Disaster Preparedness for Artists: Q&A with Craft Your Commerce

It has been nearly two years since Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, a region renowned as a hub for artists and craftspeople. For creative entrepreneurs, a natural disaster can destroy artwork, studio space, equipment, inventory, and, ultimately, livelihoods—as it did for many across the region in the fall of 2024. Despite these risks, many artists may not be prepared for an emergency or know where to turn when one occurs.

Craft Your Commerce, a program of Mountain BizWorks in Asheville, North Carolina, helps artists, craftspeople, makers, designers, and other creative entrepreneurs build stronger, more resilient businesses. Developed by creatives for creatives, the program offers workshops, coaching, networking events, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities tailored to entrepreneurs at every stage of business development. When Hurricane Helene struck, Craft Your Commerce supported recovery efforts by connecting clients with critical resources and helping them navigate funding opportunities as they worked to rebuild.

Craft Your Commerce Program Director Jamie Karolich understands the unique challenges artists face as they work to build their businesses while preparing for unexpected setbacks. A printmaker with more than 15 years of experience pursuing her own creative practice, Karolich is based in Western North Carolina and experienced Helene’s devastation firsthand. At the same time, she helped the region’s creative entrepreneurs respond and recover through her role at Mountain BizWorks.

Disaster preparedness has since become a core component of Craft Your Commerce’s programming. The program also continues to help local entrepreneurs navigate the hurricane’s lasting effects, compounded by economic challenges such as reduced tourism and cost of living. 

In recognition of National Preparedness Month, we spoke with Karolich about the particular challenges disasters pose for artists and craftspeople, the practical steps creative entrepreneurs can take to protect their businesses, and how planning ahead can help them recover when the unexpected happens.

National Endowment for the Arts: Start by telling me how you came to work for Craft Your Commerce.

Jamie Karolich: I was laid off during COVID, like so many of us. I had a home studio, so I kept doing my own work but fell back on some graphic design experience. Additionally, I was running an entrepreneurship program called Co-Starters [in Silver City, New Mexico]. I had taken a lot of entrepreneurship classes trying to figure out how to sell my work and run my business, so I started running this workshop, which was a great experience.

But then, [my husband and I] moved to North Carolina. That's what brought me to Mountain BizWorks and Craft Your Commerce. 

[Programs like Craft Your Commerce are] something I felt passionately about for so long because through my education, although it was a great one, I didn't get any entrepreneurial training. There was no, “this is how you price your work. This is what a tax write-off means and what it looks like. Here's the different ways of doing business, selling through a gallery or selling on your own or selling wholesale.”

I really had to figure those things out on my own, get curious, and make those connections. I am so thrilled that Mountain BizWorks has really dedicated an entire program to artists and craftspeople in business, because as we all know, as makers and creatives, we come to business—I'm doing air quotes—in a very different and circuitous route than maybe somebody who owns a food truck or a car wash.

There are so many hats that business owners have to wear, that it can be really overwhelming and not feel approachable and easy to navigate as a creative person. 

NEA: Was disaster preparedness and recovery a part of Craft Your Commerce pre-Helene? How have you had to adapt since? 

Karolich: It really wasn't. We were really focused on the upswing of COVID: folks were seeing more sales via e-commerce. After Helene, that ended up being positive for folks because they were still able to connect to their community and clients, and folks were able to purchase things from them. 

Something we learned was how important it is to come together on a consistent basis. We set up Friday meetings that were virtual, and folks could just tune in. We were giving updates as to what grant funding was available, where different shelters were, different folks that could help. We had a whole technical assistance group of individuals who were providing service for free to artists and craftspeople to work through writing applications [for relief funding]. 

We found that [technical assistance] to be pivotal and the consistency to be very reassuring to folks. We tried to distill all the information into just what people needed to know because there was so much information flooding all platforms—Instagram, their emails, and then on the radio and on the news. We were really trying to help folks just focus on what was specifically for artists and craftspeople.

We had not focused heavily on disaster recovery—what it looked like or what it meant—so Helene became a major learning experience for us.

