A Selection from. Working Potters

Transcription

1 A Selection from M O N T H L Y Working Potters

2 What It Takes: WORKING POTTERS Nine full-time potters share what they wish they knew years ago. Ken Sedberry I ve been working in clay since 1971 when I took a class with Doug Thompson at Frostburg University in Western Maryland. Since that class, I ve been pretty well immersed in clay. I have been a full-time studio potter since 1982 at my present location in Loafer s Glory, Fish Plate, 8 in. (20 cm) in diameter, wood-fired stoneware. North Carolina. My work cycles from six days a week, twelve to fourteen hours a day, to periods of time when I m not in the studio at all taking care of things I put off while I was immersed in the studio! There s a rhythm, but not a routine. I really enjoy working with clay, but sometimes if you want to continue to do something over a long period of time you have to do less of it. I don t have the desire to be in the studio until it hurts anymore. I enjoy coaching youth soccer. I am currently doing a lot of work with concrete as it pertains to architecture and ceramic sculpture. I use a calendar to layout what events I ve committed to and work backward, leaving plenty of time for the unexpected. Leaving plenty of cushion between deadlines allows a more-relaxed and less-hurried schedule where fewer mistakes are made. The most difficult decision I ve made as a potter is probably the decision to follow the work wherever it took me; the commitment to remain true to what I feel is my best work, regardless of what the market might be saying. There are certainly financial pressures to make work that appeals to a broad range of people. I do take commissions on custom sinks. I can work with a client in a general way with color and imagery. I solicit their input; however, I must be satisfied with the final product. Most of the time it works sometimes it doesn t. In the rest of my work, I do what pleases me. My wife and I have spent all of our adult lives trying to keep healthy. We exercise regularly, don t smoke, maintain a vegetarian diet and have a spiritual life. The only health insurance we ve been able to afford is catastrophic coverage, since we ve not been able to to find group coverage that is affordable. If you are self motivated and comfortable with a great deal of risk in your life, being a potter is fantastic. If you need a lot of security and a regular paycheck, avoid this profession! PHOTOS: MARY VOGEL Ceramics Monthly June/July

3 focus working potters The Time it Takes Making work (including firing): 80% Promoting: 20% Office and bookkeeping: 0% (my wife, Connie, does this part. She spends 8 16 hours per week on the pottery business.) Where to See More Ariel Gallery, Asheville, NC Cedar Creek Gallery, Creedmoor, NC Rocky Mount Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC Ken Sedberry, hard at work in Loafer s Glory, North Carolina. The Business One of the first things I did when starting out was to build a small gallery outside of my studio where potential buyers could see the work free from the clutter of the studio. I felt that, if I could just increase sales out of this gallery 6 7% a year, in a few years I would not be as dependent on wholesale and craft fairs. This strategy has worked. The gallery doesn t have to be huge or fancy, but it cultivates a clientele, a mailing list and a personal relationship with my customers. Another successful venture has been to establish a local guild of professional potters: The Potters of the Roan. We pool our talents and resources to promote our work. One of the requirments is that each potter has a gallery at their pottery. We have a brochure and website that include a self-guided tour to all of our studios. Lastly, we are founding members of Ariel, a contemporary crafts cooperative gallery in Asheville, North Carolina. Twenty professional artists share in all the work that it takes to run the craft gallery. We promote each other s work and can reach a much larger audience, which is possible in a city known for its arts community. The gallery is in its fifth year. We take care of most of our accounting and record keeping. We just recently incorporated on the advice of our tax preparer. We have IRA s and have saved for our sons college educations. For most of our married life, my wife has held an outside job so that there has been another income, which is especially helpful during the slower winter and early spring. Pitcher, 12Z\x in. (32 cm) in height, wood-fired stoneware. Ceramics Monthly June/July

4 John Glick Foundation Stones John Glick slip decorating 26-inch plates at Plum Tree Pottery, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. DEAR MR. GLICK, I had loved your work and purchased a 16-inch plate about 25 years ago. Workers in my home accidentally broke it and I am devastated. I need to determine the value of this plate and I wonder if you can help with this problem. Sincerely, Gloria Smith Dear Mrs. Smith, Such a plate today would be approximately $450 to replace. John Glick Dear Mr. Glick Thank you for your feedback. At your suggestion, I have asked for reimbursement of the amount you stated. I do hope I can find a plate as wonderful at your gallery. Best regards, Gloria Smith Dear Mrs. Smith, Any plate from this phase of my work will be notably different than one from 25 years ago. But, then, that is why I am still at work making things the fun of exploring new ideas! Thanks, John Glick That was an exchange that took place recently (I have changed the name of the client for privacy reasons). It struck me as I began this task of writing about core issues in my beliefs about potting for a living that what mattered to me was to keep my focus on things I have come to think of as the foundation stones in my professional life. One thing is for sure; having been at this for 43 years, I know that what keeps me interested is exploring ideas that motivate me. So, if I were to say where my artistic recharging comes from, I would say it comes every day that I work. I feel blessed that my way of working has formed itself around allowing surprises to occur on a regular basis and the playful pursuit of things that are born out of the question what if? This leads to color changes, shape variables, turning things around to see other options, surprises, changing the rules having no rules. So, the exchange above speaks to the reasons why I continue to work this way; it feeds my enthusiasm. It is tempting to consider trying to lay out a plan about how to survive creatively in a career in clay. I could list a series of must do things that would help ensure survival both financially and emotionally. Frankly, I didn t do that during those heady days in 1964 when I rented a building and began Plum Tree Pottery. I wonder if anyone really does such strategic planning at the outset? From the safety of hindsight, there have been things that have helped knit together my sense of wellbeing as an artist over the past 43 years. Here are some for consideration: Having a Showroom My studio showroom has been my window to an ever-growing and changing cross-section of supportive clients. Some families have been using my work for over three decades, meaning that at special times I may see family members from all three generations during one visit. My heart is often melted by the goodwill felt during such visits. Seeing folks sitting on the floor of my showroom poring over choices, chortling over discoveries and passing pots back and forth with one another great moments for the soul! Countless times, I have returned to work reassured that this way of interacting with my supportive clientele has a wonderful impact on my life. Consider the almost daily feedback from a wide range of clients over so many years. This has been a wonderful, ongoing, real-world education, since I am privileged to observe people reacting to the evolutions in my work year in and year out. Naturally, not everyone is uniformly pleased with the changes that occur in some aspects of my work. But, almost to a person, I sense an acceptance and respect for the fact that in my studio, the work will evolve and old favorite phases of work a client recalls will not be revisited. Gallery Involvements For wider community involvement, I have worked with galleries throughout my career. But I have kept the numbers of such involvements low so that I never feel driven or tempted to make work aimed at satisfying an external demand, which could potentially diminish the feeling of inner commitment to my natural working process and the resultant pots. So, I do have a desire to be in good company with other artists whose work I respect in clay gallery settings, but only in moderation. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August

5 focus the potter s life Working Rewards; Daily Experiences When I know I am on the right path in my work process, I notice clues that have become like old, welcome friends showing up during the quiet moments, when I am alone in the studio. I especially love the pre-dawn moments when I re-encounter pots from the previous workday, perhaps waiting for further resolution. Magical. A recent session produced a large series of constructed floral arranger vessels. (See the image below of raw vessels and a fired example.) They were engaging to do and surprisingly effortless in the making, which is exactly what I want to happen since it is my instinctive way of working. The pots seem to make themselves. I think the hardest feelings for any artist to engender and protect are those of joy and discovery while working. I have observed the long careers of many colleagues in the arts and what fascinates me is how different artists keep their creative spirits alive. Some seem to do it on what I think of as a microcosmic level; I observe tiny explorations carried out over a long span of time. Other times I see huge leaps of discovery make their way into the workflow. All this is good, all worthwhile for moving along a path where pleasure in the making for the artist is encouraged and in the eye and soul for the viewer/user who can find their own rewards in work that comes from a challenged and evolving maker. Clockwise from top left: Handbuilt plate, 14½ in. (37 cm) square, stoneware, with imprinted clay detailing and multiple glazes, reduction fired, Unfired floral arrangers. Floral arrangers, to 12 in. (30 cm) in height, thrown and handbuilt stoneware, with multiple glazes, reduction fired, Where to See More Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI AKAR Design, Iowa City, IA The Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Plum Tree Pottery, Bloomfield Hills, MI John s photography blog, Fresh Plums, includes advice and resources for digital imagery: plums_/fresh_plums_.html Ceramics Monthly June/July/August

