Shifting Sands

This year marks my tenth anniversary as a full time potter. It also marks a shift in the direction my business is headed.

When I first dipped my toes in the full-time-potter world, I tried to get my work out locally. While everyone loved it, very few bought and it became apparent that if I was to make a living, I had to either make new work for the local crowd, or send my work out into the world through markets that were a better fit. So off to the city I went, where my post sold well enough to keep me going and pay my bills.

I am now at a point where I have come full circle and would rather engage my local crowd than haul a truckload of tables, pots and tents all over hell's half acre. And I seem to be figuring it out, slowly but surely.

And not without a lot of help either. 
I now have a fabulous shop that I share with my mom, who makes incredible hand-crafted body and home care products out of lavender that we grow and harvest right on our own farm. I have a potters wheel out near the shop so I can interact with customers while throwing, and give people a chance to see what this pottery thing is all about.

 There was a time when I never imagined I would be cranking out orders of 400 mugs at a time. And there was also a time I never imagined that I would enjoy throwing for small audiences, talking about what I'm doing as I'm doing it and yet that is exactly where I find myself.

 

Over this past year I have made some incredible partnerships with several local businesses, Like this amazing place, or this amazing place. I have figured out how to make my business fit in the local scene and I am excited to see where things take me.



There's only one thing in this world that can be truly counted on, and that's change. I am enjoying my current transitions, and looking forward to what lies ahead.

NYIGF vs. BMAC: Comparing the Shows

Feltware Cups.  Photo copyright Blackbird Photography

Last year, I tried the New York International Gift Fair in January and again in August. This year, I decided to try the Buyer's Market of American Craft. My reasons were twofold: most of my buyers from the NYIGF also went to the BMAC, and the BMAC is significantly cheaper. So how do the shows compare? Here's my thoughts:

- BMAC is less expensive. Significantly. my booth in NY was $4000. in Philly, $2250. But I did notice that the costs for everything else was comparable. Electrical fees in Philly were higher, and I got slammed with a "material handling fee" of  $350 for choosing someone other than the official show carrier to deliver my crate to the show. That sucked. I also had to have floor covering in my booth which was unnecessary in NY. This wasn't something that I had in my crate, which had been stored in New Jersey since the August NYIGF, and I didn't feel like dragging a carpet across the border with me so I had to rent one for the show. It was way overpriced and they didn't even install it properly so buyers were tripping in my booth.

- BMAC is ONLY handmade. Which is awesome. This means the buyers that show up know all about handmade, know that it's pricier, know that we can't crank out 10000 widgets in 4 days. I didn't have to deal with complaints about pricing which is a huge bonus. It gets tiresome defending my right to make a living wage.

- NYIGF is MUCH larger, because there's so much more at the show. There's suppliers and products and designers from all over the world. The show is MASSIVE. which means there's more buyers there. But that's not to say they are all there for the handmade. The handmade section is actually much smaller than what's available at the BMAC.

- I didn't see as many of the big buyers at the BMAC. If you're goal is to get picked up by Anthropologie or somewhere like that, your chances would probably be better at NYIGF. And I didn't see as much of the media in Philly that I saw in NY. There was no House and Home, no Martha Stewart Living, no Country Living. So if you're looking to hook up with media, NY would be a better option. And none if this is to say that these people weren't at BMAC, but I didn't see them, so maybe they just didn't stop by my booth (which is entirely possible).

- Both shows are very well organized and staff communicate regularly and easily with vendors. I had no problems with set up or tear down, or getting questions answered before, during or after either show. Now I have my entire booth packed into a 3x3x5' crate which gets delivered right to my booth, becomes part of my display and gets picked up there after the show, so I don't have to deal with move-in, move-out or waiting for my crate to be delivered to me at the end of the show.

So down to the nitty gritty, how did the shows compare?

- I picked up as many buyers in Philadelphia as I did at BOTH NY shows, as well as re-orders from buyers I met in NY. BUT, the orders were smaller.

- I had a lot more follow up to deal with after NY, buyers who left their cards but weren't interested in placing orders at the show. This tripled my sales from what I wrote on the show floor and I got orders as a direct result of the NY show right into January of this year.

So what are my plans moving forward?

- I haven't decided if I will do NYIGF in August again or not. I guess I need to get on that and make a decision.

- originally I was hoping to do both the BMAC AND the NYIGF next winter but I heard some nasty rumors about the superbowl being in NY the same weekend as the gift fair. This does not bode well for hotel rooms and I have a hard time believing buyers will come to the show when hotel room prices are hugely inflated. I'll look into this further so see what's going on, but if it is the case, count me out.

