How Do You Keep Production Work Interesting

[nancylee]

Hi all,

I have a potter friend who had to make 500 mugs in a week or so - I can't even imagine!! Not just the amount of work, but how to keep yourself from going nuts making the same mug over and over and over.....? And 500 handles??  I find handles so fidgety. How do you not keep from getting bored if you make the same thing over and over? 

 

I'm starting to get a lot more urn orders, and if I end up with pottery as my retirement career, I'd love some advice as to how to keep it interesting and fresh. Just the thought of making 500 mugs makes me shudder - do you find interest in each one? Do you keep interested by making sure they are the same? Or is this a time where you can just let your mind go?

 

I guess I'm interested in the mental part of this. I love to make new things, my ADD brain gets excited by the new and  shiny, and it seems as though those who make a living at this often make similar things thousands of times a year. What do you do to keep it interesting?

 

Thanks for any thoughts,

Nancy

[What?]

I am wired to do the same thing over and over and better and better. I also love the wet work part of ceramics.  The reward center of my brain says more, more, more; Good Boy!!! It takes the right type of person to work proficiently and enjoy the manufacturing/production setting. For me there is a sense of security doing the same thing over and over. The only thing I really need is some tunes preferably mine. The rest is self examination and meditation.

 

I use a scale to weigh clay and a DIY western height gauge(my pointers swing out of the way) for series work. See pic

 

You could make a die or buy one and extrude your handles. If you pulled 500 handles you would get a lot better and quicker at it and you would not even bat an eye at a couple hundred. Provided you develop and reinforced good techniques. There are several demos online. I pull handles off of the piece or pull and lay them out to stiffen up before shaping and attaching.

[Joseph Fireborn]

I always like what John says about the subject, you can make a 100 for $10 or make 10 for $100. Or something like this. If you don't like making millions of things just make less things and make them more special. 

 

That being said, I could throw mugs, and yunomis all day long. (oh wait i do!)

[Pres]

. . . . by not doing it. Once had a job for 2000 small vessels, almost a double shot glass. I used the job to learn how to throw off the hump with out  S  cracks. Didn't make a lot of money off of it, but learned several lessons. 1-I'm not wired for production work. 2-I like throwing off the hump and now use it quite a bit for chalice bowls and stems. 3-I can throw production if I need to, but turn down that sort of job.

 

Of late, I have been throwing more mugs and other shapes with an eye toward a new aesthetic for me, looser throwing, deep surface texture, and different base/foot treatment of the mugs. These have gotten me to re think my whole approach to a lot of what I have been doing, and I have been using more stamps and texture mats on unshaped cylinders and then shaping them. Problem is the texture is so deep that often I have to patch the inside because of the holes the process makes. Now to figure on these types of forms I could throw 60 a day, and trim & handle the next day, 500 would take me probably 9 days. Would it be production? No because every one even though weighed out with same clay, and thrown with same measurements of cylinder would be different by the end, because of the process.

 

 

best,

Pres

[GEP]

I agree with What?'s comment that some of us are wired to find that type of work pleasurable. Having said that, I don't do 500 mugs in a row. I do 16 at a time, then switch gears. I plan my to-do lists so that I am switching gears a lot. In other words, I make a line of work than consists of about 40 different items, which is a lot of variety, I don't think I would enjoy making only a few items repeatedly.

 

Also, audiobooks and podcasts.

[ChenowethArts]

I have to agree with @Pres.  If producing 500 mugs isn't your thing, then don't do it...but find out just what IS your thing.  I do believe you should at least give production pottery a try, if for no other reason than what you will learn from the experience (again, what @Pres expressed.

500 of just about anything sounds a lot like work for me, but a limited edition of 50 seems to be something I can do and still enjoy without going completely bored-nutz.  When I was setting goals for 2016. I made a list of the things that I truly enjoyed making and a list of things that seemed to sell well.  The intersection of  those two lists is what I am concentrating on 'for limited edition production'...but it doesn't take too much of a spark for me to light-up my sketchbook with a new project (ok, call it a tangent) and I get excited to chase that new idea (See Community Challenge #4, for instance *gasp*).