6 WORKANDPLAY THE POTTER S LIFE NAOMI CLEARY Philadelphia, Pennsylvania After completing graduate school two years ago, I returned to Philadelphia to set up a studio. Good timing and a bit of luck provided cheap live/work space already wired for kilns. I sent s to every gallery I could find, with images, résumé, etc., letting them know I was interested in showing my work. I was surprised to find this an extremely effective way of soliciting business. Last year, I shipped work to galleries for shows and for their shops, sold at indie craft fairs, a big convetion center show, through the Internet and privately through my studio. I am just starting to figure out my market and still learning what works and what doesn t. Keeping good records of all work I send out lets me know which places sell a lot of cups and which places sell mostly larger items. After sending to galleries, I am left with dishes that would normally wait for a spring-cleaning studio sale. Selling online through Etsy.com, I found a whole new market for my work. The Etsy buyer is often a younger customer just starting to collect handmade objects. I have had varying experiences at craft fairs. Some have been great, with crowds that understand craft and the handmade object. One in particular still haunts me. I was placed next to a woman selling hand painted signs that read Welcome to Margaritaville and Jersey girls don t pump gas. I did not return for the second day of selling. The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show was an all around amazing experience. Getting to set up my own The Time It Takes making/firing: 75% promoting/selling: 20% office/bookkeeping: 5% Really, the numbers should add up to 155% with another sidebar: Hours in a Day sleeping: 6 hours making work: 15 hours other: 3 hours world within the convention center and to display my work the way I see it fitting into a home versus a traditional gallery setting was great. I do think I am coming in at the tail end of the convention show era. With the Internet as a primary source of communication, you can solicit clients without astronomical booth fees. Embracing the Internet as a major marketing tool is the only way my studio practice can ever sustain me financially. I spend at least twenty percent of my studio day on the computer, I have a blog, a Twitter account, website and an Etsy shop. I let people into my world by posting updates as well as images of works in progress, kilns ready to be unloaded, the nice clean studio and conversely the overworked messy studio. Sacrifices made in order to have a full-time studio practice are almost entirely financial. I do not have health insurance and struggle Ceramics Monthly June/July/August

7 focus working potters WORKANDPLAYW Left: Tumblers, 5¾ in. (15 cm) in height, porcelain with underglaze decoration and glaze, fired to cone 6, Right: Large salad bowl, 9 in. (23 cm) in diameter, porcelain with incised glaze-filled lines, underglaze decoration and glaze, fired to cone 6, to pay my student loans. I have a truck that is making a terrible noise that I am choosing to ignore for at least another three months and most of my socks have holes in the toes. That said, I spend all day making work in a light-washed studio filled with plants, my collection of knick-knacks and my dog. I cannot imagine living any other way. Even though I champion the Internet as the new way, I do think we are living in an increasingly disconnected society. I walk down the street and struggle to make eye contact with a passerby and a return of my good morning greeting is painfully rare. I feel disconnected from crowded city streets where each person s own reality hinges on their cell phone. By making dishes, I hope to connect people, to connect my reality to yours. I am working to slow the pace of the modern day. I make tumblers that fit in your car cup holder so you can make coffee and take it with you. I believe even this small action can change the energy of your whole day. The objects I make gain value through use. I challenge the notion of disposable as better and am working toward a new time where plastic is out and people bake bread, make coffee and use dishes as part of a healthy ritual of comfort and enjoyment. Where to See More The Clay Studio Santa Fe Clay Greenwich House Pottery Red Star Studios Freehand Gallery Sherrie Gallerie Ceramics Monthly June/July/August

8 Charity Davis-Woodard Edwardsville, Illinois POTTERY CRED Years as a professional potter: 11 Number of pots made in a year: I became a potter later in life, following a previous career that never felt quite right as though I was given a role that should have belonged to someone else. On the other hand, my experience making pots in several adult education classes resulted in exactly the opposite feeling: this was a good fit. I wanted to feel passionate about my profession and have it be an integral part of my everyday life. My 40th birthday was not far off, and I had the pressing realization there was no time to waste. With a little money in the bank and a blind leap of faith, I quit my full-time-with-benefits job and began looking for ways to immerse myself in pottery education. I spent a year and a half between the workshops of two studio potters who gave generously of their time, knowledge and skills to help me hone my own and learn about running a studio. My new world continued to expand through workshops at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, where I learned from some of the best potters teaching at that time and jump-started a network of friends and colleagues that continues today. Next, good fortune landed me as a non-degree student in the ceramics department at Indiana University where I began processing what I had learned during the previous two years. Although my near-term goal was to quit waiting tables, set up a studio and start selling my work, I realized my tendency toward one-of-a-kind pieces and my passion for detail would have me endlessly working a second job to make ends meet. Teaching was a strong interest and seemed a more likely means of survival for me than being a potter, and there was still so much I wanted to learn. So I puffed up my courage, put together a portfolio, and applied to graduate school. Six months later, I moved to Edwardsville, Illinois, to begin the MFA program at Southern Illinois University. It was hard to leave the home I had finally bought and settle into the single-minded focus of a graduate student. As I look back on it now, despite the many challenges in putting together a studio, building a wood kiln, and getting a business off and running, this decision to interrupt my life with three more years of formal schooling was the most difficult one I had to make. Fortunately, it proved to be the best thing I could have done. I came away more widely and deeply informed, more confident, and most importantly with a better understanding of how to continue educating myself. THE TIME IT TAKES Making work (including firing): 65% Promoting/Selling: 20% Office/Bookkeeping: 15% THE SALES I MAKE Galleries: 15% Craft/Art Fairs: 15% Studio/Home Sales: 35% Other: 35% (includes alternative group pottery sales) I also came away from graduate school with a partner in the best husband I could ever hope to meet. Through another stroke of luck we found a home on a wonderful piece of property with a studio and site for a wood kiln. After 12 years of building and remodeling, we now have the work spaces of our dreams. My earlier experiences in compromised studio spaces (first in a dark, moldy, limestone cold cellar and next in an unheated divided garage with no running water) help me to appreciate my current situation even more. Three rooms totaling about 1100 square feet are divided between my work and display areas, and the wood kiln is right outside the studio. My husband s metal and woodworking shop is around the corner, and our home is a few feet away. All of this is at the end of a dead-end road on a peninsula of land surrounded by wooded ravines and an open meadow for my garden (and the deer that eat my garden). As I sit at my treadle wheel or work table, I have an unrestricted view of trees and sky. I still pinch myself every day. Although I had been in a few gallery shows during school, I started selling my pots as a business eleven years ago. I began holding two studio sales a year in addition to the annual artist tour in my county, became part of a small indie craft show in St. Louis, and participated in national invitational and juried shows. I also began doing art fairs in my region, which helped expand my customer base, which then supported me at my studio sales. I branched out and traveled to a few shows, including the American Craft Council events in Baltimore and St. Paul, and the Original Ann Arbor Street 38 june/july/august

9 focus working potters Art Fair in Michigan. Although sales were usually quite good at these fairs, it didn t take long for me to realize that I was going into the art fair business as the heyday was ending. It also became apparent that I wasn t making the number of pots I needed to satisfy the different avenues of selling I had set up for myself. I felt fractured, dissatisfied with my studio practice, and out of touch with my local clientele. I no longer travel out of the area for art fairs and I m re-examining how I want to sell my work. I know I want to re-invigorate my local and regional customer base and feel more a part of my community. I ve been slow to embrace online marketing tools and social media outside of Facebook, which I see primarily as a means of keeping lightly in touch with friends and acquaintances (many of whom are potters.) I ve used it minimally as a tool for updating people about my professional activities, although there is clearly room for that. I finally have my first real website launched, something I feel has been way too long in the making. Having a web presence through listings of shows I ve been a part of, as well as workshops I ve taught, has been a great aid in getting and keeping my name afloat in the pottery ether. Gallery representation at AKAR in Iowa City has also been a great help, as it has for so many potters. Pottery tours and other alternative selling venues are fresh options for spreading the word and getting pots into the hands of both novice and veteran customers. Recently I ve been fortunate to be invited to some of these, including the Annual Pottery Show and Sale at the Art School at Old Church in Demarest, New Jersey; The Art of the Pot Tour in Austin, Texas; and the Dallas Pottery Invitational. This year I also will be joining a group sale in September at Center Street Clay in Sandwich, Illinois, and Russell Wrankle s studio sale in December. Besides the obvious benefit of selling work, these are opportunities to gather with friends and colleagues, be a part of a diverse and energized event, and engage with customers. It always feels like a celebration to me, a collective handshake that endorses our hard work and fuels the enthusiasm of all who come to participate, both customers and potters. Other than an impaired leg from a motorcycle accident in my 20s, I ve been blessed with good health and stamina and have tried to maintain that over the years through swimming and bicycling. However, exercise has always been the first thing to go when I get overwhelmed with deadlines, a behavior I m trying to change as I realize its increasing importance to my health. Adding pilates, some yoga, and biweekly visits to the gym are helping to counter the inevitable physical changes of aging, though I have yet to find a solution to the arthritis in my hands beyond cortisone shots. I am extremely fortunate to have health insurance through my husband. Having gone several years without it (including when I had my accident) I couldn t be more appreciative. Despite my fortunate work environment, I still believe it s not acquiring the hardware that is most difficult about being a potter but rather maintaining the resolve, discipline, and tenacity to overcome rejection, fatigue, boredom, and any number of tempting distractions. It is difficult to find balance, and I still often feel like I m either working too hard or not hard enough. I ve tried to get better about asking for help, determining what I do best and what others can do better for me for pay or trade. I don t believe anyone can carry the entire load of being a studio potter these days without sacrificing the joy in the work. And then what s the point? During a visit to the Penland campus in my early pottery-making days, I saw the following quote by the German philosopher Goethe that was posted in the dining hall and surely influenced many before and after me. In part it says: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Naturally slow to take big leaps, I drew energy and hope from these words and recalled them often over the next several years. I encourage anyone who can t imagine being satisfied with any profession outside of ceramics to find a way. It is possible. And it becomes more possible with every step you take in that direction. Liquor set, 12 in. (30 cm) in length (tray), thrown and altered porcelain with slip and glazes, wood fired to cone 10, cork added inside bottle, Where to See More Facebook: Charity Davis-Woodard june/july/august

