Cart Before The Horse : Creative Interview

Following on from a recommendation made by Suzanna Scott, I'm still over in the USA with Jo and Dylan aka 'cart before the horse'. They are a mum-and-dad team, a two-person company of artists who make the kind of art they like, with each of their creations being made one at a time. I often wonder how people get their business/shop names and found out that 'Cart Before The Horse' was called this because they're always getting ahead of themselves. Great name!!! A huge thanks for answering my questions and lots of happy sales in 2012 and the future!!! Over to Jo and Dylan

Crow and Cat

What's your town/area like for promoting creatives like yourselves?

You can't throw a rock in Portland without hitting an artist. Not that we go around throwing rocks at people or anything. It's great for art collectors but not so great for artists trying to make a living locally. The prices are kept low by that whole supply and demand thing. That's why we love the internet!

Caterpillar

What do you love most about what you do and is there a down side?

We both love the freedom of setting our own schedules and never missing out on our kids' stuff. The down side is the temptation to devote all your time and energy into the work part of life, and neglect the play part. Luckily, our work is pretty damn playful.

Pink Monster

What’s your ideal working day?

Dylan and I have completely different schedules. I generally break work into two shifts, first from 10:am - 4:pm and then another after dinner that goes on as long as there's stuff to be done (or longer if I'm making something I'm really excited about). Dylan is the epitome of a night owl, starting his day around 1:pm and going until he's done. Of course, this is a really rough estimate as things change from day to day depending on what else we or the kids are up to. Whatever we're doing though, or however busy we are, we come together for family dinner every night.

Bunnies

What’s your PLAN B

Plan B? Nope. After doing this arty thing full-time for the past 5 years, we are both profoundly unqualified to do anything else.

Angel Woodland Owls

Where’s your own favourite place to work?

I have a studio which I love! Dylan has a nomadic table that wanders around the living room. And an entire garage (which I completely avoid). And the kitchen table isn't off-limits either.

Do you work with music on or off?

For me, music off. In fact, my ipod is completely full of podcasts and audiobooks. Dylan is a musician, so the music is usually on, although he likes to listen to podcasts too. We'll both often watch streaming videos while we work too, depending on what we're doing and how much we have to pay attention.

Skellies

Do you have a routine when you start a new piece of work

We're always working on many pieces at once, but there's definitely a routine involved. It's long and particular to what we do though, so I won't bore you with the details. And I like to tidy up every evening so that I can start my day with something less-than-chaotic. Also, I write lots of lists.

Is it hard for you both to let go of a piece of work

Very rarely. We're both sort of on to the next thing by the time something is out the door. The process is the fun part!

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