 

We are all at varying stages of our ceramics journey.  Some thrive (or survive) because of their ability to crank out hundreds of quality pieces in short time-frames. Some may concentrate on making only a few pieces each month (but didn't get there without paying a lot of dues first).  I'll go back to the idea of finding a work-style that fits and becoming the best you can in whatever direction you choose.

 

Stepping down from soapbox,

-Paul

[nancylee]

Hi,

Thanks for your insights. I do agree that I may not be hard-wired to make production pottery, but I do find it very helpful to throw a lot of one thing in a row - I learn a LOT!! I made about 10 lids for mugs in a row the other day (that's a lot for me!!) and by the 10th one, I was finding them much easier. 

 

I like the idea of doing maybe a dozen, then switching gears, etc. I don't have the time at this point in my life to spend days at pottery - I teach full-time, so I'm always trying to fit in my jewelry and pottery making, except in the summer. I need to get into the pottery studio, cough cough, ugly basement, more often to speed up and get more skilled.

 

Thanks much!

Nancy

[oldlady]

nancy, why not take a few days to un-ugly your basement?  did you see what mea did to hers a couple of years ago?  maybe you could splurge on installing a large window somewhere.  in your area the price might be reasonable right now since builders are not as run ragged in the winter.

 

if nothing else, painting everything white will brighten it up.  adding a few lights will help once it is white.  

 

do watch out if you spray paint the white.  that fuzzy thing is your cat and will not take kindly to your spraygun.

[nancylee]

nancy, why not take a few days to un-ugly your basement?  did you see what mea did to hers a couple of years ago?  maybe you could splurge on installing a large window somewhere.  in your area the price might be reasonable right now since builders are not as run ragged in the winter.

 

if nothing else, painting everything white will brighten it up.  adding a few lights will help once it is white.  

 

do watch out if you spray paint the white.  that fuzzy thing is your cat and will not take kindly to your spraygun.

Hi,

That's a good idea, I should do that. I just plan on moving my studio up to the barn, but we have to insulate that, and put in windows, walls, etc. This would be a lot easier. 

 

Any ideas of how to put a sink in that I can drain straight outside to avoid clogging my pipes with clay when the basement is deep underground? 

Thanks,

Nancy

[GiselleNo5]

 

nancy, why not take a few days to un-ugly your basement?  did you see what mea did to hers a couple of years ago?  maybe you could splurge on installing a large window somewhere.  in your area the price might be reasonable right now since builders are not as run ragged in the winter.

 

if nothing else, painting everything white will brighten it up.  adding a few lights will help once it is white.  

 

do watch out if you spray paint the white.  that fuzzy thing is your cat and will not take kindly to your spraygun.

Hi,

That's a good idea, I should do that. I just plan on moving my studio up to the barn, but we have to insulate that, and put in windows, walls, etc. This would be a lot easier. 

 

Any ideas of how to put a sink in that I can drain straight outside to avoid clogging my pipes with clay when the basement is deep underground? 

Thanks,

Nancy

 

 

Building a clay trap for your sink is pretty easy, there are lots of plans for it online. That way you wouldn't have to worry about clogging the pipes. 

 

Oldlady, I told you, STOP spray painting your cat.  

[GiselleNo5]

And re: how to keep production work interesting: I'm fairly new to this but I already know that if I was asked to make 500 of the same thing for an order I would go insane before I was half done. I don't need to try it, I KNOW. 

 

I usually make between 2-6 of the same form at the same time because I think it's good for skill development and I like having renewable inventory. I think my maximum will be a dozen at a time as I get faster and more confident with throwing. Most often when I have a throwing session this is a sample lineup:

 

6- 8 oz. prep bowls

2- large cereal bowls

4- large latte cups

4- small latte cups

4- 12 oz. sponge holders

 

It's all the same clay and many of them I decorate as sets so it's a form of production work but I don't have a chance to get bored with any one form. 

