Wheel Talk

Ryan & Becca are trying out a shoot the sh!t episode just for fun. We cover family, paying taxes, online orders, plumbing issues, alternative firing methods, and fidget stones. Enjoy and let us know whether we should keep doing these or not.

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 discuss a question that came in related to finding a consistent style, but having interest in experimenting with new designs. We cover the potential drawbacks & positives to introducing new designs, how to avoid surprising your customers, and the timeline you could consider as you experiment. We've both changed up our styles over time, some more drastic than others, but it's ultimately good for the longevity of your enjoyment of the craft to keep yourself interested as you progress.

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- Are you guys “sock, sock, shoe, shoe” or “sock, shoe, sock, shoe”? @kerripainterart
- Do you ever see someone’s social media pages be just so terrible even though their work is amazing? Do you ever reach out to offer advice even though they’re already trying so hard? -anonymous
- I wanted to know what both of your opinions are on sticking to a specific style while making your work. I have been working on refining my own style but still find myself branching out and playing with new designs. Some other makers I have chatted with told me that you may lose a customer base if you don’t stick to your specific designs, especially as you generate a larger following. I know that y’all previously discussed developing a style, but once you hone in a style do either of you feel “stuck” or that you may not get as many sales if you try something new? How do you balance making new work but also satisfying your current audience and their expectations of you? @nws_ceramics

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 answer a couple listener questions before getting into an in-depth discussion about pricing small items like Becca's fidget stones. Her fidget stones are a bit different because they require many hours of rock tumbling to smooth them, but doesn't require more effort for her necessarily. They also get into other factors that help you determine your price on an item and how to market them effectively.

Resources
Quark Wheel
Shimpo Aspire Wheel
Speedball Artista Wheel

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- I am wondering what you guys what recommend for a portable wheel. I heard Becca talking about her on the clay con podcast, and I’m pretty sure I saw that Ryan has one as well? Would love y’all’s insight! Thanks for all you guys do to make this info accessible @upbeat.studios
- Curious to know how Becca’s fire box is working out for her now that it’s been a bit. Could a firebox be a good workaround solution for a potter who doesn’t have convenient access to a full-size kiln? Getting desperate and tired of driving 84 miles round trip to fire at a local store. I only make food safe cups/mugs/small bowls/spoon rests. @mostly_mugs

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 are joined by Erica, Ryan's studio assistant, to chat all about their experiences during NCECA 2023 in Cincinnati, OH. Thanks for all the great companies & folks we met and reconnected with during the entire week! It was such a great experience and we can't wait for next year! Catch us at Clay Con West 2024 in St. George, Utah in January as well.

-----Find more about Erica below-----
Instagram - @erica_irene_k and @close_enough_kilroy

Resources
Potters of Color 2.0 podcast
@potters_of_color_podcast

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 are joined by Lindsey & Donte, co-hosts of The Mud Peddlers Podcast, to discuss the topic of "Learning Through Collaboration" live at the NCECA 2023 clay conference hosted in Cincinnati, OH. We hope you enjoy the discussion as the four of us have varied perspectives on what collaboration means to us as makers, small business owners, friends, and individuals. Thanks to Ben Carter (Tales of the Red Clay Rambler) who graciously invited us to participate in the first year of the podcast room panel discussions at NCECA. I hope we can continue it at future NCECA conferences. Also, thanks to everyone who came to our talk in-person and asked questions live. Enjoy and we hope to see you at a future conference!

-----All the things about Lindsey and Donte-----
The Mud Peddlers: Ceramic Art Behind the Scene‪s podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mud-peddlers-ceramic-art-behind-the-scenes/id1523600736
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2l1brWtrFuscNktFkbq4hI

Lindsey M. Dillon
Instagram - @lindseymdillon
Website - https://www.lindseymdillon.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/lindseymdillon

Donte from Earth Nation Ceramics
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/EarthNationCeramics
Website - https://www.earthnationceramics.com/
Instagram - @earth_nation_ceramics
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/Earthnationceramics

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 answer a couple listener questions specific to pricing your work depending on the medium you’re selling in & confidence in yourself. Topics include pricing to sell to a local restaurant or pricing at local shows. Your prices don’t have to be set in stone, so be open to changing them when you think it’s needed.

