MudTalk Podcast - Pottery, Ceramics, Business

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Resources Mentioned:

Hoopla

Librivox

Libby

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What do you listen to while you are working with clay? How does it affect your work?

Transcript

This is episode 29 of the Mudtalk Podcast and it is a fun one. The topic  is, “what do you listen to while you work with clay?” 

There were so many responses that I won’t be able to read them all! But if you are in need of some new audio content there will be plenty of ideas in this episode. I thought this would be a great topic because I’m always looking for interesting things to listen to while my hands are busy with clay. Unfortunately it has taken me forever to get this episode recorded so most of the following responses were from a very long time ago.

Thank you for listening to THIS podcast. I hope you are currently working with clay as you listen.

A short disclaimer: I will include a few clips of some of the great suggestions. I don’t own the copyright to any of these works of audio but they are presented here for educational purposes only.

Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let’s hear what other potters and ceramic artists listen to as they work with clay.

Silence

A few people including Pubali909, and Ingridj1957,  enjoy the peace and quiet and listen to the sound of the process or complete silence.

Audiobooks

A few people including Nicolaashley1101, Moequintana1, Anna C-N all mentioned audiobooks.

Rawstudios Audiobooks; the best combination ; the intense meditative effect from the throwing makes the books even more vivid .

Dtaylorsatm Audible books, Perry Mason and Agatha Christie mysteries

Angela M Audiobooks and pottery. Complete bliss

I also enjoy audiobooks. You have probably heard of audible.com, Amazon’s audiobook site. You pay a monthly subscription fee and get to choose a certain number of audiobooks every month. There are also some other similar sites. But did you know there are resources out there that offer FREE audiobooks? 

One great free resource I’ve found is called Hoopla. I get free access from my local library. I can can borrow digital items such as ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and music. I think they raised the number to 10 per month during the pandemic! The selection isn’t massive but there is enough to keep me listening.

I have also started using an app called Libby which connects to the Indiana Digital Library. I get access through my local library. They have a much bigger selection but only have a limited number of each item so you may have to get on the waitlist for certain items, just like a physical library.

One more free resource is Librivox. It offers free audio versions of public domain books. Lots of old classics available.

If you are interested I’ll put a link to some of these audiobook resources in the show notes.

Podcasts

Podcasts seem to be a popular choice for a few reasons. Most of them are free. There is always new content. And now you can find a podcast about almost anything you can think of. Just think about the podcast you are listening to right now… One guy with a laptop and microphone reading his favorite replies to social media posts about pottery. What a time to be alive!

Pen and ink pottery Podcasts!! #2dopequeens #codeswitch #sooomanywhiteguys #savagelove

Canmore pottery Strictly podcasts. Is it a pottery podcast??!!!

Scetinozkan Podcasts how stuff works and some Turkish podcasts about philosophy, [and] technology . Learning something helps the creative process for me.

Dundeepottery Podcasts...CBC, Annemarie at The Current, Out in the Open with Piya Chattopadhyay, Planet Money, This American Life, Someone Knows Something, Se

Links to Original Discussion

What is your favorite pot?

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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!

Transcript

This 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 foot

Trippelgrow 

Agate ware coffee cup unglazed outside and opaque white inside. Fits my hands just so and I slowly awake studying the rings and curves

Jenny2ren 

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 beautiful

Marianwilliamspottery

A 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 J

Brown clay, larger at the bottom than the top that has a narrow, tapering neck. No glaze. Just natural.

James Shock

The 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 Unrau

A 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 p

Links to Original Discussion

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Share your opinion on... sharing. What should be shared? How much should be shared? Who should it be shared with?

Transcript

Hello, 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.

pollywog221

I 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. @kyleguymonpottery

earthartam

I use commercial glazes and clays, but I am always eager to share knowledge and techniques. Teaching others is where it's at, definitely.

jclaypotterystudio

It'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.

sallyannesadler

None of us would be here today without the hard work, experimentation and SHARING from those who came before us.

Elizabeth esther401

I 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_sunshinecoast

Sharing is caring it helps to keep our beloved craft alive and thriving with like minded souls.

droobs5707

Sharing 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 connell

info can be shared. But not the experience which has to be lived.

angieizardceramics

Taking 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.

thattmum

Share 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 recipes

dannymeisinger

I 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 wh

Who is your market and how did you find them?

