Hello Dear Friends,
It's been three months since I quit my "real job" to become a full-time potter and wow, has it been a wild ride! Each week is filled with new celebrations and new challenges alike. It's been rather interesting to see how all my corporate-world experiences have proven their relevancy to what I'm undertaking now. I can say with certainty that it was all a boot-camp of sorts, sharpening and honing my potential so I could be truly ready for the craziness that is entrepreneurship!
I want to express my gratitude to every person who has and continues to like, share, and comment on my social media posts. These free acts broaden the exposure of my work, allowing new eyes to be introduced to Grateful Clay. Additionally, each purchase has allowed me to get closer to paying off the start-up costs and ultimately, closer to eventually earning an income from my business!
Here is the shorthand version of what I've been up to the last three months:
With a handful of artisan markets under my belt now, I have been ramping up for a very busy market season with some changes in my production. I am now working in batches, making dozens of the same item at a time in an attempt to better manage efficiency and costs.
I've introduced Potter Wheel Private Lessons and look forward to offering hand-building workshops as well as paint and sips in partnership with some local businesses very soon. By fall I am hoping to offer group pottery wheel classes at the barn.
With the number of markets and shows I've committed to for the season, I will not be adding ready-made work to my online shop for the foreseeable future. The exception will be a slow roll-out of pre-order items, such as Custom Pet Portrait Mugs as pictured below.
I had a lovely branding photography session with the wonderful Breanne Connor, and am working towards getting an official logo designed.
The current challenge of the week is an unforeseen one. I'd been using Ryan's SUV to transport my ceramics, tent, tables, etc for my shows, but alas, the transmission could go out any day now. We are down to my trusty little Honda Civic, which is quite durable and has great gas mileage, but can't manage the bulky equipment needed for an art show. I'll be staying several days overnight at the studio (thank you Scott and Lesli for taking me in!) so Ryan can get to work in the city and I can keep production and kiln firings going. If you have any suggestions for spacious SUV's or vans with good gas mileage, I'm all ears!
Upcoming Events
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The Vintage Faire 24550 W Shepley Rd., Minooka, IL 60447 Sunday May 28th 9:00 am - 2:00 pm $5 entry fee |
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Ottawa Farmers Market Saturday June 3rd 8:00 am - 12:30 pm |
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Plainfield Farmers Market Sunday June 4th 11:00 am - 3:00 pm |
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Metal Monkey Brewing Artisan Market Saturday June 10th 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm |
I plan to provide updates more frequently moving forward, as many of you have inquired about the journey. Oh, what a fantastic journey it's been so far. I'm glad you want to share it with me!
Have a lovely week, Dear Friends.
Gratefully,
Jacqueline