10 WORKING POTTERS Helena, Montana The Time It Takes Years as a professional potter: 9 Number of pots made in a year: Making work (including firing): 35% Promotions/selling: 40% Office/bookkeeping: 25% Where It Goes Galleries: 40% Studio/home sales: 50% Online: 10% (just started!) Emily Free Wilson Over the past three years, I have shifted my personal pottery into a family business with my husband Matt Wilson and my brother Bobby Free. We work together to make porcelain pottery decorated with my whimsical line drawings and colorful dots. About ten years ago, Bobby and I both caught the clay bug in our own way 2000 miles apart (Bobby was in Oregon and I was in Wisconsin). Over the years, we continued on our own paths, gaining skills and experience that now benefit our joint efforts. I am attracted to the business side of ceramics (running a gallery, selling ceramics, working with artists and collectors). Bobby spent time in China and Korea, worked with other amazing potters in the field, and could easily throw a pot that looked like I threw it. I was looking for options just as his schooling at Utah State was coming to an end. Meanwhile, Matt, with a background in mechanical engineering and an interest in geology, was searching for an alternative to construction. These skills all combined and fueled an interest in mold making, slip casting, and glaze chemistry. I had become more invested in my day job as the gallery director at the Archie Bray Foundation, but I also wanted to keep pushing my own ceramic art. A few years ago, after a number of years of off-and-on collaboration, Matt, Bobby, and I agreed to pursue Free Ceramics, our family pottery business. In the years that led up to collaborating with my husband and brother, we took important steps so we could make these leaps without falling. We researched other facilities and spoke to owners and people working in similar fields. As the number of pieces we made increased, we slowly committed to more galleries to help with exposure and increase our income. Making pottery for a living involves a certain lifestyle, family priorities, and a balance between financial security and enjoying what we do for a living. During the day for most of the week, I am at the Bray. Because of my daily interaction with the community and visitors going out of their way to visit the Bray, I see the importance of holding a piece of art in your hands, or standing back and gazing at a sculpture that you cannot get out of your head, or your heart. The community in Helena understands and values the handmade object, especially clay. The tradition and history of ceramics here helped me establish a place among the already strong community of ceramic artists. After eight years of consistently holding a holiday pottery sale, I have recently added a spring sale to help increase this essential part of my yearly income. 34 june/july/august

11 Dinner plates, bowls, and salad plates, to 10½ in. (27 cm) in diameter, porcelain, cone 6 electric, While the importance of the Internet is shifting the role of a gallery, I feel that, even though galleries are going through a difficult time and are having to adjust to current trends and demands by collectors, in the end the face-to-face interaction with a piece of art is very important. After years of hearing success stories about Etsy, and hearing about the growing blog community that can keep up and relate to artists they have never met, I took the plunge. As I expand beyond the studio and gallery sales, I am curious and excited to see what the Internet can offer, but it also brings new challenges to a potter who may prefer spending that extra time in the studio. Luckily, I enjoy meeting new people, selling, and interacting with people who share a love for clay, and hopefully the Internet will function as a positive tool. My own childhood did not include much art education, but it did have a solid foundation in working hard and working for one s self. For years my parents ran a successful printing business out of their home with an antique paper cutter in our living room, a printing press in our dining room, and a dark room doubling as the laundry room. Choosing to run my own family business came with the knowledge that it meant longer hours, less sleep, and more juggling. After Matt and I were married and turned our dining room into my studio, it wasn t long before our garage was getting remodeled and the investment became a reality. With it came the financial reality that was not as relevant to me as a child. Sure, I can write-off that expense, but I need to have a certain amount of cash flow to keep the day-to-day stuff going. I grew up with a sporadic influx of income, but I am impatient to move my own business to the next level. I want to keep my expenses low and increase my income, but that is harder to do than it is to write about. Addressing the physical demand on a potter s body was an important piece of the Free Ceramics puzzle. Doing every step of the process is physically demanding, which is one reason why we divide tasks among the three of us. When I was pregnant, I couldn t (or didn t want to) throw a set of dishes that needed to be made. Bobby was willing, and is a great thrower. It took no time at all before he could make a plate that looked just like one of mine. And when I push myself too far and get a kink in my back, I am so fortunate that Matt is happier moving boxes of clay than sheets of drywall. In the next year, the priority list for our business has health insurance at the very top. We have to afford it for each person s health, for the safety of our business, and for our entire family s financial security. I am very fortunate to work for the Archie Bray Foundation and have health insurance, but if something were to happen to Matt or Bobby, it could bring our goals and dreams to a screeching halt. I have found great advice from people in many fields: teachers, painters, real estate agents, ballet instructors, curators, and those who run their own businesses. Listen, ask questions, and figure out what kind of work is attractive to you and what parts are not. There are so many ways to go about being a working potter and there are a lot of wonderful people to learn from. june/july/august

12 The Time It Takes Years as professional: 2 Number of pots made in a year:1000+ Making work: 65% (slip casting, hand painting, glazing, firing) Promotions/selling: 5% (Setting up shows and sales is second to acting as Emily s sounding board on this subject.) Office/maintenance: 30% Matt Wilson I d like to think that I would have eventually become a professional artist naturally. The truth is that my decision was expedited by the resounding crash in the building industry. The current economy does not appear ideal for artists looking for income, but when you re trying to earn a living wage from carpentry, art becomes a shining beacon of hope. There is more to making a living at this than just making the pots. Many times a week a feeling of guilt sets in when you realize just how much time you re spending without a pot in your hand. All of those distractions are actually vital details to the overall well being of the business. We all have a part in the making of the actual pot, which utilizes the best abilities of each individual family member. We also divide the distractions in the same manner. All of us have particular things we enjoy that also fit our talents or experience. Matching this personal criteria with a duty creates a happier work environment that is transparently obvious in the end product. We are a close family, and our first concerns are naturally for brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives. For us, this is true for both our personal and business lives, and we try to use this powerful motivator to our best advantage. The most difficult part of being a working potter in a family business is ensuring that family stays involved in the business concerns, while keeping the business out of family concerns. No one wants to focus on business disagreements with a co-worker during Thanksgiving Day dinner, but that s who our guests are. The love that we share as a family is the biggest advantage we have to our collective success and happiness. It s a daily balance to ensure our strength does not become a detriment. Flask, 7 in. (18 cm), in height porcelain, cone 6 electric, june/july/august

13 Bobby Free Since I ve started, I ve learned that what other established potters told me, especially concerning how hard it would be at times, has changed. It s much harder than they let on. Making the decision to focus on and make my sister s style of pottery instead of my own was difficult. Weighing out the pros and cons, I think that this was one of the best decisions I ve made. My skills as a thrower are increasing with leaps and bounds. Coming right out of undergraduate school, the idea of being a professional potter by myself was overwhelming. The so-called-difficult question I posed to myself was, Am I willing to sacrifice part of my own ego for the time being and pursue this way of working? If the answer hadn t been unequivocally yes, I wouldn t be writing this right now. I address issues of health by practically ignoring them. I try to stay healthy, and I rely mostly on the fact that I m 29. I ve always been able to recover quickly from an injury. I can spend a night drinking beer and still be able to jump out of bed early the next morning. I ve heard rumors that changes as one ages. The longer you live in one place, the better. Roots are important. We simply can t rely only on the ceramics community (which is important in it s own unique ways) to buy the pots or sculptures we make. I can t even explain how integral the people around us are, and I ve only begun to really understand it. I think of some of the Carolina potters that have lines of customers waiting for days before a kiln opening or sale. How else could that be possible? Community is how a potter will continue to survive. Building a relationship with the place where you live will bring more people directly to you. The Time It Takes Years as professional: 5 Number of pots made in a year: Making work: 90% Studio up-keep and loading kilns: 10% Promotions/selling: 0% Whiskey cups, 2 in. (5 cm) in height each, porcelain, cone 6 electric, june/july/august

