shawnhar Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 Normally I have no attachment but there have been several pieces in the last few months that I wish would have stayed around longer because they looked great to me and I priced them higher, they all sold immediately and my display is left with the "boring" work. How do you deal with/feel about the ones that are "elevated"? Babs, Rae Reich and dnarthun 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 5 hours ago, shawnhar said: Normally I have no attachment but there have been several pieces in the last few months that I wish would have stayed around longer because they looked great to me and I priced them higher, they all sold immediately and my display is left with the "boring" work. How do you deal with/feel about the ones that are "elevated"? Sounds like a great QOTW! Kelly in AK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graybeard Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 QOTW?? Roberta12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly in AK Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 Question of the week. Roberta12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 (edited) Last year's Open Studio event, to my eye, a medium jar was the "best of show." A well-known watercolor artist (well known locally) visiting my Studio, was reaching for that jar before finishing her first sweep of the main display with her eyes. "Oh, I'm taking this one." The following weekend, well-known local potters (I believe they do more volume than any other Los Osos potters...) visiting my Studio reached for the teapot set right away. "I want this." It was, my opinion, the "best of show" at that point. I did feel bit sorry to see them go; on the other hand, I still feel a glow that someone else saw the same "best pot" that I was seeing. Edited January 29, 2023 by Hulk one bit, better than two Roberta12, Callie Beller Diesel, dnarthun and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 has happened to me. and then realized i forgot to take photos. take photos of everything!!! hard to remember sometimes what made something new so special!! dnarthun, Rae Reich and LeeU 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 i thought the huge, black platter with a pink swirl would be my most visible piece at a show back in the 90s. visibility counts in a 2 day show where there are many crafts available for the buyers. when i set it up on the top shelf, i turned around to get another pot and saw a man about 50 feet away look at it and begin to walk fast toward me. he bought it before i had a chance for a photo. fortunately, he set the tone for that event and i sold most of my work. Roberta12, Babs, Rae Reich and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 (edited) Over time I realized that the idea that someone would enjoy something I made was the feel good I enjoyed most. So sold or given as a gift I am addicted -zero regrets. Now finding out something is resold at a profit ………… that definitely puts a damper on the feel good part. Edited January 29, 2023 by Bill Kielb dnarthun, LeeU and Roberta12 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 If I really loved a piece, I gave/sold it to someone who I could visit. Never give your family pots you don’t care if you see again, unless they’re clumsy. If you like looking at it, keep it around a while, unless you need the money. I mostly kept seconds and sold firsts, but there are a few that make me feel good and I’m glad I kept them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 No regrets about this! I’m at at the point where I’ve made so many, I just don’t have physical space to keep them. I do dislike it when there’s voids in a display, but that just means I have to make something else to fill it. I love knowing that pieces have new lives in other homes. Usually my “space filler” pieces are ones that I’m pretty proud of, and I want someone else to like it too. Pres, Roberta12, Rae Reich and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 my daughter sells her handmade cards at a monthly sale near us, and i give her my seconds to sell at low prices. she just loves talking to the people who come to the event, and the more stuff she has, the better for her. it works really well. Rae Reich and Roberta12 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 7 hours ago, Rae Reich said: Never give your family pots you don’t care if you see again, unless they’re clumsy. The pots or the family? Maybe both? I have regretted selling a few pots. One was a sculpture I made in school, the other pots were all soda fired pots that I don't get the opportunity to make very often. Callie Beller Diesel and Rae Reich 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 interesting. i give my family (four kids), any pots they show an interest in. why not? my youngest daughter had a good number of my pieces (mostly plates) when her house burned down (Bastrop fire in TX), and she has always missed them. It is always interesting to hear what their friends say about the pottery. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 I have found that if I really loved a piece, and there are a few, I would set the price at a value that I really felt that it was worth. Often around $500, some sold and others I still have and still display in the house. Funny about gifting family. . . years ago I used to gift pots, as I could not afford nice gifts. Over the years the quality of my work changed, and the value of nice gifts went up to where my pots were nicer gifts!. Most of my folks are happy to have a nice teapot, colander, fish dish or casserole for two. My one sister has a high shelf that has nothing but her brothers fine ware. best, Pres Callie Beller Diesel, Rae Reich, Babs and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnhar Posted January 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 Well I am not up to the level of many of you but every so often I really like the way a mug works out. I make one or two "experimental" every time I throw a big batch of mugs. Anyway I feel like those that do work really elevate the look of my display and I just wish they would stay around longer for that contribution. Rae Reich and LeeU 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 I don't get very attached to my work, I am a process oriented person. I like the process of making it but once it is finished I can let go of it. I think I am this way because of my childhood. I had four sisters and we lived in a 600 sq. ft. house. We each had a drawer for our clothes and toys, we would have to clean it out every month and give the toys we hadn't played with recently to the salvation army. Denice Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 I think it can be worth holding onto a piece that you think is the start of something interesting in your work, or that you want to look at for a while so an idea can percolate. When you’re ready to sell it, you don’t have to tell people when you made the experiment. It’s not like pottery has an expiry or best before date. Pres, Rae Reich and Magnolia Mud Research 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oompafoxfernpeas Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 I try to focus on the pieces that I do have, and use them to create interesting and dynamic displays. I also keep an eye out for new pieces that can help me elevate my displays and draw attention to them. At the same time, I accept that some pieces will come and go quickly, and that's part of the fun of the business. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnarthun Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 On 1/28/2023 at 2:50 PM, grackle said: has happened to me. and then realized i forgot to take photos. take photos of everything!!! hard to remember sometimes what made something new so special!! I am so bad at remembering to take photos! I often take photos while I'm at shows, because the pieces are out and on display Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted January 31, 2023 Report Share Posted January 31, 2023 15 hours ago, dnarthun said: I am so bad at remembering to take photos! I find the best way around this is to either do it the day/ day after they come out of the kiln, or after you unpack after a show. The first is preferable, because you don’t miss the stuff that gets sold. But some photos are better than no photos. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 (edited) I already commented, but later the topic got me thnking about whether I did have a piece I regret having been sold. I remembered a sentimental favorite from when I was in art school. Gas-fired terra cotta, no glaze. I made this for my parents--representing my maternal grandmother who would sit on her porch to "snap beans" for dinner. It was sold when my last parent died and everything was being licquidated. I was in a bad place at the time and couldn't deal with wanting anything, or driving south for 5 hours to get anything, and so it is gone. But I found a photo!! Edited February 1, 2023 by LeeU shawnhar, dnarthun, Babs and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnarthun Posted February 7, 2023 Report Share Posted February 7, 2023 On 1/31/2023 at 7:22 AM, Callie Beller Diesel said: I find the best way around this is to either do it the day/ day after they come out of the kiln, or after you unpack after a show. The first is preferable, because you don’t miss the stuff that gets sold. But some photos are better than no photos. I work on a pretty tight schedule, so often there's not really the time before the show to take photos, and usually if it's something I want photos for, it all sells at the show. But I am planning to take some of my downtime to fire and do photography without having to rush things off to a show right afterwards Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted February 7, 2023 Report Share Posted February 7, 2023 I definitely recommend working a half day into your schedule to document new work if you can. My photo set up is in between my kiln and where I pack pots for shows. They come out of the kiln, into the kitchen for quick pics, and into bins. The more lead time you can grant yourself the lower the stress levels. Rae Reich and shawnhar 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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