John Rodgers on wed 27 oct 04
Dori, your concerns are reasonable.
I have been at clay art full time since 1986. Times have been good,=20
times have been bad. But I would do nothing else. I'm now age 65 and=20
going strong ... for the most part. I have no intention of ever quitting =
clay voluntarily. Health may eventually demand it, but other than=20
that... no way!
There are many ways to make your living in clay, but you need to do a=20
lot of reading about subjects not directly clay related to be successful =
- and exercise a lot of common sense. Subjects like marketing, sales,=20
production, organization, principles of distribution, etc, etc. These=20
will help you a lot. Give you some insights as to how it all works=20
together, from the small, one man shop to the largest factory. The=20
principles are pretty much the same. Along the way you will get a lot of =
advice, some good, some bad, but listen to it all, filter out what=20
applies to you and add it to what you are reading, and you will begin to =
develop your own methods that will work for your particular situation.
Some of the best advise I have heard yet on this mailing list was from=20
our own Mayor Mel Jacobson. He said essentially, draw a 50 mile radius=20
circle around where you live, learn the location of every store and=20
store owner, and there you have a ready made target market. Selling to=20
stores provides a more stable income than selling to the public. He is=20
right about that. I have done it both ways, and for income stability,=20
business to business sales is always best, so sales to stores will=20
provide the stability you need. If you like the fun, frolic, and=20
frantic doings of shows, then by all means do them, but stores will=20
always provide more income stability.=20
If art and clay art particular is in your heart, by all means, go for=20
it. You will be happier and more satisfied when working with what you=20
love. You will find that days of drudgery on a job you despise - hours=20
and hours of wanting the day to end so you can go home and get away from =
it, will be transformed in to long hard days of complete contentment,=20
and when you finally collapse into bed at night - or the wee hours of=20
the morning - you will sleep in peace and contentment - and even though=20
you have to begin again early next morning and put in a hard day, you=20
will still be refreshed and looking forward to the day.
Related to clay, two major things happened to me. When I went full time=20
to making a living at clay art, I knew I would never go back to my work=20
of the past. I was totally satisfied by my clay work. I knew I had=20
arrived at last in something that I wanted to do the rest of my days.=20
The next thing that happened was when I reached retirement age. I=20
realized I was never going to really stop working in clay. I crossed=20
over from the pressure of having to work, to working because I wanted=20
to. And since clay was my game, I was totally happy with the transition. =
The pressure of having to work was gone. Now I worked just because I=20
wanted to. I didn't HAVE to get up in the morning and go to work, but I=20
wanted to get up and get into my shop. I looked forward to the=20
excitement and discovery of each new day in clay.
So, I do say go for it .... and the very best of luck and success to you.=
Best regards,
John Rodgers
Chelsea, AL
Dori Grandstrand wrote:
>Greetings everyone,
> I am a relatively new potter who needs your help, namely, the questio=
n of whether and how to enter the marketplace with my pottery. About 4 y=
ears ago I took my first pottery class. Not being able to afford more cl=
asses, I launched into teaching myself, first with handbuilding, mold-mak=
ing, making my own glazes, and increased throwing. Although I am still r=
elatively slow at throwing, I know the only way to get better is to throw=
more and more. Shortly after I took my first class I went to work for a=
production potter as a studio tech (1 year), so the idea was planted in =
my head that yes, you can make a living at pottery.
> Now, 3 years later, I feel compelled to leave my part-time, boring, b=
ut oh-so-reliable job to do pottery only (yes, the free-fall syndrome). =
My motivation for taking on what could be very risky is because: 1) I sa=
w first-hand that it could be done; 2) As a life-long artist, I feel co=
mpelled to do it; 3) I'm tired of boring part-time jobs taking priority =
over my art (I can't tell you how many pots I've ruined because I couldn'=
t get back to them in time -- had to go to "work" at my "other" job and t=
hey dried out before I could get them trimmed!). BTW, I've found that "b=
oring" part-time jobs, no matter how well-paying, are any jobs which depr=
ive me of studio time. Besides, it's pretty hard to build inventory when=
you're working another job. Since I am just over 40 years old, I've bee=
n around long enough not to be too naive, but refuse to wait until I "ret=
ire" 25 years from now to do pottery exclusively.
> Can you give me some advice? Are any other potters pursuing this "fu=
ll-time"? How did you begin? My financial needs are modest, but I do ne=
ed to make about $12,000/yr. minimum. I already know the nightmare of sh=
ows -- how many you have to do before you find one that "pays off" -- th=
e potter I once worked for did 6 to 8 a year, so I know there are good on=
es, but I'm not sure I can afford the overhead (booth fees, booth equipme=
nt, etc.), nor do I think I can "compete" at the level of higher-end show=
s just yet. The catch 22 is, I know I'll never get there if I don't star=
t. I have sold a few things "here and there" at a few small shows and th=
rough friends, but what's next? Please help me with your suggestions for=
taking things to the next level in the marketplace, but still be able to=
pay a few bills.
