Meet Ryan Kukalis | Artist & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Kukalis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
It’s very easy to get lost searching for direction, especially for younger generations who may be frozen by the infinite multiplicity of opportunities in business today. It’s commonly said that to love your work, you must pursue your “passions,” Meaning your interests, which will dictate your path in life. While this statement is technically true: you should follow your dreams, which are most likely linked to your passions, its unintended fault is that it leaves out how most ordinary people find their true passions through experience. While I agree that you should follow your dreams, I much rather believe that most of your true passions will align as you work or craft diligently throughout your life. By understanding this, you can unfreeze yourself from the constant search for direction, which, left unchanged, leaves you feeling existential dread.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I own NTRLY or (Naturally) an Etsy store where I sell bohemian handmade clay knobs for newborn nurseries, mom and dads dressers, kids’ nightstands, and anything that needs a pull! I’m just getting started, so I’m not professional yet, but I’m hopeful for what the future holds! When I first set out to make knobs, I was 3D printing them. After some market research, I decided I needed more of a natural aesthetic if I wanted to fit the popular trends; the plastic designs weren’t in line with those trends. Eventually, I started working with clay as it had much more of the handmade aesthetic I was looking for. Because polymer clay is so popular for earrings, I was able to transfer those design ideas from earrings and make them into knobs which nobody else was doing at the time.
The most challenging part of creating my online shop was being honest about my expectations. As an artist, first and foremost, It was challenging to create boundaries on the work I wanted to do and the identity I wanted to have separately. The knobs I’m making now weren’t at all what I set out to do. They’re seemingly straightforward, and the process is very basic, but my initial goal was to build an income stream that I was complete in control of. I didn’t care what form that took; I just wanted it to be something that I truly felt good about doing every day. To do that, I had to go through many other forms of online businesses to get to this point. By simplifying my expectations, I could start something that I could replicate repeatedly while simultaneously focusing on other artistic pursuits in my life. Once I allowed myself to look at it as a creative outlet and not my identity, it opened up and has started to blossom for me. Now, I can do this as I work on other opportunities without constantly scrambling. The truth will set you free.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Chelsea has a variety of fun places to eat and shop and things to do. Depending on when you’re coming, definitely check out their website to see what’s going on in town. First place of course would have to be a coffee shop, Zou Zou’s and Agricole offer a variety of different drinks and local/handmade goods. Afterwards check out all the small shops on Main St. There are a lot of different boutiques- from children’s toy stores like Kitty Face, to plant stores like Chelsea Village Flowers, Clothing like Chelsea Consignment and of paper/gift stores like The Potting Shed and Farmsudz. For lunch there’s places like Brahman House, Cleary’s Pub or Mike’s Deli. Then there are a few nearby parks to hang out and read a book from the local library or walk the trails. And if you’re a bike enthusiast there are very nice paved trails that can take you all the way to Ann Arbor. For dinner there are so many great choices with lots of different menus, from The Common Grill, to Smokehouse 52, and The Grateful Crow. Lastly don’t forget to get a drink at Ugly Dog and play some pool, or take some local beer and wine home from Withington’s. All these great places and more are located right downtown, so you can spend a whole day and not find yourself looking for something to do or check out.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m inspired by the self-sacrifice of my father, who built his own business and has supported my family and many others throughout his life—the love and selflessness it takes for someone to do that. It can’t be taken lightly. I hope to be able to do that for my future family.

Website: https://ntrly.etsy.com

Instagram: @ryankukalis

Other: https://ryankukalis.com

Image Credits
Ryan Kukalis