LeeU

Enjoying the studio pics, thanks for sharing!
Open Studios Art Tour just over, here the tables have been put away, some of remaining ware put away, the bikes, buckets, mop, vacuum, etc. that were cleared away brought back in.

Above, from the corner behind the kiln.
The wood shelving typically is encumbered with work in progress - raw clay and/or bisque awaiting next steps, glazed ware awaiting final inspection, polish, wash.
Putting that shelving up makes it easier to reach, and provides bucket, bag, etc. storage below.
Behind the person door is a large cabinet - glaze materials, tools, notebooks.
This space also serves as bike headquarters and general repair/puttering place, but it's mostly pottery.
The Cervelo is #1 bike.

Looking back from the person door.
The shelves behind the kiln are almost always for raw ware.
There's enough counterspace to deal with a full kiln load and still have room for glaze buckets, tools, and some other stuff.
The windows supply nice light. Even so, the two eight-foot bulbs and two four-foot bulbs aren't quite enough, hence the several spot type lights...
The Wilier is #2 bike.
In left corner there's more shelving, wedging area, and the sound equipment - amp, old laptop, subwoofer.
The surround speakers are up high.

Throwing area and slab roller, shelving to the right of the wheel, large drying cupboard on the left beside the pugger. Glazing and kilns in another area.

 

Yes, @oldlady, the phones show pictures the same way your laptop does, just on a tiny screen. But we can zoom in, so it’s not bad at all.
And @LeeU thank you for sharing your space. As soon as Pres posted the question I had that feeling of “Be careful with you wish for, now you have to share too!
Two shots of the same space from different corners. My partner and I have a studio together, which for normal people would be a garage. It does serve some extra functions as a workshop and storage area, but it’s 90% clay studio. The utility sink was a later addition, and what a wonderful day that was. The two kilns are outdoors. 

This is in a 12X14 space. Buckets of clay and greenware shelving are the left of the windows; shelves glazes are to the right of the utility sink. Not shown is shelving for volitiles (glues, mineral spirits etc) , jewelry & wall hanging-making supplies (cords/fittings), markers,  Xactos, enhancements like glitter (yes, I do), a book shelf w/ceramics texts, whiteboard (& whatever that is that is shoved behind the door...oh, it's my invaluable UpCart). The kiln is on the back porch.

This is in a 12X14 space. Buckets of clay and greenware shelving are the left of the windows; shelves glazes are to the right of the utility sink. Not shown is shelving for volitiles (glues, mineral spirits etc) , jewelry & wall hanging-making supplies (cords/fittings), markers,  Xactos, enhancements like glitter (yes, I do), a book shelf w/ceramics texts, whiteboard (& whatever that is that is shoved behind the door...oh, it's my invaluable UpCart). The kiln is on the back porch.

This is in a 12X14 space. Buckets of clay and greenware shelving are the left of the windows; shelves glazes are to the right of the utility sink. Not shown is shelving for volitiles (glues, mineral spirits etc) , jewelry & wall hanging-making supplies (cords/fittings), markers,  Xactos, enhancements like glitter (yes, I do), a book shelf w/ceramics texts, whiteboard (& whatever that is that is shoved behind the door...oh, it's my invaluable UpCart). The kiln is on the back porch.

This is in a 12X14 space. Buckets of clay and greenware shelving are the left of the windows; shelves glazes are to the right of the utility sink. Not shown is shelving for volitiles (glues, mineral spirits etc) , jewelry & wall hanging-making supplies (cords/fittings), markers,  Xactos, enhancements like glitter (yes, I do), a book shelf w/ceramics texts, whiteboard (& whatever that is that is shoved behind the door...oh, it's my invaluable UpCart). The kiln is on the back porch.

My working theory on why you get so many different instructions about slip/score/water/no water is that it varies by clay body.
When I switched from a white high fire stoneware to a mid fire red, the handle attaching method I’d been using resulted in more cracked handles than I’d ever had in my life! The white one wanted slip and score, but if I do that with my red stoneware, they take forever to grab and the slip shrinks too much and I get those nuisance edge cracks. The red one wants score plus a dab of water only. 

Before moving to NH I was used to getting anywhere pretty much within 25 minutes, with lots of city-based resources. Here, it can take 2-3-4 hrs roundtrip to get where I might want to go, and the closest community studios just were not adequate for my fairly modest standards and need for reasonably comfortable working conditions. So, I took my unused vacay/sick leave payout from my retirement and bought the wheel and the kiln at the same time (both new !!!- that mattered to me, psychologically). Given the changes in the economy I no longer have a good  savings buffer for any future bad health/serious aging events...but no regrets, and I'm pretty sure the sell value is solid due to my relatively limited use & their excellent condition. I love not having to go anywhere to do my thing, and there are plenty of opportunites to hang with other clay people if I want to.

Before moving to NH I was used to getting anywhere pretty much within 25 minutes, with lots of city-based resources. Here, it can take 2-3-4 hrs roundtrip to get where I might want to go, and the closest community studios just were not adequate for my fairly modest standards and need for reasonably comfortable working conditions. So, I took my unused vacay/sick leave payout from my retirement and bought the wheel and the kiln at the same time (both new !!!- that mattered to me, psychologically). Given the changes in the economy I no longer have a good  savings buffer for any future bad health/serious aging events...but no regrets, and I'm pretty sure the sell value is solid due to my relatively limited use & their excellent condition. I love not having to go anywhere to do my thing, and there are plenty of opportunites to hang with other clay people if I want to.

