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| Big pot |
I love a challenge. I consider myself to be optimistic and
positive, so I revel in saying "Yes!" Lately that has taken the
form of wedding registries, which I adore because it enables me to make a
cohesive set. Then I said, "Yes" to the challenge of an
18" tall vase with a 9" mouth which turned out to be much easier to
type than to achieve- though I did end up with my tallest vessel yet at
12" tall and a 7" mouth. With a tall lid it almost reaches
18". And I said, "Yes" to the custom tile project which has taught me
patience and how to reproduce a single piece of a puzzle (when one randomly
decided not to cooperate), calculating shrink rate and grouting.
Recently,
Anthropologie contacted me about being a handmade holiday showcase artist both
at their stores and online. They wanted 460 mugs initially, which, being
a 1-woman factory was not only impossible but unappealing. It’s forced me
to reevaluate my business plan (again) and my intentional lack of growth.
I generally say, "No" to galleries who want to buy my products wholesale and
retail them at 50% markup, especially not my mugs. I don't have the means to make endless
product, so it doesn't really benefit me to sell more products for less money.
I do not want to mechanize my pottery, as it would lose it whole purpose
of being an intentional object. I can't really imagine hiring someone
because I love the absolute control and flexibility I have over my schedule
(though I did solicit the aid of fellow potters to throw for me when my MS
first appeared and crippled my left hand.... but those were desperate times....
)  |
| Broken tiles around the edges are ones I had to replace |
My mugs are
pretty much my gift to my customers (or a gateway pot, accessible to almost
every budget), because they take as much time, concentration and effort as my
larger platters for which I can charge more. As a business, I want to be
truly sustainable; earning a supportive income and maintaining my physical, intellectual
and spiritual self while minimizing my environmental impact. If I
make a factory of myself, all joy that I hope oozes from my pottery might be squelched
in the drudgery.
I don't want to make 100 imprisoned owls. But I do
want to increase my online presence, to not have to heave my poor delicate pots
all over the country to hawk them in the sun. I love selling my pottery
in person, I thrive off the feedback. But it is exhausting and time
consuming. So I am tempted to dip my toes deeper into the online marketplace;
piggyback off a known brand. Anthropologie offered me a fair deal and I
feel respected in the exchange, (and I have negotiated a reasonable quantity
for them to sell). 
To get in the
spirit, today I painted 20 stag mugs, to see if the repetition would be
productive or mind-numbing. I found the proportions skewed over time- my
stags grew a bit more Picasso-esque in their imbalance. I've put them
aside to reevaluate later. But there was also calm in the repetition, a
refining of the lines and details. I have certainly done over 1000
octopuses and they still make me smile. I even painted tentacles on the
Otter box of my phone so I can identify it as my own. I think I can
manage this. Feedback is certainly
welcome….
Life is apparently like my Pilates class; continually
seeking the balance, finding the relaxation in the work, the joy in the
challenge, and when you have to say "No" and take a break.
