Life & Work with Amber DesMarteau

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber DesMarteau.

Amber, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a U.S. Air Force Veteran, retired for C-PTSD. When I got out of active duty back in 2015, I was a bit lost as a human. I had been in the military since I was 18 and had my dream career as a Photojournalist. But then I found myself struggling with my combat/personal trauma-related PTSD after being thrown back into the civilian life in Louisiana (where I was last stationed and retired from). One of the most important things that began to help me was art therapy.

I’ve been a creative since I was a child, making all sorts of crafts and dreaming up my own colorful universe. As an adult struggling to find my place back in the world after wearing a military uniform for almost eight years, it was like I didn’t know my identity anymore. But as soon as I started crafting and working with my hands, I came alive again and found some hope for myself and my cloudy future. It’s been a very long, rough journey to get where I am today, but it was worth it.

I ended up leaving Louisiana and moved with my partner to his hometown in Chicago area. I went back to college using my G.I. Bill from the Air Force and earned a certificate in Welding as well as finished my degree in Photojournalism. However, I didn’t feel passionate about either any longer. We moved here to Colorado, and I re-started school AGAIN. It felt so odd being much older than most of the students, but my school has been wonderful and I finally found my true passion in Ceramics. I am about to finish my AA Degree in Studio Arts and I’ve already been immersed in the clay world.

In the beginning, I felt like no one would take me seriously because I have so many hobbies, made and sold many different things (my forte is cross-stitching, resin work and all types of clay), and kept changing my mind on what I wanted to be when I grew up. But that first week of Intro to Ceramics, I was hooked. A year later, I have my own home studio set up with a wheel and kiln and my small business, Dahlia Crypt Clay. Although I’ve been in therapy weekly for the past year and a half (it’s going fantastic!), art therapy is still so very important to me, and my pottery passion has changed my life and given me purpose again.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The last seven years have included dealing with my rough mental health, several moves to different states, three second-trimester pregnancy losses, heartache and… a lot of healing. But thankfully, here in Colorado, I have found an amazing community, incredible humans/friends, and my passion for pottery. One day, I hope to open a pottery studio that welcomes veterans who have struggled as I have. I want to show them and others who have struggled or are struggling, with their mental health, that they can work through so much with art therapy and clay.

My path hasn’t been easy; My childhood, my military career and post-Air Force life and everything going on in our country on top of it. But, in the last 12 months specifically, I have grown so much in my mentality, my health and my “career”.

Everything I’ve gone through has built me into the person I am today and being a maker has given me a creative outlet that has been so healing.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
When I moved to Chicago, I started a “spooky living” blog (thedahliacrypt.com) which is something I’ve always loved as well. I’ve been called the spooky Martha Stewart because I created modern DIYs and home decor posts around living a Halloween-style life all year. The blog is still active, as I’d love to get back to it one of these days and people still use my DIYs (which I absolutely love). The “spooky living” continued though because just about every craft endeavor I’ve done has had the theme. My umbrella name is The Dahlia Crypt, and my pottery business and other secret little projects (coming soon to Denver!) fall under it.

Currently, with my pottery, Dahlia Crypt Clay, I like to describe the themes as Halloween, Horror and the Occult. I’m a non-secular witch who has lived an eclectic and weird life, and I feel like it shows a bit in everything I make. I wheel-throw and hand decorates ALL of my pottery, which included planters, money bowls, mugs/steins, ornaments and altar items, etc. I do still try to make everything modern-looking, so although I’ll have bats and skulls on things, it’s not specifically a Halloween-only product. I’ve even made my “drip pots” to be a part of the aesthetic, mixing resin, glitter and clay!

I want people to have a place to buy spooky-aesthetic products outside of holiday aisles in big-box stores.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m currently doing monthly releases of collections, but I take certain customs as well! I can mainly be reached through direct message on my Instagram, but I’ve also been doing Denver maker markets as well (which I always list on my Instagram). I’m building a new website for my products as well, so the link will be on my Instagram once the collection is about to be released. I’m still building my social media, so as a small business, any interactions and shares are worth so much to me!

Contact Info:

• Website: etsy.com/shop/DahliaCryptClayX
• Instagram: instagram.com/dahliacryptclay