mel jacobson on thu 13 may 04
i am of a mind that far too often
folks get blinded by costs of tools
and equipment.
here is a story:
i was working on my advanced program
in painting at the u of minnesota..there
was a fine female painter that only worked
with paper. never used canvas and good
paint. she was a very talented painter.
she drove a new car, had a big diamond...
i said one day `why don't you use canvas
and good paint`.
she said....`it is too expensive, i cannot
afford it`.
i said. `go to hell, sell your 125 dollar shoes
and buy paint`.
she was offended.
we often forget that buying good art supplies,
good tools and things that are necessary to
be an artist/ craftsman is the step that takes
us to quality work. it is called commitment.
many never make that step.
i am frugal, i will fix up things that others throw
away. my two electric kilns are from 1966. but,
they work perfectly. i have a walker pug mill, good
wheels...6 of them. i have a studio.
everything i own for my claywork has come from
profit selling pots. including a wonderful studio.
i buy good quality glaze materials, good clay. and
still compound my own claybody...that meets my
needs. i have to do that. i cannot use clay ready
made from a box. it is what makes my work
`my work`.
i joke about david hendley, but admire him beyond
most on this list. he builds and makes things from
almost nothing. but, remember, he is one talented,
smart, resourceful person. he has extreme commitment
to his craft. he is to be admired, but not always copied.
to build a pug mill from scratch may take you a year.
same for building a potters wheel.
go buy one, then take that year and make pots and sell
them. pay for the equipment once. then you have
years to make a profit from that purchase.
that is how one runs a business. start up cost,
production costs, time, years of service, profit.
would i make ridatick patches? hell no, i sell them.
i would be a fool to learn to make medical patches...someone
already knows how. she is a pro/and i pay her to do it.
that is good business.
i make pots, i buy quality things to help me make
quality pots. i have pride in my clay business. i do
not worry about cost of production....i worry about
how much time i can get on the wheel, and make pots.
it is never about selling pots, it is always a problem
getting quality time to make pots.
many have it wrong. upside down. they worry
about the wrong things.
get to work, make pots, sell them and buy good
stuff to make more.
mel
soft rain, cone 8 is starting over.
kiln is in perfect balance. you can feel
it firing.
with all the studio fires reported lately, i am
thinking caution. check everything twice.
just like flying a plane. make sure you know
what is happening.
then, check again.
i have painted my ceiling with `firepaint`...i spray
the walls and ceiling with a mist of water from
a garden sprayer. do that about 5 times during the firing.
i have 5 fans moving air in my kiln room.
no tight corners to get hot.
caution is the name of the game.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
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