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GEP

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Posts posted by GEP

  1. QotW: What do your hands look like?

    in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits

    Posted

    Speaking of hands, has anyone else here ever had to be fingerprinted? I had to give fingerprints when I was hired to teach at a community center. The person doing it had a terrible time getting prints from my worn down fingertips. I have a potter friend who has a high security job. Her company is trying to install electronic fingerprint readers in their office, and she’s having a tough time using them.

    Just think of the crimes we potters could get away with. 

  2. QotW: How do you organize your work schedule?

    in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits

    Posted

    This is my favorite and most important scheduling tool: a wall calendar that displays the entire year at a glance, and can be written on with a dry erase pen. I plan out about 2 months worth of days in advance, then stick to my plan as close as possible. It takes an emergency to make me ignore my plan. If I don’t stick to it, I will arrive at shows feeling underprepared, and I hate that! The shorthand you see (1a thru 1d, 2a thru 2d) refers to to-do lists that I keep in a notebook. Each to-do list produces about $1250 worth of pots. So when I apply for and get accepted into a show, before I commit to it I will make sure I have enough days to produce the necessary amount of inventory. If yes, then I will commit to the show and schedule the days of production. This way, I am always fully stocked. But I avoid overstocking myself which I consider wasted energy.

    As you can see, I give myself regular days off, usually two in a row but sometimes three. I need these days out of the studio to let my sore muscles recover. Often, one of those off days will be spent working, just not in the studio. This is when I get my computer stuff done (bookkeeping, bill paying, writing blog posts, writing email campaigns, making hang tags, photographing my work, website updates, etc.) So that means I get one day “off” but that’s enough. 

    B74DB641-A0ED-4640-9A68-AFA4C539E61C.jpeg.e5429887ee03af247a674f2414e37d0c.jpeg

    Today 6/26 which is a day off. Tomorrow I start another round of glazing. And then I reach the end of my currently scheduled days. I have a completely unscheduled week 7/1 thru 7/7. Weird feeling! I will probably schedule those days as “video days” because I don’t need more pots for the three shows coming up in July. When I get near the end of my July shows, I will plan out all the days until my three October shows. Then follow the plan. 

  3. QotW: What are the rituals you follow when the creative juices dry up, or the joys of making pottery becomes tedious because of deadline demands?

    in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits

    Posted

    The phrase I learned in college is “energy breeds energy.” This is along the lines of what Magnolia and Callie are saying. Such a short phrase but it made a huge difference for me going forward out of college. I still say it to myself all the time. Creative work requires an immense amount of energy. So many acts of initiative. Many people underestimate that, thinking something so “fun” shouldn’t require effort. 

    Putting energy into any task creates momentum that makes it easier to generate energy the next day.  Putting practice into skills makes those skills easier, which then require less energy, giving you free energy to spend on new initiatives. It multiplies over time. On the other hand, sitting around doing nothing leads to more sitting around doing nothing. This also multiplies over time.

    I guess the important crux of “energy breeds energy” is that the fuel needs to come from yourself, and shows you how to generate fuel.

  13. Business Forum F. A. Q. Listing

    in Business, Marketing, and Accounting

  14. Business Forum F. A. Q. Listing

    in Business, Marketing, and Accounting

    Posted

    Pricing Your Work

    This is a complicated and murky subject. No clear answers here, other than "the more you do it, the easier it gets."

     

    Going Price of Mugs

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/12297-going-price-of-mugs/

     

    Pricing Artwork to Sell

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/3040-pricing-artwork-to-sell/

     

    Another Pricing Topic

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/5089-another-pricing-topic/

     

    Your Labour Cost

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/5704-your-labour-cost/

  16. Business Forum F. A. Q. Listing

    in Business, Marketing, and Accounting

  17. Business Forum F. A. Q. Listing

    in Business, Marketing, and Accounting

    Posted

    Art Festivals

     

    Show Me Pictures of Your Show Shelving

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/4214-show-me-pictures-of-your-show-shelving/

     

    How Do Your Figure Out How Much to Bring To a Show

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/5240-how-do-you-figure-out-how-much-to-bring-to-a-show/

     

    How Bad Can It Get: Craft Show War Stories

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/5290-how-bad-can-it-get-craft-show-war-stories/

     

    Packaging Up Purchases at Art Fairs

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/5224-packaging-up-purchases-at-art-fairs/

     

    How To Keep Cash At Shows

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/4916-how-to-keep-cas-at-showsale/

     

    Craft Shows ... Tips For Success

    http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/6375-craft-shows-tips-for-success/

  18. Business Forum F. A. Q. Listing

    in Business, Marketing, and Accounting

    Posted

    Are advertisements allowed on the Ceramic Arts Daily Forum?

     

    No. Our motto is "Talk business, don't do business." Please use this phrase to guide you. Another way to think about it is to ask yourself "Do I stand to gain financially from this post?" If the answer is yes, please don't do it.

     

     

    Why are advertisements not allowed on CAD Forum?

     

    This forum exists for discussion, information exchange, and community building. If we allow users to buy and sell goods and services here, many people would come here only for that. There are numerous other places on the internet for this. Anyone who wishes to purchase a classified ad, to appear in Ceramics Monthly and on the Ceramic Arts Daily website, can do so here:

    http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramics-monthly/classifieds/

     

     

    Can you provide some specific examples?

     

    You may not promote your own goods or services, or those of any business with which you are affiliated.

     

    You may provide opinions and recommendations (good or bad) about products and services with which you are not affiliated, and if you do not stand to gain from your opinion.

     

    You may include a link to your website, and/or your online store, in your Signature. Your Signature, along with your About Me blurb and your Photo Gallery, is part of your Profile. The purpose of your Profile is to allow other users to learn more about you, and it is not considered part of the conversation stream. If your Profile inspires another user to buy your work offlist, that's ok.

     

    In the body of a post, you may include a link to your own website, and other websites. However, the content of the post must not contain a "buy it" message.

     

    Please note that the following types of links are generally not allowed in the body of a post: a link to your own online store, or to an ad on PotterBarter, Craigslist, eBay (or similar websites). In most cases these links will be deleted, regardless of the context.

     

    Posts that are of a fundraising nature, including crowdsourcing campaigns, are also not allowed on this forum, even if you are promoting a fundraising campaign that is not your own.

     

    On rare occasions, a post will fall into a gray area, and a judgement call will be used to determine if it qualifies as an advertisement, or not. But the examples above cover the vast majority of all the cases we have reviewed.

     

     

    Are there any exceptions?

     

    Yes. You are allowed to promote legitimate ceramics-related events (e.g. classes, workshops, exhibitions, festivals, etc.), in the Events section of the forum. This is not allowed anywhere else on the Forum, only the Events section.

  19. Teaching Ceramics to Adults

    in Educational Approaches and Resources

    Posted

    I have two rules for my classes:

     

    1. Be a good citizen of the studio. Read and follow all of the studio guidelines. They all exist for a reason.

     

    2. Learn pottery at your own pace. Never compare yourself to another potter. Everyone here is at a different point along this road, and traveling at a different speed. It is not a race.

     

     

    They know I expect them to be considerate towards each other, and not to be competitive with each other, and this creates a very supportive environment.

     

    Mea

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