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Qotw: Did You Do What You Wanted To Do In 2015?


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I know this is a strange QOTW... and it is a day early on top of it, but we just spent Christmas (and earlier Hanukkah) and in a few days the year 2015 will turn into 2016. Time for reflection. Was it a good year? Did I do everything I wanted to do? Did I listen to my heart instead of to other persons opinions? Well, so many questions at the end of a year, but we can't go back and change what we didn't do so well. Past is past. This is always a bit of a contemplative time: at the beginning of a year, one is full of good intentions and at the end of the year mostly we have to ask ourselves: Did I do what I wanted to do this year?

 

So tell us, what was it you wanted to do this year, and did you do it?

 

I will be in the mountains, completely without Internet, from tomorrow Tuesday until January the 3rd 2016. I won't be able to see what you all wrote until I am back from the middle of nowhere....

 

Thank you all very much for accompanying me through the QOTW-week year 2015! I wish you and your family all the very best for 2016. We'll see each other again!

 

Love from Evelyne

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And did you get what
you wanted from this life/year , even so?
I did.
And what did you want?

Happiness and the enjoyment of living............

 

 

I bid adieu to 2015 with this famous pöem"Daffodil", by "William Wordsworth". :)

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze"......................(Simple impressions of year ,left with happiness ).

 

 

With welcoming 2016

Continuous as the stars that shine

and twinkle on the Milky Way"......Wishing the whole family of CAD community,each member "Happy new Year-2016".

 

 

Vinks.

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No poem here, but I had a very satisfying year. Gave several workshops with excellent results by the participants, made new clay friends and found some new 

paths to explore. Also made some strides in throwing larger. Participated in good shows and got good feedback. The last adventure was a residency in Rome and I got much more than I was anticipating. Gave a very productive workshop, developed new ideas in porcelain, and entered some more shows. 

 

2016

Looks like a very busy year coming up. I am suppose to be retired ha ha. Better to be busy than not doing anything. Studio is calling me.

Brought the remains of my Limoges back from italy in a dry state just to make some small pieces with it and compare it to Frost.

Workshops coming up at South Padre Island Artspace, Potters Council trip to Barcelona ..4 years in the planning. Scottish Potters Association in May and Israel in Sept/Oct. And a creative experience in Barcelona with a group of International artists and several of my clay heroes Jane Jermyn, Adil Writer and Shamai Sam Gibsh. Evelyne is also part of the group and organized it.

Also collaborating with Antoinette developing online classes. SO 2016, here I come! Reading a good book on recognizing your creative core, The Trickster's Hat by one of my favorite authors/artists, Nick Bantock. 

May your New Year be Blessed.

Marcia

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I'm afraid what I have been working on is going to carry on into 2016 trying to work in a whole new direction.  Working smaller and with a different clay and a new color palette.  So far I like my colors but haven't found the perfect clay a lot of the clay is unglazed so it is important in how it works with the color palette.  My other smaller projects I accomplished so I am fairly satisfied with 2015.  Test firing a new clay today!      Denice

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There once was a man from Nantucket

Who purchased a wheel out of pocket.

Some glaze, kiln and clay,

He throws night and day

And now he flies like a rocket.

 

My goals this year were to throw more, throw larger and experiment with different clay bodies which I've done so I'm pretty satisfied. Buying a kiln and selling some of my work was also very exciting this year.

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It was a good year overall...better sales than the previous three years but not at all the pieces that I thought would sell.  I did take better care of myself in 2015 but have to be more vigilant to respond appropriately when my body says "Don't do that!".  I really wanted to do more clay-related video production work but I shall try again to focus (no pun intended) on getting that going in 2016.

I still have not gotten into a rhythm on show dates, application deadlines, and production/prep for shows...it is evidently a cart and horse thing and I find myself staring at the wrong end of the horse far too often.

 

Peace,

-Paul

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My goals for this year were: 

 

Rewire studio/garage to allow for running my kilns.

Drywall, plaster, and paint the garage.

Install storage shelving and a laundry sink. 

Have an alternative site to Etsy up and running. 

Do some in-person shows. 

Replace my previous income from stamps with income from pottery. 

 

How did I do?

Half the garage is done with drywall, plaster, paint, and shelving. It looks really nice now and is very pleasant to work there. I avoid looking at the other half, just keep my back to it and look at my pretty, clean, white walls on the other side. ;) 
I have an Amazon Handmade shop as well as my own website in addition to Etsy. 

I did one small art show and then a two weekend Open Studio Tour. 
I'm not going to talk about replaced income because it all went to business expenses this year, and I haven't even rewired yet.  

I used to work out of 1/2 the garage, and now I've taken over the whole thing which meant sorting through fifteen years of junk that had accumulated. So that's a huge accomplishment. 

 

Overall I think I did pretty well; perhaps I set my goals too high in the first place. I'm kicking myself because my original problem (not promptly listing finished items online) has become worse. I now have THREE places to NOT list items. ;) 

My goals for this year: 

Finish the other half of the garage. 

