MudTalk Podcast - Pottery, Ceramics, Business

Links to Original DiscussionWhat is your favorite pot?Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/potterymakinginfo/photos/a.10151503193013457/10155026095458457Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbbncu9DvYv/If you had to pick just one pot that you love more than the rest... Why is it your favorite? What do you like about it? What does it look like? Feel like? Tell us all about it!TranscriptThis is episode 28 of the MudTalk Podcast. Thank you for tuning in. And a big thank you for subscribing so you know when a new episode drops. Especially because my posting schedule seems to be completely random. And the biggest thank you for sharing the podcast with anyone else who may be interested.If this is your first episode, or first episode in a while, the MudTalk Podcast is just a collection of thoughts about a certain topic. Designed to be short and sweet without a lot of fluff. Something to get you thinking or hear some new perspectives.This episode is all about your favorite pot. Why is it your favorite? What do you like about it? What does it look like? There weren’t a lot of responses to the original post which I thought was a little odd. I mean, most potters I know love to talk about pots.So I reposted more recently to get some new thoughts. And still didn’t get a LOT of discussion.But that’s okay. We will work with what we have. But if you would like to share something, feel free to reach out through email or social media.I intentionally left the question a little bit vague. Some people responded with their favorite pot that they have made. Some responded with a style of pot. Some shared one specific pot that they have purchased or use. All good options. I love that the concept of ‘a pot’ can bring up so many different things. We won’t talk about our favorite recreational or medicinal plant. But maybe this question didn’t have the same engagement because the algorithms got confused and thought the content was questionable.Anyway, let’s hear about some favorite pots!Sarahannebkr Deep Bowls, with a rolled rim, and you can still see the last pull, with a ringed footTrippelgrow Agate ware coffee cup unglazed outside and opaque white inside. Fits my hands just so and I slowly awake studying the rings and curvesJenny2ren A generous deep bowl, thinking of filling it with salad or mixing a cake in it!Jessica ewton ceramics A shallow blue bowl with lots of cut outs. I spent a long time on it and it paid off!! You can see it on my page :)Havanow As wide as it is tall. Like a Gywan 😍Thepeddlerman A tall, abnormally large mug in a glaze that wasn't exactly mixed entirely (my bad) but the color gradient, from a nice bright red, to a brown almost black is beautifulMarianwilliamspotteryA huge bulbous thrown vessel with an added neck or throat and pulled handles- glazed in a beautiful runny (probably barium) blue on top and satin white on bottom- it’s big, showing makers hand marks in the handles and neck.Landrum_pottery My fav I've made is a 10 lb. Infant piggy sculpture. I almost didn't keep it but after a year of it sitting on the greenware shelf I finally decided to try to fix the damaged ear... I layer glazed it also which turned out great. I feel like he's a high psychedelic pig. :)Betty JBrown clay, larger at the bottom than the top that has a narrow, tapering neck. No glaze. Just natural.James ShockThe handle makes this teapot, and seemed to take longer to make! Mudslide glaze over dark brown clay. The lid knob is a miniature of the actual teapot. An afterthought, but worth the effort.Naomi Zacharias UnrauA B-mix thrown 1 pound bowl, rim cut, black slip carved, dots sliptrailed. A play-surprise.So those are the comments that were shared. But as I’m thinking about this, maybe there are a lot of people out there having the same problem that I have: it is hard to pick a favorite!If I HAD to pick one… okay I can’t. How about I give you three of my favorites?First off, I have to put something by Dick Lehman on my list. Local legend. National treasure. International traveler. Magazine covers. But most importantly, he makes some amazing pots. I have a small cup that I’ve mentioned on the podcast before back on Episode 6. It was part of my reward for helping him run his booth at the Michiana Pottery Tour one year. So the experience that goes with it plus the texture, and glaze surface and size all make this one of my favorites.Next, I’m going to go with a bowl by Andrew Linderman. It is in my heavy rotation and it makes me realize that I don’t have enough unique bowls by other artists. The glaze makes me think of a toasted marshmallow over a nice dark stoneware. The facets around the outside are clean and lead to a little bit of an undulating rim which adds to the uniqueness. The foot is narrow so it fits in one hand comfortably. Nice weight. At first I wondered if I would like the rough, slightly textured surface on the inside. I do take the process of eating very seriously. But no complaints about that. It cleans just about as easily as any of the smooth surface bowls I have in my cupboard.Finally, I’ll include my favorite pot to make. This is also a tough choice because I like to make a lot of them. I’ll go with my world map cups. When I say cup I’m talking about a drinking vessel without a handle. I love the simplicity of the form but the various details that can make each cup unique. I love the idea of having a continuous