Lily Krakowski on thu 14 aug 03
Real big platters are kept under the spare-guest-room bed. A few weeks ago
I got a biggie out for a salad for lunch guests. As I have not put the
platter back yet, and have a nice jar of Taratoor in the fridge, I am
willing to stick my neck out and have it chopped off and served on platter
(vide supra)
A nice new potter in financial straits just wrote about lacking money to
enter shows although she is good enough, and has been accepted in some. She
needs the $ from shows to buy supplies to make pots....
And I ask WHY?
I have never been reticent about my feelings about juried shows (as
distinguished from invitationals) and nothing yet has changed my views.
But here we have a nice woman who, because of financial difficulties, cannot
sell her ware...Entrance fees; booth fees; shipping fees....
WHY WHY WHY
If you are new to clay you are new to clay. Nothing wrong with that. And
for one you do not need to fire everything you make. Make pots for three
weeks, keep them all, then select the very best and bisque those. Keep the
bisque till you have two kilnfulls and select the best and glaze and fire
those. There is no law that you have to fire every pot you make, and you
save a lot of $$$ reclaiming greeware, and not glazing bisque (use it as
test pots)
Find a way to market your pots that costs you nothing. Canvas your
neighborhood, your town and find shops that will take your work on
consignment. If your mother lives in another town and you visit her, allow
time to visit shops there. Ditto for your sibs. A young potter friend (no
longer potting, but not for lack of sales) took a basket of pots with her
wherever she went. Visited a few shops, sold a few pots, generally came
back empty handed.
Think up a scheme --Thanksgiving pots, Christmas pots. Get together with
others and have a home show, or a lawn sale....Maybe your church bazaar --
Start small....
If something works for you, exploit it. If you love making piggy banks make
customized ones. If you like making inscribed plates make those--Happy
Birthday Mitzie! Then try a small ad; word of mouth; again: a church bazaar
and have your cards there. You should be able to sell a few plates or piggy
banks with common names on them....
Save entering shows till you have extra $, are feeling competitive, don't
mind being rejected, don't mind being poorer.
Meanwhile HUGSHUGSHUGSHUGSHUGSHUGS TO THE POWER OF INFINITY.
Lili Krakowski
P.O. Box #1
Constableville, N.Y.
(315) 942-5916/ 397-2389
Be of good courage....
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