Ep. 106 - Be A Maker with Nevada Miller
It’s been a long time coming to have Nevada (Watt) Miller on the That Western Life podcast and it’s extra special with today and in the times that we are living in.
“I live in the middle of nowhere, southeastern Oregon,” says Nevada. “And I love it because it’s sagebrush, and cows and our little family.” With a father that is a saddle maker and a mom that was the glue that kept everyone together, Nevada didn’t get into maker work until later high school. She went to college for art and exercise sciences, but then she met her now-husband and got married. Nevada ranches full time, builds her silversmithing business, and just started Be A Maker trades school in 2021 to help teach other people the western trades.
Eccentric and eclectic is how Nevada’s silversmithing style started but, as she’s now more rurally based, she wants items that are more functional and durable. “A lot of my silver work has morphed into that more functional style that you can wear everyday, beat it up, and it’ll still survive,” says Nevada.
Familiar with the western makers through her father as a saddle maker, Nevada chose silver work over leather work, for a reason she kicks herself for now: that she took his leather working for granted. “I remember walking into his saddle shop one day and seeing his engraving bench set up and asking to learn silver smithing.” Learning leather work is in her spare time!
Barrier to Entry to the Craft of Silversmithing
The expense of the material itself is a big barrier. It’s more expensive than leather and isn’t as forgiving as some of the other mediums like leather. The items can be quite costly and add up very quickly. However, they do last a long time and hold up, but that’s definitely a barrier for people. Silversmithing is interesting because women are often attached to jewelry, so the thought of building something that they can wear is really exciting. The items you make are often smaller items that sell really well.
There is a huge supply chain issue with the tools in silversmithing due to shortages in steel production so getting your hands on the tools is even more of an impass than finding the items themselves. When the world starts to fall apart, the precious metals start to go up in value.
“I also make a lot more jewelry with a sheet of metal than conchos or other western items,” says Nevada about being strategic with the items that are coming up.
Be A Maker School
Started in July 1st of 2021, the goal was to be the online place that you can go to learn any of the western trades. “I started it with the intention that you could become a maker no matter where you live in the world.”
Starting with silversmithing they then added a rawhide braider. In 2022, they have added a ring making course and a cinch making course. That leaves their teacher roster with four different teachers that are there to teach and guide the students. If you want to learn any of th western trades, you can go to Be A Maker school and learn about it.
There’s a couple different package levels that you can start with as the whole goal of the program is for people to start their own businesses. Nevada is very excited about the launch of their maker business course at the end of 2022 so taht people can create a hobby that pays for itself.
The demographic includes younger people, young moms, retired people and more. By July 1, 2022, they have eight courses that include online training videos, tools & resource lists, and, in the top tier subscription, you get a one-on-one call with your course teacher once a month. This is a great option for you to dive into a project heavily in your shop with your teacher.
In 2021, there was a fundamental in silversmithing course that a number of participants joined in and have, since then, launched their own businesses, started social media accounts and are selling their items. They have also incorporated their own design elements into their silversmithing and have created their own identity with it. Some of these class participants are doing this along with their full time job, while some have left their career jobs to do this as well.
“It’s so cool, I am like a proud parent!” Says Nevada with a laugh!
Catie Kershner is another silversmith maker who has been on the podcast who attests to Nevada’s statements about how the silversmithing world is so supportive of each other and how everyone is good about holding true to their own uniqueness. This is something that Nevada has seen across all of the western trades and, most likely, comes from the lifestyle that those in the western trades grow up in and being in that communal ranching world. A tight knit community spread across the country, makers are also a small community when you get in it, full of people that want to see the western culture move on.
“You don’t have to do it just this one way,” says Nevada, “all of the trades have opened up so we can welcome the infusing of our personalities in it.” The generation of makers above us may not have had the freedom of working in whatever cool or unique space they want to be.
“Being country is cool!” Now is the chance to talk about food, our clothes and our music. As a culture, country is the American culture, and it’s been fun to watch people jump into that culture with both feet. “So many of those items now transfuse into today’s modern culture.” Those craftsmanship items are crossing over and you can invest in something like Be A Maker and your hobby can pay it off in gifts alone.
