Christine Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 This is only marginally an "In the Studio" topic, but as it concerns needing to create in the studio, here we go .... I've recently joined a local craft co-operative where, in exchange for my time manning our unit, I am able to showcase and sell my pots. The trouble is, I can't take stuff to work on into the retail space - not because it's not allowed - many members take their crafts in to work on - but as we know "in progress" ceramic work doesn't travel well. This means I can only make when I'm not in the unit and I'm finding I cannot keep up! How do other members of this forum manage? I feel rather caught between delight at my sales, panic at having to replace stock and reduced time to actually make it. Previously, I chugged away in my studio making for three exhibitions and two open studio events each year and it's because the open studio circuit I'm on has called a halt to its events, that I decided to join the co-op. I pot because I love it. I sculpt and make individual ceramic pieces but, and maybe it's just an old lady thing, I worry I might be somehow drawn into producing cheap-and-cheerful just to keep turnover going. I would love to hear how you balance this need to create with the need to profit from your creations Kind regards Christine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Many of my students have wheels at home, but also work in my studio. Some do pieces start to finish in one location, others transport them back and forth. Leather hard pots transport pretty well, bone dry and wet pieces are more difficult. One of my students works in porcelain at my shop, stoneware at her home. Think about projects that you can do entirely at the shop, so you don't have to transport them. The struggle between creativity and money is a tough one. You've got to make a living! I make a lot of pots that aren't necessarily creative and innovative, but they do fit my personal rules for craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibility, and I can make them quickly and easily and sell them. I get creative when I have time. For me that means letting forms evolve, and trying new glaze combinations. I think we really get caught up in creativity and trying to constantly evolve when we're in school and learning the skills to make pots good enough to sell. That's what they push in school- creativity. It's a good thing, because you have the time and freedom then to push those boundaries. But the reality of the situation is that once you start selling, the creativity has to slow down in order to have the uniformity and consistency that becomes your brand. The brand can evolve, of course, but it tends to happen more slowly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Many of my students have wheels at home, but also work in my studio. Some do pieces start to finish in one location, others transport them back and forth. Leather hard pots transport pretty well, bone dry and wet pieces are more difficult. One of my students works in porcelain at my shop, stoneware at her home. Think about projects that you can do entirely at the shop, so you don't have to transport them. The struggle between creativity and money is a tough one. You've got to make a living! I make a lot of pots that aren't necessarily creative and innovative, but they do fit my personal rules for craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibility, and I can make them quickly and easily and sell them. I get creative when I have time. For me that means letting forms evolve, and trying new glaze combinations. I think we really get caught up in creativity and trying to constantly evolve when we're in school and learning the skills to make pots good enough to sell. That's what they push in school- creativity. It's a good thing, because you have the time and freedom then to push those boundaries. But the reality of the situation is that once you start selling, the creativity has to slow down in order to have the uniformity and consistency that becomes your brand. The brand can evolve, of course, but it tends to happen more slowly. Thank you for your helpful reply, Neil ... I would agree totally that I'm maybe too concerned with the "one-off"s which has been what I've done for more years than I care to remember, and I think too that I've been taken by surprise by my sales in a commercial environment Thank you again Christine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idaho Potter Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 When I lived in McCall I belonged to a co-op gallery where you had to do a stint as sales person at least three times a month. I, too, felt that I should be "doing something" while I sat there. Although I prefer to use underglazes on greenware, I started setting aside bisqued pots to work on at the gallery. That's also when I first started working with paper clay for my sculptures because that travels really well. Maybe not as productive as if I was working in the studio, but at least getting something done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 This is only marginally an "In the Studio" topic, but as it concerns needing to create in the studio, here we go .... I've recently joined a local craft co-operative where, in exchange for my time manning our unit, I am able to showcase and sell my pots. The trouble is, I can't take stuff to work on into the retail space - not because it's not allowed - many members take their crafts in to work on - but as we know "in progress" ceramic work doesn't travel well. This means I can only make when I'm not in the unit and I'm finding I cannot keep up! How do other members of this forum manage? I feel rather caught between delight at my sales, panic at having to replace stock and reduced time to actually make it. Previously, I chugged away in my studio making for three exhibitions and two open studio events each year and it's because the open studio circuit I'm on has called a halt to its events, that I decided to join the co-op. I pot because I love it. I sculpt and make individual ceramic pieces but, and maybe it's just an old lady thing, I worry I might be somehow drawn into producing cheap-and-cheerful just to keep turnover going. I would love to hear how you balance this need to create with the need to profit from your creations Kind regards Christine I used to teach adult classes in my classroom on Saturdays. Most of the people would bring a bin with a lid, then take unfinished pieces home. Over the years we found that we could take the lid of the bin, and screw a piece of plywood into it to really stiffen it up-depending one the lid shape put it inside or outside of the lid. Use that as the base, and then put the bin over the bottom. These worked very well to take things back and forth, and keep them damp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 Thank you, Pres - the bins sound like a good idea; and thank you, too, Idaho Potter - so good to know others have experienced my dilemma .... at the moment I'm expected to do a day each week, but hopefully that will reduce to a couple of times a month as members come home from time away/recover from flu etc Christine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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