Bam2015

I buy pots at juried craft fairs where I purposely seek out the potter or while on vacation. While I marvel at the beauty of the pots when using them, the  reminder of the vacation or trip to the fair with a friend(s) is also important to me. We went to PotFest UK in Scotland in 2023 and when I use those pots, I am reminded of our trip and the conversations that I had with the potters. It is never just about the pot itself. 
Lee, I appreciated your 'double dipping' as you called it. I always enjoy reading your posts. 
Betty

I buy pots at juried craft fairs where I purposely seek out the potter or while on vacation. While I marvel at the beauty of the pots when using them, the  reminder of the vacation or trip to the fair with a friend(s) is also important to me. We went to PotFest UK in Scotland in 2023 and when I use those pots, I am reminded of our trip and the conversations that I had with the potters. It is never just about the pot itself. 
Lee, I appreciated your 'double dipping' as you called it. I always enjoy reading your posts. 
Betty

Is it just my computer, I don't see any images. 
Betty

David, welcome! I have to agree with Lee on this. Take some classes first to see if you actually like this craft. You will save yourself time, frustration and money. It can be a very expensive hobby and you want to be sure that you buy the right tools and equipment. I say no to a kiln at this time. 
Best,
Betty
 

Pres, I like this question. I think that I take criticism about my pieces quite well, but I don't think that people are usually very honest with me. My friends and family seem to like everything that I make, which is nice, but not always helpful. Maybe they like my stuff because they are not into arts/crafts and think that it is an innate talent rather than countless hours of learning. 
Betty

Pres, I like this question. I think that I take criticism about my pieces quite well, but I don't think that people are usually very honest with me. My friends and family seem to like everything that I make, which is nice, but not always helpful. Maybe they like my stuff because they are not into arts/crafts and think that it is an innate talent rather than countless hours of learning. 
Betty

To a degree. Crappy work is just that, not worth much time to dig in and explore pieces that are an open book. Occasionally I come across work so genuine and honest made with barely developed skills and knowledge. Those change my brain. They engage a different area of the “aesthetic critical” system in there. On the other hand, sometimes I invoke very high standards (which only I am privy to). I was at a studio sale of a potter I admire, and carefully picked out a pitcher among several there. Pitchers are a form I see as an ultimate challenge in pottery. For many it’s a teapot and all their interrelated parts, but for me, it’s a pitcher. It’ll be the one thing out of my budget I’ll buy anyway.
Anyway there was one up high on a shelf, just out of reach. It was exquisite. Form, handle, spout, foot, so naturally perfect it could have sprung from the ground. Gorgeous flashing, and that beautiful metallic luster that sometimes happens in woodfire with porcelain or shino. Decoration and balance were perfect. I pointed and said, “What about that one?”
“Oh, I could tell you all the things wrong with that pot. You don’t want it.” She replied. Understood and respected.
That all said, it’s harder to accept mistakes in my work than in most other’s.

We went to PotFest in Scotland in 2023. It was on my list and it didn't disappoint. Beautiful work by European potters that I otherwise would not get to see or buy. 
Betty

We went to PotFest in Scotland in 2023. It was on my list and it didn't disappoint. Beautiful work by European potters that I otherwise would not get to see or buy. 
Betty

Is it just my computer, I don't see any images. 
Betty

Thank you for sharing. Do you have a picture?
Betty

I'm wondering if folks who have entered juried exhibitions found that they help to create new business. 
Thank you, 
Betty

This isn't the exact box that I use, but pretty darn close. It has served me well for the past 8 yrs.
ArtBin
Betty

Min, I am applying the underglaze in the greenware stage then bisque firing to 04, glaze fire to 6. I have an L & L kiln and use their programs for slow bisque and slow glaze. 
Betty

Hard to add to what’s been said but ya apples and oranges.
i personally have both. I prefer Shopify but it is totally on you to drive traffic there, seo, marketing etc. Etsy does this for you (rather poorly)…but as Neil points out it is beyond saturated. If you don’t have tons of sales and tons of reviews it’s almost impossible. I did spend a good chunk on Etsy ads to get a small amount of sales and reviews (think like 300 sales and well over a 100 5 star reviews) so now I just let it ride if something sells on there, great, but I don’t care as my focus is on Shopify site. 
if you do try Etsy spend a ton of time on seo (look at competitors), have great pics, a lot of listings if you can, focus on good titles, tags etc. But again, Etsy is hard now but doable still if your willing to do it well, have a good product and so forth. 
 
In the end if I could have done it all over again I would have probably just focused on good content via social media/instagram/fb and invested time and money on meta ads, google ads and just drove traffic to my Shopify store alone and never bothered with Etsy. 
 
The vast chunk of my sales are from direct in person markets so that helps me not care so much about online sales…but ya if I never had to do another market I would probably die happy.

It’s worth noting that Etsy selling has never been a way for most users to make a full time living, but many do use it as a supplement or as one of many income streams. Also, don’t follow their advice on pricing your work. Because of how they structure their fees, you’ll have to start with your base price and add all the assorted percentages they charge. Use caution when using their forum for advice on running a business there. Many of the seller communities labour under the (incorrect) assumption that high prices will drive away customers, and that you have to have frequent sales and discounts. None of that is true. Cheap prices draw in deal hunters who will not treat you well. 

For me, no... however, other things have happened for me locally. I have submitted my horsehair Raku pottery to my local PBS station's annual art auction, which is a juried event, and have been accepted all 3 times and all my entries had garnered at least 3 times my valued prices. The last time around I had won a Juror's award which got me an interview and article in a local news outlet but did not generate new business. I plan on continuing my donations to the art auction because each entry gets me a little more notoriety since the work gives me 6 minutes of TV exposure during the auction and it is good enough to be accepted for the auction. Someday it may lead to greater things!

No.  Not exhibitions.  Even donations do not "generate great marketing"  (that's what the people asking will say)  If I donate, it's because I believe in the cause.  Not because it will be a marketing tool for me.  
Juried shows are a different situation for me.  A show versus an exhibition.  
Roberta

Juried gallery exhibitions may get you one or two sales beyond the piece you have in the show, but mostly it's just a resume builder that may help you get into other galleries or build your social media account a little. Art fairs will definitely build sales, because you can show so much more work to so many more people.

Juried exhibitions or invitationals through galleries have never netted me any sales. They can be a nice ego rub, which has its own value, but that value isn’t monetary IME. 
Juried fairs or markets however, are a good thing. Juries can help put together a crowd of compatible artists and quality of work, which helps get it in front of people who are interested in such things. 

There are several potters who show their seams on mugs and bowls. I can't think of names off of the top of my head, but I follow a few on Instagram. Saying that you copied the seam is like saying that you copied the shape of a mug. 
Betty

There are several potters who show their seams on mugs and bowls. I can't think of names off of the top of my head, but I follow a few on Instagram. Saying that you copied the seam is like saying that you copied the shape of a mug. 
Betty

There are several potters who show their seams on mugs and bowls. I can't think of names off of the top of my head, but I follow a few on Instagram. Saying that you copied the seam is like saying that you copied the shape of a mug. 
Betty

Yes, stunning work and thank you for sharing the process as well. 
Betty

My fingers! Seriously, they are my favorite pottery tools. 
Betty