Wheel Talk

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question they've gotten a couple times recently related to clay conferences. They share their experiences at NCECA and other regional clay conferences, especially Clay Con West. Consider researching other clay conferences in your area to get to know more of your local clay people, learn a few things, get outside of your comfort zone a bit, & explore a new city. We hope to see you at Clay Con West or NCECA in 2024!

Resources
NCECA - Richmond, VA (2024), Salt Lake City, UT (2025)
Clay Con West - Saint George, UT
Alabama Clay Conference - Orange Beach, AL (2024)
Indiana Clay Conference - Bloomington, IN (2023)
NC Potters Conference - Seagrove, NC
Canadian Clay Symposium - Burnaby, BC

What would you do if...
a customer asks you to make an urn and you have never made one before? What circumstances would you do it?

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- I would be interested in hearing what all pottery conferences you have attended (or know of) and how they compare. I enjoy attending NCECA when I can but it can be a bit overwhelming and content is often more targeted to fine artists and instructors as opposed to studio/home potters. -Jeff Poteat @claypotzpottery
- I had a question for your podcast. I went to NCECA this year and it was awesome. I am thinking of going to clay con west next year. I will probably have to pick either NCECA or CCW. Which was your favorite and why? @threelickpottery

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan & Becca dig into a listener question related to subscription clubs where you offer a new pot each quarter at one price, plus a tangent into mug clubs for breweries. We go into some incentives you may want to consider to get customers to purchase, how to make each quarter’s offering unique, and how to structure payment. Enjoy this new discussion topic for us!

What would you do if...
all the pots you shipped out for a restock broke?

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- Chocolate bar or candy bar? What do you say? @greencabinpottery
- Best bats for making plates. Not plastic. But just don’t want something that warps. @sarahcrowleyceramics
- Have y’all ever done a mug club or pot club? I’ve been thinking of trying one next year — a subscription model where members would receive a new pot once a quarter, and they’d be exclusive new work only for members. Problem is, idk how to sell it to people or logistically how to set it up. Pay all at once, or once a quarter when the pot ships? ($200 once or $50 four times) What would make customers even want to sign up? Thanks as always! Also I just left a long ass review for the pod because the snooze fest review really pissed me off! Y’all are the best! @thepotterymason

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan & Becca are joined by Cindy Chiupka-Jozin from Green Cabin Pottery in Northern Ontario, Canada for another live Q&A segment. Today, we answer a question related to how much work you should take to a show, whether it's a local one day show or you're traveling for a multi-day show. We hope you enjoy and thanks to Cindy for joining us!

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- I was just wondering what you, Ryan and Becca, would say about what to take to a show. I have inventoried what I take and what I return with. Most times I sell close to 50%, but that’s local and easy to gave 2 vehicles to unload and reload.  The last local market, I sold about 30%. @greencabinpottery

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan & Becca try out their new live Q&A segment with Lynne Brander from Grit & Grace Pottery to talk about a new teaching opportunity in collaboration with a local small business. We think this discussion will give you some brainstorm ideas for teaching workshops on your own. Thanks to Lynne for joining us!

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- I have a question about teaching. I have an opportunity to do some classes at a local business offering some lessons. They are interested in offering paint your own mug/bowl/any item really, diy pinch pot, etc. How/ where do I start? I have enough knowledge to be able to show someone how to do the things, it's mostly the organization of it all. What kinds of things should I have prepared? How much should I charge? Etc. Thanks! @grit.an.grace

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan & Becca dive into a very new topic for the time: Chat GPT. We explain what it is, examples of how we could consider using it as small business owners who sell pottery, and what moral & ethical questions should be considered as it gets more mainstream. Let us know your thoughts about this new technology as it becomes more relevant these days.

Resources
https://www.brickyardnetwork.org/forfluxsake/ep15

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- I would like to remain anonymous as I’m embarrassed having worked in ceramic for so long and know as little as I do. I’m a part-time ceramic artist that makes a lot of random shit, including mugs & tumblers for drinking. I heard an episode where someone said you HAVE TO HAVE INSURANCE incase your mug breaks and someone spilled hot coffee on themselves. (…or something like that.) Do you guys have insurance for this? I had looked into it as part of my home policy and it is $659 a year. As I only to make about $10,000 before expenses, I wonder if you would know of a lower cost option? -anonymous
- Discussion idea for the podcast, Moldy ceramics, staining, and vitrification. There is such limited info on this online and when you type in mold it just gives you slip casting "molds". Thank you, love the podcast! @earthengoat

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan & Becca answer a listener questions related to all you studio techs out there. Aletha, one of our long time listeners and interview guests (episode #147), has a question related to deciding when to make teachable moments when confronting glazing issues from students when you're in charge of loading & unloading the kilns as the studio tech. We cover it from a range of scenarios on today's discussion: student age, format of the class, type of studio, teacher communication, etc. Enjoy!

