I’m getting there.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve specialized in using the computer for pretty much anything. I’m rather fluid for someone who does what I do. It’s been a blessing to have all those skills. I guess I’m known for figuring things out. I’ve had various careers. Waiter, nurses aide, landscaper, house painter, volunteer fireman, IT, video production, and now ceramics. In most of those trades, I’m self-taught. Many of those careers were hobbies before they were what I did every day. I’m most proud of keeping everything together with the business. Progressing inch by inch and never losing faith in my way of doing things.

What sets me apart? I have tremendous patience. My process of getting to where I need to go, to get to new ideas, is one of intuition and breaking things down into bite-size pieces. This leads to certain confidence that the details of a design will come together to form a beautiful thing. Without the patience, I would have given up a long time ago.

What matters most to you?
Freedom. The freedom to have the time to create, think, and pursue my many interests.

Why? Freedom is dangerous. It always comes with a price. In a way, it provides a framework to work within. It’s counterintuitive, sort of a dichotomy. The cost of freedom is responsibility and accountability. I don’t see any way around it. Freedom doesn’t mean I can do whatever I want with my time. It means I have a responsibility to keep doing the things that could express my creativity further, like taking care of my body, pushing myself to try new things, and moving out of my comfort zones. All those things are very challenging and extremely rewarding after moving through the uncertainty phase of any new thing we may try.

If you think about it, what is valuable in life without a confrontation with our inner clinging to a stale process of being? Or some kind of confrontation with our fear? I don’t want to die on the couch with a TV clicker in my hand. I want to die with a tool in my hand while pushing against my insecurities and laziness. How else can one move forward? Sounds romantic, but it’s ugly, messy, and takes effort. That’s freedom; it’s not to be trifled with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://earthwindbells.com/
• Instagram: @earthwindstoneware
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthWindBells
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/EarthWindStonew
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6LYzDu5uZM

Image Credits
Malou Leontsinis