design around the exterior. No beginning or end. I like that a cup can be used for so many things.Alright, that’s probably enough of me blabbering about what I think. But I think it is important to talk about pots. I couldn’t explain exactly why so I did a quick Google search to see if anyone had a good answer. And Google pulls through again. I came across a blast from the past: legendary potter / philosopher / blogger Carter Gillies. I loved reading his blog for years. Unfortunately he passed away a few years back. In his post from 2012 titled “Talking about Pottery” he had this to say:And interestingly, without the words, sometimes we don’t really see things so well. Its as if we learn new things about the world in the company of language. Words tend to help us focus and differentiate. Words give us nuance and value. Its amazing what we can do in the absence of words. But its also amazing what we can do once we do have the words. Learning how to talk about things also teaches us how to look at them. Sometimes we discuss things to help bring clarity to our own thinking. The feedback of testing ideas against the world is simply how we grow.He goes on to talk about how as a beginner we don’t have the experience to talk about pots. Then later he says:Well, eventually I started taking classes that were academic, and I did find myself in positions where there were conversations about pots. How others talked about pots helped me see what I was looking at. Some of what got said was nonsense. Some of it was ill informed hogwash. But occasionally it helped to have an opinion from someone with greater experience or a contrasting viewpoint. You even get to see your own handiwork in a new light once you find the tools to discuss it. And so a light bulb suddenly went on. It turned out there were words that could help me talk about what I was doing.As Carter alludes to, there are some great benefits to thinking about and discussing what we do and why we do it. I hope this episode has given you some things to think about. If you need some more to think about, I’ll include a link to Carter’s blog which is filled with thought provoking topics. And remember, you are always welcome to drop a message to brandon @ expertclay .com or leave a comment on social media.Even though this is a shorter episode, I think that is a good place to stop. Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast. Our next episode will explore what potters listen to when making pots. So, until then, keep making, buying, and discussing your favorite pots, and stay muddy.

Links to Original DiscussionFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/potterymakinginfo/photos/a.10151503193013457/10154977725348457Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BalgWSUjVrb/Share your opinion on... sharing. What should be shared? How much should be shared? Who should it be shared with?TranscriptHello, and welcome back! We are dusting off this old podcast and tossing out a few new episodes for the new year.Thank you for downloading, listening, subscribing and especially sharing because that is what this episode is all about. More specifically, sharing pottery information. Be sure to listen to the end of this episode to hear why Expert Clay could be a great place for you to share some of your knowledge and experience.Also, a big thanks to… I think it was Jodie Rae of Mudslinging Pottery who showed up at my Michiana Pottery Tour stop and said “don’t you have a podcast? I really liked it.” This kind of interaction inspires me to keep going. So here is a new episode, #27.Let me start by saying that the pottery community is one of the most generous, kind, and caring communities in existence. At least from my somewhat limited experience. You can find examples all over the place of potters sharing their techniques, tips, time, advice, recipes, and just about anything else. I hope you have experienced some part of this as well. So as you may expect, most of the responses were in favor of sharing on some level. But is that it? Should we just automatically share everything we discover or create with everyone else… for free?Let’s hear from other potters and see how they feel about sharing. We’ll start with comments from potters that love to share.pollywog221I really appreciate when experienced potters are willing to share their knowledge and wisdom. It enables me to become [a] better potter. And I think sharing would enhance the pottery community overall. I want to thank all the people that have helped me over the years @adjustsailsdirtworks. @kyleguymonpotteryearthartamI use commercial glazes and clays, but I am always eager to share knowledge and techniques. Teaching others is where it's at, definitely.jclaypotterystudioIt's all been done before ...what makes your work unique is YOU. I'm all in for sharing. I wonder sometimes when artists are secretive if they believe it's the only good idea they'll ever have. I think we also have a responsibility to take info shared and make it our own-so not to try to only copy but to breathe our own life into the glaze recipe, the form, the concept, etc...but also see great value in trying to copy at times so you can master and incorporate into your own work.sallyannesadlerNone of us would be here today without the hard work, experimentation and SHARING from those who came before us.Elizabeth esther401I am a teacher and am used to sharing. If you share a recipe or technique, it is