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Could Use Yer Opinions/thoughts


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Hi guys,

 

I've been selling some stuff, a piece here a piece there, maybe enough to pay

for my clay & glaze, no Big deal but it feels good if you know what I mean.

 

The other day someone suggested I should put a business card in mugs and vases

and such so people can find me If they want to, to order something (or complain too I guess). I kind of like the idea but I don't know what to do, I absolutely Love working with clay, I love everything about it.

Sometimes when I get off work (12 midnight)I go out to the garage to trim a pot (5 or 10 minutes, right?) and the next thing I hear are the are the birds and

it's Morning, and there are 4 bowls and a couple mugs and my tools are all clean

 

The problem is, you guys are potters. Im just a potter want-a-be, I mean

I got a ton of stuff to learn.

 

I guess what Im asking is what do YOU guys think, where did you start.

I have received a lot of help from you all and I respect your opinions.

 

What to do? is it time to start the mud creek pottery?? or just creep back

under the bush.

 

graybeard

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Only you know when your ready to sell your pots. Be true to yourself and your craft. If your proud of your work on a quality level and you think it is indeed a well made object then try to sell them. If you are just proud that you can make something, but you know it isn't well made, then I would think several times about selling that particular good. 

 

You can always do what I did. Pick 1 or 2 objects and only make those for the next year or two. This way you kinda skip ahead a bit in time. Instead of learning to make plates, bowls, vases, jars, cups, mugs, etc etc, you just pick mugs, and make nothing but mugs. Do this day in and day out and try to do nothing but improve them. A year spent doing nothing but making and improving your mugs will drastically increase your ability to make good mugs and have a marketable product. This is what I did anyways. I still make nothing but mugs, bowls and cups. 2.5 years into pottery. I still find plenty of places to improve my craft and I am still not happy with half of the mugs I make. 

 

The main thing I found when I was starting is that a lot of people who don't know anything about pottery will tell you, that you should sell your stuff. But that's just it. They don't know anything about pottery. They are your friends, they like you, they are proud at what you make and they don't know jack crap about the craft. You and only you know how well something is made, how good the walls are formed, how heavy it is, and how well the glaze is done. When you take a piece out of the kiln and you go, "now this is a pot to be proud of", then you are ready to sell it in my opinion.

 

If your paying for your materials and learning, I would say your in really good shape. I know I have thousands of dollars to sell before I break even.

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Gray:

 

You have to make it small, before you can make it big. "A piece here and a piece there" is a valuable step in the learning curve. Microsoft was started in a garage: as was Ford Motor Co. I am sure even at this point you could tell me which of your pieces sell the most, sell the fastest, and make you the most money. You can also tell me which of your glazes seem to be the most popular. You are learning how to cut wasted steps out of the process, and learning time management. In school you wanted to get an A: in business you must earn a D (discipline.) No one is there to tell you when to work, how to work, when to start and when to quit. Getting too big, too fast will cause a business to fail just as fast as lack of sales. The love of the craft will keep you engaged, learning the business of pottery will keep you profitable.

Nerd

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Making pottery with the intention to sell it... sucks some of the soul away. So what you will never do the things that take thousands of hours of experience to get to.

 

For me, there was only one choice. Sometimes I wish I could be happy with a regular job instead of the chaos and uncertainty of pottery. So I envy the people who are able to enjoy the hobby as a hobby.

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It's all about you and your craft. Your passion. And Everything said above. And everything to come.

My way of thinking is that all good things come in time. Enjoy, experience and keep practicing.

You got lots of help here on CAD and PC. Man, have fun. Heck, I don't get upset anymore about making mistakes; I just learn from em.

 

Andy Warhol once said, Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." Best wishes.

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Early in my years as a teacher, I made pots for myself, not selling, and giving pots away for b-days, and Christmas. Then I got involved with a local guild, and they decided to do a show, so I participated, and participated. 5 years later I was doing the Penn State festival as a local. I was no longer making pots for myself, but still having fun, even though the pots were going out of the house quickly. I would often be out working in the Spring not realizing the time, to go in at 2 or 3 in the morning. My shop was unheated so I had limited time to get ready for the Penn State festival. Rule of thumb there was $10k worth of stock. I never had that much. 7 years later, I was offered a different type of Summer job, that made much more per hour, and took it. At the same time it only lasted for a month so it was easier on my days and nights, and my wife! :)

 

Now days, I try to make pots for myself, for juried shows etc, but someone always has something they want done.  Oh well!

 

best,

Pres

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These days there are many printing services that can be purchased online, which means a box of professional quality business cards is cheap and accessible. It's a good next step. It will make those occasional sales seem more official, and hopefully encourage repeat business. It's not much investment so there's no commitment either. If you find you are enjoying pottery less, just turn around.

 

(but wait for a week or so. I'm about to publish my next blog post in The Art Festival Plan series. Read my thoughts about branding before you design a business card.)

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Wait to read Mea's post for sure ...I too will be waiting as they are always excellent ....

 

I agree with her that nowadays it is cheap, fast and easy to get business cards printed. So yes, putting them in your work is a good idea. It does not mean you are committing yourself to anything more than identifying yourself.

 

People ALWAYS say you should sell your work simply because they cannot really imagine any other reason for making pottery ... Or they cannot think of anything else to say. It definitely does not mean they know anything about pottery or the marketplace.

Just smile and thank them for the input, then do whatever you want to do.

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First, you are a real potter (as opposed to an imaginary one). I believe there was a thread a while back about a potter's appearance and what constitutes a "real" potter. We are all a bunch of smart@sses. It's a funny read!

 

Second, handing out the odd business or calling card doesn't mean you have to start cranking out production ware and apply for an LLC next week. You don't have to change what you do or how you go about it at all. It's just a way of being available to someone who bought a pot from you for questions, or potential referrals. Sometimes people just want a little info about the artist that made the thing they just got. And chances are, you've wasted more money on beer than you will on a package of business cards.

 

Third, you are not the only one here who has panic attacks at the thought of being in the lime light in any way, shape or form. I sold a few pots here and there for a good decade after graduating because I wasn't ready to start a business right off. It turned out to be a good thing for me, because I could work out a lot of things in my studio, and not have it "matter." I sold the extras because they were good enough, and I didn't have room for them all in my own house. It was what I needed to do at the time. I started my business because I wanted a number of things to change in my life, and that was the way I wanted to go about it. If you're happy with where you're at, there's no reason to mess with it. If you want to try something new and see how it goes, that's cool too.

What do *you* want?

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