How expensive is a home pottery studio? Let me walk you through mine, pricing all the major elements out so you get a feel for what to expect while saving/planning. I recommend building bit by bit. I got my first wheel in 2020 and my initial shelves around a year later and then slow built the rest over the last couple of years. It helped me prioritize what I actually needed without rushing into just getting all the things I *thought* I would need.
I admittedly bought the majority of these items new. If you’re open to buying used you can definitely save money, but of course then there’s no warrantee and you don’t know the history or care of the item. Plus there is a lot of scammy weirdness out there in marketplace land. For me, having full control over getting what I want—to my exact specifications—was a priority, especially when working in such a small space (10x15ft). So I would say that this walkthrough reflects a bit of splurgy energy. After all… I was planning on making all this money back.
One note that I don’t mention in the video is that I already had the house, in fact this very space has been my photography studio for a decade. So some of the things in the video aren’t mentioned because I already had them (such as my desk, chair, lamps, etc). Oh and keep in mind that living in San Diego is super expensive, it’s possible you might find better prices in other regions.
Things I intentionally left out of this reel? I skipped the nitty gritty of glazes and clays and supplies and such because they’re consumables and because that video would’ve taken hours. I also left out all my market/booth materials even though they can get costly, as well as shipping and packaging and sales stuff. Not everyone builds a studio with the intent of selling so I didn’t want to get sidetracked. But consider how much the cost to set up increases when you add those things in. I’ve spent at least $500-$600 on glazes and easily $1000 on additional tools and accessories alone.
Hope that was helpful, lemme know if you have questions! Would y’all want me to post a spreadsheet screenshot, too?
#pottery #potterylife #potterystudio #ceramics #potterybusiness #artbusiness #artstudio
So I rarely post *photos* here. It’s almost all reels, videoed from my phone. Which is sort of weird for a professional photographer, you might think. It was an intentional shift, actually—when I started sharing my pottery here, it was important for it not to feel like work to me, not to get caught up in flawless perfectionism, not to put any pressure on myself.
But it’s funny how the right outside influence can give you a needed kick in the pants. Today I applied for another upcoming market, and they request product photos. And I thought, maybe I should refresh my product shots with newer stuff. I gathered my most recent kiln haul, swapped out my display shelves, and boom… suddenly I feel pretty professional. And it’s not damaging perfectionism professional. Just a little proud moment to see a bunch of my work come together, looking nice, pumping me up for my spring and summer events.
This is just a small selection of what’s coming with me to the @sdmademarkets spring fair in La Mesa on May 10th. So looking forward to all the fun in store next Saturday, and if you decide to come out, please do swing by my booth and say hello!
#ceramics #pottery #potterylove #pottersofinstagram #shelfie #vases #clayplay
New to kilns? Paralyzed about your first firing? Don’t stress! Modern kilns are very safe and you’re about to make magic! I’ve been meaning to put together this list of some best practices that I learned along the road to teaching myself how to fire pieces. I wish it was more common for community studios to offer students kiln classes. Those that do get gold stars! But for the rest of us, we need to learn on our own through YouTube and social media and articles and panicked Reddit questions. So I wanted to put a list together of things I was glad to learn in the early days of firing Dottie the Hottie (my @skuttkilns 1022-3). Some of these may be obvious to you, but they weren’t to me, so I hope at least one of these best-practices tips is useful as you learn the ropes. Let me know if you have any questions!
#pottery #potterylife #potterystudio #ceramics #kiln #kilnfiring #kilnquestions #potterytips
Butter keeper views! I realize I so rarely share pro photos of my work here… It’s pretty much 99% reels. Originally that had a lot to do with trying to explore and share my pottery in a way that was completely disconnected from my professional photography career. I didn’t want to put pressure on myself, I wanted to get away from my perfectionism. That’s what I needed at the time, it was good for me. But now after so much time has passed since starting this account, I see that’s sort of a shame… that I’ve not really given my work the credit it deserves. So I’m officially changing that.
#butterkeeper #butterbell #pottery #ceramics #stoneware
Some of my pottery piled up before my recent markets and fairs. There’s something really satisfying about seeing a collection of your work together side-by-side. A coherent voice emerges, a sense of the artist shines through.
Now my spring shows are done (grateful to all my lovely supporters!) and I’m having a much-needed quiet R&R week… but I still have some cute items available should anyone want to dm me if something caught your eye! For example, if you haven’t found the perfect gift for your mama this weekend, do get in touch.
#pottery #potterystudio #potterylife #ceramics #apotterslife
Craft fair tips, episode three! Not sure how versatile this particular reel will be to other vendors, but for those who are transporting multiple bins worth of products… you can make a table out of them!
These ones are from Ikea, the Samla line. I use the 22x15x16” ones. But obviously there are a zillion different kinds of bins out there so this would work with any that have lids and stack in a stable way. These ones, stacked three deep, were just about the same height as my real tables.
Obviously if you have multiple large tables coming with you to a fair maybe you don’t need a makeshift one. Maybe you have a big truck and can fit lots of stuff. In my case, I was out of space for anything else in my smallish car, so using what I already had made life easier. Plus it cleared out space under the main tables where these bins usually live, which allowed me to store all my other stuff (and there’s plenty of other stuff) more easily and accessibly. Lastly, the fact these are modular, means I could stack them along the short side or long side to change the size, or I could stack only three of them for just a little bit of extra table space if I want in the future.