I truly admire people who can make hundreds of the same thing but I'm not going to turn myself inside out trying to become a different kind of person than I am. It would take all the joy out of this work for me. I love the decoration step, so I focus more on that; my items definitely take me more time but I deeply enjoy making each and every one. 

[oldlady]

nancy, your local plumbing inspector can take a look and make suggestions on what you might do.  do not ask for the name of a plumber from the inspector, though.  that is bad form.  tell your local building department what you want to do and say you want to do it yourself.  they are very helpful if you intend to work to code and do it yourself. of course, once you are educated on their requirements you have the right to change your mind.  it is your house, make sure you know what is going on. 

 

a simple pump might be enough to raise the water to an outside drain or to connect to your house drain.

[nancylee]

Thanks, Oldlady, for the help, and suggestions. And thank you, Gisele, for sharing how you do things. I think we are similar - I can see me doing enough to get flowing, but too much would make me rip my hair out.

Best,

Nancy

[GEP]

Nancy, I have a sink in my basement, but I don't have a clay trap and therefore wash everything in buckets anyways. I use two buckets, one for clay, and one for glaze+everything else. The clay bucket is also my throwing water. When it gets sludgy I use it to reclaim clay. This cycle happens quickly so I get to throw with new water often. The glaze bucket takes a few months before the sludge builds up on the bottom. At that point I will tip off as much water from the top, pour the water out in the yard, then scrape the sludge into the trash. I only use the sink to wash my hands when they are almost clean already.

 

I have a friend whose studio sink drains out into her yard. She said it was totally illegal, so if you're going to do it, it's a DIY project. Also, she made sure not to wash any food waste, or anything organic, down this sink.

[Joseph Fireborn]

Grey water sinks washing out into your yard are very illegal. I also use buckets and I dont really have any problems I use the same exact system as Mea, except I also have a bucket for washing off my hands. Works no problem.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Keeping production work interesting involves some sort of positive emotional payoff. Bribe your inner child shamelessly.

For me, I kind of get into that delta brainwave zone where your body is doing something automatically, and your mind wanders to other things, and it's quite pleasant. Tunes definitely are a must.

I have ADD as well, and if you can hit your hyper focus zone while throwing and attaching handles, it's pretty satisfying. That said, I cap out at about 30 mugs in a sitting.

 

I don't think anyone *starts* with 500 mugs! Try 12. Then work up to 20. Then 30. Then suddenly 50 seems reasonable.

[Mark C.]

I zone with music in studio

[MatthewV]

I worked for a company that makes sewage treatment and greywater systems for legal discharge. Greywater reuse and direct untreated discharge are allowed in some states. They should be allowed in more. The practice does not endanger people or the environment. Even normal amounts of soap and food scraps will be taken care of by the environment. Storing greywater can lead to problems. If I was working in a basement I would put a pump in a large bucket under the sink and discharge it to the bushes. Or to a raised flowerbed if there was a lawn. If I recall correctly a Zoeller pump costs about $250 and there would be $100 of piping.

Washing glaze ingredients might kill somethings. It would be harder to call this greywater.

 

 

And the on-topic side: I might be called a production-art-potter. In my mind, making ten mugs a day would be considered production work even if they are all different. I aim for 50 pieces a week and after that I consider my "work" done and I can play.

[Mark C.]

Nancy get out of that basement this summer-make a nice space in part of the barn-it will take some infrastructure and some $$ but well worth it in the long run.

[nancylee]

Thanks for the suggestions, all. Especially getting out of my dark, depressing basement or redoing it. 