next to impossible to replicate it 100% since we all tend to put our own spin on things.sueramics_sunshinecoastSharing is caring it helps to keep our beloved craft alive and thriving with like minded souls.droobs5707Sharing your knowledge helps everyone. There is room enough for everyone to do whatever lights their fire. Even if you share everything you know the next potter will do something completely different. Pottery is love.Camilla connellinfo can be shared. But not the experience which has to be lived.angieizardceramicsTaking information and applying it to your own work is a far cry from copying someone else. Sharing is part of how to grow and adapt as potters. Excellent topic.thattmumShare everything. Share always. Sharing is the only way to mak e the world a better place. Nothing that is beautiful is owned by any one person, Including glaze recipesdannymeisingerI share. So much of what we know comes from thousands of years of trial and much error. We stand on the shoulders of all potters who come before us. We are the shoulders of the future.shoshe58There is very little in the world of art that hasn’t been shared through the generations. No matter how much one tries to duplicate someone else’s work, each of us have our own imprint making us all unique as is our workstudio2ceramicsCollaboration makes for great creativity! I am so thankful for all the potters before me who have been willing to problem solve and coach me.wordsthatilluminateI'm new at this and appreciate when people share and I often ask detailed questions. I've been collecting pics from many IG potters and doing my own primer and attempting to do things in the style of other artists to learn. Even if I had exact glaze recipes or perfected someone else's technique, I'm not interested in copying someone else's bread and butter bc I'm an artist and I'm still fleshing out my own pottery voice. I don't want to look like anyone else. But I absolutely love trying to throw, shape, trim, carve or glaze or underglaze like all of you! And I share your work with friends daily for inspiration and encouragement just to broaden our horizons on what's possible.sheric2015I am a beginner to this and I have my own kiln that I inherited. I get most of my info from you tube videos. I appreciate any Sharing of knowledge. I agree that even if you learn a technique or glazing application it will always be different.soilandartInformation/tips/advices from the experts here on Insta, youtube and other magazines have helped me a lot. I've ventured into ceramics in my midlife, with family and other responsibilities I'm unable to join a school/college to pursue BFA/MFA. So in my situation, any information shared by other experienced potters is very valuable. I learn by reading, practicing and experimenting based on those information. I'm grateful to all the potters who've been generous in sharing the process info/advice!!strauwald_ceramicsThe warmth and sharing spirit of the ceramics community are things that really drew me in, before I ever got my hands on clay. I stumbled upon YouTube videos of potters sharing their techniques and decided to take a class in college. I've been hooked ever since!carlin.mcraeSharing is one of the best things about our community. I hate it that some of us feel threatened by sharing recipes and techniques - nothing is sacred except our love of the medium!a.f.potteryI used to be a pastry Chef so that was also a common question in the kitchen. Sharing recipes is up to you but I think everyone has their own personal twist on how they will use the end result. From my personal experience if you give 2 chefs the same recipe it will never come out exactly the same.carlymccannpotteryAlso reading these comments makes [me] love the ceramic community so much. Such a nice change from typical internet comments ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️glynnislessingI had a potter friend say to not share info was not "potterly". I agree. Teaching is very much part of who I am.matthew_fitzsimmonsI’ll just say this...think about where you would be as a potter if no one had shared their knowledge with you.lindawitteartI have always shared what took me years to learn and perfect to others. This long before Internet. I recently decided to work with porcelain and a potter I met on IG has been so very helpful sharing her firing schedules and glaze recipes. I think it's the neighborly thing to do. Think of it as " paying it forward". 😊❤️❤️ostergaardpotteryI share freely. No one can truly copy me and pottery is not easy to make so why not! I recently asked a potter on IG what she was mixing into her clay because what I tried had not worked. She responded that she wanted to keep it her little secret. I assume she felt threatened which is just sad for her. I asked a different potter who posts a lot of similar work. He was very "potterly" and shared freely!artbygretamichelleIt was "The kindness of strangers" that helped get me on my feet when I started working with clay. Kiln, wheel, first set of glaze ingredients and the first basic recipe when I decided I wanted to make a glaze. From there I was able to research, test and do. I will never forget the generosity and so I pay that forward to the next curious soul who might genuinely have an interest. Sharing is good. Spoon feeding is bad.Queerly clayI belong to a ceramic co op. I’ve learned a lot from other members. I’m also use to sharing whatever I can to help others in