: oldlady - Viewing Profile

marketing was my field for many years. the easiest way for you to become comfortable is to start talking to people. people who attend craft fairs are interested in crafts. maybe woodworking or jewelry or something other than pottery so each person who passes by is not a "lost" sale, it was never going to be a sale in the first place. so do not fall into the negative thinking that says "my work is not good enough for that person to buy". horsehockey. that person is looking for glass, not pottery.

shyness never got anyone anywhere.

getting over the fear of talking to strangers about your work is a process. you need to work on gaining this skill the way you learned pottery. a little step at a time.

try this step first. at the next fair you set up in mention something to the first person you see about what the person is wearing, " nice necklace, is it handmade?" focus on that person and whatever the answer, say thank you when the conversation is over.

if you are a male talking to a female just stick to simple lies. " my sister would love that sweater, where did you get it?" simple stuff starts them talking. even if just for a minute. avoid the obvious pick up lines.

as you become more comfortable talking about nothing you will eventually see a way to talk about your work. try it with older people by asking their advice. " could you please give my your opinion on this new color i am using? is it something you would like in your home or should i make it in ...................? do you think, etc. nobody ever talks to old women so they will all be flattered by the attention especially if you ask the oldest in a group. look at the person with interest in whatever they are saying. pay attention. nothing is as flattering.

just be yourself and try talking. eventually you will be able to talk about your work in front of the camera so you can record the process you use.

would it help to visually "dress" each area of your display? the functional pieces clearly labelled as such and the more attractively staged non-functional things in a clearly defined different area? tell them what you need to in signage and labels.


a rubber stamp saying "Do not use as a vase or for food" on the bottom will save you from complaints if anyone is foolish enough to try using raku to hold water.

i do this, not on teapots though.

to try it, make a thick slip using the slurry from throwing and crushed, broken up pieces of bone dry clay body. put the whole mess into a blender and turn it on. you are looking for about the consistency of a milkshake. let it sit for a day or so, then just paint the flowers or whatever you like on the pot just after it has been made and just dry enough not to shine. you want to keep the whole pot covered with plastic. add a layer of slip every few hours or days until it is of sufficient thickness. this depends on your humidity level, dry country requires tight wrapping to keep it from drying up too much. if it does, just spray it with water and continue adding slip. then carve it to the shape you like and let it dry slowly until it is thoroughly dry and ready to bisque.


i hope i can post a photo of the red fox i did. its nose sticks out an inch from the plate it is on. too bad the plate broke.


hope this makes sense. it is late and i painted half of the studio today. bedtime, brain is fried.

nelly,

every year our guild provides a few hundred bowls for the local Empty Bowl Supper and i make 20 of them. that is my "what if i try this" moment so i have a good time imagining what i can do each time. this is the really experimental stuff since it is all on just a bowl. i have so many ideas i won't live long enough to do everyting i have already thought of.

after working for weeks and three firings, last year it took making sixty of them to get my twenty good enough for the event. but i now have a lot of water bowls for my dog. i will never have to make him another one.

oh, you are having fun, aren't you? meeting folks and talking pots. and freezing. weather is always a problem. i have done the same show held on the same weekend each year and worn almost nothing once and bundled up in long johns, three wool sweaters and wool socks the next year.

as you gain experience you will find that you will work less by using the simplest, lightest packing and carrying materials. i have seen folks carrying those big, heavy, fully loaded rubbermade tubs. why? cardboard boxes are fine, don't weigh much and can be found easily. cut handles in the ends and separate items with cardboard dividers. boxes come in sizes to match your work and can be stacked easily.

for packing materials used plastic grocery bags cushion things pretty well. i keep them wrinkled and shake a little air into them as i pack. not to create balloons, just not folded flat. haven't had anything break since the 70s and that was because someone else packed one box. i have watched people carefully wrap their work in newspaper. filthy hands after a few minutes and it takes forever.

the absolute worst was the potter who set up using wooden apple crates. great because it was in apple country but can you imagine the weight of all that?

do you make anything that can be piled into a basket with lots of other things just like it? spoon rests come to mind. customers love looking through a basket of differently glazed items searching for just the right thing for a small gift. think teacher gifts for the end of school. tiny christmas items, stuff for tourists if you have them.

i could go on and on but nobody will read these long things.