Before moving to NH I was used to getting anywhere pretty much within 25 minutes, with lots of city-based resources. Here, it can take 2-3-4 hrs roundtrip to get where I might want to go, and the closest community studios just were not adequate for my fairly modest standards and need for reasonably comfortable working conditions. So, I took my unused vacay/sick leave payout from my retirement and bought the wheel and the kiln at the same time (both new !!!- that mattered to me, psychologically). Given the changes in the economy I no longer have a good  savings buffer for any future bad health/serious aging events...but no regrets, and I'm pretty sure the sell value is solid due to my relatively limited use & their excellent condition. I love not having to go anywhere to do my thing, and there are plenty of opportunites to hang with other clay people if I want to.

To me, having a wheel but not a kiln would be nothing but frustrating-especially having to transport my pieces to a community kiln where control is limited. I'd keep taking courses to get the benefits of the education and the access to wheels/kiln, and then later look at what is feasable for a home set-up.  I have  fully functional studio in arented mobile home (I gave up my bedroom and bunk in the spare room) and have a kiln properly installed on a small screened porch (weather-protected by movable panels of  restaurant patio vinyl).  Also, going too small w/a kiln could be a mistake, as you get more into ceramics.

I have a necklace I need to design and finish. Plus a good number of assorted beads I made that I need to figure out how I want to use-mobiles, wall hangings, jewelry etc. Dunno yet-WIP.

I have a necklace I need to design and finish. Plus a good number of assorted beads I made that I need to figure out how I want to use-mobiles, wall hangings, jewelry etc. Dunno yet-WIP.

I have a necklace I need to design and finish. Plus a good number of assorted beads I made that I need to figure out how I want to use-mobiles, wall hangings, jewelry etc. Dunno yet-WIP.

To me, having a wheel but not a kiln would be nothing but frustrating-especially having to transport my pieces to a community kiln where control is limited. I'd keep taking courses to get the benefits of the education and the access to wheels/kiln, and then later look at what is feasable for a home set-up.  I have  fully functional studio in arented mobile home (I gave up my bedroom and bunk in the spare room) and have a kiln properly installed on a small screened porch (weather-protected by movable panels of  restaurant patio vinyl).  Also, going too small w/a kiln could be a mistake, as you get more into ceramics.

I have a necklace I need to design and finish. Plus a good number of assorted beads I made that I need to figure out how I want to use-mobiles, wall hangings, jewelry etc. Dunno yet-WIP.

I have a necklace I need to design and finish. Plus a good number of assorted beads I made that I need to figure out how I want to use-mobiles, wall hangings, jewelry etc. Dunno yet-WIP.

I did a test firing today,  love my new Caldera test kiln.    I  found the copper rod I was wanting to use in my latest mural.   I spent the afternoon making yucca flowers with backs  that can connect to the rod easily.   I am just about to lay it out and make some of the background sections.   The mural is very dimensional and has seven different clay's in it,   several types of glaze and  the copper stems.  Looking forward firing it.     Denice

Just giving this thread a bump, lots of new people here since the last post, hoping to see what some are working on.
For me, whats on my workbench today is a huge mess. 

Turn her on to Duolingo.
The free version would let her know if she finds it useful. I'll bet she'd really dig it-the lessons are easy, are in several fun formats, and even just 15 minutes a day builds vocabulary. She wouldn't be getting ceramics lingo, but learning the basics for greetings & other essential phrases  would be a great for the studio.

Turn her on to Duolingo.
The free version would let her know if she finds it useful. I'll bet she'd really dig it-the lessons are easy, are in several fun formats, and even just 15 minutes a day builds vocabulary. She wouldn't be getting ceramics lingo, but learning the basics for greetings & other essential phrases  would be a great for the studio.

Chopsticks. Round, square, fancy, plain, bare wood, enameled-I use them for so many things in the studio!! Stirring, making different sizes & shapes of holes, lettering, texture designs, getting dried glaze out of the inside of the jar caps, use as tweezers to grab stuff that doesn't need the precision of tweeezers...and when I need some more (I go through a lot) I get to go to Golden Dragon for their terrific Mushroom Chow Yuk and steamed dumplings with spicy mustard. 

Where I learned a helpful lot of info for growing a small business  was from SCORE (Service Corp of Retired Executives). Every state has this via the SBA and the services directly from SCORE are free, including an experienced mentor if that is desired. Here's the link for SC  https://scbos.sc.gov/partners/score It's worth checking out & the webinars/workshops are terrific for today's marketing environments.

The usual recommendation is to use a micaceous clay formulated for the purpose. 
I had  mentors who were making cone 10 stoneware work in the 80’s, and they made a lot of casseroles. They had to come with specific use instructions which run counter to how you’re actually supposed to prepare food. The casseroles would survive just fine if you put unheated food in them, and put the casserole into the oven before turning it on, and only put them down on a wooden or fabric covered surface. But if you didn’t do all of those things, it’d crack. My mentors would get a lot of customer complaints about it. 
So I’d do some thermal shock testing if you intend to use a stoneware. Contact your clay supplier and see if they have specific recommendations.