lili krakowski on fri 26 dec 03
Whenever the topic comes up, we all dance around the painful reality =
that making choices always means giving up something of value to gain =
something else of value. You contemplate a plateful of chocolate =
goodies, and consider giving up your waistline. You have a great job =
which pays badly, do you take a hateful job that pays well? Friend's =
comment that life is a series of unsatisfactory choices has remained =
true in the half century since she said it....(Sob stories on request!)
Countless potters have decided to live off clay--and then: spouses who =
loved the romantic idea bailed out (vide all the Flower Children who =
opted for the Simple Life together and then split) Age demanded such =
"luxuries" as central heating (I no longer can lug coal buckets) . =
Children need braces, glasses, and broader educational opportunities =
such as concerts and plays, and participation in activities that all =
cost money--even if only a little. Accidents or illness --no need to =
elaborate, but one of the finest craftsmen of my generation had to give =
up his dream when his wife was seriously injured and SHE had to change =
careers.
This all is not said to be discouraging. Au contraire. If I were asked =
outright my first suggestion would be the one someone made this morning: =
gather a war chest. Right. Spend two three years living on what you =
think you can make as a potter. If that means going from $100,000 you =
make as a rocket scientist to $17,000 you expect to make as a potter, DO =
IT. See if you can. If your spouse and children can. Have that =
argument with your teenager NOW. "I know all the other kids are going =
to the Mall/ Florida/Vale/kayaking but we cannot afford it" Test your =
friends; what happens if your 5 year old goes to a birthday party and =
brings "only" some homemade cookies. Or your child has a party that has =
no hired clown, no "outing" etc. Test yourself--going from Armani or =
Chanel to the Salvation Army or Thrift Shop or Wal-Mart may not suit =
you...DO NOT CHEAT. Your parents/in-laws may be amused and generous =
now--will they always be? =20
Most of us on this list come from middle-class backgrounds. Yes, some =
come from farming communities where terms such as middle-class fit =
badly, but still most of us come from a certain cultural/social level. =
It used to be an easier level to maintain than now. For one, a lot of =
ministers, doctors, teachers, professors, were also on a low economic =
rung. Even lawyers! Today it cost a lot more even to be poor....So to =
raise children with our own cultural values is not as easy as once it =
was. =20
Whoever makes whatever decision, all good wishes. God go with you...
Bonnie/Jeremy Hellman on fri 26 dec 03
Hi Everyone,
IMHO Lili's advice here is right on point, as usual, and very direct, as
usual. Karen Gringhuis also had good advice the other day, and I've cut and
pasted her email below Lili's posting.
One thing I'd add is that maybe the choice is not black and white. Maybe the
choice is not "a hateful job that pays well" or "a great job that pays
badly". Maybe the choice could be an enjoyable, stimulating job that pays
the bills and frequently allows you time and energy for clay.
This does not give you 100% of your time for clay, but nor does it give you
that "living dangerously" if there is no financial safety net in your life.
It's definitely a compromise, but it is an option that will work for many.
Indeed many people on this listserv have gone that route by teaching or
running ceramics businesses of one sort or another. When you're teaching,
you're not making your own pieces all the time, even though you are working
with clay. You may even qualify for benefits (health, pension, unemployment)
if you teach full time as an employee at a public school or college.
On the bright side, not trying to earn a living making ceramics allows you
to make ONLY what you want to make. Call it a hobby, but don't sneer at it.
The IRS defines hobby as an activity without a profit motive. That's not a
value judgment, just a statement that you may be regularly spending more
money on the activity than you are realizing from selling the things you
make.
The truth is that many so called business people including ceramic artists,
end up earning far below minimum wage per hour, which is a very difficult
and potentially financially stressful way to live if that's your only
income. Happy but poor is indeed a choice that we can make, but wouldn't it
be better to be happy with enough money to live on and have a little (or a
large) financial cushion?
Or you can follow David Hendley's advice and "Marry Well" as long as you are
happy in the marriage.
So if you weren't born into a wealthy family, didn't divorce well, or have a
mate with a "regular" salaried job, there may be a number of options you
should consider besides ceramics "all or nothing". Karen's
suggestions on doing the financial analysis to see how your pottery would
function as a business are excellent and practical, and well worth the time.
There's a joke that periodically makes the rounds about the new
multi-million dollar lottery winner who's asked what she will do with the
money. The answer is that she will keep operating her ceramics business.....
until the winning money is all gone. This would be very funny if it
weren't all too often true.
Bonnie
----- Original Message -----
From: "lili krakowski"
To:
Sent: Friday, December 26, 2003 11:17 AM
Subject: Painful choices/ was Young potter needs advice
Whenever the topic comes up, we all dance around the painful reality that
making choices always means giving up something of value to gain something
else of value. You contemplate a plateful of chocolate goodies, and
consider giving up your waistline. You have a great job which pays badly,
do you take a hateful job that pays well? Friend's comment that life is a
series of unsatisfactory choices has remained true in the half century since
she said it....(Sob stories on request!)
Countless potters have decided to live off clay--and then: spouses who
loved the romantic idea bailed out (vide all the Flower Children who opted
for the Simple Life together and then split) Age demanded such "luxuries"
as central heating (I no longer can lug coal buckets) . Children need
braces, glasses, and broader educational opportunities such as concerts and
plays, and participation in activities that all cost money--even if only a
little. Accidents or illness --no need to elaborate, but one of the finest
craftsmen of my generation had to give up his dream when his wife was
seriously injured and SHE had to change careers.