Rewire and get kilns running. 

Promptly list new stuff! So it can actually sell!!

Clean up after myself so the next time working I don't have to clean caked on clay off of my tools. ;) I don't think I'm alone in this habit. 

 

Paul, I've got the cart so far before the horse that I just sort of pick up one side and push it along myself while the horse eats grass back at home in my yard. I take all my delicate greenware in laundry baskets over to my dad's house to fire and every SINGLE time I break at least one thing. The wiring probably should have come before ANYTHING else.

Oldlady, I love seeing your work and it's nice to hear that the compliments give you a little glow. They are sincerely meant. :)

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I finally took the pottery class I've wanted to take for years...now I'm absolutely hooked. So, yes, as far as clay is concerned, I have certainly done what I wanted to do! :) And again, thanks to all of you who generously share ideas and insights. You've been invaluable to me as I learn.

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since i learned to post pictures in 2015, i am going to really go all out for 2016 and try to fix my profile without losing anything else.  i have managed to lose what used to be there and i have lost access to other parts of the forum you guys take for granted.  lost the "view new content" except for those where i posted stuff, lost the right hand lower section where you folks put comments, lost a lot, i don't even know what i am missing.

 

if i would not lose everything else, i would invent a new name and begin as a new member and start again.  getting started is STILL hard for new members, though.  this is a most user unfriendly website.  love it, but hate it. 

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Regrettably, I did not do everything I wanted. 

 

However, I'm really pleased that I managed to get over 100 blank tiles prepared for the scouts to carve, get them dried and fired, and then extrude the border tiles and stamp everyone's name and fire those too.  Couldn't have managed with fractured collarbone without the help of a very special "him indoors".

 

As I still have the threat of surgery hanging on that shoulder I'm making no plans for this year...........  Well, maybe just a few of the Great Pottery Throwdown challenges.

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I don't understand, Alice (Oldlady) how you can lose portions of the forum.  Mods, isn't there a way for her to "reload" and get everything back?

 

Doris,

 

You can change your screen name up to three times per month.  Changing your screen name will not affect your prior content; your new name will show with the old content.  Guinea became Cavy Fire; Joseph F made the transition, as have others.  No need to reload anything.  And you don't even have to pay the country clerk for processing the change of name forms. 

 

Bruce

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Bruce are you saying I can change my name every month?

That will keep them guessing -does this also work for the IRS?

I would like to lose some content after all the holiday food I have eaten so does that require any special passwords?

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I was actually going through my lists and doing my plan for the year. I checked off a lot of things that I just threw on my list and didn't think I'd actually get through, which was cool. I did not make my sales goal, but I still made major leaps over the previous year.

I am still trying to decide if online sales venues are a thing that work if you don't have a following in the States. If it is a viable thing, I need to do a lot more work, and if it isn't, I just need to cut it loose.

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I was actually going through my lists and doing my plan for the year. I checked off a lot of things that I just threw on my list and didn't think I'd actually get through, which was cool. I did not make my sales goal, but I still made major leaps over the previous year.

I am still trying to decide if online sales venues are a thing that work if you don't have a following in the States. If it is a viable thing, I need to do a lot more work, and if it isn't, I just need to cut it loose.

 

My problem is that I've been selling online for three years and I'm so sick of it, very impersonal. I love people. So I'm trying to go the other way while of course keeping up an online presence which is pretty essential these days. Ugh. I would be 100% happy if I could just spend all day MAKING and someone would just come, take it away, and give me money. LOL I don't enjoy the business end of business! ;)

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A lot of what I wanted to accomplish I did, but I also had/have some health issues that contributed to set-backs, even within my very modest goals.

 

The pluses:

 

I began working with my ideas/prototypes

Began working with a few different bodies

Got to help out with an anagama firing for the 2nd time

Went to most of the Potter's Guild meetings

Had two small boxes in a local exhibit

Was able to buy a table-top slab roller and a compressor

Made some small hand built molds

Made cottle boards to start making plaster molds

Acquired a collection stamps that will be used for items in a targeted niche market

Generated interest from three retailers

Gave myself permission to back off until I feel better, physically and mentally

Got a domain name

Having the pleasure of this community, for education, support, and inspiration.

 

The minuses:

 

A series of health issues, including surgery/recovery time

Production of planned items was almost nil

Ongoing physical problems with wedging (might have to find someone I can pay to assist with that...we'll see).  

Got seriously discouraged

 

Goals for 2016:

 

Make the molds I need

Produce the work I need to produce

Follow through with retail possibilities

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I have changed my goals, something unexpected came up. Retired after 42 years and spenta fair amount of time stressing over what I can do to stay busy. I sat down in my recliner on Dec. 18 and have yet to do much of anything else.

 

So my new goals until March 2016 are:

1 go to bed.

2. get up.

3. Sit at snack bar, drink coffee, read.

4. move to couch to watch news.

5. move to recliner.

6. repeat....

 

Being unmotivated is a new experience for me- will take a dew months to enjoy it before I get back up.

 

Nerd.

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