the co op. So, as far as I’m concerned sharing is great!Cathy HI was inspired by all the beautiful unique local pottery on a recent trip to Nova Scotia... I would love to try my hand at it and would welcome any advice and information.Steve HShare, but to those that take information, please do not attempt to copy work but rather reinterpret.Leah GHappy to share recipes, techniques, tools, ideas. I get as much and more than I give.Verna LShare away, no one else's interpretation will be exactly the same anywayMichelle CJust took a glaze testing workshop with John Britt. Share! No one will get the same results because of how the kiln fires, what kind of clay they’re using, the source of the elements being used. And he said he can lose 50% of a Firing when he knows what results he wants. Share away!Anita RI agree with sharing! There are an infinite number of variables including but not limited to type of clay used, how thick your work is, glaze application, availability of materials and their substitutes, differences in the brand of kilns and how worn their elements are, the pots and the glazes on the pots next to that piece with the borrowed recipe, and common human variations such as what you consider a cream consistency when you prepare the glaze. Like the glaze guru, John Britt said himself....so many variables.....have at it....good luck reproducing the same results! Besides even their shapes are going to be different so the glaze or combinations thereof are going to look different. Don’t be stingy....you ride the coattails of many that have come before you.As you have heard, a large majority of these responses were in favor of sharing. I don’t know if there have been any official studies done, but the pottery community in general seems like a generous group. There seems to be less competition, more collaboration, more sharing, and more people that are willing to help each other than many other communities. And I am happy to be a part of it. But there were a few comments about situations or certain content that some people may not want to share.donatelliaartI think info for sure can and should shared. I could have Steven Hills base glaze recipes, but will probably never recreate the same quality, nor is that my intention. My one issue is make sure that an artist is credited. There's a lot of time, research and development that I would love to see acknowledgedrepulseerIt'l help a lot of new enthusiasts who are excited about new beautiful glazes.Perhaps sharing an interesting find you had with experimenting with glazes but keep your bread and butter close to you :>ashglazedceramicsSharing is amazingly underrated, we have a fear for loosening our grip onto intellectual property, but with pottery is somewhat an illusion to maintain from the get go. We must share and grow together and by sharing we enriched all our lives. However if there is a particular body of work that is a brain child or a long standing thought that you dream about daily in your dreaming they should be kept safe. Share enough to empower others but not too much to be disempowered by the thorns in sheaves of wheat 🌾carlymccannpotteryI don't think it's fair to have to give away glazes I've spent hours and hours formulating and reformulating. I do love the generosity and support of sharing in our community though. I like trading glazes because it shows reciprocityclayandcompassAs a newbie potter who has benefited mightily from the kindness of other potters, I think it depends. It’s one thing to say it’s glaze A over glaze B from such and such book, but if someone has spent weeks tweaking and testing a recipe, I can understand why they may want to hold that close for a while. I certainly take no offense. And personally, I prefer being pointed in a direction rather than being told the answer outright, as I usually learn so many other interesting things along the way!So not everyone is in favor of sharing EVERYTHING. And I think that is okay. If you have something you don’t want to share, that should be your own choice. It reminds me of the time I attended a Chris Gustin workshop a few years ago and he talked about not sharing. Now, obviously, he was doing a workshop so he was definitely sharing techniques and thoughts. But If I remember correctly (it has been a few years so my memories are a little dusty) he had developed hundreds of his own glazes for a ceramic tile business But he doesn’t share the recipes. The ceramic tile industry is probably a little different than our community of handmade pots but his main reason for not sharing is that giving away recipes would give a shortcut so people don’t get to learn about formulating their own glazes. He wants others to go through the learning process so they will be better potters. Like the old saying about teaching a person to fish instead of giving them a fish. And if you are a great teacher or have some very valuable content I think it is okay to charge a reasonable fee for your knowledge or services. Some potters supplement their income through teaching or creating content and I think it is always good to support those people when possible not just expect free handouts all the time.There were a couple responses that stuck out to me personally so I saved them until the end here:nowwhatpotteryworksI think that sharing is at the core of what it means to be a potter. The more we share as a community the more we all stand out. Not very many other groups of people are so