- I'll definitely be back to BMAC. It was a great show: more affordable, fun to do, wonderful buyers, amazing vendors. BUT, due to the auto show booking the convention center the same weekend that the buyer's market is usually there, they had to move the show dates for next year. Waaaaaaaay up - to mid January, which is early for buyers. It means weather is more unpredictable, it's the same weekend as another wholesale show (Orlando) and the week before NY. We'll see how this plays out. It's entirely possible that it will have a negative effect on the BMAC next year but only time will tell.

So if you've been thinking about either show, there's my 2 cents. I had two bodies of work with me at the show, my Classic Collection, and my Feltware line. So have a peek and see how it may compare to what you'd like to take to the show. If you were at either show, feel free to share your thoughts!

The Long and Short of It All: I'm Terrified

Tea Set - Classic Collection. Photograph by Blackbird Photography

Tomorrow I leave for Philadelphia for the Buyer's Market of American Craft.
This is a wholesale trade show where retailers and gallery owners come and have a look at my work and (hopefully) place orders for their shops. I have been doing this type of trade show since 2006. This will be my first time in Philly.

Despite the fact that I've done this for years, despite the fact that I'm very comfortable talking to retailers about my work, despite the fact that I literally know my work inside and out, despite the fact that I know how these things go and should have nothing to worry about...

 I'm terrified.

Each show is the same, actually. Whether it's a wholesale trade show, or a retail craft show, the terror is the same. It sets in sometimes up to a week before the actual event. All rational thought seems to be jettisoned, and I become overwhelmed with anxiety; trouble breathing, panic, upset stomach, short nerves, trouble sleeping...

And it's all silly, when it comes right down to it. And ultimately I KNOW that. But that doesn't stop the deluge of evil thoughts: will people like my work? will I make any sales? will I be invisible at the show? will some catastrophic event blow the whole thing to smitherines? Will the global economy crumble the night before the show opens? What if none of my previous buyers come back to re-order? What if customers come and storm my booth to scream at me and tell me how much they hated my work and wished they never bought any?

See? Silly.

But I suspect I'm not alone in all this pre-show inner torment. And I wonder if all these negative thoughts are something that plague other artists as well.

Feltware Cups, photograph by Blackbird Photography

We embark on our 8 hour drive tomorrow morning, bright and early. When I get to the show, my crate with all my stuff will be sitting patiently in my booth, ready for me to unload. I'll set up my little space, retreat to the comfort of the hotel, endure a long, sleepless night, choke down some breakfast while trying not to gag, clean myself up, and trek down to stand in my allotted 100sq feet and wait. And the people will come. I'll chat up retailers and gallery owners, talk about my best sellers, share some laughs, meet some amazing people, and more likely than not write at least SOME orders. Repeat this for three whole days, pack up my stuff, and trek home again. And then I'll sit in the quiet solitude of my living room, surrounded by my cats, and cry. Even if I have a completely kick-ass, knock-my-socks-off, amazingly awesome show, I'll cry. It's a release of all the tension that I endure to get me to the show and through the show. It's the result of being an introvert, a deeply private person who has just displayed my heart and soul to be judged, mocked and loved by complete strangers. It's nothing bad at all. It's just the accumulation of emotion that needs to be cleansed.

And then I'll be back in my studio, making pots, sitting at my wheel where I'm happiest, and life will continue. Just like that.

So am I crazy? Probably.
Am I alone in all this? Probably not:)

Meditating on Mugs

For the last few weeks I have been plugging away at the largest wholesale order I have had to date.

400 mugs.

While I was excited to GET this order, I was kind of dreading MAKING this order. That's a LOT of freaking mugs. Some potters don't even MAKE mugs. Truth be told, they're a bit of a pain in the ass. They are fussy. And time consuming. And it's hard to get what they are worth when selling them.

When asked up front if I could make that many if I were to get an order for them, I made sure to think long and hard about what I was potentially getting into. Prior to this, my largest wholesale order had been for 100 teapots. That was a complete nightmare. Everything about that order was difficult and I was not eager to go there again. EVER. But having had that experience under my belt, I was better able to work out what would be involved in making so many mugs. I have plenty of time to work on the order, and I'm getting a very fair price for them. Really my only concern boiled down to all that repetitive throwing.

