Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I am pleased to have met my goals for last year though I wish I could have taken some time to brush up my throwing skills.

 

Goals for 2015 ...

- a morning spent  'one on one' with a thrower to get my skills back up to par. I have a lot of throwing experiments I want to do with colored clay.

- two articles to write for pottery publications

- make some video instruction to be inserted into my web site

- make the new pattern designs that are in my head but have not yet figured out how to execute

- make more work for sale and try to care if it sells or not

- ENJOY every second of my trip to Ireland with the Potters Council!! :D :) B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like Chris I thought I would try getting my throwing skills up to par, I don't know if this is possible but I thought I would try.  I quit throwing when MS was messing with my right arm and hand, I'm going to start small.   I would like to get together enough quality pieces to take by some galleries but that is as far in advance that I have planned.     Denice

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Working now on a new line of work that I want to get in a good gallery in a big tourist vacation city about 3 hours from me .  I've been visiting it and looking at what they sell and what traffic is like.  I have a relative there we visit often so I can keep an eye on things and deliver more work when needed.

 I want to have a couple of wholesale jobs, that provide non seasonal income from easily made pieces, have an eye on a couple of opportunities. things that are easily made and will leave me time and thought energy to develop a more art flavored line .  Time to move away from the totally functional soup bowl work .

Not do so many classes and raise my prices a bit.  I ought to be worth at least minimum wage per hour to my students.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am pleased to have met my goals for last year though I wish I could have taken some time to brush up my throwing skills.

 

Goals for 2015 ...

- a morning spent  'one on one' with a thrower to get my skills back up to par. I have a lot of throwing experiments I want to do with colored clay.

- two articles to write for pottery publications

- make some video instruction to be inserted into my web site

- make the new pattern designs that are in my head but have not yet figured out how to execute

- make more work for sale and try to care if it sells or not

- ENJOY every second of my trip to Ireland with the Potters Council!! :D :) B)

Just read the whole detailed itinerary for Ireland. WOW! Looks fabulous. Have a great trip Chris!

Marcia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Working hard to get 1-2 glazes mixed on my own that I truly love and want to make everything in.

 

2. Keep working on my mug shapes and handles and hopefully by the end of the year(2016) have a nice mug that I can try to sell on etsy. Basically I am going to work on mugs for an entire year like I did bowls this past year.

 

3. Try to give back to these forums for all the wonderful people who have helped me so much. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grype,

Mugs take practice and experience with using. Use those you make and decide if the shape of the lip is comfortable. Is the handle comfortable. Is the glaze comfortable...tactile rating to the lips.

All these are important for a successful mug. Appearance is somewhat important but the mug is the most tactile pot we make...except maybe for a tea bowl.

 

Marcia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking back and moving forward, my keyword is FOCUS:

  • Focus on developing a body of work that is personal, enjoyable, and marketable.
  • Focus on doing more with video/visual for training and promotion (for myself and others).
  • Explore my post-higher-ed career options with a focus on clay arts

-Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Overcome: I overcame almost talking myself out of putting so much (time, energy, money, space, commitment, significant future considerations) into setting up a ceramics studio in my very small living space.   

 

Accomplished: Well on the way to finishing the logistical set-up of the studio, have met and engaged with local ceramists and ceramics communities, and came in under budget.  

 

Goals for 2015: Find out what I remember from where I left off; get up to speed within six months; formulate a realistic plan for foisting my stuff off on an unsuspecting public, for a price LOL; have something decent for the spring anagama firing here in NH (w/John Baymore & Maureen Mills of the New Hampshire Institute of Art).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tony Clennell posted this on his blog today and it seems most apropos for reflecting and resolving for the New Year:

 

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

 

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

 

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

 

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

 

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.â€

― Neil Gaiman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My goal for 2015 is to be more efficient with production. Not to work less, but to get the same amount of work done in fewer days. Which hopefully means more regular days off. Funny though this was part of my goals for last year too, but by the time fall and holiday demands arrived, the part about taking regular days off got thrown out the window.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2014 was the first year I've really put this all together and hit a good level of profitability. Tripled my indoor retail space (that fresh air market space never went over that well here ....)

 

In 2015 I'm also aiming for more efficiency in production  and have geared up for increased production, just ordered another L&L Quad Pro kiln.     Going to run 1 kiln a day, giving me a 2 day cycle (no waiting around while each shelf cools).  Last year production capacity was 4/5 kilns weekly ... 18 a month.   Now I can put out 6 kilns/week ... 24 a month. Not planning on working more but am undertaking a step saving remodel and am hoping this yields more production. 

 

I'm going to allow some time to do a pieces for my "fancy line" this year (Yeap ... got that idea here from the poster above me).

 

I love plans and lists.   I keep notebooks in different places and at year end separate into product/studio/retail projects & goals.    Just reorganized my thoughts from  2014 and there's over 400 "things" left to do .    My number one for 2015 was the added kiln and the remodel.   Almost finished with the remodel.   Still lacking a double laundry sink for the glazing area and a door to the kiln area. I have a few interesting ideas for my retail space ... I'll post pictures as they get done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2014 was the first year I had with no full-time job and clay taking up a sizable chunk of my productive time. It was a very therapeutic use of my time!

 

My big plan for 2015 is to sign up to become a member at a local studio. I'm going back to work part-time, so that will reduce the amount of time I will spend on pottery but I hope it'll be a year for me to focus on improving the forms of pieces that I create. I also may give Etsy a try this year.

 

I've shied away from making pieces based on custom requests in the past..but I may try that out this year. I'll have to be careful to limit the number of pieces that I take on. Friends have requested pots with specific dimensions in the past, so I'll have to continue to explain how shrinkage plays a role in the entire process as well as my current limitations on the height that I can achieve. And if they really know exactly what they want, they're better off getting it from a mass production source anyway :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

Grype, you still have plenty of time until the end of the year to reach your goal. How do you feel about the mugs you did complete? Are you more happy with the last few than the first ones? Do you feel you have improved? That seemed to be your goal and I hope you resume working on it that you realize where you are now.

 

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am pretty happy with my mugs. I think the reason I have only completed like 20 is because I am so picky and I throw away most of them before they hit the bisque. I have 4 in the kiln right now that I am very happy with how the bisqued mug felt in the hand. We will see though, as we know, the glaze can change everything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.