This all is not said to be discouraging. Au contraire. If I were asked
outright my first suggestion would be the one someone made this morning:
gather a war chest. Right. Spend two three years living on what you think
you can make as a potter. If that means going from $100,000 you make as a
rocket scientist to $17,000 you expect to make as a potter, DO IT. See if
you can. If your spouse and children can. Have that argument with your
teenager NOW. "I know all the other kids are going to the Mall/
Florida/Vale/kayaking but we cannot afford it" Test your friends; what
happens if your 5 year old goes to a birthday party and brings "only" some
homemade cookies. Or your child has a party that has no hired clown, no
"outing" etc. Test yourself--going from Armani or Chanel to the Salvation
Army or Thrift Shop or Wal-Mart may not suit you...DO NOT CHEAT. Your
parents/in-laws may be amused and generous now--will they always be?
Most of us on this list come from middle-class backgrounds. Yes, some come
from farming communities where terms such as middle-class fit badly, but
still most of us come from a certain cultural/social level. It used to be
an easier level to maintain than now. For one, a lot of ministers,
doctors, teachers, professors, were also on a low economic rung. Even
lawyers! Today it cost a lot more even to be poor....So to raise children
with our own cultural values is not as easy as once it was.
Whoever makes whatever decision, all good wishes. God go with you...
____________________________________________________________________________
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melpots@pclink.com.
Andy -
You've already gotten lots of good advice. But I'll
add mine anyway.
If you're in a day job situation complete with full
benefits, I suggest you do some serious numbers
crunching before bailing out to support yourself from
your work. How much will you pay to buy health
insurance on your own? To maintain a 401K, how much
income must you gross? Consulting a financial planner
even at a young age is a great idea REGARDLESS of your
decision.
(My sister bailed out of a fully tenured faculty
position to start her own consulting business. Her
gross shrinks with the speed of light when the above
is covered. It's not a pretty sight.)
And ask some very tough qns. starting with "is your
work GOOD enough?" How many pots will you have to
sell at what average price and markup? Where and how
do you plan to sell them? How many days work will this
represent? A prof once workde this out for me and it
was something like a 36 hr. day in an 8 day week!
What, if anything, will happen to the quality of your
work to meet a production schedule?
How much money do you need in a war chest to allow you
to work how long until you get some money coming in?
This is assuming you already have a complete studio
set up and ready to roll.
Particularly with regard to art fairs, if you don't
understand the concept of cost accounting, have your
accountant or tax preparer walk you thru it. As a
potential small business person, you will need one or
the other. And make no mistake, you will indeed be
running a small business complete with siginificant
time absorbed by marketing your work.
In his essay in the "21st Century Ceramics" show
catalog,John Glick says yes it can be done. The BEST
advice I ever heard came from Dave Hendley in his Clay
Times article (find it on-line?) "marry well" - and
he's NOT kidding. Ask Hank Murrow whose devoted wife
Bev has taught (?) for many years i.e. has provided
the benefits for the family, plus significant income.
One last question - what are your alternatives? Are
there ways to be involved with clay other than
supporting oneself from ones work? When initially in
your situation, I first taught myself to photograph
pots thinking this would generate income. I never
pursued this intensely - primarily because, as Dave
says, I married very well.
Look at everything with a very rational mind. Keep up
the good work and good luck.
=====
Karen Gringhuis
KG Pottery
Box 607 Alfred NY 14802
Bonnie Staffel on sun 28 dec 03
Hi Clayarters,
The attitude I carried throughout my life has always been, when one is given
a lemon, make lemonade. It has given me a wealth of experiences that I
might not have had without taking the choice I made. I really think that I
have a guardian angel on my shoulder as I have been led down a wonderful
path throughout my life. I have had some bad choices, but while going
through them, chalked it up to a learning experience. One must walk a rocky
road sometimes to give you the strength to make right choices. If you think
about it, every day you make choices, maybe not monumental, but the very act
of making something from clay, your choice creates a great piece, or a dud.
But you learn more from the dud than you did from the great piece.
If I had not taken a vacation trip from Ohio to Houston during the war,
riding that long trip sitting on my suitcase because the troops were being
transported on the same trains, I even had to sleep on the floor, I would
not have found an art school that I talked my father into sending me. If he
had made a different choice, who knows where I would be today. If my
failing marriage hadn't given me the opportunity to go to the Campbell folk
School for a change in my career, giving up the security of my own studio,
what opportunities and learning I would have missed. While there I used all
my previous experiences to make the job a new one leading me to teaching in
Denmark, traveling for the school to various parts of the world as well as
teaching at the school.
My husband was a frugal man so we rarely put money earned from our art sales
on our backs. We focused on upgrading our business and being clever, made a
good life for ourselves. We spent all of $35 installing lights and painting
the floor of the barn we purchased to make a gallery. The beach and local
farms and fields gave us loads of free materials to use for props and
ambiance. To make the choice to move and open our own gallery took five
years of research. So when we found our place, we knew it was right and
within an hour of checking out the property, signed the papers.
One needs to use the checks and balances of your research before you make a
move or decision. I am a great advocate of taking charge of one's own
future. We did the fairs, wholesale and our own gallery, then weeded out
the first two using them to advertise our gallery and then dedicated our
efforts towards making the gallery work. The assets I brought to our
business were marrying a clever and supportive man, studying typing and
business practices in college, working in hated jobs in offices where I
learned a lot about those politics, and keeping my goal of working as an
artist foremost in the choices that I made. I have been blessed with the
best lemonade.
I wish all of you great success wherever your choices take you. These times
may be just a bump in the road. Keep your goals in mind and work for them.
Thanks for listening. Bonnie Staffel, of Charlevoix, MI
http://pws.chartermi.net/~bstaffel/contactlinks.htm
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