lili krakowski on tue 23 dec 03
Andrew:
November 1985 I had a Comment in CM. It was called "Taking Care of=20
Reality". In the intervening years I have not changed my mind. =20
Indeed a number of people have written me they learned from it.=20
Not trying to prove how right I am, just that the theme of supporting=20
oneself as a potter comes up again and again and again.
I do not think supporting oneself as a potter is any indication of some =
sort of merit.=20
Look at the Dog Poop ornament Wayne mentions. Does the person who =
originated it make big bucks on it? Sure. Is it anything one wants to =
be associated with? NO!
Everyone who asks that "can I support myself as a potter...." question =
is really asking: " On how little can I live?" Ok. And everyone who =
complains about how little potters make, and why don't people pay more =
for fine handcrafts, and so on, are really saying "Why must potters who =
want to live entirely off their pottery be reduced to poverty?"
No one can have any idea whether you can do it. And a goodly number who =
claim they live off their potting have some other source of income. =
"Income" here used loosely. Some have pensions, or similar. Some have =
inherited money. Some have spouses who have good jobs and good incomes. =
Some "baby sit" others' property and have free housing. Even having =
a close relative or good friend who is an MD or DDS helps.
You say you are sick of your regular job. Ok. But you also speak of a =
family, a wife. You seem world weary and fantacizing about a nicer =
life....Pretty normal.
When we first moved upstate we admired a local hardware store--a =
beautiful old place--and commented to the owner how lucky he was etc. =
He gave a dry little laugh and said: All you city folk come here and =
think how great it would be to own and run a country hardware store. =
Ha! You have no idea how hard it is....
OK. And the same applies to B & Bs, and to small-town newspapers, and =
to tea rooms....all sound so great but the nitty gritty is --well-- =
pretty nitty gritty.
If your wife can pay the heavy bills then why not try to cut your =
present job down to part-time and see how it goes? Or why not take a =
course in something that can be done part time and allow you some income =
besides clay? Bartending is one idea I always thought good. Or night =
watchmnan.
Another thing I would suggest is that you contact some people whom you =
know to be full time, self-supporting potters--and I mean people who =
started out as that, who did not come to full-time clay after teaching =
or some other career--and go talk to them face to face. I know a couple =
who CLAIM to be full-time potters--but they have spouses who support the =
kids and the house, or part time jobs that pay very well, etc.
And, meanwhile, in your part time potting, pretend to be a full-time =
production potter. So for the next few MONTHS spend every studio hour =
making one single item over and over again. Try for 100 mugs; 100 =
plates and so on...Or, as a production potter I know does, figure out =
how maximally to fill your kiln, (6 10"bowls, 5 casseroles, a dozen =
mugs...) and do that several times over. See if you like it.=20
I wish you the best. Hope that in a few years you can write and tell =
me I am a pessimistic idiot...
Penelope on tue 23 dec 03
I have enjoyed reading all these responses about being a full time potter
and supporting oneself. However, I am willing to admit I don't want to do
that.
I love doing pottery - don't get me wrong. But I also love my day job. I am
currently an education assistant but took a leap and applied to teachers
college 3 weeks ago. It will mean no salary for a year and homework (ugh). I
can do it for a year if it means nearly doubling my salary when I am done.
I don't want to go without - I admit it. I like cable T.V., cars that look
good and don't stall out all the time, a house that is cleaned by someone
else (my studio I can keep clean - my house??), kids with new clothes which
are sometimes name brands and food that is not grown in my backyard (I have
a brown thumb). I am not a primal mommy!! (no offence intended Kelly!)
I enjoy being able to go into the garage/studio when I have time and feel
the need to make what I want. Granted I give a lot away as gifts but I enjoy
being able to do that. I sell through our Potters Guild sales and at the
local Pioneer Village where I set up a studio every summer and recreate a
period production pottery. I could not do this full time - I am not a
solitary worker. I need to be able to chat to people throughout the day. Yes
I know that being a potter is not all throwing, kiln loading and glazing.
That marketing and business work comes into it. That there are times during
a day when you have to talk to people whether you want to or not.
I just know that I really like what I am doing now, I like what it gives me
(the salary and the other rewards, not so tangible) and I like being around
people all day (colleagues, students and parents).
Just my two cents,
=o) =o) =o) =o) =o) =o)
Penni Stoddart
Literacy Education Assistant
Potter
London, Ontario
Sometimes we just need to remember what the rules of life
really are... You need only two tools: WD-40 and duct tape.
If it doesn't move and it should, use WD-40. If it moves and
shouldn't, use the duct tape.
John Rodgers on tue 23 dec 03
Lili, you are right on on many points here.