“There are people that haven’t grown up in the western culture that are inspired by the skills,” says Nevada. “I see a lot of crossover of these items. A lot of these skills have been used in many cultures, it’s not just cowboy culture… it’s taking those skills and applying them to the lifestyle around you…. It is very transferrable.”
“We as a whole, have been pretty adamant that we want to be heavier teaching on the skill side, rather than the project side, “says Nevada. “We give options like that, but it’s more skill based than project based.”
Life is coming back around to a more meaningful craft and projects that we can have to decorate and fill our homes and lives.
“When you start making anything with your hands, it invigorates you to try something new,” says Nevada. “Everyone has some sort of special little maker skill in them.”
“Not being artistically inclined is something that we were taught early on,” says Nevada. “I think it’s a disservice for all of us, because it’s become a cop out for all of us - even me! … Everyone has an artistic gene in them and we just need to define it.”
“You can do hobbies for fun.”
When you start any sort of craft you do it for fun! If you get good at it, you get good at it and if you don’t, you don’t. Time, hard work, and perseverance can be more than natural talent! Allow yourself to be bad at something.
The Be A Maker school releases new courses every July & December to allow patrons to dig into the courses and materials. It also allows individuals to save up for the money to purchase your tools or set up for the time.
The Dabbler, the Doer, and the Dedicated are the three package levels and price points to give you the help points you want. The Dabbler is a slower drip release with access to the Facebook group. The Doer gives you access to everything all at once with lifetime access to the videos whether you do the monthly price point or the all-at-once price, access to the Facebook group and the complete tools and resources list, plus the monthly live Q&A with all of the people in those courses to hear their questions which are led by the instructor. The Dedicated get all of that plus the monthly zoom call for six months. Different levels of subscription that you can join at any time, except for the Dedicated which is limited for the teachers.
There is a bunch of new instructors and courses coming in December. They haven’t released what they will be yet but they are all being filmed right now. “It’s very inspiring to see that the western culture isn’t going anywhere and so many people want to learn it and grow.”
The courses are wide open so that people have the freedom to join at any time. Any course that has been previously released, you can join at any time. They never go away and aren’t, necessarily, locked down. Everyone has a different season in their life that it works for so Nevada didn’t want to limit people to learn by when she was free to create. Once launched, the courses stay open.
Business Specific Course
For those interested in the Be A Maker school as a side hustle business, here are Nevada’s top 3 items she’d recommend.
“I am a hard core capitalist because I like to make money to eat,” says Nevada. But, as a whole, artists are bad at making money. Here’s here tips:
You have to value your work or nobody else will value it. That includes pricing your work for your time and your skill. It’s about getting faster and cleaner. Faster meaning more efficient. Cleaner in making better quality than before. Don’t blow up a system that you have, just rethink it, and be judicious.
Have separate bank accounts for your business, no matter how small it is. It’s huge to have that separation for tax times, to regulate how you are doing, and that matters even if it’s something small that you are just starting.
“Profit First” is a book Nevada read in 2016 and that has changed her business. You take profit right off the top and you use separate bank accounts to allocate funds so you aren’t just relying on a budget because income fluctuates when you run a small business.
Understanding Finance as Business Owner
Opening a Discover Savings accounts for a variety of items that cause financial anxiety in life can be very important is something Katie mentions when it comes to her business.
Having five different instructors as a part of the course with time tracking, pricing your work, tracking custom orders, etc. to address all of the pinpoints that makers have.
“I’m similar, I want to know the nitty gritty details,” says Nevada, who separates her silversmithing from her Be A Maker school, as well as her and her husband’s personal finance.
Twice a month all of it comes in a lump slump.
5% transfers to a profit account with a higher savings account
15% to another savings account (the purpose is to hide it away from yourself so that you have that money set away for taxes)
Then I pay myself to my husband and I’s personal finance
Then I pay my business
Once a quarter, I take 50% of the money from the profit account to buy whatever I want. Enjoy what you want from that account. For example, a piece of machinery I really want for my shop that isn’t a necessity I’ll buy or clothes or a vacation. etc.
Link: Profit First Book
Tawnya the Money Life Coach | www.beamaker.school | Facebook | Instagram