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Transcript

Welcome 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

Links

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Transcript

Episode 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.

leagueindustriesgroupNetwork

pipthepotterUse 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 make

sharfam61Have 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 you

Anotherseattleartist Don't give up and don't half (heart) anything you make. People c

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Transcript

Thank you for joining us here on the MudTalk podcast. This is episode number 24 and today we are talking about how sharing on social media affects your work.

As always, we would love to hear what YOU are thinking. Go to https://expertclay.com/mtp/ to get in touch and share some of your own ideas.

Also, this past Monday I posted a new MudTalk Monday question on the Expert Clay and Pottery Making Info social accounts. The question was “What clay related content, opportunities or ideas would you like to see more of online?”

As you probably know, during the recording of this episode the world is a little uncertain right now. Many places are closing down and most of us have been encouraged to avoid crowds and stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Even NCECA was cancelled which was disappointing to a large number of people in the ceramics community even though it was the right thing to do. So what can we do to help each other, learn from each other, and grow our community when we can’t meet face to face?

So there is something for you to think about. But let’s get back to our topic for today: how does sharing on social media impact your work? During our current time this may take on a new meaning. When we can’t go out it may be even more important to share with others online. Has your own view changed on this at all over the past few months? Are you doing anything different? Will you do anything different in the future?

Let’s see some of the original answers to the question “How does posting on social media affect your work?”

Sheric2015 I’ve learned so much from you tube videos. I love seeing other people’s work in videos.

Hollycoley Studio life can feel isolating. I think social media takes the edge off, encourages people supporting each other, and gets my work seen by hundreds of people.

Celestial.surf.studio Social media is a wonderful tool in my opinion. It’s helped me grow outside of reaching only friends and family. It’s provided countless business opportunities, ideas, and provides feedback on how well a design is doing. I love uploading progress videos and photos to keep my audience engaged and interested in my work. It also helps the impact of shop updates, making them more exciting and easier to anticipate. I try to post at least once a day and keep something on “my story” but sometimes it’s hard keeping up being a maker and normal human. Over all I feel like it’s mostly positive.

Swoshpots Positive – found teachers, friends, inspiration, knowledge. Negative – addiction of likes and followers, constantly checking, takes time from real life.

Taniarustageceramics It makes me take more photos of the process and not just the end product.

Casapangea it is incredibly helpful. and i can try so many techniques and get so much inspired by them. i love ❤️

Conniesceramic For me as a starter at the wheel it is very exciting watching the videos and of course I am also inspired of the other potters work, because in the beginning I thought it would be boring making only round things ?but now I know that sooo much is possible ?. I also like to show my work and I am pleased and makes me happy that my stuff [is] like[d] [by] people all over the world ? ❤️

Jnpottery I find inspiration and new techniques to try, to improve my throwing and glazing.

Jodipottery_at_sandycreek My new mantra: “every minute down the rabbit hole of social media is time better spent creating in my own studio”. I’ve had to impose strict time constraints for my online ‘research’ or I get sucked in every time! ?

Lithopsstudio I feel that social media provides great exposure when used right but there are definitely it’s down sides. It tends to cause unnecessary anxiety s

Resources

Original Discussion on Instagram

Article: Organizing a Pottery Studio

Transcript

Thanks for tuning in! This is episode 23 of the MudTalk Podcast and we’re talking about setting up your pottery studio or clay workspace. In this episode there are a lot of great tips for arranging the place where you work with clay.

This episode comes at a perfect time for me because I’m putting the finishing touches on my new pottery studio at my home. I already have a plan for the basic layout. I needed to have that much before I had it built. But soon I’ll be moving all the equipment and tools and everything else in and setting up. So it was great to read through some of the comments and hear some of the tips.

It also seems there were other people that really benefited from the discussion. Just listen to some of the first few answers to the question: How do you arrange your workspace?

syrihee.ceramics

I don’t? Hahahaha

Anisha maria crasto

This is exactly what’s on my mind. I am in the process of setting up a pottery studio and have been planning what goes where.

Crawford paint and clay

I’m also setting up and it’s a bit tricky when the space is small.