14 MARK KNOTT SUWANEE, GEORGIA THE TIME IT TAKES YEARS AS A PROFESSIONAL POTTER: 10 NUMBER OF POTS MADE IN A YEAR: MAKING WORK (INCLUDING FIRING): 65% PROMOTIONS/SELLING: 30% OFFICE/BOOKKEEPING: 5% PHOTO: DENISE JONES WHERE IT GOES RETAIL STORES: 2% GALLERIES: 15% CRAFT/ART FAIRS: 70% STUDIO/HOME SALES: 10% ONLINE: 3% I found myself frustrated in a job I really did not like and I woke up one morning and realized I had not been in my studio for months. At that time, I was painting and had not made any studio pottery in some eighteen years. I thought if I was ever going to be successful as a studio artist I was going to have to pursue it full time. This brought me back to my roots as a maker, as a studio potter. This leap was challenging and a bit daunting, but within two years I was making my living as a full-time studio potter. Now, looking back at the past ten years, I know it was the right choice for me. I feel happy as an object maker and am humbled that my work adds joy to people s lives. My life has become an exercise in discipline, commitment, and time management. I have accepted what I m good at and realized that I can t do everything, at least not well. So, allowing others to build things or photograph my work keeps me focused on my work. I have also worked hard to have a simplified rhythm to making my studio life, and to my pleasant surprise it has carried over to all aspects of life. For that I am grateful. 36 june/july/august

15 Above: Two pitchers, to 15 in. (38 cm) in height, wheel-thrown stoneware with flashing slip and glaze decoration, soda fired to cone 6. Opposite: Platter, 24 in. (61 cm) in diameter, wheel-thrown stoneware, with slip and multiple copper glazes, soda fired to cone 6. Photos: Walker Montgomery. I ve had great training and studied at great schools, but still you will never know if you can succeed until you commit yourself and your resources to your own studio. That s a hard decision, but one I m glad I made! The balance of selling at fairs, galleries, from my studio, and online seems to be working well. The art fairs are physically demanding, but the return is 100%. The galleries I work with most (Signature Gallery and The Crimson Laurel Gallery) both get my work in front of an audience I otherwise would not have access to. Online sales seem to be on the increase, and I will focus more energy there in the next year. These venues also keep me in charge of what I make. The one promise I made to myself when I went back to full-time studio work was that I was not going to compromise the integrity of my work. The relationships with galleries and buyers is one that I m in control of. I say this because, for me, being able to continually evolve my work is important. I want to understand what I ve made in a series, and take that information into the next series or cycle. This constant critical evaluation allows me to grow creatively as a studio artist. I do use social media on a regular basis. It has exposed my work to literally thousands of new viewers. It s really a fantastic tool, and will only continue to grow. For me, the solution for maintaining my health is to get to the gym at least five times a week. This is sometimes a challenge when traveling, but keeping my body in shape has really helped. The regular exercise helps me in particularly stressful times as well. And just as important, it gets me out of my studio, giving me time to think and clear my mind. I have health insurance now through my wife s employer, but in prior years I carried my own insurance as a catastrophic policy. I have so far been blessed with a strong body and no medical issues, but as we all know, that can change in an instant. Artist do need to be responsible and have some kind of coverage. I would strongly recommend that those early in their careers try to find some sort of apprenticeship or residency in a working studio. This will provide the understanding of what it takes to make your living as a studio potter. Then you need to treat your studio not only as a creative environment, but as a business. It is a job! As I stated above it s a job I love. I get to design and produce beautiful objects, how lucky am I! I am also responsible for all the success and failures as well. As a studio potter you will experience both! june/july/august

16 TARA WILSON Helena, Montana The Time It Takes Years as a professional potter: 9 Number of pots made in a year: 1500 Making work (including firing): 75% Promotions/Selling: 10% Office/Bookkeeping: 15% Where It Goes Galleries: 75% Studio/Home Sales: 25% Online: Just started an Etsy site Other (please explain): I have income from teaching various types of workshops and often sell pots at the workshops. I learned how to throw in high school and I knew from an early age that I wanted to pursue art and possibly ceramics in some respect. Throughout school, especially during graduate school, I thought that I would pursue a teaching career. While I was a resident at The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, I realized that making a living as a potter was an option and I wanted to pursue this path. In some respects the potters lifestyle is very romantic. I m grateful everyday that I m able to make a living doing what I love. I love that I can work from my home and set my own schedule. I ve also come to realize that this sense of a romantic lifestyle can be misleading. To make a living at this requires super hard work and dedication. Though I m able to set my own schedule, I usually put in way more than 40 hours per week. I ve also learned that this Above: Basket, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, thrown and altered stoneware, wood fired. Opposite: Teapot, 8 in. (20 cm) in height, thrown and assembled stoneware, wood fired. 38 june/july/august

17 lifestyle can be very isolating. I often spend long hours alone in the studio. In an academic setting or at various types of art centers there is usually a built-in community that doesn t exist in an individual studio. The fact that I need help to fire my wood kiln creates a sense of community at my studio during firings and balances out the more isolating production time. A crew of four to six people, myself included, is ideal to fire my kiln. Deciding where to set up shop was such a huge and stressful investment, both financially and in the time it took to build kilns and set up the studio. After spending two years at the Bray, I decided to set up a studio just outside of Helena, Montana. Although Helena is a fairly small town and lacks some things that larger cities have to offer, it has a very active, vibrant ceramics community, and the Bray s clay business makes it extremely convenient to get clay and other materials. This decision was also difficult for me because, when one pursues a teaching job, the job often dictates where one will live. When you are working as a studio artist you have the ability as well as the responsibility to choose an appropriate location for your work and lifestyle. My entire family still lives in Ohio and we are very close, so deciding to settle so far from them was difficult. Another reason I chose to settle in Helena was the close proximity to a great trail system for hiking and biking and the fact that it s often sunny, even throughout the winter. I lead a very active lifestyle, which is important for me both mentally and physically. I try to spend time outdoors every day hiking, mountain biking, or skiing. This provides a mental break from the studio while keeping me fit. I believe preventative health care is extremely important and I try to be overly conscious of how I m treating my body, especially my hands and wrists. In the studio, I strive to have my workspace set up to function as efficiently and ergonomically as possible. In the past, most of my sales have been through retail stores and galleries. Shipping has always been a big expense. The past few years I ve been doing a few studio sales (a holiday and spring sale). I enjoy the sense of community that takes place at these, and I get to know the folks who will be using my pots. I feel that I m a little behind with most of the technology that exists. I would much rather spend my time making than keeping up with all the social media that s out there, but I recognize the importance of it and I know I should take more advantage of what it can offer. I just set up an Etsy site with the goal of building online sales. Another source of income for me has been teaching various types of workshops. I enjoy the interaction with students of all ages. If someone were interested in pursuing this as a profession, I would recommend working for an artist and getting to know all the different aspects that this profession requires. I d also recommend doing a residency, especially one that is self-directed, and using this time as a trial to see if this lifestyle is exactly what you want to pursue. Residencies provide access to facilities and materials without a large personal investment. Another piece of advice would be to start collecting materials and tools that you ll need in the future, including all sorts of studio equipment and things such as bricks and kiln shelves. Find a place to store this stuff. Then when you re ready to actually commit, you ve got a jump on things and won t be hit with a bunch of expenses at once june/july/august