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- So I am a hobbyist.  After 2-3 years of part-time slingin' clay, I am actually finding out that, hey, I can actually make money at this!  I have 2 stores that sell my things on consignment, and its starting to ramp up, especially with one shop begging for more. Ryan, you have talked before in the show about having a DBA, so my question is, is that something I should do also? Ryan Rehm, Little King Pottery
- I've been doing some kiln tech work (loading kilns and firing things for other people, mostly students. NOT teaching) and I'm really enjoying it. Sometimes there are some glaze issues like an obvious spot where it will touch the shelf that I just sponge off before loading. I can't catch everything with hundreds of pieces to fire and my heart sinks over the ones I miss, or the ones that act unpredictably, but here's the question - am I robbing someone of a teachable moment with the minor fixes? At what point do you just fix it and keep things moving, versus put it aside? @aleathabean

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan and Becca are excited to have Tim Kowalczyk from Tims Ceramics on to cover a range of topics and answer a couple listener questions. We chat about selling through galleries, testing new processes, being "academic" with how you talk about your work, taking yourself a little less seriously, artist statements, & applying to shows. We hope you enjoy the discussion and big thanks to Tim for spending so much time with us.

-----Find more about Tim's business below-----
Instagram - @timsceramics
Shop - https://tims-ceramics.myshopify.com/collections/all
Website - https://timsceramics.com/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5UD4uaoiGKwXI89NyBeGig

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- What do you think are the advantages of doing a curated show? Disadvantages? I’ve been invited to participate in a group show with some other Ceramic artists that I really admire. The show is a little over a month long at a gallery in Portland. After saying yes, I find out that they want 10 pieces, but really they only want 2 pieces to be shown at the gallery, the rest would be only virtual. Of course the gallery wants 50% of all of the 10 pieces. It would be still my responsibility to drop ship the pieces to the customer. I think the shipping fee will be added to the order so I don’t have to cough that up too. I already sell pretty much 100% of my work virtual on my own website. Although, I don’t always sell out on a shop update. Is doing this show or this type of show really going to give me that much more exposure to give up 50%? I’m in such a quandary! Oh and they want to see pictures of all 10 pieces 3 months before the show. @juliannroush
 - Have you talked about writing artist statements for submitting work to galleries? I had to do one recently and wasn’t sure how to approach it. (Also I am thinking Becca probably hates artist statements. 😂) @overbrookclay

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast
Becca’s Patreon: https://patreon.com/superpotlady

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan shares a scary situation that happened to him recently before Ryan & Becca answer a few listener questions. On today's episode, the questions relate to trading with other artists, a sticky situation for a pottery teacher, and working with other artists on collaborations. Thanks for listening and enjoy!

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- How do you approach other artists about trades? Trading is talked about often and I’m curious. Not that I feel like I want to trade, I just think I’d be too embarrassed to ask if I ever did want to @thistlemoorpottery
- I’m a freelancer and I teach pottery for a few hours every week in a local studio in the city next to mine. I’m a contractor who works on commission basis per student with them . I also have an online business. The studio is asking me to sign a non compete that does not allow me to take up any opportunity that they think it’s competition to them (this is the exact wording) it also does not allow me to work with anyone else within 20 miles of the location for one year , basically they are restraining my employability. Is this even possible for studios to ask for non. Competes with their contractors ? Obviously I refused and waiting to hear their response. It will mostly be termination of contract . I live 10 miles away from the studio in another city and I’m a part of the city’s art group. I don’t want to miss out on opportunities that my city may bring into existence in future. @isanceramics
- First of all I want to tell you that I love your podcast and look forward to the weekly drops. I am going to collab with an artist who will paint on mugs or I’ll have a custom overglaze made with her designs. I have no idea how to compensate her and wondering if you have any advice. @pottery_by_brendalee

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan and Becca are happy to have Hope Limyansky-Smith on the podcast to talk about a range of topics including: teaching in a high school setting, managing social media as an educator, production of her own work, analyzing Meta Verified, and plenty of laughs along the way. We thank Hope for her time and we anticipate you will enjoy the conversation as well.

-----Find more about Hope's business below-----
Instagram - @limyanskystudios
Shop - https://www.etsy.com/shop/LimyanskyStudios
Website - https://www.limyanskystudios.com/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@LimyanskyStudios
Clay King Discount Code - "Hope5" for $5 off $50 or "Hope10" for $10 off $100 at https://www.clay-king.com/

Listener Questions
Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast
Becca’s Patreon: https://patreon.com/superpotlady

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Ryan & Becca compare the pros & cons of offering "free" shipping for your online shop. Becca prefers offering free shipping and Ryan prefers adding shipping charges at the end, making for an interesting debate. Let us know your thoughts and how you approach this question.

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- When setting up your booth, is an outside L or inside L better for bringing people in? Does it matter? @thistlemoorpottery
- How do y'all feel about being put directly next to another potter at a mixed art show? I personally would prefer that there is some space between each medium, so people's minds are directly comparing artists work. -anonymous
- I’m struggling between free shipping (built into price), or additional shipping and handling fees. Which is preferable to buyers?? @kerripainterart

Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at [email protected].

Sponsors - L&L Kilns
The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast
Becca’s Patreon: https://patreon.com/superpotlady

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel

Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel