QotW: In your pottery life, do you have any regrets about your journey with clay over the years?

[Pres]

Hi folks, since there is not new question in the QotW pool, I will pose one.  I am going to cheat on this one as there is a post recently about regrets selling a piece of potter. Since it is already asked once, not a good idea to post it again, but I will open it up a bit to repost.

QotW: In your pottery life, do you have any regrets about your journey with clay over the years?

Personally, I have had regrets over the years, that really changed as I got older. At first I regretted that I hadn't gone for my MFA, instead of a MS  in Art Education. At the time I was teaching large classes (30-35) in a large HS in central PA. I had a family, and there just wasn't anywhere nearby to get the degree that didn't require 2 yrs of residency. I couldn't do it. The ide of College teaching, and higher pay with more time with the clay was the draw, but providing for the family was the reality. Years later, I came to the realization that College teaching was not much greater than HS. . . .I taught grad courses for a local college in education along with undergrad courses. The same rules seemed to exist, college athletes got preferential treatment and even adults could be excessively lazy. As I got older and had more under my belt the pay increased, and the last ten years were great, and then retirement. . . .that to has been above my expectations.  I still miss the classroom so I help out on Saturdays in the Winter. . . . . Regrets? None now!

 

best,

Pres

[Mark C.]

I was planning on a MFA in as well Pres. It was suggested I take a year off and focus on clay at home in studio. The rest was history no regrets there .My only gripe is what its done to my wrist and hands 50 years of production has really taken its toll on my wrists-3 bones cut out on right wrist and one thumb bone on left hand. removed. My hands are not happy these days

Of course arthritis has also added to them not being happy.

My brother was a Art Prof at UC Santa Barbara for 25 years so I got lots of exposure to that way of life (all my family where teachers) I cut my own path and am happy with it. It was more work by far  than teaching and took much longer to get traction. I only have myself to answer to and I have done it all my way as Frank Sinatra would say. I have amassed a great retirement  when needed as well as I started that thought in the mid 80s as I knew that no pension was coming down my road.

When I want more $ I just worked more and hit the road selling more. 

No regrets -I think next time  around I may want a small Island in the tropics with a pier to tie up my boat and do more diving. Of course with climate change that may be in 5 years here in Humboldt County

[LeeU]

There are very few aspects of my life-the more serious, important stuff-that does not carry some regret. Some regrets have been very deep-decisions/circumstances responsible for major shifts in feast or famine, well-being , and very not-well being, relationships, work life, and living situations. Some regrets have been sorrowful learning experiences that somehow transcended everything bad and became fuel for positive change years later. My clay journey is not separate from expressing my world view, and my creative spirit, even tho I had to leave it by the wayside for many decades. I work to not regret the past (sometimes much easier said than done, but it is do-able) and as such, no, I have no regrets about my journey with clay.  Since I retired I have been able to waken it from hibernation and am very grateful to be enjoying it...like today, when I "allowed" myself to overlay & partly "brillo off" some  metallic acrylics on a glazed tray--been wanting to do that for a while! It gave me a rush to "just do it". 

[neilestrick]

Definitely. I made a lot of mistakes when setting up my business. I received all of my training in the university system, which at the time (1990-1997) was heavily focused on cone 10 reduction and selling in galleries.  So when I set up my gallery/studio/classroom in 2004, I did it the only way I knew how: I built a gas kiln, found galleries to sell my work, and taught my classes with the same methods I had learned in school. None of that worked out very well. Galleries were closing left and right, the gas kiln was not at all practical for my business, and students weren't interested in the rigorous class structure I was trained in. So after 4 years in my original location, I made the decision to radically alter my business model. I moved to a location that was about 1/3 of the size and got rid of the big gallery space. I stopped selling other artist's work, bought a couple of electric kilns, and changed the way I approach my classes. I also started doing art fairs, which were a big problem in the academic world I was trained in- they were the realm of hobby potters, not serious artists. I also started really advertising kiln repair services. Finally everything started to fall into place with my business, after 4 years of struggling.

So my big regret is that it took me a long time to see past my training and consider other ways of running my business. To be fair, it was a difficult time to open any small business. When I opened in 2004, traditional methods of advertising- print ads, phone books, etc- were on their way out and ridiculously expensive, but the internet hadn't quite picked up the slack yet. Facebook was just getting started, Instagram didn't exist yet, and DYI website builders were barely available and not very good. It was going to be difficult no matter what, but my  lack of flexibility made it worse. I should have started smaller, jumped into cone 6 from the start, and considered other methods of selling.

In regards to clay work itself, no regrets. I've focused on a lot of different techniques over the years, and every one has made me a better potter.

[JohnnyK]

The only regret that I have is not spending more time with my hands in the mud. Something I plan on changing soon...

[Hulk]

Have been thinking about this one for several days - no regrets.
I'm only five years in.

I keep cycling back to wish I'd started sooner, but then I like where I am now, so.
Having seen a live throwing demonstration (a very long time ago), I wanted to try that, and finally got around to it Spring 2018, as retirement was coming up (and happened much sooner than I'd anticipated) and I for sure wanted to stay busy - not just "busy" - err, vitally engaged.

Clay has provided vital engagement!
I love it.

[Denice]

There is a little bit of my life in everyone's answer,  life just gets in the way.   I am  just thankful that I am 70 and can still work with clay.   I am unloading my big kiln today  and  start glazing so I can fire tomorrow.  Who could ask  for more!   Denice