18 George Lowe Decorah, Iowa I remember when I was ten years old seeing a man making pottery at a local shopping mall. There was a small crowd so I got up as close as I could. It is a fleeting image that makes the connection with pottery, and I knew then that I wanted to try that someday. My first pottery class was at Luther College in I learned to throw on a kick wheel. My instructor was Dean Schwarz, who was heavily influenced by Marguerite Wildenhain, and the Bauhaus style of form and function. Pots were to be thrown thin, with no throwing marks and were to be decorated with lines and slips. You have to make 1000 pots before you make a good one he would say. I was a junior, confused about what direction I was headed. I could have had a great future working for my father s business, producing crushed limestone products. But instead I just wanted to keep making pots. I was unable to imagine that my whole career would be about pottery. After graduating in 1976, I thought that I knew all I needed to know about making pottery. I made a kick wheel and purchased an electric kiln. I produced a variety of small pots and began to sell at art fairs, making just enough to pay the rent and buy more clay. In 1978, I started taking classes at the University of Iowa with Chuck Hindes and Bunny McBride. I was amazed at all the different things going on there. Hindes introduced me to wood-burning kilns, which became my passion. Firing these kilns can reveal a lot about your work as it accentuates the forms and textures. The style of my work really expanded and the few art fairs I did became more successful. The Time It Takes Years as a professional potter: 13 Number of pots made in a year: 2000 Making work (including firing): 60% Promotions/Selling: 30% Office/Bookkeeping: 10% I was accepted into graduate school at Wichita State University. I focused my work on the effects of wood firing and using wood as an alternative fuel. The energy crisis of the 1970s was a big concern for me as a potter. I wondered how I would be able to afford fuel to fire my work in the future. I became part of the revival of using wood-burning kilns here in the US. Graduate school is a big commitment. It is like crossing the threshold into your career and a point of no turning back. It is something that is bigger than yourself. It can provide an opportunity to really explore and develop. There, as a teaching assistant, I learned that a good way to learn more is to teach someone else what you have learned. After graduation, I applied for several teaching jobs and was hired to teach pottery, first as an adjunct instructor in ceramics at the University of Central Florida and then as an assistant professor at the University of Florida. In some ways teaching was like an extension of graduate school. I was always pushing myself and making new work. There were meaningful discussions about ceramic art with students who produced a wide variety of work. There, we didn t say much about selling our own work. Mostly we thought that graduate students should try to find teaching jobs somewhere. It was hard for me to encourage students to pursue a career as a full-time studio potter because of all of the uncertainties. However, I maintained my own studio at home, did a few shows, and had work in some galleries. Later, I was fortunate to become Village Potter at Holden Village, in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. This was a Lutheran retreat center located deep in a national forest. I built a small wood-burning kiln and fired it several times. Pottery classes were popular. There were all age groups and I didn t have to give grades. I came to enjoy the metaphors of pottery and the spiritual aspects of working in clay. Twenty years after my first pottery class, my family and I moved back to my parent s farm in Iowa, where I set up a pottery in the barn and chicken coop. I devoted all my energies into making my own work and selling it at art fairs all around the country. After a while I got into some good shows, the sales were great, and the potential of being a studio potter became real. Where It Goes Galleries: 10% Craft/Art fairs 80% Studio/Home Sales: 10% 40 june/july/august

19 Applying to, and being accepted into, art fairs is the best motivation to work hard. When committing to exhibit your work at an art fair, there is a lot at stake; booth fees, travel, hotels, etc. You need to sell a lot just to break even. I always want to put my best and newest work out. That is what really motivates me. I would work twelve hours or more a day, every day, aiming to produce a new kiln load of work for each show, and then I Above: Three pitchers, up to 12 in. (30 cm) in height, wheel-thrown stoneware, altered, layered glazes, fired to cone 10 in reduction. Right: Vase, 12 in. (30 cm) in height, wheel-thrown stoneware, matte glaze with copper and rutile sprayed over white slip, fired in reduction to cone 10. would spend the weekend at an art fair. Then the totals add up and I am inspired to keep producing more new work. I also try to supply several galleries with new work. You have to give them your best work and usually receive half of the sale. Of course one gets older and life gets more complicated. There can be so many distractions. Staying focused and inspired can be hard. Staying healthy is important when you are self-employed. All of the physical aspects of making and selling your work can be quite a workout, which is better than sitting around all day. Although I don t want to stay up all night working any more, I still like to see the results of a hard day s work. I get recharged when I am in my studio. My studio is currently located near Decorah, in northeast Iowa. About 12 years ago I purchased 30 acres there out in the country. I quickly built a 1200-square-foot metal building and set up my studio. It took a while to move everything from the previous location that was about 100 miles away. Somehow I continued to make new work and do art fairs. Moving is always difficult and there are many decisions to make. I left my wood-kiln behind. I discovered that I could create many of the effects that I liked in a gas kiln. I also left my clay mixer behind and now mostly buy a variety of moist clays. I use up to three tons of clay a year. Though I still make all of my own glazes, the time I now save not making clay seems worth it. My wife is a basket maker and has her studio in what was a two-car garage attached to our house. We both produce work and sell primarily at art fairs. Sometimes we even end up side by side at the same art fair. For the past five years I have been teaching pottery and sculpture part time at Luther College. This has certainly taken some of the pressure off of doing so many shows during a time when sales have been challenging. The added benefit of health insurance is a big help. It consumes most of my time, but I still try to work in my studio nearly every day producing new work for sale at shows. Worrying about money can destroy my creativity. I have to look at the big picture and not just one or two bad shows. It is important to remain positive and have faith in yourself. You need to manufacture a good product, pay attention to business, and be able to market your work. I try to produce a large body of work and am very selective about the work that goes to shows and galleries. Finally, it all comes down to making the sale. All of my efforts come down to the transaction. At a show, everyone is a potential customer, so a positive attitude is essential. My advice for younger potters is to work hard. Learn the skills of good craftsmanship. Look at what others are doing. Be critical of your own work and strive to make it better. Listen to the advice of your instructors. Set your sights on being in the top ten percent of your peers. Go to graduate school. This will open up a lot of doors, and will teach you to always be critical of your own work. If you are a full-time studio potter, you make pottery to sell. It might sound silly, but it is important to make things that people would want to buy. It is so amazing to see the variety of clay work at various art fairs. There are some really great ceramic artists out there. Putting your work out on display is like showing a part of your inner self. june/july/august

20 Linda Christianson Lindstrom, Minnesota THE TIME IT TAKES Years as a professional potter: 35 Number of pots made in a year: 3000 Making work (including firing): 60% Promotions/Selling: 15% Office/Bookkeeping: 25% WHERE IT GOES Galleries: 40% Studio/Home Sales: 60% After finishing art school in Canada in 1977, my goal was to keep making pots while maintaining a life of outdoor adventure. Establishing a base camp was my model, and pottery was the central component. It did not occur to me that making pots was a profession or a career, it was a compulsion that I would adjust my life around. I had no business plan, but a small amount of money that I had saved while teaching community classes in art school and selling my work through student sales. Moving to Minnesota, I found a small farmhouse to rent. With four kiln shelves, a pile of used bricks, a homemade kick wheel, and a recipe book, I immediately built a small wood kiln. I was unprepared for the loneliness and disappointment in my work that would follow. Alone with my ideas and myself, I knew no one in the area. I nailed up a pottery sign at the end of my driveway, and put the pots and a self-service box for money out on some sawhorses. Only a few cars stopped, out of curiosity or charity. The kiln was difficult to fire, and the pots were disappointing even before they went into the fire. Within three months I was out of money, and was forced to find some outside work. What followed were a few years of making pots while bouncing around seasonal outdoor work: ski area lift operator, welder, snowmaker, firetower sitter, and firefighter. I taught pottery classes through two local community education programs. My old car always had a box of pots in it, and breakdowns along the highway became a sort of ad hoc marketplace. It became increasingly frustrating to maintain an outside work schedule and make pots in the evenings. I made a crucial decision to move on down the economic Left: Cup, 4 in. (10 cm) in height, wheel-thrown stoneware, with glaze, wood fired, Opposite: Sushi plates, each 7 in. (18 cm) in width, wire-cut stoneware, wood fired, ladder, abandoning any kind of outside job and living as close to the bone as possible. Having been around the area for a few years, I found a free house-sitting situation and shared Jeff Oestreich s studio for a winter. What a joy it was to have an aesthetic ally generously sharing his world. We made a lot of pots and had a sale together. When my house-sitting situation ended, I found a rustic farmhouse with no water or heat, but a working chimney and electricity. In exchange for cleaning out the owner s barn, I could live and work in the house for free and build a kiln out back. It was the best move I could have made. While rustic, the old farmhouse gave me the financial freedom to really establish a rhythm in the studio. My business plan was to make a lot of pots, put them in the front room on some sawhorses, and hold a studio sale after each firing. I worked in three rooms and lived in a fourth. Anyone who stopped by was put on 42 june/july/august