open and kind to others with information. Plus, there is little reason to keep something a secret. Someone, somewhere is already doing what you are doing, so it isn't just special to you. No one is going to take the same information and end up with the exact same result, which is what makes clay such a fun medium to play in!There were some other similar comments to this one and I love them all. I feel like overall, the pottery community is above average when it comes to being generous and helping each other. There are probably multiple reasons for this but I wonder if there is something about clay that draws a certain type of person that is more willing to share?Finally,freisingerseifenkistlExchange is a great thing! Everyone can learn from everyone and everyone has something to contribute👍🏼😊I love this comment! This sums up what Expert Clay is all about. As of now (2022), I’m the only one making content. And it has been a while since I’ve even done that. As you may have noticed, I took quite a break from the Mud Talk Podcast. Working on my own studio, trying to teach full time while gradually building a foundation for a pottery business, spending time with my family… Not to mention a little pandemic just making things anything but normal. Here and there I’ve rebuilt ExpertClay.com and added some new content. And I will be looking for other contributors that want to share their knowledge, tips, shortcuts, research… whatever you think may help someone else.Many people have developed unique ways to make pots… or skills outside of working with clay that can really help us as we pursue a creative life. If you have an idea about something you would like to share go to expertclay.com to see how you can contribute content and find an audience to share it with.It could be written articles, podcasts, video workshops, online courses or almost anything in digital format. I have created a couple courses that are available now and I’m planning some more workshop style video courses for the future.So go check out expertclay.com. We are just laying the foundation for now but I’m excited about what we could build on it in the future.That does it for this episode. The next episode will be about our favorite pots. Until then, keep creating, keep sharing, and stay muddy.

Who is your market and how did you find them?LinksFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/potterymakinginfo/photos/a.10151503193013457/10154915774163457Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZdZ4HIlnPy/TranscriptWelcome to episode 26 of the mudtalk podcast. In this episode we’re talking about your market, or, the people who buy your work.Who buys your pots? How did you find them? Why do they buy your pots? How do you find more of the people that will buy your pots? These are the questions that any potter should start asking when they get serious about selling their work. Thanks to @stonecropstudio for suggesting this question a very long time ago.This episode will be interesting because there were only a handful of responses. Literally 5 responses. Now it’s hard to judge what that means for certain. Maybe the social media algorithms didn’t put this question in front of very many people. Maybe a lot of us clay people have never thought specifically about our markets. Maybe we don’t know who our market or ideal customers are. Maybe, as Little Blackberry Creek Pots says later, we just want to create, instead of thinking about things like this. Maybe we can get by if we just put our work out there without precisely defining our market.I’ll be completely honest with you. I have no idea who my market is. I just put my pots on instagram and facebook, list some of them on Etsy, set up my booth at events (remember those?), and hope for the best. Okay, maybe I’m not quite that lost. I have some ideas. For example, the map mugs would probably be perfect for someone who likes to travel. Or who enjoys history or geography. But I know I could target certain people more specifically. So at the end of the episode I’ll talk about a few ways that I may be able to find my market..First, let’s hear what other potters have said about who is your market and how did you find them?Ibtispottery @potterymakinginfo Markets is where I sell my pottery and people who have seen me at markets would contact me to buy more.This is an interesting point from Ibtispottery. The word market has a few different meanings. Market could mean the group of people that are looking for products like you are making. Market can also be a physical location or event. Usually these markets are already set up for you. I’m thinking of a farmer’s market or art fair. But the question is, are these predefined markets actually YOUR market? Technically, these are the people in front of your pots but are they the people that will be most interested in and most likely to buy your pots? Probably not all of them. We will explore this idea later.Spectorstudiosporcelain A very smart friend told me that a market for your work is something you create. Working on that.This friend seems very wise. You could probably argue about the words “create” vs. “find” when talking about your market but I think the idea is the same. It takes work and usually some kind of plan to figure out who your market is. And speaking of creating and finding a market, it was interesting to be part of the Michiana Pottery Tour this year. The previous 8 years it was an in-person event in the region