When I first started potting full time, the most I could make of one thing at a time was 8 pieces. Anything after that and my attention span was shot. Without being able to focus on what I was doing, the quality of the pieces would very quickly deteriorate, and along with it, my mood. Fast forward 7 years to the beginning of this year, and I was able to do anywhere from 12 to 18 pieces of the same thing before the inevitable boredom came crashing in.

Really, the best thing about production work is  being able to chart your progress. So far, I have 360 mugs thrown. And I have really seen a change in my ability not only to make them, but to focus as I go. I can now throw 48 mugs in a row, and the 48th mug looks pretty much like the first mug. I have found that within the first dozen, I slip into a bit of a meditation. Time seems to become irrelevant and everything around me is gone. It's just me and my wheel, and a small spinning lump of clay. My hands seem to have figured out what they're doing and I can almost remove myself from the process and let them do what they need to do. It's much the same sensation one gets when running. You reach a certain point where everything flashing around your brain is just gone. A point where you're not thinking, you're not worrying about the banalities of daily life, you're not stewing over what happened yesterday, you're not thinking ahead to tomorrow, you're just here. Now. In the moment, in every moment. It's incredibly liberating. It's incredibly refreshing.

In all honesty, I am really enjoying this order. I thought for sure I'd be having nightmares about mug after mug after mug, but they haven't (yet) made their way into my sleep. We'll see what happens after I start all that packing!

How about you? How's your endurance for production? Is there something that becomes a meditation within your own studio? Tips or tricks you'd like to share, feel free!

Wait A Minute! It's The End of March?!?

Last time I checked, it was sometime around August, or thereabouts. I can't believe it's already the end of March!

This year has started out with a bang for me. I pretty much haven't had any time off since I started getting ready for my Christmas shows. After losing my wholesale show in Toronto, I decided to throw myself into the deep end and applied to show at the New York International Gift Fair the end of January. This meant spending my "holidays" getting samples together, and figuring out a booth configuration that would pack into a 3'x3'x5' crate. I was a complete disaster leading up to the show, and thanks to my doctor and some pharmaceuticals, I managed to hold it together for the five days of the show.

What an incredible experience!

The New York show made Toronto feel like kindergarten. I had definitely graduated to the big kids sand box, exhibiting at a show where companies like Umbra and the official merchandise for the Beatles had booths. There's about three thousand exhibitors at this show, and I was in a section dedicated to handmade. There was a LOT of incredibly stunning work there. I made some incredible contacts, and got some orders. Maybe not as many as I would have liked, but given that it was my first time showing, I consider myself fortunate to have come away in the black.
 

Orders for my Feltware have already started rolling out - two made it safely to California, and last week I sent out boxes to Vermont and Wisconsin! But by far, the coolest order I got at the show was for a boutique in Tokyo. Given the stunning porcelain that comes from that side of the world, it's incredibly flattering and humbling to have my work represented there.

It will be a few weeks yet before I get any "me" time, and I'm already planning my next trip to New York for their August show. Until then, I'll keep making, packing and sending my Feltware to some pretty cool shops in places I've never heard of before!

Reflections on the Year

Back from a grueling three weeks straight of craft shows, and on the mend from the inevitable sinus woes that resulted, it's time to look back on the year, figure out what went wrong, what went right, and where I'm headed from here.

Hanging out with Oscar Peterson in front of the National Arts Center in Ottawa

This past year has been an absolute roller coaster. I can't even begin to stress that enough. The loss of my wholesale show threw a wrench in the gears from go and I underestimated what kind of a toll that would take on my business. Without knowing what kind of money would be coming in early in the year, I was reluctant to spend what I had on supplies in case I needed it to pay the bills come spring. While the bills all got paid, pots did not get made, and this left me scrambling come early summer, when a flurry of orders came in at exactly the same time I needed to make stock for shows. Thankfully I had the guts to hire help when things got too crazy and I managed to get everything done and out in time, but I spent the rest of the year behind the eight ball, so to speak.

Just as quickly as the flurry arrived, it left and the next thing I knew things came grinding to a halt again. I had several large orders to work on, but shows weren't bringing in much money in the mean time. Once the end of September came swooping in things got out of control again very quickly. In getting ready for two large craft shows back to back for the holiday season, my work days quickly grew to 10 and 12 hour days, 7 days a week, for a good 6 week stretch. By the time my shows rolled around, I was already completely exhausted. And I'll just say it: it's hard to be friendly and cheery when all you want to do is crawl into bed with a good book and a bottle of wine and then stay there for days.