21 my mailing list, and I was able to eventually spark enough interest in my pots to pay my few bills. The idea of health or disability insurance was absent from my brain. Retirement planning was equally as vaporous. After working long enough in one place, I began to get invitations to exhibit my work. I tried the few art fairs that were within driving distance, but found little interest in my work. I was always careful to take excellent photographs of my work and create sale invitations utilizing my idea of good graphics. Though unsuccessful for many years, I maintained a slim but neat resume and applied for every grant I was aware of. While nothing really worked gangbusters, I was able to cobble enough money together to get by. As time went by, I became increasingly eager to have my own house and studio. After looking at a few run down farmhouses, I came face to face with the consequences of my choices. I had made a lot of pots, but had no savings to speak of. Early on, I had made a set of guidelines for myself: Make only what I really want to make Spend money on only essential things Never take out a loan Sell the pots so I can make more Surround myself only with things I love Say yes to interesting situations, even if they are scary or far reaching As a child, I had helped my parents move and rebuild a couple of buildings at a historical museum. I decided to find an old log building to disassemble and move onto a secluded piece of woodland. After looking at several rotting structures, I found a Finnish log building a few hours drive away. With $500 cash, I was a homeowner! My mother cried upon seeing the cabin, but offered to loan me $7000 to purchase the woodland. While I had broken my no loan rule, it seemed the only way I could ever have my own place. Here was my permanent base camp. My marketing scheme stayed the same: make what I want, and try to sell it to make more. Studio sales, a makeshift showroom, and some gallery exhibits brought in just enough money to pay the bills and keep going. I was lucky to have been invited to be a part of Warren MacKenzie s annual fall sale and have some of my pots in his showroom year round. With increased exposure through exhibits, I was asked to lead some workshops, be on panels at pottery conferences, and teach itinerantly at the college level. While moving a house and living without water or electricity were inconvenient, my fear of public speaking was crippling. This fear, coupled with disappointment in my own work coming out of the kiln, have been the biggest challenges in my pottery life. I have found ways to cope and transcend my fear of public speaking, even enjoying it at times. My disappointment is more complex, however, and I have had to make peace with my inner critic. I am very lucky to have good health, and continue to indulge myself in outdoor adventure. My morning usually begins with a great cup of coffee, stretching, and a sweaty ski or run. Like many potters, I have had my struggles with back and hand issues. As long as I maintain a daily routine of stretching and exercises, all is well. Besides making things, my main drive in life is to be outside moving. Each day, I look forward to doing something outside at a kiln woodpile. Even going to the mailbox is a terrific little hike that breaks up the day. The curiosity that compelled me to make pots all those years ago still holds up today for me. Lots of things have changed around me, including expensive health insurance, car payments, and now looking at colleges with my daughter. Some years ago my husband and I decided to build a new studio. It is beautiful and generous, but has taken seventeen years to build, adding as we could afford to. I no longer can live on financial bare bones. More and more time is spent away from the studio on correspondence, grant writing, travel, photo management, and writing and discarding s. With the advent of the Internet, requests for materials seem to have shorter and shorter notices and deadlines. I find the office pace distracting and dizzying. I only recently have made a website, and I can t imagine spending any more time on the computer with Facebook or other social media. It has become harder to maintain a rhythm in the studio, for there are office fires to be put out continually. My sense is that it takes more effort now to bring in what feels like a proportionally smaller amount of money. I am fortunate to be able to make what I want and live as close to an outdoor life as possible. If you re just starting out, make what you really want to make. june/july/august

22 Jeremy Nichols BROXBOURNE, ENGLAND The Time It Takes YEARS AS A PROFESSIONAL POTTER: 14 NUMBER OF POTS MADE IN A YEAR: 270 MAKING WORK (INCLUDING FIRING): 70% PROMOTIONS/SELLING: 25% OFFICE/BOOKKEEPING: 5% Where It Goes GALLERIES: 16% CRAFT/ART FAIRS: 76% STUDIO/HOME SALES: 8% Embarking on a career in ceramics grew out of my ever increasing absorption in making pots as recreation, which I had begun in the 1980s while working as a social worker to wind down at the end of a working day. I went to classes, then holiday courses and summer schools, and then when the organization I was working for lost funding and I had to look for another job, I decided to work part time and undertake some formal training to see if I had the ability and potential to earn a living out of ceramics. This worked out well enough to move on to the next step of enrolling for a degree (Workshop Ceramics BA at the University of Westminster (Harrow)) from which I graduated in 1997, setting up my studio the following year. It s true to say that the seeds for this career choice were sown somewhat earlier: as a child and into my adolescence I was an avid and dedicated maker and flier of model aircraft (in my mind still the prototypical beautiful functional object) and this led me to undertake a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. However I soon discovered that solving complex equations for fluid flow was no substitute for hands-on constructing, and, driven by other concerns and interests I was developing at the time, I changed direction completely and retrained for the career in social work. Although I did indeed dream of future customers beating a path to my door for 1000 teapots in the same way as athletes dream of winning Olympic Gold, I had a reasonably accurate idea of what the reality would be. I did my training as a mature student who already had experience of working as a freelancer. I talked to people, understood the nature of the market for selling and the necessity to derive income from a variety of sources, and that self employment is hard work and that, in the words of the old saying, you have to cut your cloth.. So as well as making work, I took on teaching when and where I could and for some years maintained the freelance social work consultant and training practice I had developed in the latter stages of my time in that career. Changing careers was a major, rather than a difficult decision I just wanted to do it. The second major decision came when I graduated: In my final year I had done some work on high-fired concrete bodies and, with the support of one of my tutors, I worked up a proposal for a research degree project. So the decision became whether to pursue that or see if I could make it in the world of making and selling pots, which is what I decided to do. I quickly discovered with my early work that though there was a reasonable level of interest from gallery owners to whom I sent off my images, these didn t necessarily translate into sales, and a lot of work came back with the message well, at least we tried. I found selling at fairs more successful, both in actual sales and in getting the work seen, accepted, and understood. Over time (and of course with the work developing and its quality improving), invitations came from galleries to exhibit, which now do result 44 june/july/august

23 in sales, though fairs remain where I sell most. I have discovered that potters markets in The Netherlands and Germany work as well for me as their equivalents in the UK, and that it s important to spread my net widely. My website generates interest as does my presence on sites such as which together account for a large proportion of my studio sales (I don t have a showroom at my studio), but I don t currently use social media. I take the usual precautions with a dust mask, eye protection, lifting posture, etc., according to the materials and machinery I m using, and try to keep the studio dust levels as low as I can. With our National Health Service here in the UK, separate health insurance is not necessary. My best advice for those who are interested in pursuing studio ceramics as a profession is to be realistic about where the income will come from. Accept a modest standard of living. Those old sayings about success being 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration are irritatingly true, as is the much quoted the harder I work, the luckier I get. As professional sports people know well, there are no substitutes for commitment, hard graft, and attention to detail. But (and apologies for this final cliché) if you love doing it the rewards are there, albeit not necessarily in s or $s. Above: Coffee pot, 7 in. (18 cm) in height, thrown and slip cast, with sprayed glaze, salt fired to 2300 F (1260 C). Right: Teapot, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, thrown and slip cast, with sprayed glaze, salt fired to 2300 F (1260 C). june/july/august

24 The Time It Takes Years as a professional Potter: 24 Number of pots made in a year: Never enough Making work: 60% Promotions/Selling: 25% Office/Bookkeeping: 10% Other (studio maintenance/cleaning): 5% PHOTO: SHEA REGGIO Where It Goes Retail Stores: 0 Galleries: 0 Craft/Art Fairs: 65% Studio/Home Sales: 30% Online: 5% Timing played an important role in my decision to become a professional potter. I was 17 when I started. Those first few years of making, learning, becoming enamored, and obsessing, I did while getting a BA in English Lit. Once I graduated from college and the decision was upon me (what are you gonna do with your life?) I figured I may as well try to build a life with pots at the center. There was nothing I loved more than being in the studio, creating, and so it was the obvious direction to take. Instead of taking a job and living for the weekends, I thought I d try to live all week long. I didn t really have a romantic image of the potter s life when I got started. My first classes were with Ka Kwong Hui at Douglass College of Rutgers University. Hui devoted his teaching to what was going on in real time in that studio. I don t remember him saying much about the larger community. My world of ceramics was limited to those four walls in those days, end of story. It was a simple, pure, unpressured way to enter the art world. All that was very lucky for me. Changing my work after fifteen very successful years working in one style was difficult. Not only because of the risk of losing my audience but even more, answering the questions: If this work no longer expresses my spirit, what will? What does that look like and how do I start on a new path? Transition and reinvention were necessary, not knowing and going ahead anyway was required. Again, timing proved fortunate for me as I was eligible to apply for an NCECA residency at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, in I knew in my heart that the old work was done nothing new left in me on that score. I had exhausted all the permutations possible within the limits I d set at the start. The six-week residency I was fortunate enough to be awarded marks a critical, pivotal point in my career. That precious time away from all that was familiar, and the special place and people, provided the necessary ingredients to get me started on this new path. Much to my surprise, the road ahead was paved not only with pots but also with narrative, figurative sculpture. This latter has been the greatest challenge I ve had in my studio creatively. It s full of mystery, play, and blindness. I m seriously down the rabbit hole with it. The modes of selling I have chosen for right now are just a snap shot. There was a time I sold wholesale to 50 galleries around the country (when my children were very small and I needed to be home). Now I do no wholesale. It s all about striking a balance for my life at any given time, gauging my needs with those of my larger family (husband and two amazing daughters teens now). I think it s important to always be exploring new ways to get the work out there. For now, given that I live in southeastern Pennsylvania, doing the blockbuster shows like the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and CraftNewYork and mixing that up with a semi-annual open studio from my barn is working nicely. 46 june/july/august