> I know how important studio time is, so thanks in advance for your re=
sponse to this posting.
>--- Dori Grandstrand, Sultanarts Studio
>
>________________________________________________________________________=
______
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pcli=
nk.com.
>
>
> =20
>
Dori Grandstrand on wed 27 oct 04
Greetings everyone,
I am a relatively new potter who needs your help, namely, the question of whether and how to enter the marketplace with my pottery. About 4 years ago I took my first pottery class. Not being able to afford more classes, I launched into teaching myself, first with handbuilding, mold-making, making my own glazes, and increased throwing. Although I am still relatively slow at throwing, I know the only way to get better is to throw more and more. Shortly after I took my first class I went to work for a production potter as a studio tech (1 year), so the idea was planted in my head that yes, you can make a living at pottery.
Now, 3 years later, I feel compelled to leave my part-time, boring, but oh-so-reliable job to do pottery only (yes, the free-fall syndrome). My motivation for taking on what could be very risky is because: 1) I saw first-hand that it could be done; 2) As a life-long artist, I feel compelled to do it; 3) I'm tired of boring part-time jobs taking priority over my art (I can't tell you how many pots I've ruined because I couldn't get back to them in time -- had to go to "work" at my "other" job and they dried out before I could get them trimmed!). BTW, I've found that "boring" part-time jobs, no matter how well-paying, are any jobs which deprive me of studio time. Besides, it's pretty hard to build inventory when you're working another job. Since I am just over 40 years old, I've been around long enough not to be too naive, but refuse to wait until I "retire" 25 years from now to do pottery exclusively.
Can you give me some advice? Are any other potters pursuing this "full-time"? How did you begin? My financial needs are modest, but I do need to make about $12,000/yr. minimum. I already know the nightmare of shows -- how many you have to do before you find one that "pays off" -- the potter I once worked for did 6 to 8 a year, so I know there are good ones, but I'm not sure I can afford the overhead (booth fees, booth equipment, etc.), nor do I think I can "compete" at the level of higher-end shows just yet. The catch 22 is, I know I'll never get there if I don't start. I have sold a few things "here and there" at a few small shows and through friends, but what's next? Please help me with your suggestions for taking things to the next level in the marketplace, but still be able to pay a few bills.
I know how important studio time is, so thanks in advance for your response to this posting.
--- Dori Grandstrand, Sultanarts Studio
ccpottery@BELLSOUTH.NET on thu 28 oct 04
Dori -
The questions you are asking are so HUGE ...
My first advice would be to be sure there is a market for your product
before you quit the day job.
This is a terrific time of year to try a few Holiday type shows and get
some feedback from real buyers. Small local shows usually provide
you with a table and drapery so you can do them cheaply. Entry fees
are usually low as well. Do not try a large show until you get your feet
wet in a smaller venue.
Until you try selling, you have no idea whether or not your work can
support you ... the kind words of good friends and co-workers don't
count for predicting sales.
Speaking of supporting you ... you have to produce a LOT of work to
keep you fed and housed. Do the math.
Figure out how much pottery you could produce a month, what it
would cost to produce and fire ... how much to market it ...and how much
you could sell it for. Is it enough income?
If the math works out and the Holiday Shows produce strong sales then
I would recommend buying the expensive equipment such as a wheel
and a kiln before you leave the job.
Now, on behalf of working potters I have to tell you there are lots of
days when we can't get into our studios either. There are a million
little jobs such as paperwork, sales, marketing, photography,
shipping, purchasing, web design, sales calls ...
that can eat up days of your time. Some months it can get frustrating
to find you have spent less time in clay than in the office.
I don't ever tell people not to try their own clay business, but I do caution
people to make sure they want to do all of the work associated with it.
It is a hard way to make a living.
Making the pottery is only the tip of the iceberg.
That said, even though it sometimes makes me crazy ....
there is nothing else I would rather do.
Good Luck to You
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina - who has just spent a month going in circles.
The digital camera went bad so we could not get shots of the new work to put on
the internet sites ... the printer decided not to feed anymore so we could not mail
out the catalogs that bring in orders ... someone on clayart mentioned a photo box
that eliminates shadows so I had to get one .... now it sits un-ironed waiting for me
to get my butt in gear ... but I have stuff to make ... before I can fire ...before I can
shoot ...before I can print .... before I can post ... before I can mail .....
Chris Campbell Pottery, llc
9417 Koupela Drive
Raleigh, NC 27615
1-800-652-1008
FAX : 919-676-2062
E Mail : chris@ccpottery.com
Website : www.ccpottery.com
Wholesale : www.wholesalecrafts.com
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