When Should You Start "earning"

[Chris Campbell]

I will be interested in watching Mea's calculations on how much she earns from her pottery.

Personally, I am hoping she is solidly in the BLACK at year end.

 

Reading her post started me thinking about a topic I heard debated at a recent pottery gathering ...

"When should potters begin to sell their pots and earn money from them?".

 

There is so much pressure for new potters to get out and sell ... from friends, family and fellow potters.

It almost seems like you are forced to leave the learning part and jump into the pro part before you properly get

a good solid foundation.

 

Just like kids who get put on competitive sports teams before they have mastered the basic skills ... do we really

need to be 'players' before we can call ourselves potters?

 

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

[GEP]

Chris,

 

Thanks for your good wishes about my project. I hope to be soundly in the black too!

 

I agree there are lots of talented potters who are being pressured to make money, usually by well-meaning relatives who don't know that it's not realistic for most potters. Sometimes this is because the potter's household is feeling financial strain, and this is the wrong situation to try professional pottery. (Realistically, the smart thing to do in that situation is to find a regular job.) The right time for launching a business is when you have a surplus of funds, time, and energy.

Here's my advice to anyone who is thinking of "going pro" ...

 

The only way to know if people will buy your pots is to try it.

 

 

Start small ... farmer's market is an excellent choice ... and work your way up slowly to bigger venues if you are having success at the small venues.

 

Give yourself time ... it takes a long time to develop this kind of business. A common mistake is when someone expects big money right away, then they get discouraged and quit.

 

Give yourself a time LIMIT ... depending on your financial resources ... if you are still digging a money pit after "X" years, then be honest with yourself. This is not a failure, this is a worthwhile exploration. I equate it with trying to open a restaurant. Most of them will fail, and it's usually not about the quality of the food. There's a lot of honor in "putting yourself out there" whether you make it or not.

 

-Mea