25 Right: Hare Vase, 11 in. (28 cm) in height, Below: Crow Jar, 11 in. (28 cm) in height, Photos: Jim Greipp. I m 51 and have been working at this for 34 years total. That, combined with what I d characterize as a punishing work ethic in those first 20 years, has left me with a pretty high-maintenance body and a spirit and mind having no interest in slowing down. I eat a healthy diet and I m a staunch practitioner of Pilates. I practiced yoga for a few years, but it was too much on my lumbar and shoulders. Pilates strengthened my core and now I m able to do all I want or need to. Before I found Pilates, I was in a lot of pain. I had gone through a few years with a frozen shoulder and a lumbar spine that had had it with me. It seems to me that there are those in ceramics who have no complaints in their latter years in terms of pain in their body and then there are folks like me. I think it s really important to be honest with yourself as you age regarding taking care of your body. It s your companion for life and the vehicle that allows you to do this thing you love. It must be respected. My advice to anyone considering building a life around being a potter is to ask yourself this question: Do you feel like you have a choice of careers? Pottery or some specific other thing that interests you (not in the arts)? If all you find yourself doing with your time is making or thinking about pots, then you owe it to yourself to follow that dream. If you feel like you have a choice, take the other path. Making it for the long run as a potter means it has to fulfill you in more ways than just the financial. Lord knows it s a very challenging way to make a living, as well as a grueling life at times. If you don t find yourself somewhat obsessed by it, I don t think it s likely to be your main thing. That doesn t mean it can t be a significant avocation. But don t put the pressure of making a living on something that is better categorized as a hobby. june/july/august 2012

26 Lowri Davies CARDIFF, WALES Nantgarw Collection (three vases), to 11 in. (28 cm) in height, bone China, transparent earthenware glaze with lime-green stain, digital and screen-printed transfers, gold luster. All works shown are bisque fired to 2264 F (1240 C) and glaze fired to 2048 F (1120 C), then transfers are fired to 1688 F (920 C) and lusters are fired to 1328 F (720 C), all in an electric kiln, Growing up on an estate behind the Arts Centre in Aberystwyth, I went to pottery class and we experimented with clay at school. However, it wasn t until I was studying in the art and design foundation course at Carmarthenshire College in Carmarthen, Wales, with Ingrid Murphy that I decided to commit to clay as a material. I had been aware at secondary school of other applied artists (mostly textile artists and metal artists, such as Eleri Mills, Cefyn Burgess, and Ann Catrin Evans) with backgrounds similar to mine who were following successful careers working as artists or designers. Having pursued a BA in ceramics in Cardiff, I had no hesitation or doubt in my mind that I should at least attempt to pursue a career making work in clay and working with ceramics. Looking back, I may have been quite naïve, but that may have been a good thing. Back then, I had no idea of how difficult it would be to become self-employed and how all-consuming working in the field of ceramics would be. If I d known this at 18, I may have followed another path, but now, at 34, I have no regrets at all. I actually enjoy and relish the fact that it plays such a major role in my life. I get so much satisfaction from the work that I do. After graduating, I was fortunate in setting up a studio at my uncle s garage a short drive away from Cardiff, in Pontypridd which provided such freedom. However, having finished a permanent part-time office job to focus on ceramics full time, I found the experience a little isolating at times. So when a space became available at Fireworks Clay Studios in 2003, I jumped at the opportunity to apply. Now, I have spent most of my career at this place (2013 is my 10th year) and it s so easy to forget how 40 june/july/august

27 Above: Lowri Davies in her studio at Fireworks Clay Studio. Below: Taxidermy Collection, to 11 in. (28 cm) in height, bone China, transparent earthenware glaze with colored stains, digital and screen-printed transfers, gold and platinum luster, financially affordable it is. During the first few years, I had a space that totalled 45 (US$68) per calendar month. I now have taken on a larger space, coming in at around 100 (US$151)per month. Fireworks Clay Studios is such an excellent communal studio facility; we have open studio spaces and bookable communal kilns, glaze equipment, and a photography studio. It surprises some makers that I still don t have my own personal kiln for firing. Most of the time I spend in my studio is pure production, as I often draw and consider new works in a totally separate space. Therefore, the studio becomes a factory of sorts and I have my own daily production pattern and timetable. Thinking, analyzing, and reflecting on future development usually happens in museums, galleries, looking at public and private ceramic collections, or exploring interesting architecture or landscapes and townscapes. Wales is very fortunate to boast having the Ruthin Craft Centre, one of the leading applied arts galleries in the UK. The support that I ve had since graduating from Director and Curator Phillip Hughes and the staff at the Ruthin has been remarkable, and many artists and makers most YEARS AS A PROFESSIONAL POTTER: 12 NUMBER OF POTS MADE IN A YEAR THE TIME IT TAKES Making work (including firing) 65% Promotions/Selling 10% Office/Bookkeeping 25% WHERE IT GOES Retail Stores 30% Galleries 40% Craft/Art Fairs 20% Studio/Home Sales 8% Online 2% june/july/august

28 certainly wouldn t be leading successful careers without their constant and diligent support. The Ruthin Craft Centre also saw benefit in offering me my first solo show with an accompanying catalog in 2005, which has been pivotal in extending the reach of my work to audiences across the UK and beyond. They have represented my work at SOFA Chicago and Collect in London. Words will never express how utterly thankful I am for their support. In 2007, I started an MA course in ceramic design at Staffordshire University in order to develop surface pattern work and to refine production techniques, while also having a keen eye on the ceramic industry after all, Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire is the heart of the potteries in the UK. At the time, I questioned what would happen to my career if I broke my leg or my arm and how I would survive financially. The production techniques that I m involved with would be impossible to do if I was in a cast. Diversifying by approaching companies to start designing lines for production was one solution to this problem. I have undertaken work for a number of companies, which can offer new perspectives and can be a good way of making an additional income. However, they can prove difficult since some companies have a tendency to want to reproduce some of the mainstay pieces in my practice. If I had the choice, I d work on Taxidermy Collection, large bowl and two vases, detail of large bowl (above) overall (left), to 11 in. (28 cm) in diameter, bone China, glaze, digital and screen-printed transfers, gold and platinum luster, Photos: Dewi Tannat Lloyd. designing and producing my own work full time, since I have full control on it at each stage of the process. I ve always partaken in craft and applied arts fairs and supply my work on sale or return (consignment) to galleries and shops. This balance changed a little following my MA studies. I tend to only do two to three fairs a year. I have taken some work to trade [wholesale] fairs where taking trade orders gives you some additional financial security, depending on the recurring sales of course, which in my case, has meant that I don t worry so much about finances as before. There is a significant difference between the experience of exhibiting at craft fairs compared with trade fairs. On the whole, trade fairs are about business, negotiation, and orders. People communicate differently about the work and you, as a result, behave differently too. Craft fairs are always more intimate and viewers tend to be more interested, passionate, and knowledgeable about material and techniques. Ceramic artists, in the main, tend to be very open and generous in sharing their knowledge and taking time to explain how the items are made. Gallery exhibitions are quite a different arena again. At times, it s refreshing to hand over the responsibility of how the work is displayed to the curator, who can offer a new and interesting insight into how the work could be presented. Health and safety has become an ever-more apparent issue in my practice in recent years. I realized that I was becoming increasingly lethargic from the long hours I occasionally spend spraying surface glaze and applying surface luster using only a particulate dust mask for safety. As a result, I purchased a personal air-filtering system, which has improved the situation greatly, and I find I am more productive as a result. The advice I d give to anyone interested in pursuing a career in studio ceramics would be to be prepared to work very hard but the effort is worth it in the end. I also feel it s important to not rest on one s laurels, as it s so very easy to be consumed with satisfying orders rather than satisfying your own creative endeavors as an artist. I ve found it s also important for me to push and extend my technical, creative, and artistic ability, and that my schedule of designing, producing, and selling tableware offers me some scope and time to create one-off exhibition pieces and produce solo gallery exhibitions that fulfill this need june/july/august

