Tell us about your handmade business
My work is perfectly imperfect earthenware pottery. Using soft slabs of clay, I create the perfect canvas to which I apply colored slip and then individually paint whatever I enjoy onto the surface using underglazes.
Tell other handmade artisans an interesting anecdote about your business or your product.
Our society seeks perfection, production, and [low prices]. So how I have made it as a potter is beyond me. I struggle to make multiples of anything and is far from perfect; I have actually capitalized on the “non-perfect” aspect of my lack of ability to go back and tidy up! The inexpensive part … well I am still falling short on pricing, that’s another story for another day.
Explain a turning point or defining moment that changed your business.
Learning the basics of pottery in high school, I somehow acquired a perception of what pottery was supposed to look like. After 10 or more years of hair-pulling glaze disasters, uneventful kiln openings and overall disappointing work, I decided to start all over. I traded in stoneware for earthenware, gave away all of my commercial glazes and glaze-making ingredients. I started making slips and using underglazes. Last but not least, I changed the business name and embraced my creative shortcomings. No regrets!
How do you market your products?
Wholesale has been very good for me.
