mel jacobson on sun 6 aug 06
i just made the changes on my website to include
sales information.
i know...`give it up mel, it is a real world out there.`
but, i know for sure, that hawking pots, pushing pots
when you teach is a very bad standard.
soft and subtle works best....and workshop students
often write me and tell me how nice it is to not be
pushed and smashed into buying things when they
have paid to attend. some standards are good standards.
and, it is a very fine line.
some folks just can't wait to get pots from the presenter.
they start working you the minute you get on site. they
peer in your bags....`got any pots?`
and i always say the same thing...`what i have will come out
later...let's take care of the teaching first.`
remember, we that have taught public school have had
it drilled into us.
do not sell to students.
do not sell books and materials to students.
do not even show a film that has a coke can in it.
if you do, you will lose your job.
so.
it is an issue that is hard for me to break through.
david hendley and i had some long talks about sales
and teaching, while we were at `southern fried`.
we both sell, teach, write, exhibit, travel, do testing and
research. we both make do with our skills and ability
to do things ourselves..build, make things, repair and
create. it is `self relience`. we have a great deal
of respect for the students that come to us for help.
of the hundreds of folks that we have come in contact
with...and that includes hundreds of women...most
barely sell anything. i am sure that 80 percent of clayarters
do not sell much more than a thousand dollars a year. if that.
it is hobby, interest and passion. they could care less if
they use white sticky labels or tape. they just want sell
something. many do not have a clue...that is why i asked
the question about web sites. some think they have to
have complex expensive sites...and they have never sold
a thing in their life. it is the same for equipment...
kilns, pug mills, studios....they become obsessed with
stuff, and not understand that pots come first.
just like
selling insurance, your first customers are friends and neighbors.
it expands from there. i have made a lifetime of selling from
my home. very bad early experiences with galleries and consignment
turned me away from that. i took control of my own life. art
fairs became a hate issue with me. so, i did not do them.
i found a way, that fits me. and that is the only way anyone
can work. if it does not fit, find another way. i can't make pots
every day. i have tons of other things to do in my life. but,
i always go back to pots...always have.
i have worked my pottery as a `side bar` to my teaching.
but, i make almost a thousand pots a year, and sell them all.
it is much more than profit. it is a big profit. it has served my
family well for now 50 years. i am blessed to have insurance,
a great pension and good savings. it gives me a sense of
freedom.
i have always tried my best to support those that make
clay their full time job. i want clayart to understand what
a great sacrifice it takes to be a full timer. we have given
a huge platform to a few great potters, that work very hard
to make a living. in many cases, we have boosted careers.
we will continue to do that. i hope they find value in
what we do.
mel
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Chris Campbell on sun 6 aug 06
Mel said ...
> some folks just can't wait to get
pots from the presenter.
That is me !!
I am always so disappointed when
the teacher does not bring pots to
show and sell.
That is how I got most of my pot
collection and I am so glad for the
chance ...
how else would I get pots from a
welsh potter or a flamboyant aussie ?
We are so fortunate to have an annual
potters conference in North Carolina
that gets presenters from around the
world ... and boy, do we love to buy
their work.
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina
Chris Campbell Pottery LLC
9417 Koupela Drive
Raleigh NC 27615-2233
Fine Colored Porcelain since 1989
1-800-652-1008
Fax : 919-676-2062
website: www.ccpottery.com
wholesale : www.wholesalecrafts.com
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ...
See the movie and pass the word on.
Your grandchildren will thank you.
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