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I am 20 and have had my own studio for 1year and 6months.  From the beginning I purchased a kick wheel from my potter teacher in high school.  Then purchased a 1990's cress turbo fire electric kiln for a extreme price(now I know).  Used scholarship money to purchase slab roller and coil extruder(should have saved my money).  Then purchased a an electric wheel.  Learned many things in every aspect of ceramics.  Soon discovered the beauty of gas fired wares.  Purchased three more small electric kilns for less than the first one.  Converted them to gas, worked poorly.  Purchased a 1950's 12 cubic feet gas kiln with a lot of damage( I was so exited I had to have it).  First firing 1900 degrees with flames coming out of every crack and hole.  Spent a fare amount of money on bricks, motor, and fiber.  Replaced front wall, door, and lined with fiber.  Next firing 1300 F stall out after 18hours.  Second 25hours stall at 1850. Fourth firing stuck in the 1800's unable to exceed 1890, it seems this is a dis-functional kiln, will continue the strive for completed firing.  So when unable to produce wares is rough on the mind and body when working day and night(as you may know?).   When it is your source of income, yet unable to prevail due to many small set backs you become trapped by your work and wont stop until your work is complete.

 

 Does anyone know of ways they would search for assistance financially if in my position?  Maybe you have had a similar experience to share?  Anything helps. Appreciate all help.  Enjoy

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It is very difficult to find donations or small grants for individuals, in any field, and in the arts it is especially dismal. Plus a lot of grunt-work research online is required to turn up what little there may be. 

 

Online "crowd-sourcing" (kick start, indiegogo, gofundme etc.) seems to work well for many people. Locally, some companies might have community-giving programs that might extend to something like a ceramic studio, but there would also likely have to be something tangible for them in return--lessons for their staff,  an opportunity for their volunteer program or some such. Best bet might be to put together an offer of some sort and approach smaller, independent businesses in your community. Honestly though, the odds for straight-up financial assistance, other than a loan, are not good at all.

 

Are there any local ceramists or a potters guild who might help you problem solve a fix to the kiln? Maybe you have something to barter with? I have a barter arrangement with a local bead retailer where she will teach me wire tying and I will provide her with unique beads...obviously that is not going to pay for anything, but it does help with the "break even" goal that I currently have. 

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My personal feeling is you need to learn more about kilns. Get online or go read some basic books on kilns, updraft, down draft burners, btu's etc. It is a complicated technology that needs to be understood before your can get success. That is the best I can offer. Have you fired many other gas kilns before this?

 

 

Marcia

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I have read the first and the most resent Olsen "Kiln Book" as well as many hours of research of how to build many stiles of kilns.  When you can spend less than 1000$ on a kiln that is the chosen route, also considering i had most of the material prior to repair and a cheap kiln to purchase.  So I suppose I could check out kick start and those sites.  Have you used those sites and have any recommendations on how to approach such a fundraiser.

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You can convert a used electric to gas for less than $1000 and it will work just fine, but you have to have a good understanding of kiln and burner construction. Your gas kiln will work once the bugs are worked out, but it's a very difficult thing to diagnose over the internet. We'll help all we can, but ultimately you may need to find someone knowledgeable who can see it in person.

 

As for the money side of, it sounds to me like maybe you are not at the point yet where making and selling pots should be your only source of income. I recommend you find a second line of work that can help support you until you get your kilns up and running properly. I get that you are passionate about wanting to make pots, but like with most artists, it is easiest if you do it as a part time endeavor until it becomes profitable enough to do full time. Crowd sourcing the needed funds is unlikely to work, because you don't have a product or a story that will inspire people to give you money. Strangers will only give you money if they get something in return, or if they feel very strongly about your endeavor and think the world will be a better place if you succeed. You need a more exciting reason than you're broke. It's worth a try, but I wouldn't count on it. I would look into a part time job that will supplement your studio income for a while.

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^ What Neil said.  Whatever you do ... do NOT fall for one of those scams that promises you money and needs a $2500 application fee.  Don't pay more than $25 for an application fee.   I don't think you will find a legitimate grant or donation.

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I wouldn't go down the funding route. I have done something similar before with another business I was attempting to build that was successful but small, I wanted to scale up. All that happens if your unsuccessful in the beginning is you just feel tons of guilt and self resentment that you didn't end up doing well, or your not doing it fast enough, or you spend more time worrying about getting a product out that your work becomes a nightmare and you don't want to do it anymore. In the end you end up just selling out to pay back your investors or family or who ever lent you the money and quitting what you started out loving. At least this was my experience. I think it is best to find a way to fund your projects through your own work, maybe another job or selling some earthenware fired at the temps you can reach or something. 

 

 

 

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Guest JBaymore

As for the money side of, it sounds to me like maybe you are not at the point yet where making and selling pots should be your only source of income. I recommend you find a second line of work that can help support you until you get your kilns up and running properly.

 

+1

 

best,

 

....................john

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Pardon the rambling nature of this reply. I could spend all day writing this post, but you'll have to settle for this. :)

 

I wasn't going to respond, except that I had one of those I-was-half-asleep-and-I-had-an-idea moments (technical term, that.)

 

Check your chimney vent ratio, and your stack size against your altitude. Your draw might not be right. This will only apply if your kiln is a downdraft, but you didn't specify, and downdraft is kind of my default assumption.

You definitely need to get someone who knows gas kilns to check this with you in person, though.

 

You may not need more money to throw at this problem. You likely need someone else's expertise much more to troubleshoot this half built kiln of yours. If you give us your location and some more details in your profile, some resources might get pointed your way.

 

I know how I would have reacted to the (very wise!) people above saying what they've just said when I was 20. That reaction would have been one of extreme resistance and resentment. I'd like to frame some of it, because they are quite correct, but forgetting a few things about being 20, I think. (With all respect, folks.)

 

Crowd funding campaigns work if you have a large support network of people that wish to see you succeed AND have enough money to donate to you. "The Art of Asking" by Amanda Palmer details how she spent years and years building her network that now supports her, and she talks a bit about fair exchange being defined best between only the two people that are holding the transaction. People mostly don't give you money out of the goodness of their hearts, but what people want in exchange may surprise you. It's a good read for any artist, I think.

 

Lastly, if you don't have one, you MUST build a business plan. This piece of advice was given to me at about your age. I ignored it on multiple occasions. Not building a business plan brought me absolute He77.

 

I found that standard business plans, of the kind where you do a lot of exact financial layouts for the next 5 years, to be really, really scary. PM me if you want some good resources on arts based ones that are a lot more approachable. A temporary part time job may or may not be part of the plan. It depends on a large number of factors, and choices that you make.

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Diesel you said it quite well.  I am 20 and have more energy in me than I ever will.  It is worth it for me to work my hardest now and slow down later.  As for another job this will not occur.  The only job I have had a passion for and not felt like a poorly treated grunt was teaching, so I will do that when the occasions occur.  I have had my business license for over a year and have been attending classes related to the subject, but most importantly I am gaining a great deal of experience.  Other wise I am glad to hear I need product in exchange for money, as I would suspect.  As for my kiln I need a larger line which just so happens the line into my house is available to tape into, so I have caught a break.  I appreciate all of the advice and you will hear from me another time.

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