LeeU

Each of my work stations (for functions in the process) has its own array of most-used tools and assists placed as neatly near by as possible. I use little household bins to hold horizontals and jars for uprights, bowls/catchalls for sponges, hooks for hanging things, carefully chosen shelving, and planned use of spaces under tables. My clay is in 5 gal buckets set on those plant-moving things with wheels, I use carts with drawers to store smalls, labeled by category. I label everything so I can remember what's what (i.e. this shelf is bisque for glazing, that shelf is greenware etc.). I write the type of clay and cone, and type of glaze and cone, on masking tape and put that where I can see it at a glance. I try to put like items together-by size or type or function. I have such a small space and I don't tolerate mess very well, especially my own, that I just have to keep it functional or I get put off and back out when I need to press ahead. It's kind of a mental containment strategy, to keep my studio so that I can walk in and just get to work and have what I need at hand without having to search for things or clean them off first.

For smaller production & home studios like mine, the UpCart is invaluable. It's a dolly-type handcart with wheels designed to roll upstairs & downstairs. My chiropractor says it's the best thing I've done for myself re getting heavy clay from the street into and around the studio w/o stressing my back/spine/neck/shoulders in the process. I love it! Plu it folds down flat!!

What's on my workbench? Nothing. There is no worktable at the moment. Up until today--2 days before, 1 day of, and 3 days after the non-even craft fair, it was not available. It has finally made it into the studio now, though half of the bins of the pieces are still in the trunk. The little sidewalk fair was fun-ish, at least talking with the other vendors who weren't selling anything either (no traffic). Not so great for the back/hip, so in the future I'll only be participating in venues that provide tables, however few that may be. And, DUH, I can't do anything, really, without my work table actually being in the studio, so there's that lost time as well! Maybe tomorrow I can get up the steam to put my work space back together. Updated, the last 2 pics-a day later- got my table back up, yay me for not procrastinating and laying about all day watching Nothing Gold Can Stay--an addictive Amazon series, just FYI.

Every day I must make big and small decisions regarding ethics, safety, exploitation of adults and children, integrity, willful disregard or unavoidable look-the-truth-in-the-face. Every day I wind up feeling unsatisfied with some of what I "had" to choose, for my own well-being, survival, and reasonable comfort. I choose--for darn good personal reasons--to not be an activist against heavy-duty matters that violate people's safety, health, rights, reasonable living conditions. I choose, to the extent that I am aware of what I am choosing-to not participate when I can reasonably avoid participation (free shipping and reward points not withstanding-shame on me). I recently "rescued" a betta (Siamese Fighting Fish-betta splendens) from a little cup of water in a pet store, to give it a wonderful home in a naturally planted aquarium. And yet, am I not just perpetuating the hostage breeding of these creatures, just for my own pleasure-same as we breed chickens/cows/pigs just to be killed because broccoli gets boring? I hope my mainstream commercial glaze suppliers do use ethical sourcing, but I am unlikely to research that further myself. If I learn they do otherwise, I'll stop using their cobalts. I do what I can, but, frankly, I feel that it ain't very much.

Indeed!! Even at the most modest venture, those prices are nuts! Not to get too philosphical, but such under-valuation may call into question the integrity of clay art everywhere! Raise 'em up, Liam, raise 'em up!

What is your most unapologetic, shamelessly proud, pat-yourself-on-the-back accomplishment of any type in your ceramics life (a terrific piece, a great sale, a sharp business strategy, a fine friend made, a good deed done, a land traveled, a discovery---etc. etc.)?

What's on my workbench? My sister!! She drove up from Virginia. She has been taking some pottery classes in Roanoke. So she loaded her car with greenware (!!) and we bisqued them over the last few days. Now she is glazing her work for the glaze fire. The 05 fire was very lightly loaded with just her items but I have pieces to add for the cone 5 fire, so the kiln will be more balanced and full. She doesn't know I took these pics--I was sneaking around outside the studio (she doesn't like being photographed--opps, too bad!) It has been great fun doing this somewhat "together".

A rat took up residence in my studio (a converted bedroom in my old-ish mobil home) while I was out of town for a couple of weeks. He ate--completely destroyed--the good welder's gloves with the extended cuffs for stoking the big anagama kiln. He ate my leather studeo shoes. He ate all things cardboard. He ate my foam core and one dry wall shelf board. He ate a plasaic texture roller. He ate through the old semi-crumbling cement foundation (!) to get in and out. He did not eat any food. I did not have a cat. I highly recommend that you add a second cat.