around the Michigan / Indiana border. It was a self directed tour with 6-8 stops where potters would open their studios and often invite other guest artists to display their work. This year, being the pandemic year, we offered all our work for sale online and promoted to a nationwide audience. We could change the idea of our market because we were shipping pots instead of expecting people to drive and see us in person. There was still a large concentration of website visitors that were from our region but we also had visitors from just about every state in the US. In fact, we had over 400 visitors from the combination of California and NY together. So we definitely expanded our market to a wider geographic audience. On the other hand, are there people that are willing to drive and see us but don’t like to buy things online? Under our current circumstances, these tradeoffs were acceptable.Littleblackberrycreekpots Everyone is a potential Little Blackberry Creek Pottery lover. I do 4-7 shows a year, two studio tours, and follow my business plan of 1/3 wholesale, 1/3 consign and 1/3 direct. When I see a dip in one area, that's where I target. At the end of every promotion day, I realize that I would have much rather have been creatingThis is an interesting strategy. I like the idea of having different markets because markets change and, as the saying goes, you may not want to put all your eggs in one basket. And I agree, as I’m sure many of you do as well, we just want to make stuff, not promote and sell stuff. This response could be a whole new discussion but we will explore more at the end of this episode.L2fee7 I view everyone as having a potential interest in L2A pottery! I began w/ gifting to family, friends & co-workers. I now have two "home shows" each year & have had amazing sales as a result. I am in 4 retail locations; two outright purchase orders & two on consignment. I continue to be humbled by "strangers" having an interest in & purchasing my work. Hustle = SalesI love the last part: hustle = sales. That, for the most part, seems to be true. And I agree, it is still humbling sometimes to have other people love your work because of the work and not just because they have some other connection to you. It is interesting that LittleBlackBerryCreekPots and L2fee7 both consider everyone as potential customers. To some extent this is true. You never know for certain who will like and even buy your work. But a big step is finding people who are MORE LIKELY to like and purchase your work so you can minimize the time and money you spend marketing. More on this in a minute.Benjamin WI started really selling and going for it during grad school. Started with a really good weekly sat market locally. Helped to get my feet wet and figure things out. I developed a good customer base and 14 years later still attend when im not at an art fair. It's never an insane amount of sales but a steady amount i can count on.This is a good point from Benjamin. It is a good idea to find an outlet or build a following that will provide you some consistent sales that can be counted on. I think the most important part is just to get started. You will figure things out as you go. And then being consistent pays off.Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts. If you are going to be a full time creator or even have a serious side gig, it is important to think about your market.After researching branding over the past few months (check out episode 25 for more on that) I started to think a little bit about who my target customers are, or my market. Knowing your customers is part of building a brand, and really it’s probably part of finding as much success as possible for your business. But, you may think, I make my work for everyone! And I agree. Everyone should appreciate, buy, and use my pots! But guess what, there is actually a very small percentage of people that will even consider it. Just think about what my own work is not. I’ll even just focus on my mugs. I don’t make pink mugs or use rainbows and unicorns. There’s a chunk of the population that won’t be interested in my work just because they would only consider buying a brightly colored mug. I don’t make political pots. There goes what feels like 90% of the people on social media this year. I don’t make smooth white minimalist mugs. I don’t make sculptural work. I don’t put cartoon characters on my mugs… yet. My cheapest mug is around $25. My most expensive mug is around $50. Now, think about the millions of different people and what they are going to buy to drink their coffee or tea. Probably a large portion of the population will go down to walmart and buy a mug for $5 or less and would never think of buying a $30 mug. So the point is, anyone can buy or use my pots but not everyone is going to.So how do I find the people that will consider buying my work? Here are 6 ideas that can help you get started.1. Match your work to the venueI think the easiest step is to consider the kind of work you make and what outlets align with it. For example, if you make big, valuable sculptures, a rural farmers market probably won’t have many people that will be looking for your kind of work. And if you make simple, single color mugs that you sell for $20, you may not have galleries or collectors looking for your work. Some potters even make different lines of work for different venues or audiences.2. Ask aroundDo you know some other clay artists who