NEA: Now that you all have been through a major disaster, how do you advise artists prepare before one hits? 

Karolich: So many things, but having good inventory and having systems for documentation is really important. We've realized not just for the artwork, but for the materials and the equipment that are in your studio. 

Having insurance is important, especially if you're renting or you own your own studio. What are the things that could happen here? Could a fire happen? Could a flood happen? You know, flood insurance is increasingly more expensive in our region now that we have had a flood, which makes it cost prohibitive for some folks. So as individuals are relocating and investing in new spaces, certainly we've encouraged them to really consider the location.

If they are in a flood plane, do they have a contingency plan? If we have enough notification that we know a big storm is coming, could you feasibly pack up the most important things, put them in a car and move them to higher ground or a better location and make sure that those things are safe?

We’re talking more about planning and about diversifying income. Are there other ways that you could bring income into your business and practice? Maybe going to wholesale shows or even shows outside of our region to start to meet and engage with other buyers. 

After Helene, we realized that a lot of our artists were selling locally and sustaining themselves, which is amazing. But of course, that took a big hit when local tourism was down, so we’re helping folks to think through how to stabilize by having many different streams of revenue.

I don't think that's just [a problem for] artists and crafts people. We are living in a new era of the gig economy and having multiple skills is helpful and beneficial for folks. Being able to pivot and being nimble is a real strength these days.

NEA: If an artist has limited resources or funds when it comes to disaster preparedness, what do you recommend prioritizing amongst those things you mentioned?

Karolich:If you have a phone that can take photos, which many of us do, that's a low effort entry point for documenting. 

It doesn't need to be a fancy system. They don't have to be perfectly lit. They don't have to be grant application quality. What is it? Is it a printing press? How many do you have? How much did you pay for it?

You can easily create a spreadsheet that just has the image, the name of the piece of equipment or machinery, how much you paid for it. If you still have the receipt, even better. You could attach that in the document, or you could just make a folder per item if spreadsheets stress you out.  You don't have to do it all in one day, but you could set some goals for yourself. You could do five things every week to get there. Any bit of documentation is better than nothing at all. 

There are lots of great resources out there. Craft Emergency Relief Fund is an amazing resource for our craft artists, and they have a whole preparedness guide on their website that is free and downloadable. It's far more comprehensive than anything I'm going to say today.

They also offer grants for folks not just who have gone through natural disasters, but if you've had a health issue, you're unable to work, or you're being kept from the studio, they have some emergency relief grants that can help any craft artist.

We also have an e-learning platform through Craft Your Commerce, which is accessible 24-7 online. 

Craft Your Commerce also has a podcast where we've interviewed a lot of the artists in our region, many of which were affected by Helene. I think listening to other people's stories is always really helpful. Seeing yourself in someone else's story and knowing you're not alone. 

NEA: How would you recommend other organizations approach developing a program like Craft Your Commerce? 

Karolich:That's a great question, and the answer is not neat and tidy. The number one is just listening, listening to what people are struggling with or where they want to go, what the goal is, or what their needs are.

We spend a lot of time listening because we know not every business is exactly the same. People are doing it differently. People are at different stages. Some folks are doing major production and some folks are just working with galleries and have a part-time job to support themselves. It really is different for everyone, and we really try to honor and respect that. 

We approach everything on an individualized basis, even if it is a cohort-based learning program. We're into peer-to-peer learning. A lot of times, everybody already has the answers they need within them. We just need to talk it out and kind of tease it out and learn from each other. 

We work with artists of all kinds: jewelers, printmakers, textile folks, iron workers, glass artists, to help us develop these programs and pull from their experience in business and what they've learned over the years. I have found it's really true that artists and craftspeople are generous and want to share their knowledge, especially if they feel like they've made some kind of mistake. They want to share it with folks so that that mistake isn't repeated, which speaks to the kind of creative community we have. 

Disaster readiness and recovery for the arts and culture sector is a National Endowment for the Arts priority. Please visit our dedicated disaster readiness and recovery webpage for more resources.