PLEASE IGNORE THE UNHEMMED UNIRONED MESS that is the random piece of leftover fabric I used as a tablecloth. I did feel a bit embarrassed by that. But it was a make it work moment! I have another matching tablecloth on order to go with my other ones for next time. I really wish I’d taken more videos from my fair this past weekend (so I could’ve shown you more details), but it was super busy and it’s basically a miracle I even thought to take these videos. Let me know if you have any questions, happy vending!
#craftfair #craftfairs #craftfairprep #artfair #artvendor
What a whirlwind day! SO busy and SO fun. Y’all, La Mesa always turns up bigtime at the amazing @sdmademarkets La Mesa Spring Fair, but this was the best yet. Everyone was soooo nice. I can’t thank you enough for your purchases, your good convos, your super kind words of support, your cute dog visits, and your enthusiastic energy. I was so busy I never left my booth once! Just good vibes all around. Really feeling grateful.
#craftfair #craftfairs #springfair #craftbooth #vendorlife
SO happy with how my succulent lidded jars came out! The simple jar is meant to be streamlined so that the handle/knob pops. I’m picturing these for keepsakes and jewelry, but jazzed if people have other uses! I’m nearly out of space for what I’m bringing to the @sdmademarkets La Mesa fair this Saturday but I’m 100% making space for these. And for the mushroom knobbed jars, too… but I think those deserve their own future reel 🍄
#pottery #potterystudio #ceramics #liddedjar #succulents
Some new pottery I finally photographed properly! All this and more is coming with me to the @sdmademarkets La Mesa Spring street fair next Saturday. I always have such a blast at this one—don’t sleep on La Mesa! It’ll be over a hundred makers, food trucks, coffee and bevs, art installations, kid fun/games… and it’s FREE entry so I hope to see you there! 11am-6pm May 2nd in La Mesa Village. They haven’t given us our booth assignments yet, but as soon as I do I’ll share it in my stories!
#craftfair #craftfairs #artfair #springfair #streetfair
Y’all really liked my last reel about checkout and organization at craft fairs so I thought I’d do an episode two. Honestly I feared everyone might find it really boring, and rather watch pots being thrown or whatnot. You really surprised me!
So I thought I’d share another tip for staying really organized at markets and fairs: creating a packing station! This is one of those useful things that doesn’t directly impact your customer but very indirectly does impact them because your efficiency is improved, and you’re able to grab what you need fast to get their stuff in their hands.
I’m sure many other vendors have their own approaches to packing stations or organization—this just works for me and my brain. Making bag sizes easy and separated to grab, making your rolls of paper quick to tear off, and putting all the little things you might need to grab in easy reach. For example, I put a business card or care card in every bag (depending on what was purchased), so something like that needs to be highly grabbable, and not take up precious limited table space.
The fishing lures pouch on the side of the cart might be my fave hot tip. You don’t need to unpack all those individual tools and bits: they just permanently live in your rolled up pouch, easy on, easy off. Before this they all lived in ziplocks or loose in plastic bins and it was a bit of chaos digging through a bin to find an item. I do have many lesser- or rarely-used items still sitting in a bin under the table just in case, but these ones are all the often-used stuff. Especially with delicate things like ceramics, I love having my packaging paper rolls ready to go. If you do a lot of protective packing like me, may I even suggest getting the rolls of paper on longer-width dowels for smooth spinning as you pull.
Hope that’s useful to you!
#craftfairs #craftfair #artfair #craftmarket #vendorlife
For all the makers thinking about moving into vending at markets, this one is for you! Maybe also for those interested in comparing and contrasting their existing systems to mine. Here I am sweaty as hell after my booth setup last Friday, sharing my basic systems for inventory, tracking, checkout, staying organized… basically having an efficient and thorough back end for shows and markets.
My system is a combo of digital and analog which works well for me and my brain, but it might not suit everyone. Many folks out there prefer to have everything digital-only. There are LOTS of apps designed for tracking and management. If that works for you then go you, keep up the good work! I’m jazzed for your success! For me, I prefer the combination of digital and analog. Particularly to quell anxiety, this helps me have backups in place for if things go squirrelly. Sometimes phones stop working, sometimes apps misbehave. So while I checkout and track everything digitally through @square , I also keep this very helpful paper copy of my inventory along with several other useful printouts and checklists. I make all these from scratch as spreadsheets in Google Sheets.
As for physical checkout, I swear by using a fannypack instead of a cash box (for Brits that’s a bum bag), I personally think it’s much safer to have something that stays secured to your body, while remaining conveniently organized by adding the mini filing folder (I think these are designed as receipt management folders) in there in the second pocket for money organization. Some people just use an apron but that can get chaotic to keep money organized. This system works best for me and is convenient for hand-off when I have assistants working with me. I do far more sales via credit card, but people still do cash sometimes. I also accept Venmo but it’s my only-as-a-backup method, as it’s a little messier/less convenient for accounting. And when your accountant is your spouse and they say a particular medium is a nuisance, you listen.
Happy to answer questions, sorry if this is too long, or too boring of a subject, but I hope it’s useful info!
#craftfair #artfair #craftmarket #sellingcrafts #sellingart
Day one done at @makersarcade and so much more fun in store for tomorrow! I had such a great time, every body was lovely who popped in, said hello, purchased a fun item, or let me live up on their dogs. SO much talent and timings this year. Special thanks to @mrsmelmitch for holding down the fort on and off through the day since I was doing double duty as event photographer. Didi run out of time to do my Pom Pom backdrop? Sure did. 🤷♀️ am I going to try to head there early tomorrow to get it done? We shall see! See y’all tomorrow!
#pottery #potterybooth #craftfair #craftfairdisplay #craftfairs