Ash glazed ceramics

Hi there I am currently challenged by the same question, how do I get involved and learn?

estrovan

I’ll be converting my single car garage into a studio at the end of the year – love these ideas :-)

So it sounds like I’m not the only one that loved all the responses. Let’s hear the rest of the responses and see what we can learn about arranging a clay workspace.

Spector studios porcelain

In our studio my wife Sarah and I have finally learned to put everything on wheels. 5 Gal buckets of glaze fit quite nicely on heavy duty house plant caddys, our really big glaze batches go in garbage cans and you can buy heavy duty caster sets for those. Our pug mill is on a cart, all the ware racks are on wheels as well. Harbor freight sells pretty decent casters for building carts with?

Kate bussey 3

We too have everything on casters. Makes for a bigger work space when needed. Also fold away tables to pop out when needed too.

Cp carlson pottery

Everything rolls, even my kilns are on casters. This allows me to push them close to the wall when I’m not firing. Extra pop up tables come in handy for glazing. I tried to get a good flow on my space create, clean, glaze fire but that doesn’t work so well in my small space, so flexibility is key for me.

Jeff szarzi

Wheels and casters as well. Roll, roll, roll your studio.

Jclay pottery studio

Super fortunate that I moved from a 400sq ft to 1700 sq ft 2 yrs ago & it’s Sooooo much easier BUT more room=more mess that gets left longer -HAD to always clean and organized in smaller space. Must haves: Tons of shelving : a glaze table(s) that fits all often used buckets -height so when glazing doesn’t kill our back (IKEA Formica skinny table desk height is awesome). Bakers racks w/ covers on wheels : glaze cart(I have only one but great investment) : various heights work tables (mine are wooden horses for legs,thicker pine board on top-Masonite board or pressed board to top it-doesn’t create dust-can be flipped & so cheap I can get a new one if needed (had for 2 yrs and still good shape) Problem: 8 huge trash cans of scraps-any recommended pug mills are welcome!!!

Art by gretamichelle

Shelving unit and storage boxes help. My wheels face toward the wall to allow for ease of getting up and my tools are at hand and stored in pouches that I made using a length of floor vinyl that I stapled to a board and then to the wall.

Made by powley

If your studio isn’t cramped, then I suggest setting it up so it flows in a circle with the clay process. Starting with your throwing area with shelving, glazing area, kiln area. It is helpful to have shelves beside the kiln for pots ready for bisque and separate shelves for glazed pots. This saves lots of steps when gathering up pieces f

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Most Recent MudTalk Monday Discussion

Troy Bungart Pottery Tools

Sarah Pike bisque clay stamps

Transcript

Welcome back! This is *only* the 22nd episode of the MudTalk podcast. I say “only” because I had hoped to have a lot more episodes of this podcast finished during 2019. If you signed up for the free course Your Best Pottery Year at the beginning of the year, you would have heard that one of my goals for the year was 20 new episodes. But… that was one of my extra goals, it wasn’t exactly at the top of my list. So I won’t feel bad because I have already accomplished some of my primary goals. In fact, I think going through the Best Pottery Year course really helped me focus on what was important and plan for success throughout the year. So at the beginning of 2020 I’ll be offering something even better, the Clay Success Club. It will include the Best Pottery Year Course plus a bunch of other stuff. Check out expertclay.com if you may be interested in something like this.

Anyway, in this episode we are talking about pottery tools. And what potter doesn’t like to talk about tools?! The question was, what is your must have pottery tool? There were some great answers and some that made me consider adding a few new tools to my toolbox. So let’s start with the most basic of all pottery tools, the hands.

Hands

bv_xi

Hands

tthomas_art

@bv_xi I was going to say hands too! Lol

littlefishceramics

? mum and dad gave them to me.

Marc robert isaacs

My hands

soulfirejewelry

My hands!

Earthen bones

My hands! One of them broke, and I was helpless! Don’t take them for granted!

Ribs

bianca_colangelo

Metal rib.