 

I live on 40 acres, but want to be careful about what I put out on the land. I can see clay being no problem. Right now, I'm dumping any clays that got mixed together or that I can't reclaim right now behind my art cottage, as we haven't gotten a retaining wall out there yet and I'm hoping the clay keeps more soil from washing away!! I have to admit - I would love, love, love a sink! I know the buckets are do-able, but I find them to be such a pain!!! I'll look into that pump idea. But I really think I need to move my studio. I'm very affected by "place," and know I would spend a lot more time making pottery, especially in the summer, if I had a pleasant environment in which to make it. 

Thanks!
Nancy

[oldlady]

nancy, good for you.  knowing what makes you happy is more than half the battle.  why not try a shed inside your big barn?  that way, your costs to make the space comfortable go way down.  it is easier to insulate an airtight shed than a part of a barn.  putting in lots of windows will make it seem like a cottage and a space measuring maybe 12x20 or so is perhaps bigger than what you now have.

 

lots to think about.  aren't you lucky!

[Callie Beller Diesel]

As a fellow basement dweller, I will say that a bucket of white paint applied to gross walls works a small miracle.

[MikeFaul]

Hi all,

I have a potter friend who had to make 500 mugs in a week or so - I can't even imagine!! Not just the amount of work, but how to keep yourself from going nuts making the same mug over and over and over.....? And 500 handles??  I find handles so fidgety. How do you not keep from getting bored if you make the same thing over and over? 

 

I'm starting to get a lot more urn orders, and if I end up with pottery as my retirement career, I'd love some advice as to how to keep it interesting and fresh. Just the thought of making 500 mugs makes me shudder - do you find interest in each one? Do you keep interested by making sure they are the same? Or is this a time where you can just let your mind go?

 

I guess I'm interested in the mental part of this. I love to make new things, my ADD brain gets excited by the new and  shiny, and it seems as though those who make a living at this often make similar things thousands of times a year. What do you do to keep it interesting?

 

Thanks for any thoughts,

Nancy

I'm not sure we would try and tackle 500 mugs all at once. We would probably go after 100 pieces at a time over 5 days, maybe even fewer pieces and more days. But, I must say the entire idea of hundreds of cylinders all lined up in a pattern with the rims forming an ovoid opening diminishing over the run and disappearing as the series moves to the back of the rack is... well... kinda sexy...

 

You see some of us take delight in the beauty of a single perfect form, and others in the beauty of a multitude of pots all lined up--Both are very sculptural... I just love seeing a mess-o-mugs on the table being moved through the process. What drives me nuts is mug number 1 in the series... Two is such a relief... and by the time I get to five I'm cruising... I'm listening to my music, talking to God, and meditating my way through the series. 

 

I've hired artistic potters who just can't throw at a production pace. They get lost in making every mug perfect with 200 orders in their backlog. They forget that while they are perfecting the profile of one pot, 199 customers are developing a rather perfect level of frustration.

[Guest JBaymore]

I've been thinking about the core question that forms the title of this thread: "How Do You Keep Production Work Interesting?"

 

And came to the conclusion that it is a simple answer really.  Produce what interests you.

 

Flip and simplistic... but I think there is an important "truth" hiding in there.

 

If you have to MAKE production work interesting....... you are likely trying to shove a square peg in a round hole.

 

best,

 

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

[Joseph Fireborn]

 

And came to the conclusion that it is a simple answer really.  Produce what interests you.

 

I agree with this 100%. I also think that if you enjoy making what you make and produce what is interesting to you it will be more interesting, better quality and you will sell it way better than making something you hate making. I don't remember who's post I read a while back that said they never make mugs because everyone always has a ton of mugs for sale and he didn't want to compete with other people, so instead of he makes a bunch of flower vases that he enjoys making more and no one else makes. He stated that he had people thanking him for making these different forms and that they had been looking everywhere for them.

 

I haven't gone down the production road yet. I am still working on my forms and glaze combinations of my lines that I plan on creating, but one thing I am doing while I am making these pottery lines is assuring myself that I will enjoy making and glazing those forms. Because if I don't, I wont be making them very long.