But ALAS! I survived and lived to tell the tale.

So what have I learned from all of this?

1. Well, for starters, MAKE POTS when it's slow! I need to do my best to stock up on what I can when I get some down time. This year I have LOTS of clay and glaze supplies so I don't need to worry about dipping into my savings in order to get work made and ready for the next round of shows and orders. While it's hard for me to think about working when I don't have specific deadlines lined up, it will save me enormous amounts of stress later on in the year if I can get ahead.

2. Since the loss of my wholesale show left such a crater in my finances, I decided to throw myself into the fire and signed up for the New York International Gift Fair. I'm utterly terrified, country girl that I am, and have NO idea what to expect. Could be boom, could be bust, could be somewhere in between. But since I need to do SOMETHING, and New York in January sounded better than Edmonton in February, I'll be heading to the big apple. When push comes to shove, I can throw myself in head first before I talk myself out of things. Sometimes it has worked out, and other times not so much, but if I don't try, then I'll never know. The one thing that every successful business owner has in common is that they have all, at some point or other, suffered failures. Where these people differ from the not-so-successful people, is that they pick themselves up, brush themselves off, and keep on ploughing ahead. So good or bad, whatever is to come, it'll be off to NY in January, where all I can do is the best I can do.

3. Hiring someone to help when things get crazy can really save your ass. I wasn't sure if this was the right move for me. I wasn't sure if it was something I could even afford to do. But in the end, my assistant paid for herself many times over. It's amazing what an extra pair of hands, one or two days a week can do to production levels. Even just having someone to do the mundane tasks of sieving glazes or reclaiming clay freed up MY time to get work made. It's far more important to bring in help when you need it, than to scale back your business because you alone can't keep up. With any luck, I'll be able to hire my assistant again in the new year when she's done her program. It's a win/win for both of us: valuable experience for her, like I was granted when I was starting out, and an extra pair of hands to help me keep things under control.

4. A variety of different income streams are CRUCIAL to the survival of a small, art/craft based business. Had it not been for etsy sales early in the year, things DEFINITELY would have been grim by spring time. And this also relates back to #2. If things get busy in one area, I can scale back in others. For example, if wholesale orders are coming in left, right and center, I can scale back the number of retail shows I do. But say the retail sales are a bust, I can work on the online aspect of my business to keep me afloat. Lots of work, but the safety nets are invaluable.


5. Stop working so damn much! This past fall took a definite toll on me. I signed up for two very large craft shows back to back. 17 days in total of being at a craft show, not including set up and tear down, with only one day "off" in between. This is bad; for my mental health, for my physical health, for my relationships, for my fur kids, for my drinking habits, pretty much everything that's important to me. I certainly won't be making that mistake again. (See #1.) Ironically, I like to tell people that my work is about slowing down, taking time to enjoy your morning coffee in a handmade mug, or cooking from scratch some awesome meal that's served up on a handmade platter. But in order to make that happen for others, I often miss those opportunities myself ... but then, that's a whole other post.

Despite the still-wobbly economy, I'm looking forward to the new year, with lots of exciting adventures and hopefully much less stress, if I can just get my shit together ;)


If you're a craftsperson, what have you learned from this past year? What has worked for you and what hasn't? Feel free to share your insights, I'd love to hear from you!


Cheers!

A Brief Time Out

I just wanted to take a break from my adventures with glaze to talk about all the exciting things happening here at Raging Bowl Pottery.

If you've been following my blog, you'll know all about my wholesale fiasco this past winter. Things have been tight as I've been trying to stretch out my Christmas earnings to make it to the summer show stretch, and for a while it was looking bleak. But as the saying goes, it won't rain but it pours. Last weekend I had my first official show of the season, the Guelph Potters Market at beautiful Goldie Mill in Guelph, Ontario. It. Was. Amazing.

Utterly amazing.

Extremely talented fellow potters like Andrea Vuletin, Cam Fisher, Iris Dorton, Jessica Steinhauser and April Gates all set up their wares to showcase to an enthusiastic crowd.