seem to have a good idea of what they are doing? Maybe you could ask them what kind of shows are good for potters or what kind of people buy their work. Or maybe you know some other artists or craftspeople that use a different medium but have a style related to yours. Maybe they know a show or venue that would be a good fit for your work.3. Consider your subject matterIf someone is going to buy your work they will have some kind of connection with it. If you have specific subject matter that could be what draws certain people to your work. For example, when people buy my map mugs they often comment about how they like to travel. Whether it is through advertising on social media or the way I write my Etsy listings, I could really focus on the travel theme so people that enjoy traveling will find my work and connect to it.4. Look for Patterns in salesAs you sell your work, take note of any patterns you see. Do you have an uncommonly high number of grandma’s that like to bake purchasing your work? Maybe this could tell you something as long as you aren’t only selling your work at “Grandma’s Who Bake” conventions. Start to notice different demographics that seem interested in your work.5. Create customer profilesAnother suggestion is to create an ideal customer profile. You create an imaginary person based on some patterns that you have noticed or how certain aspects of your work relate to characteristics of certain people. After you create this imaginary person with as many details as you can, everything from name to their favorite magazine, you can really get specific on your marketing efforts.6. Build a followingThis goes along with the idea of creating your own market. When you start putting your work out there in an authentic way and do it consistently, people will start to find it and connect with it. These followers are your market and they will be most likely to purchase your work. This can take different forms such as social media followers, email list subscribers, shop visitors, and even snail mail mailing lists. This is what finding or creating a market actually is. But once you have the followers or subscribers you actually have to take care of these relationships. You have to figure out how to keep strengthening the connection. The more connected someone feels, the more likely they will be to buy something from you, or buy something from you again!So there are 6 ideas to think about as you find or create a market for your work. But one thing to remember, it is not going to happen overnight. Finding or creating a market is a process and it will take time. You’ll continue to improve.What about you? Have you started to find a market for your work? Do you have any tips to help someone else? Get in touch through social media or email me at [email protected] that about wraps it up this time. Thanks for listening. And check in on the next episode where we will talk about sharing pottery information. Until then, stay safe, keep finding your market, and stay muddy.

LinksInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BY5fkp1Fnjg/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/potterymakinginfo/photos/a.10151503193013457/10154884355993457/?type=3&theaterTranscriptEpisode 25, business tips and advice. Hello all you fantastic listeners! It has been way too long. The MudTalk Podcast has gone on quite a hiatus here over the past few months. You would think with all the social distancing and quarentining I would just be cranking out the podcast episodes. But alas, I decided to focus completely on my top priority for the year, finish my pottery studio. I’ve also been spending time with my family so we can all stay sane. But now that the studio is taking shape I hope to spend a lot more time making pots and online content. In fact, the Michiana Pottery Tour will be online this year - that’s right, you can buy pots from all the amazing artists no matter where you live! - so I’ll be making pots for that and promoting it big time. The Tour is at the end of September so go to michianapotterytour.com to find out more.I’ve also become fascinated with the idea of branding which is perfect for this episode. I’ve been listening to and reading books, articles and even taking some courses. At the end of this episode I’ll share 5 things that could help a potter or ceramic artist improve their brand. And yes, if you are trying to sell your work, you should have a “brand” even if it is more of a personal brand instead of a big corporate brand.Thank you for taking the time to subscribe, download, and support this podcast. Today the topic is business tips and advice so let’s hear some business tips and advice from other potters.Littlecharliewheeler Knowing that everyone has different tastes, and that piece that disappointed you as it came out of the kiln, might be someone else's favourite.throwingmudetc@littlecharliewheeler that is so true! Usually the ones I don't like are the first to go.littlefernpottery@littlecharliewheeler I hated the cup to one of my matcha sets. HATED the glaze. 