KachemakKaren

This time last year I decided to pack in my 44 years of Christmas sales at a small shopping center in a small town close to me.  I had made a special locking booth for just this location and the spot was very cost effective. I picked the dates I wanted to be open in December and paid a flat fee of $200. 
Now when I started back in 1979 selling here I was in front of a very busy drug store. I think it was called Value Giant-then it became Payless Drugs for many years and I dealt with the same manager for 17 years. Back then I paid 10% of sales on a trust basis. That store became Rite Aid then CVS. I went thru many a manager and cut it down to a one-time booth fee-if I recall it was 400-600$ for my 18-20 day run in December.
The local Safeway manager at one point asked if I could set up outside his store so that year and for about 5-6 years as was next to the  store exit. This was a busy location and for the 1st time I got some late day sun into the booth as it faces west. The business was always good. Safeway went thru lots of managers and I decided that I had enough as they were always changing the contact. This location was 600$ flat fee but one manager wanted me to move away from the exit to a dead zone. That year I moved over to the local owner’s pet store and I have been in front there for at least 15 years. I cut a deal with the shopping center manager direct and offered $200 flat fee to whatever dates I wanted in December. The pet store does zero advertising and is a local favorite (small town local store) I have 7 signs that advertise my sale on private property around town. The signs  are in key spots around town and also advertise in local paper so the pet store gets my customers and I get theirs it’s a win win. 
 
Last year a few days before xmas I was taking to my sales help and we both decided it was time to pack it in. I told the manager I was done but had another potter in mind to take it over. 
I called him before new year’s about 1 year ago today about taking over the booth and made him a deal he could not refuse. I would teach him how to set the booth up and take it down as long as he takes it all away next year from me to store at his place  (it’s an install that takes a few hours) and it connected to building and I use the power from Pet store for lighting.
I said the booth and racks are all free and that my insurance is paid up for 2023 but in 2024 he would have to get his own. All I asked for was the $200 for booth fee. 
The one big thing was he got long covid in February 2020 and it nearly killed him (he is young guy) Since then he has not sold or made pot and it’s been a long slow recovery.
He works in high fire  reduction fired Porcelain (Dave’s same as me) and he has great work.
 
That all said I gave him a year’s notice. 
Well we just packed up his booth xmas eve as I always have the past 44 years and I did show him how to build it and helped him with details and have showed him the ropes. His 1st sale  at this location was good for him and he’s on his way to making a storage area to get the booth and racks from me this year to keep at his place. 
I was only going to do this teaching once as I have no other person in our area to give this to.
I feel I’m paying it forward and hope he continues on a path to success as I have had at this location. I had built a huge Christmas season of sales and now it’s one less thing for me to do at xmas. 
Now it’s just keeping my 7 outlets supplied at the holiday season and no more retail myself at xmas. 
All part of the slow down plan
Here’s a few photos of His work in new to him booth this past few weeks.

I have a thought...
If your design structure holds its shape through a bisque firing, what about trying a low fire glaze  instead of cone 6? I have fired many sculptural pieces (which don't need to be fully vitrified) made of cone 6 clay to bisque temperature and finished with various paints and waxes rather than glaze.  I'm wondering if low firing might work for you.

I have a thought...
If your design structure holds its shape through a bisque firing, what about trying a low fire glaze  instead of cone 6? I have fired many sculptural pieces (which don't need to be fully vitrified) made of cone 6 clay to bisque temperature and finished with various paints and waxes rather than glaze.  I'm wondering if low firing might work for you.

Orders for unknown forms need to be avoided imo.
Wondering why the need to be glazed underneath. 
I'd be checking low fired glazes as if you dont have time to redesign, you're risking complete failure to continue with C6. 
Supported with wrong height due to unk own shrinkage may well mean the ends move out, in . Hard to know, eh?
Not worth the angst and time you're wasting on this.
Good luck.

I have a thought...
If your design structure holds its shape through a bisque firing, what about trying a low fire glaze  instead of cone 6? I have fired many sculptural pieces (which don't need to be fully vitrified) made of cone 6 clay to bisque temperature and finished with various paints and waxes rather than glaze.  I'm wondering if low firing might work for you.

I have never asked a question or responded before, although I love this forum.  I retired from Physical Therapy after 43 years of being a clinician and started my pottery experience. My advice is that you visit a competent hand therapist who values your continuation of an active and vital life. There are ways to continue with some modifications - perhaps lessening the amount of clay that you throw or lessening the amount of time that you spend throwing.  Aftercare is also important - warm compresses, hot wax treatments, gentle massage, light supports and conservative use of anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium.  Gentle stretching and strengthening can be valuable.  Steroid injections can be helpful but often are temporary in benefit - and one doesn't want to do that often due to problems associated with them. Trigger finger often requires a fairly straight forward surgery, but any surgery comes with risk and, possibly, unintended results. Again, an orthopedist who specializes in hand function is vital.  I agree  with Mark C. and Russ that you might want to work with another physician who will not brush you off. Best of luck. As an older (elderly?) woman, I have had to make adjustments to accommodate my body and my mind. It is doable. And rewarding! Good luck.

And here are the final photos of the mini 'Hadrian' custom glazed equine ceramic to a rich carmel dark palomino with satin glaze.  I think his owner will be very pleased with how well this commission came out.  She picks him up this weekend!  Thanks for following along and I hope it wasn't too boring.  I'll probably play with these final photos a bit more to brighten them up since they are a touch dark.
 

Seventy five miles is the closest, in Seattle, but requires taking a ferry so it's about 2.5 hrs travel one way. The second closest shop is in Tacoma, one hundred miles away, but just under two hours drive, so that's where we shop. I coordinate with a potter neighbor to make supply runs.

Seventy five miles is the closest, in Seattle, but requires taking a ferry so it's about 2.5 hrs travel one way. The second closest shop is in Tacoma, one hundred miles away, but just under two hours drive, so that's where we shop. I coordinate with a potter neighbor to make supply runs.

Seventy five miles is the closest, in Seattle, but requires taking a ferry so it's about 2.5 hrs travel one way. The second closest shop is in Tacoma, one hundred miles away, but just under two hours drive, so that's where we shop. I coordinate with a potter neighbor to make supply runs.

Honestly, some days my favourite technique would be to get someone else to do it.