Here’s a photo of the giveaway for Wednesday, December 6, 2023
I began selling my ceramic work in 1988. My children were 5 & 3 at the time and I recall my husband wondering why there were bits and pieces of my production process in various locations of our home. I didn’t always rely on ceramic show sales to bring in money and at the time, it didn’t always help that much anyway. I had other sources of income job-wise and my husband was a reliable hard working guy. We did fine, never lived beyond our means, and I was able to spend time at home with our children which was important to both of us. (I now have a roomy studio in the basement of our current residence.)
Over the years, I was able to improve my craft and call it my “job” since I actually made decent money selling it. Not everyone is able to do what they love and never think of it as work. (With the exception of a time I had a sales rep and filled wholesale orders…) Let’s be clear here, I never made a ton of money at this, but that was never the ultimate goal. I was able to work from home (back before it was common) and be there for my kids.
Now that should explain the “grateful Artist” part of the story, but there’s more. I can’t even begin to count how many times fellow artists and customers would tell me I didn’t charge enough for my pieces. It wasn’t from lack of confidence in it or not seeing its value. In the back of my mind, I wanted as many people as possible to be able to find joy in owning something handmade. That meant making it affordable but at the same time, making it profitable. Here’s a secret most don’t know… materials for a ceramic artist are very affordable. The costs to start out are significant -the kiln, the slab roller (or wheel) but the clay and glazes were not that huge. Not like other artwork. The value comes down to getting efficient at production and using creativity while doing it.
So now that I’ve ended my art show “career” I’ve decided to have some giveaways. People still enjoy having something handmade and now they have a chance to get it. This first giveaway celebrates the end of only part of my making journey. I’ll still be involved in supplying a handful of stores and galleries and I’ll post new work for sale on Instagram and Facebook. BE SURE TO PROVIDE ME WITH YOUR EMAIL! This enables you to receive an email alert for both giveaways and new work.
WAYS TO CONNECT:
email: creativeclaycafe@gmail.com
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/creativeclaycafe
Creative Clay Cafe 
Leave a comment