29 ADAM FREW PORTSTEWART, NORTHERN IRELAND Years as a professional potter 7 Number of pots made in a year roughly 1500 this includes small functional items and one-off, larger pots The time it takes Making work (including firing): 50% Promotions/Selling: 40% Office/Bookkeeping: 10% Where it goes Retail Stores: 30% Galleries: 25% Craft/Art Fairs: 25% Studio/Home Sales: 10% Online: 10% 1 Stacked Jars, to 5 in. (13 cm) in height, porcelain, Small lidded jars, to 5 in. (13 cm) in height, porcelain, Large pot, 27½ in. (70 cm) in height, porcelain, Photo: David Pauley. I began making pots during a foundation course and found I was fairly good at it. I then continued this through to university level, improving my skills and knowledge greatly. While at university, I took a year s work placement abroad. I spent three months at Winchcombe pottery in England and then worked for the rest of the year with Judy Makela in Finland. This was my first experience of the daily running of potteries. I experienced first hand the satisfaction of production pottery. It was amazing to watch skilled makers, who had been potters for more than 30 years, their speed and consistency in throwing hundreds of pots was inspiring. I was hungry to gain more pottery experience so upon completing my studies I sought out an apprenticeship. I wasn t sure where to start, but I thought one of the big ceramics shows in England would be a good place to meet established makers. I headed over to Art in Clay in Hatfield, and spoke to some of the makers whose work I really admired, inquiring whether they needed an assistant. Luckily for me, Lisa Hammond s most recent apprentice had left and she had an opening. Working for Lisa helped me refine my skills as a production thrower and also showed me the dedication it took to pursue a career as a potter. I could see it wasn t an easy life, but my passion for making drove me on to set up my own pottery. I moved back to Northern Ireland to take advantage of a business start up opportunity run by Craft NI called, Making It. This program gave me a free studio at Flowerfield Arts in Portstewart along with business training. The studio is on the north coast, a really beautiful location that continues to inspire my work. The market for craft in Northern Ireland felt a little behind in comparison to the market in England. I think it is steadily improving, but it is necessary for my business to export my work through out the UK and also the Republic of Ireland. Using the Internet as a sales tool and participating in trade fairs has led me to the conclusion that I don t think it really matters where I am. I can live in beautiful surroundings with relatively lower living costs than say, London, but benefit from nation-wide sales. It is, of course, a little more difficult logistically to do markets or shows where I need a lot of stock, but I m used to taking the ferry and driving to shows in England, and it s a welcome break from the studio. I thought that with starting a new business in the recession I would really struggle financially to keep going. With each show my 1 44 june/july/august

30 2 work is increasingly well received. I have paid close attention to the public s reaction to my work, the functionality of items, the decoration they are drawn to and also the pricing of my competitors. Things have steadily grown, with more exhibitions at well-established galleries and being accepted into nationally acclaimed fairs. Working for Lisa Hammond, I saw first hand how she sold her work. Shows were a big focus for her, and subsequently they have played an important role in establishing my business. Ceramic Art London is a really good show for me, not only in sales but also in publicity, as it means having my work exhibited at the top-selling ceramics event in the UK. Early on in my career I got some government funding to do the British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate, England. I was pleasantly surprised at how many stockists I acquired from that show, and I continued to do it for five years. In my fourth year I won the Best in Show award! From this show I have also been asked to exhibit in leading craft venues in the UK such as the Blackwell Arts and Crafts House, Fortnum and Mason, and most recently a solo show at the Harley Gallery, Nottinghamshire. I have an interest in film making, which has gone from a hobby to a very useful tool for my business. I have filmed my making process for specific exhibitions, and the video was played in the gallery during the show. These videos are also uploaded to YouTube and posted on my Facebook page. I can t think of a better way to communicate the work and detail put into every piece and all the various stages of production. Viewers definitely engage with this. I am relatively new to Facebook, having started my page about two years ago. I have found it really useful to communicate directly to people who have a keen interest in my work, and also show galleries how my work is progressing. This way I am continuously building up a following. I also use it to advertise the shows that I m taking part in and then interact with the event s page. I have made a small shop on my website (expanding on this is something on my to-do list) and I found I got several sales through posts I did on Facebook. I also sell my work through other online shops, which is good for promotion. I find regular exercise is really important to stretch my back out and keep in shape, so I will reduce any occupational injuries. It s also great to get out of the studio and go for a run to clear my head, and I play football (soccer) on Fridays which 3 is something I look forward to in the working week! I think it is vital to take up an apprenticeship with an established maker. You may not be paid very much, just enough to live off of, but the experience you gain is invaluable. Without my two years working for Lisa, I wouldn t have known where to start. She showed me how to run a pottery and how to market and sell work. Helping her with her stand at fairs I could see what sold, what sort of people were buying and how to deal with galleries. So I didn t feel like I d jumped directly into the deep end when I started out on my own june/july/august

31 wp STEVEN ROLF RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN My decision to become a professional potter was based on a desire to have more control of my work on a daily basis, and to follow my passion to create. I made a goal of becoming a full-time potter within a year and a half of finishing graduate school. When that time came I had to make one of the most difficult decisions in my career. The decision was to drop my other jobs and to make and sell pots as my sole income. I made the jump and sold enough pots during that time and we kept the electricity on. At the time, my wife had three more years to go in graduate school. I sold most of my pots at craft fairs. Our expenses were low. The studio I used was lent to me and, with my parents help, I was able to get a loan to build a kiln. I built a gas kiln with a good potter friend in an old orchard behind the studio and that was the beginning of my professional career as a potter. I now have a studio in western Wisconsin. The studio is not what I had originally envisioned. I thought we would have a studio on the end of a dirt road in the country. We made the move to the Midwest for two reasons: one was to be closer to family, and the other was that my wife was getting ready to start a new job. We had a five-day house/studio hunting tour and we could not find anything in the country that was both affordable and workable for a studio. On our last day we found a place in town. This house is a 1920 s-era bungalow that was moved onto a new foundation. We re-evaluated our plans of a separate building for a studio, and decided to frame out 1 Yunomi, 4 in. (10 cm) in height, dark stoneware, glaze, fired to cone 10 in reduction, Steven Rolf in his studio,

32 3 4 business space in the open basement. This has worked out better than I imagined. We have been able to keep our overhead low and have a business similar to the old storefront model with the family living upstairs. I am able to have privacy and a disciplined work schedule and I am also able to quickly move into the needs of my family when the workday is done. I built a small separate showroom at the entrance of the house which functions as a small gallery space for customer/clients, by appointment, and also for my studio open houses. The majority of my work is now sold in the region where I live and this is by design. I sell a fairly large percentage of my work to people with whom I have established a relationship through my pots. A smaller portion of my income comes from selling via website inquiries. I am also filling requests for wedding gifts and other needs. This has led to trying out a wedding registry on my website. Galleries have been great at educating people about my work and this has been a good source for selling and advertising as well. Periodically I also teach workshops. I hold open studio sales and have been part of organizing an annual ceramic tour. I have also been invited to participate in other excellent tours. The efforts of selling pots in this region are shared by many. The potters and educators that have preceded me in this area have, through hard work, made a fertile place to sell work, and I feel that it is a team effort to keep building the momentum they have started. Currently I do not use social media, but think it is a good tool. I send out announcements for my studio but I struggle with finding the time to use social media with so many other demands. I am constantly working on balancing all of the needs of the studio and my family. Until recently, I have not thought a great deal about my main tool (my body) wearing out. I have enjoyed good health up to this point, but I find that I do have to exercise more to stay healthy. As a family, we maintain balanced nutrition and produce much of our own food. Keeping my studio clean by mopping several times a day is crucial for maintaining a healthy environment and it doesn t take much time. I think it is important for new potters to remember that there is no one way to build a life of making and selling work. When I first started, I felt like I was pushing pots out the door, and now I find it difficult to keep up with the demand. These are some of the things I have learned: Keeping overhead low means that sales have greater financial impact. I make what I love to make and not what I think will sell; because my pots are an extension of me, my hope is that my customers will feel that in the work. Keeping the reasons why I am making pots in the first place fresh in my mind protects me 5 46 june/july/august

33 career snapshot Years as a professional potter: 19 Number of pots made in a year: 1500 Education: BS in Broad Area Arts, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, Wisconsin (1988) BFA in Ceramics from Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri (1992) MFA in Ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, New York (1994) the time it takes Making work (including firing): 85% Promotions/Selling: 5% Office/Bookkeeping: 10% 3 Teapot, 10 in. (25 cm) in length, Dessert bowls, to 4½ in. (11 cm) in diameter, Casserole, 8½ in. (22 cm) in diameter, Vase, 11 in. (28 cm) in height, All pieces are dark stoneware, fired to cone 10 in reduction. from a life that can become complicated and distracting. These principles help me to say no to things (even good things), because they would distract me from what I set out to do (I have to edit life just as much as I have to edit my pots). Working with really good mentors is extremely valuable. I have been fortunate to work with some giants both in academia and in an apprenticeship capacity. The knowledge I have received from working closely with them is invaluable. Another thing that I find helpful is to have very positive people around me. I am blessed to have a wife who has enjoyed cobbling a life together with me. We give and take to support each other s interests and careers. Our children often humble me with how on board they are with the life we have chosen. I also feel embraced by our community, which is very supportive of the arts in general. Check out the digital version of this issue at ceramicsmonthly.org to read an archive article about Rolf from December where it goes Galleries: 15% Studio/Home Sales (including both events and sales at studio by appointment and via wedding registries by request): 65% Online: 5% I do not keep work online for sale, however I do get inquires through my website and will photograph specific work and ship work for a client. Studio tours organized by artists: 15% where to see more Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota The Grand Hand Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota thegrandhand.com Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, Michigan Western Wisconsin Pottery Tour Learn More scrolfpotter.com june/july/august