One of the things people may not realize is that I do not actually need to work with anyone else to produce these small horses. Our studio is fully capable of handling everything from beginning to end. From the original creation of the sculpture, to the production process, to the marketing, selling, packaging, and shipping. Every step can be done entirely in-house.

But the truth is, working together with someone who loves the same art form can be far more enjoyable.

When two people share the same passion, they inspire each other. Ideas grow in ways they might not have alone. Creativity becomes a conversation. That shared excitement is one of the most rewarding parts of any artistic collaboration.

Because of that, the way I have always approached these collaborations is simple: I invite the artist in at our expense. In most cases, we provide the horse bodies themselves. Sometimes the collaboration begins earlier, simply designing together and watching an idea take shape.

Regardless of the starting point, one thing has always been consistent. The entire cost of manufacturing has always been carried by me.

That includes:

The cost of mold making
Materials
Production of the horses
Marketing
Customer service
Packaging and shipping

Every step of bringing the sculpture from concept to collector.

And I have never minded that. In fact, I enjoyed it. The purpose was never about accounting every dollar. The purpose was the joy of building something together and seeing that shared creativity come to life. I never viewed that as doing someone a favor. It was simply the role I chose to take on so that creativity could remain the focus of the collaboration.

That is what collaboration is supposed to be.

What becomes disappointing is when ego eventually enters the picture. When something that began as creative partnership slowly gets rewritten as something else entirely. Instead of remembering the excitement that brought two people together, the narrative changes. Suddenly it becomes about imagined favors, misplaced blame, or the idea that one person somehow carried the other.

But the reality is that the beginning was never about favors.

It was about creating something beautiful together.

Over time those experiences also shaped how we run the studio today. We no longer offer outside casting or production work for other artists, and our focus now is entirely on the sculptures we create and produce ourselves from start to finish.

That is why the most difficult part of these experiences is not the work itself, or even the ending of the collaboration. It is seeing the original spirit of friendship and shared creativity replaced with something harsher. Instead of appreciation for what was built together, the focus becomes ego, accusations, and rewriting the past.

That transformation is always the most disappointing part.

Because the real value was never about who did more or who did less. It was about the rare and wonderful moment when two people simply enjoyed creating something together.

And when that spirit is lost, it is not the project that suffers most.

It is the memory of the friendship that made it possible in the first place.

When Collaboration Begins with Joy