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- Do you think the majority of Instagram popular potters fire oxidation rather than reduction? @seuzens
- How do you guys handle pricing for larger orders in comparison to wholesale? For example, an order for 30-50 mugs for a restaurant to use. It’s not wholesale, but that large of an order seems like it would warrant a discount from standard retail price. What do you guys do? @thepotterymason
- Ryan, I am a small ceramics maker. Have you covered "pricing" and working side by side with makers/ceramicists/etc (not necessarily all together)? I've just started and shown at holiday fairs, ceramic arts shows, makers fairs, and I've found the vendors can be very different and pricing can be so different. For instance, selling a mug at a holiday show at $25-40 might be the norm, and then a maker fair it might be $40-70, and then a ceramic art fair might be different. I ask because I showed recently and have had lower prices in the past $25-35 mugs and vendors didn't like that at all - a few even came up to complain to me. Obviously, there's a touch of imposter syndrome and I need to value my work at a higher rate. @bruce.leong

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 and Becca welcome back Andrew from That's So Andrew to talk in depth about his stationary business, which is very focused on wholesale. We get into building a catalog, setting your terms, selling at big trade shows, benefits of selling on Faire, efficiencies in packing large orders, and tons more. Thanks to Andrew for joining us once again since his last chat with us back in 2020.

Episode #59 - Hustling Online with Andrew Fegler from That's So Andrew

-----Find more about Andrew's business below-----
Instagram - @thatssoandrew_
Website - https://thatssoandrew.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thatssoandrew/
Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/354630515003382/

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 answer a couple listener questions today about specific business situations you may find yourself in at some point. One involves pricing your work based on your local market vs pricing higher based on what your time is worth now. The other involves a sticky situation where you may have doubts about a potential partnership with a local business who wants to carry your products.

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- My sister and I started a ceramic business about a year and a half ago. Love the podcast and know you talk a ton about pricing. More specifically, we want to put more work into pieces that we know our market (mostly local), can’t bear yet. Should we price them lower and hope they can, over time and popularity, they can increase in price? Or price them for what our time is worth now? We understand as a new business that we don’t have a strong following or reputation, and that we may have to “grind” for a while. Mia @the_justuscollective
- I was recently contacted by a local business that makes and sells loose teas, and they asked me to make about 10 mugs for them to sell on their website and at vendor markets. I love working with local small businesses, I love tea, and I’d love to do more small commissions for local businesses, so it seemed like a sure thing. But… my husband (who is in the food biz and knows about these things) is concerned that this tea biz is not properly licensed to sell a consumable product, and also makes some claims on their website about healing properties of their products. He thinks that I should not be affiliated with them, in case this becomes a legal issue for them. And it could also reflect poorly on him in his business. So here’s my question (sorry so long): What do you think? Have you ever said no to a commission because it was someone you thought could damage your business reputation? What would you do?  -Anonymous

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 and Becca are joined by Brooke Thivierge from BAT’s Ceramics & fellow podcast host of the Batty Bitches Podcast. They discuss how she started dabbling in Instagram Subscriptions recently, how she decided on which platform to host this exclusive content, and more about her work and business, plus lots of laughs along the way. Check out her amazing painting skills using underglazes and support her podcast Batty Bitches if you’d like to hear fun & casual conversations between friends. Thanks to Brooke for joining us!

-----Find more about Brooke’s business below-----
Website - https://www.batsceramics.com/, https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/battybitches
Instagram - @batsceramics, @battybitches_podcast
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brookebatsceramics

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 is joined by Ben Clark today inside of Queen City Clay, one of the largest community studios in the United States. Ben is the President and co-owner of Queen City Clay and covers a range of topics to help you get a glimpse into managing staff, programs to offer, retail needs, the importance of education, NCECA 2023 in Cincinnati, and much more. If you're looking for a place to build and grow your ceramics business or wanting to start or push your community studio to the next level, you should get some great takeaways from today's conversation. You even get a sense of what it's like being in a communal space with the background noises throughout (train horns, sinks running, doors opening, etc). We hope you enjoy today's conversation.

Resources
Where you can find us for NCECA 2023

-----Find more about Queen City Clay below-----
Website - https://www.queencityclay.com/
Instagram - @queencityclay
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/QueenCityClay
Ben Clark's Instagram - @bcpottery

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