Wheel Talk

Ryan and Becca get into the finance side of selling mugs of different styles: 'basic' production mugs and 'fancy' detailed mugs. We breakdown the time to produce, opportunity to experiment, how to manage your inventory effectively, and what other variables should be considered as you grow your customer base. We are pretty used to producing 'basic' work in high quantity over 'fancy' work in low quantity, but we get a little help from some friends as we chat. Enjoy and let us know how you prefer to structure your making cycles for enjoyment & good for your business also.

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- Do you think it’s more profitable to be a production potter and have a sale of 40-80 mugs at one time for a smaller price or a potter who puts a lot of intricate details on pieces and only sells 10 or 15 mugs at a time for a higher price? -@jessleepottery
 
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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan & Becca chat with their good friend Isaac Shue, a former high school teacher to full time ceramic artist. Isaac runs Gallery Mostaza, a curated selection of their handmade pottery and other local makers, with his wife Karina in Harper, Kansas. They cover many topics on today's episode including: transitioning from teaching to making pots full time, renovating a new gallery space, finding products that work for different platforms, evolving your own style, working with decals, social media upkeep, and more gems that you'll be sure to enjoy. Thanks for joining us Isaac!

-----Find more about Isaac's business below-----
Isaac Shue
Instagram - @isaacshueisart
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/isceramics

Gallery Mostaza
Website - https://www.gallerymostaza.com/
Instagram - @gallery.mostaza
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gallerymostaza

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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan & Becca decide to rehash the topics discussed on the 2 year anniversary of releasing their first episode. Topics include motivation to get in the studio, list making, how/when we prefer to work in the studio, and how we set goals for ourselves. Let’s see what’s changed in the past 2 years.

References
Kiln wash recipe
https://suemcleodceramics.com/how-to-make-a-good-kiln-wash-to-protect-your-kiln-shelves/

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- Some of my fellow potters fire at a ^10 in electric kiln and my mind was blown!  What damage are they causing to their kilns?? I know it’s possible but at what cost?
- How to clean kiln shelves of crumbling (applied too thick) kiln wash? Heavy grit sand paper?

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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan & Becca look back as they hit the 2 year anniversary of hosting Wheel Talk. A lot of things have progressed since we first started, we've covered so many topics over the past 100+ episodes, and have spent time interviewing some great peers inside & outside of clay.

Thank you all so much for listening & letting us join you in your studios on a weekly basis. We are very grateful for all of the shout outs, questions you send us, comments, reviews, and so much more from everyone who is part of our community. We hope you all have gotten as much out of this as we have and you choose to stick around for the next 2 years & beyond!

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- How do you guys feel about having unglazed clay for parts of pottery that come in contact with food? If the clay is vitrified is that ok? I see some people with unglazed sections on food surfaces and think, surely that’s not really food safe, not to mention how unpleasant it would be to run a utensil across that surface.

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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan & Becca start by sharing how the Backyard Craft Show went for both of them at Ryan's parent's home in Louisville, KY. They then go into specifics about each of their 3 favorite cups: likes, dislikes, & the story behind how they got them. It's fun for us to share our favorite pieces with you and would love to see your favorite cups and tag us on Instagram.

Follow us on Patreon to see the video version of this episode as we talk through the cups in detail, or find photos of them on our Instagram account @wheeltalkpodcast.

Becca's favorite cups:
Andrew Linderman from Linderman Pottery - @lindermanpottery
Amy Brummond from Pine Zen Pottery - @pinezenpottery
Victoria Truhn from Tried & Truhn - @triedandtruhn

Ryan's favorite cups:
Amelia Stamps from Amelia Stamps Pottery - @ameliastampspottery
Tara Underwood from Tara Underwood Pottery - @tara.underwood
David Pinto from Jamaica Clay - @pintopottery

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- What’s the biggest mistake you have made that ended up being your best success by accident?

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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan & Becca recap their weekend after returning from the Berea Craft Festival and answer a listener question. A listener has a good question about how they should go about raising their prices. Pricing is always a tough task but having confidence in whatever you decide is the best advice we could give you. Good luck out there!

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- I need to up my prices due to the price of clay, shipping (I'm in Canada), buying quality tools to make the process easier, etc but I have a hard time trying to figure out how/when. Should I give advance warning? If so, how much? How high is too high? ( I sell my beachy mugs for $30 and literally can't keep them in stock) Should I make a post explaining on my IG and FB? I'm thinking of going up to $35 but don't want to insult anyone, or make it too high etc. I feel guilty asking for more... Maybe that's the GD people pleaser in me...

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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan & Becca finally get to a question that has been left unanswered for a while now: pros and cons of selling on your own website vs an Etsy shop. There is a lot to this topic but we hope to cover a number of angles to be considered before decided what's right for your situation. Selling online is a great source of revenue and we encourage you to open up your business to the wider customer base that comes with sharing your work on the internet. Whether you're just starting out or a pro, we hope you enjoy the discussion.

Etsy Resources:
https://www.etsy.com/
Where Etsy Collects and Remits State Sales Tax
Etsy Fees & Payment Policy

Other Platforms we discuss:
https://www.weebly.com/
https://www.shopify.com/
https://www.squarespace.com/

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- Ryan - if you had to spend an hour decorating one pot - what techniques would you try out?
- Becca - if you had to make a pot that was for some obscure specific use, what would it be?

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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan and Becca give some insights about recycling your mountain of clay scraps effectively. They recap how they have handled reclaim in the past, what they do now, and what you should consider adapting to your situation. The price of new clay, time invested/lost by recycling, clay consistency, and studio spacing are a few factors to consider.

Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CRgvplFi372/ (Florian Gadsby)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CM8FV5ZFxf6/ (Joel Cherrico)

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- I don’t reclaim - can you convince me I should? I think my time is more valuable. Clay is cheap, but so many folks reclaim. Am I wrong?

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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan and Becca answer a question about handle making and share their experience with various handle making processes. There's no one handle technique that fits all mug styles but it's good to break down how and why you make handles the way you do.

Listener Questions
On this episode:
- I’m switching from extruded cut and placed handles to pulled from the cup handles Matthew Kelly changed my mind, so what do you prefer; attached handles or Pulled from the cup (heavy pull pieces then attached to the mug to be pulled longer to attach) which is more professional or non amateuristic? -@mudheads_pottery
 
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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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

Ryan & Becca share some of their favorite moments from the first 100 episodes. This is the first of multiple “best of” episodes since we couldn’t fit everything into just 2 hours. Thanks for all of the support these past 100 episodes & here’s to the next 100!

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].

Support the show on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast

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

Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.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