5hrs after I posted it, it was gone lol. You're so right.leagueindustriesgroupNetworkpipthepotterUse the shows to network.libbeckA lesson I learned: Don't accept custom orders. It's never satisfying to make something as directed by a customer. It will always feel better to make your own piece. And, it's hard to match their vision.954lla@libbeck Thank you! I've been struggling w/ turning down "requests" but know I never enjoy the process as much as going w/ my own vision.earthartam@libbeck Disagree. The first custom order I got was a disaster, I agree, no satisfying that guy. But I'm glad I didn't give up on them. I like the challenge of meeting someone's vision. After that first one I've never had another person that didn't see what I do and trust me to get it done. It's not a huge part of my business, but I do enjoy it. Tip: get paid up front for truly unique work.claystationdhakaTreat your customer the way you would like to be treated as a customer!thattmumHave a 20 second instagram story-style video to show anyone your work/process and be able to explain why x ( for example a teapot , costs $100.00 in time and money to makesharfam61Have you sold online? How do you package pieces and avoid breakage and cost of shipping?@sharfam61 i wrap them with thick bubble wrap and then fill the box with packing peanuts making sure the piece can not move at all and there is enough space on the edges to account for squish. Never had a piece break in shipping!earthartamTreat it like a job, not a hobby. Show up everyday and put in your time.bspottery@sharfam61 I sell online retail and wholesale, customer pays for shipping, I get my supplies from Uline....rdceramicsTalk to every customer that comes into your space at shows and stand up. Don't sit in the back & expect them to come to youAnotherseattleartist Don't give up and don't half (heart) anything you make. People can tell.ibtispotteryI agree with rdceramics, smile at ppl who come to your space encourage them to pic up ur pottery even when ur sure they won't buy, tell them how you make your pots , don't ever be pushyJoAnn S (from facebook) Make what you love, because when you become successful at it, you will be making it....A LOT!!! My favorite thing to make was (is) mugs and now we make over 30,000 a year! And of those 7,000 go to one account. All hand thrown, and hand decorated. And be prepared to work half-days....12 hours is half a day!These last few responses fit well with what I’ve been reading about branding.dtaylorsatmEnjoy being different, it's what makes you stand out from the rest.mudbird_ceramicsMake what you love, don't try to be someone else. Your passion & creativity will come through in your designs, therefore attracting your customer to the story behind you as well.hillBippieClayCoCustomers are buying your story as much as they are buying your pots. I've found when I'm most true to myself and let people in on the reason why and how I make what I do, the connection is deeper. You'll lose money and you'll make money, don't lose site of why you started selling pots in the first place. Put your passion into you're work and be prepared to start over again and again ✨Pirkitta P (from facebook) Have the courage to be different. ? Not that I have a business yet but that is my two cents to ya all.Yes! These four responses cover some of the most important parts of building a brand, which is a big part of marketing and running a business. You have to be your unique self so you can highlight what makes you stand out. There is a lot more to think about when you are building your brand but I’ve written down 5 things to get you started.The first thing to consider while branding yourself or your business is obvious.Choose to create a brandA brand is how other people think about you and your work. If you don’t really put some thought into building a positive brand, you may be unknowingly sending conflicting, confusing, or even negative messages to potential customers. It is a lot of work but if you commit to do it, it will surely pay off later.Know yourself and your workThere are a lot of ways to say it, but you have to find out who you are. Not just what you do, but WHY you do it. What motivates you, what drives you, your purpose for living, or your purpose for making. Giving people the reason behind what you do gives people another thing to connect to.Know your customersAfter you have figured out who you are and why you create your work, begin finding customers that will connect with you and your work. There are different ways to do this. Not everyone is going to connect with you and your work. You have to find the people that will.Tell your storyPeople connect with stories. Figure out which format, style and voice is most authentic for you and your work. Not just a words, tell your story through images, videos, and of course, clay! Engage your customers, maybe even make them part of the story.Be consistentThe biggest reason to put some thought into your brand is to be consistent which will help build trust. If you are inconsistent potential customers will be confused and will be less likely to interact with you or buy from you.So, to review, 5 things that can help you get started as you build a brand for yourself or your business: choose to create a brand, know yourself and your work, know your customers, tell your story and be consistent. Hopefully that will help get some ideas turning but this is only the tip of the iceberg as they say. I’ll also be writing a few articles and maybe even create a crash course on expertclay.com in the next few months if that is something that people are interested in.But anyway, that’s about it for this episode. Thanks to everyone who shared their business tips and advice. Thanks for listening. The next episode will be about finding your market. Until then, keep selling pots, stay healthy, and stay muddy.