For quite a number of years I made my living full time in ceramic work,
working with a partner. Together we supported two families. It was
rough, even though the business was fairly big and the turnover of
dollars was big, the take home pay was not that much. Yet neither of us
would have thought of giving it up. There were positive aspects that
offset the negative aspects. For us, the positives made the living at a
lower income level acceptable, though not easy. The hope was that growth
would bring us out of the negatives.
Nowadays, I have a pension that provides primary income, and is
supplemented by income from clay and mold work. It is a happy
arrangement. At this point in my life I am a studio potter with a bent
for production. I maintain my operation as a one man show, and don't
want it any bigger. Don't want the headaches of a larger operation.
BTDT!!! I have come to an age where I don't want to be bothered with
meeting the requirements of standard business practices. Punch in at 8
am and punch out at 5 pm. As a self-employed potter, if I get up in the
morning and it starts off as a bad hair day, accompanied by aches,
pains and the general ague, I don't HAVE to go to work to satisfy some
boss somewhere. If I can in the course of several hours in the morning ,
after several cups of coffee, some aspirin, vitamin pills, etc., get
all the body parts to function in a coordinated manner, and the brain
comes back on line by noon, then it may be that I will have a very long
and productive afternoon and evening, working way into the night because
by then I'm feeling really good and want to stay with it. THIS is what
it is all about for me. Pursuing my love of clay on my timetable,
according to the demands and dictates of my body. Not those of some boss
somewhere.
I have no significant other at this time to add financial support, so it
as all up to me. There is some pressure there, especially if I get sick
or something. But if one has a spouse or life partner, or business
partner, and that person has a STEADY income that can cover all the
routine monthly bills and stuff, then more's better. It makes the up and
down nature of clay work and sales come out a little better. The latter
is very hard to do if there is no stability to the income level so
routine monthly bills including food and other things can be taken care of.
Just my $0.02
Regards,
John Rodgers
Chelsea, AL
lili krakowski wrote:
> Andrew:
>
>November 1985 I had a Comment in CM. It was called "Taking Care of
>Reality". In the intervening years I have not changed my mind.
>Indeed a number of people have written me they learned from it.
>
>Not trying to prove how right I am, just that the theme of supporting
>oneself as a potter comes up again and again and again.
>
>I do not think supporting oneself as a potter is any indication of some sort of merit.
>Look at the Dog Poop ornament Wayne mentions. Does the person who originated it make big bucks on it? Sure. Is it anything one wants to be associated with? NO!
>
>Everyone who asks that "can I support myself as a potter...." question is really asking: " On how little can I live?" Ok. And everyone who complains about how little potters make, and why don't people pay more for fine handcrafts, and so on, are really saying "Why must potters who want to live entirely off their pottery be reduced to poverty?"
>
>No one can have any idea whether you can do it. And a goodly number who claim they live off their potting have some other source of income. "Income" here used loosely. Some have pensions, or similar. Some have inherited money. Some have spouses who have good jobs and good incomes. Some "baby sit" others' property and have free housing. Even having a close relative or good friend who is an MD or DDS helps.
>
>You say you are sick of your regular job. Ok. But you also speak of a family, a wife. You seem world weary and fantacizing about a nicer life....Pretty normal.
>
>When we first moved upstate we admired a local hardware store--a beautiful old place--and commented to the owner how lucky he was etc. He gave a dry little laugh and said: All you city folk come here and think how great it would be to own and run a country hardware store. Ha! You have no idea how hard it is....
>
>OK. And the same applies to B & Bs, and to small-town newspapers, and to tea rooms....all sound so great but the nitty gritty is --well-- pretty nitty gritty.
>
>If your wife can pay the heavy bills then why not try to cut your present job down to part-time and see how it goes? Or why not take a course in something that can be done part time and allow you some income besides clay? Bartending is one idea I always thought good. Or night watchmnan.
>
>Another thing I would suggest is that you contact some people whom you know to be full time, self-supporting potters--and I mean people who started out as that, who did not come to full-time clay after teaching or some other career--and go talk to them face to face. I know a couple who CLAIM to be full-time potters--but they have spouses who support the kids and the house, or part time jobs that pay very well, etc.
>
>And, meanwhile, in your part time potting, pretend to be a full-time production potter. So for the next few MONTHS spend every studio hour making one single item over and over again. Try for 100 mugs; 100 plates and so on...Or, as a production potter I know does, figure out how maximally to fill your kiln, (6 10"bowls, 5 casseroles, a dozen mugs...) and do that several times over. See if you like it.
>
> I wish you the best. Hope that in a few years you can write and tell me I am a pessimistic idiot...
>
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