 I brought pieces from my Arabesque collection, as well as some from my Classic collection, and my Feltware. I had a very limited number of Feltware pieces at the One of a Kind Christmas Show this past Christmas, but this was really the first time I got to showcase it as more of a collection. I had cups, travel mugs and the large bowl pictured above. I'm always TERRIFIED when showcasing new work. I'm never sure how its going to be received and this was especially true with this particular line. I feel very exposed putting work like this out there. It's kinda like bearing your soul for the world to see, and when you put stuff out there, its going to be judged. I like to think I have a pretty thick skin, having survived art school, but it's still nerve-wracking. I guess I feel incredibly fortunate that my Feltware line was a hit. All the positive feedback from artists and enthusiasts alike was incredibly humbling, and inspiring. I feel like I'm on the right track and look forward to showcasing this work at other shows this summer.

When I got back to my studio after surviving the weekend, I put together my work schedule for the month of June and my jaw nearly fell off my face. Holy crap. I'm going to be busy!

Then came a HUGE wholesale order...
And then came an invitation to sell my work at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery...

It was at this point that I thought I don't want to be turning down opportunities because I'm too busy. And I realized that my only other option was to hire some help. I'm stretched to breaking as it is, and I can't physically do it all. I thought about some of my favorite pottery bloggers, and their experiences in this area. And ironically, one of the people I follow on twitter posted a link to a blog about knowing when to hire help.

So I took the plunge and hired my first summer student on Wednesday. She starts next week for one day a week (for now- that may change). I'm excited to be taking this step with my business but I feel totally unprepared for the shitstorm of work ahead of me. I guess I did this to myself and there's probably several lessons to be learned in all of this. I haven't really had a lot of time for this to sink in, but I'm sure it will hit me like a brick wall when help arrives next week. And I know what you're thinking - get off the computer and get to work!

Cheers!






Feel free to share! 

- I'm curious to know how others deal with things when they get overwhelming. When do you ask for help, or DO you ask for help?


- How do you feel about putting new work out there? Do you get as anxious as I do? What are some ways you help cope with that?




 

The Corporate Whores Strike Again

Every January for the past 5 years, I pack up samples of my work and head to Toronto to display at a wholesale show for artists and craftspeople, where retailers can come and place orders for goods for their stores. It helped me get my business off the ground and put me in touch with all kinds of amazing shop owners all across Canada.

I loved this show. It sent orders and money my way. It put buyers in touch with makers and created a space where those interested in selling handmade out of their stores could find everything they were looking for and then some.

I usually get info on the next upcoming show by about August. This year August came and went and I heard nothing. And then September came and went. After sending an inquiring email to the organizers of the show at the beginning of October, I finally got word on what was going on. Or rather, what WASN'T going on.

I was told that there would be no Toronto show for January 2011.
My jaw hit the floor, and panic set in. How was I going to connect with my wholesale clients? Where was I going to replace this income from?
This part I can deal with. I'll need to send out lots of mailings, print up some snazzy catalogs and make lots of phone calls. But it's the why that has really gotten to me.

This particular show always runs at the same time as other wholesale shows, so that buyers can see everything in one trip into the city. One of those shows decided that we (artists and craftspeople) were too much competition for them (mass-produced crap out of China). They book blocks of rooms at ALL the hotels in the area of Toronto where these shows are held. They also book space at all the major conference centers in the area to host this event. This year, they placed a clause in their contract at ALL these locations, saying that they had veto power over anyone who decided to use any other space in these buildings, and VETO they did. Our show was unable to find a venue for the 2011.

YUP. Those assholes blocked our little show from happening. They were too intimidated by the hand made work of Canadian artists that they decided to block our access to buyers.
How's that for nice?

If I REALLY wanted to, I could sign up to have a booth at this "other" show, and at some point in the near future, I will have to (hence, I'm withholding their name thanks to Google notifications). But signing up for this show requires a $500 'initiation' fee, plus a $325 annual fee. That only gets me a 'silver' membership. From there, I'm reviewed by a board of directors who will decide whether or not my business is worthy of a 'gold' membership. Once I am offered a gold membership, I have the privilege of being placed on a wait list (of one to 4 years) before I can show at their wholesale show. Lucky me.

Now this wouldn't be so bad, except that this particular show is frequented by idea poachers. Industry reps who scour these shows looking for ideas that they can steal and brand as their own.

I shudder to think of what this selfish act will do to the artisans who rely on that show for income. I shudder to think of what this selfish act will do to the retailers who seek out one of a kind, hand made goods to carry in their stores. There was no need for this company to do this. In other cities across Canada, these shows co-exist and have for a very long time. They even share the space to show in. Retailers shop around at ALL the wholesale shows looking for products to carry in their shops. To claim that our little show was too much competition is ludicrous. It all boils down to corporate greed. It always does.