Break ur nees

Wooden rib. It cleans the wheel head, cleans up the edges of a pot

thedoglovingartteacher

Metal rib. I can score, cut, clean, shape…

Yo panama

Metal rib! It’s an all purpose tool. I use it to shape, clean, trim can’t work without it.

glynnislessing

Brass rib

Leigh art tx

Wooden and metal ribs

l.y.s.t.o.n

Metal rib by far

olisny

The “metal rib of death” as I heard someone call it.

killionpottery

Red rubber rib by mud tools. I use it for shaping & smoothing. Got it @ #brackersclay (Brackers Goodearth Clay)

pinkmoonceramics

Metal rib by far! It’s so satisfying cleaning up a pot at the end with it

cedarhillchick

MUD tools ribs & finishing sponge.

Nicola hart studios

Rubber kidney, my fav ❤️

shedceramics

Yep…a little red rubber kidney. I use that every day.

nbypotter

Mudtools Red rubber kidney

Al G Custom made by me from Stainless steel

Sponges

artofawen

Yellow and white mud tools sponges.

siramikpottery

My sponge!

bateendje

A sponge ☺️

Carving

spectorstudiosporcelain

Exacto knife for sure

mallymoonhandmade

I second the exacto knife! @spectorstudiosporcelain and sponges! Oh the many many sponges! ?

maruollitasguevara

Carving tools

rdceramics

A rubber chamois I got for free from @didemmert_pottery. It says wiziwigtools.com on it

Trimming

marianwilliamspottery

My giffin grip!

2frogsstudio

My Do-All Trim Tool by #mudtools. It really does all and saves me so much time not switching from trim tool to trim tool looking for the perfect angle. And it stays sharp for a long time!

danaswheel

One perfect, sharp, trimming tool…hands down?

penncerameg

Turning tools that I’ve made and a wooden rib made from a bamboo spoon

swoshpots

My trimming tools from @hsinchuenlin – they are priceless to me. And his YouTube videos.

dmorris_138

Half moon trimmer

karoartceramics

Scalpel!

Other

mycelium_sophira

Well , my kiln . I just need clay and kiln.

dowidat.ceramics

It’s weird but a needle tool. Very useful in the building process cause I can cut straight lines, pierce clay for design and slip and score with it.

corkelialee

Needle tool ?

itsart.bitch

tooth pick!

ryanreichcerami

We’re back! After a long break, we have a new episode of the MudTalk podcast! Thanks for listening.

Links and Resources

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Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/potterymakinginfo/photos/a.10151503193013457/10154734498508457/?type=3&theater

Transcript

This is episode 21. Thank you so much for listening. In this episode, we are going to talk about what you can teach to someone else. This was actually a really interesting topic because there were a lot of different responses. There were so many that I didn’t even include them all. It was really interesting to me to see what people are confident enough to teach someone else. This is especially interesting to me as I set up expertclay.com which will allow other people to teach or share their knowledge. For example, I put together an online course about setting and achieving goals as a potter. I hope to find others who want to share what they know, whether it’s a simple tip for working with clay or a detailed course exploring a topic on a deeper level. At the end of this episode I’ll talk more about how you can make that happen if you are interested.

But first, let’s get to the responses. I separated the responses into two categories. There were plenty of people who could teach others how to have a proper mindset. We’ll hear those at the end. But we’ll start with the people that could teach techniques for working with clay.

Clay Techniques

mappotter Lids

kathrynburnsclay How to recycle clay.

sandyvanderwyk Find your tool.

pinkmoonceramics Underglaze painting and sgraffito tips ?

terraforms Pinching textures.

fancyfrogpottery To centre clay on the wheel.?

butalaclay Base wall thickness for great foot rings

carolyn_sawyer Always valve grind lids…glazed or unglazed.

chuck_dm3 Go into how to find textures and tools (sticks/rocks/bark/leaves/etc)

cabreraceramics Make their own glazes

clay_with_mi Pulling walls

artbygretamichelle Finish is everything. It makes the pot.

dowidat.ceramics Carving technique I love making clay look like something else

suzie.hawkes How to slipcast

wildfirepotterypenn How to fire obvara raku ?

pathwaypottery Mugs

laurieandwilliam Pulling handles.

and

hillbippieclayco Attaching handles ?

The rest of the comments were less about techniques and skills for working with clay and more about how to have a proper attitude or mindset to work with clay.

