clennell on wed 12 jul 06
David H wrote:
> Tony, and Tom, and now Elizabeth have been making it
> sound like all you have to do is charge higher prices for your
> work and, voila, you make more money. As Paul Robeson sings
> in Porgy and Bess, "The things that you're liable to read in the
> Bible, it ain't necessarily so."
David: Where did you read me say all you have to do is charge higher prices?
I increased my prices after realizing there is a lot more to our pots than
others around us.
There is way more money in making mugs every day. Hell, there's more money
working at the Post Office. If it's for the money, then the postie job comes
with bennies. My mum still has my first thrown pot dated 1956. that makes me
a thrower for 50 years. Hell, I've paid my dues and ought to get prices
equal to my students. The conversation I'm having with Tom is this- it is
what I call the black canvas. After a dozen years he's facing it. I can make
these hands do what i tell them to do, but I don't know what to tell them to
do.
Some face the black canvas and get out bright colours and do Elvis
paintings or make some clever novelty pot that is new to their customers.
Easy solution to the black canvas.
To subsidize my elitist views on clay and my riskier approach to pot
making, I teach, Sheila teaches, we retail, wholesale, consign, do
workshops, make and sell videos, write articles, apply for grants, jury
exhibitions and sell large Atlantic pumpkins, squash and gourds. It is quite
a mix of assignments. When I left cottage country I vowed I would make only
the pots I want to make. I have held a steady course in sometimes turbulent
waters.
I could make my life easier making straight forward no risk, no nonsense
pots but I'd be as unhappy as being a postie. Fact is I'd rather be the
postie.
I've never read the bible and it ain't on my reading list.
cheers,
tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
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