Mindset

vivita5 Love every pot you make

txochi7 I’m a complete newbie, so could only impart enthusiasm ???

claybylaura Embrace the failures, learn and move on!

ryanpaulder Breath

dtaylorsatm Don’t get in a hurry.

artroxinabox Love what you are doing & do it with your heart not only your hands ?

sandywithaq If you don’t like something out of the kiln, give it a couple days. If you still don’t like it, it doesn’t mean nobody else will.

wisp.ceramics Don’t get frustrated, it’s just dirt.

leslie_mbizz Don’t try to work if you’re tired

forgottenfern If you don’t love it smoosh it- it’s the only way you will grow.

bettys_pots Make something creative with every scrap of clay. Don’t make extra work for yourself by putting little bits in the reclaim bin.

earthartam The joys of handbuilding

shesonthepath Study wabi sabi

pamelabarclaysatx Make multiples. Each one you make will be just a little bit better than the last.

kleesestamps Put your personality into your pots – make what you like and they will come.

bentwingley Make 500 more and you’ll be in good shape

nichibeipotters Everything matters. From wedging till it comes out of the kiln. Never settle, always strive to get better.

Susie Lawrence M indfulness with clay, connecting with your soul through clay play creating connection with Mother Earth.

Lib

Resources

Facebook Discussion

Instagram Discussion

Make 2019 Your Best Pottery Year (free course)

Transcript: Form vs. Function

Happy New Year! Welcome to episode 20, the first episode of 2019! In this episode we will hear some great thoughts about form and function. But first, a couple updates. It took me a little longer than I had intended to get the first episode of the year finished. I have been working hard on some of my other goals that I’ve set for 2019. In fact, as I went through the process of setting some new goals this year I created a free course on Expert Clay to help you set, plan for, and achieve your own goals. The course was created to cover the first four weeks of 2019 to get your year off to a great start. But don’t worry if you missed it, all the course material is available and you can still work through it at your own pace. It will help you decide what you really want, how to set SMART goals, and then create a plan to accomplish your goals. If you are struggling to get things accomplished or make the growth that you really want, this course may be for you. Just go to expertclay.com and you’ll see some information about the course right at the top of the page.

Some more good news: At the end of 2018 we had a giveaway. Robin won the free tshirt from potteryshirts.com this time but we’ll have to do more giveaways in the future. Thanks to everyone who participated!

And thanks again to all of you who are listening to the podcast and spreading the word! Now, let’s hear some answers to the question: Is form or function more important in your work.

First, let’s start with the potters who start with form or feel that form is most important to them.

Form

williambakerpottery

Form is always first for me

artbygretamichelle

Form. I’m aware of function but focus on the form.

she_dreams_in_underglaze

Form is the most important element to me, but I would find it hard to justify (to myself) making something that did not also function. Would I sacrifice a small degree of functionality in order to create a form that is more pleasing to me? Yes, without doubt – but I could never make something totally disfunctional…. for some reason the idea appalls me…

sak_sakshi

Form is of more importance to me .. as creating the form u like gives u immense peace !

zeldalune

Form

There were also some that feel function is more important to them.

Function

Zained shahid

Function

pathwaypottery

I lean toward function. I like things to be useful but I am trying to explore more with form. Getting out of my comfort zone A bit!

lucyfagella

For me.. Ideas about form flow from the way a pot functions.

wildfirepotterypenn

Function comes first. However, if the form is not pleasing to the eyes, hands, & whatever else it encounters, then function is useless… ??????

ladytokioblue

For me function is more important because I only have basic knowledge of form. So in trying to make things that can be used I don’t think of form… Usually because I suck as designs. ??

harrychoepotter

For me it must be functional with a dash of design. Enough to make it look fab!!!! But overall I think function out wieghs form. Making somethimg useful and being a useful person is key to my life.

Some claim that form and function are of equal importance don’t feel strongly enough about one or the other to choose just one.

Both

earthartam

Equal. Sculpture is my first love, but I find people want something they can hold in their hand, use in their daily lives. So I do my best to combine the two.

leslie_mbizz

It was never form vs function, it’s “form follows function”. If the form does not allow for the function intended, then it does not function and is only form. As artists we look for new forms to function in the ways unexpected

olisny

In graphic design we have hammered into us that for function cannot exist without proper form. If your form sucks, you will ruin the function.

claybylaura

For me form and function hold equ