MudTalk Podcast - Pottery, Ceramics, Business Brandon Schwartz

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Resources Mentioned:




Hoopla



Librivox



Libby



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What do you listen to while you are working with clay? How does it affect your work?



Transcript



This is episode 29 of the Mudtalk Podcast and it is a fun one. The topic  is, “what do you listen to while you work with clay?” 



There were so many responses that I won’t be able to read them all! But if you are in need of some new audio content there will be plenty of ideas in this episode. I thought this would be a great topic because I’m always looking for interesting things to listen to while my hands are busy with clay. Unfortunately it has taken me forever to get this episode recorded so most of the following responses were from a very long time ago.



Thank you for listening to THIS podcast. I hope you are currently working with clay as you listen.



A short disclaimer: I will include a few clips of some of the great suggestions. I don’t own the copyright to any of these works of audio but they are presented here for educational purposes only.



Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let’s hear what other potters and ceramic artists listen to as they work with clay.



Silence



A few people including Pubali909, and Ingridj1957,  enjoy the peace and quiet and listen to the sound of the process or complete silence.



Audiobooks



A few people including Nicolaashley1101, Moequintana1, Anna C-N all mentioned audiobooks.



Rawstudios Audiobooks; the best combination ; the intense meditative effect from the throwing makes the books even more vivid .



Dtaylorsatm Audible books, Perry Mason and Agatha Christie mysteries



Angela M Audiobooks and pottery. Complete bliss



I also enjoy audiobooks. You have probably heard of audible.com, Amazon’s audiobook site. You pay a monthly subscription fee and get to choose a certain number of audiobooks every month. There are also some other similar sites. But did you know there are resources out there that offer FREE audiobooks? 



One great free resource I’ve found is called Hoopla. I get free access from my local library. I can can borrow digital items such as ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and music. I think they raised the number to 10 per month during the pandemic! The selection isn’t massive but there is enough to keep me listening.



I have also started using an app called Libby which connects to the Indiana Digital Library. I get access through my local library. They have a much bigger selection but only have a limited number of each item so you may have to get on the waitlist for certain items, just like a physical library.



One more free resource is Librivox. It offers free audio versions of public domain books. Lots of old classics available.



If you are interested I’ll put a link to some of these audiobook resources in the show notes.



Podcasts



Podcasts seem to be a popular choice for a few reasons. Most of them are free. There is always new content. And now you can find a podcast about almost anything you can think of. Just think about the podcast you are listening to right now… One guy with a laptop and microphone reading his favorite replies to social media posts about pottery. What a time to be alive!



Pen and ink pottery Podcasts!! #2dopequeens #codeswitch #sooomanywhiteguys #savagelove



Canmore pottery Strictly podcasts. Is it a pottery podcast??!!!



Scetinozkan Podcasts how stuff works and some Turkish podcasts about philosophy, [and] technology . Learning something helps the creative process for me.



Dundeepottery Podcasts...CBC, Annemarie at The Current, Out in the Open with Piya Chattopadhyay, Planet Money, This American Life, Someone K

Links to Original Discussion



What is your favorite pot?



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If you had to pick just one pot that you love more than the rest... Why is it your favorite? What do you like about it? What does it look like? Feel like? Tell us all about it!





Transcript



This is episode 28 of the MudTalk Podcast. Thank you for tuning in. And a big thank you for subscribing so you know when a new episode drops. Especially because my posting schedule seems to be completely random. And the biggest thank you for sharing the podcast with anyone else who may be interested.



If this is your first episode, or first episode in a while, the MudTalk Podcast is just a collection of thoughts about a certain topic. Designed to be short and sweet without a lot of fluff. Something to get you thinking or hear some new perspectives.



This episode is all about your favorite pot. Why is it your favorite? What do you like about it? What does it look like? There weren’t a lot of responses to the original post which I thought was a little odd. I mean, most potters I know love to talk about pots.



So I reposted more recently to get some new thoughts. And still didn’t get a LOT of discussion.



But that’s okay. We will work with what we have. But if you would like to share something, feel free to reach out through email or social media.



I intentionally left the question a little bit vague. Some people responded with their favorite pot that they have made. Some responded with a style of pot. Some shared one specific pot that they have purchased or use. All good options. I love that the concept of ‘a pot’ can bring up so many different things. We won’t talk about our favorite recreational or medicinal plant. But maybe this question didn’t have the same engagement because the algorithms got confused and thought the content was questionable.



Anyway, let’s hear about some favorite pots!



Sarahannebkr 



Deep Bowls, with a rolled rim, and you can still see the last pull, with a ringed foot



Trippelgrow 



Agate ware coffee cup unglazed outside and opaque white inside. Fits my hands just so and I slowly awake studying the rings and curves



Jenny2ren 



A generous deep bowl, thinking of filling it with salad or mixing a cake in it!



Jessica ewton ceramics 



A shallow blue bowl with lots of cut outs. I spent a long time on it and it paid off!! You can see it on my page :)



Havanow 



As wide as it is tall. Like a Gywan 😍



Thepeddlerman 



A tall, abnormally large mug in a glaze that wasn't exactly mixed entirely (my bad) but the color gradient, from a nice bright red, to a brown almost black is beautiful



Marianwilliamspottery



A huge bulbous thrown vessel with an added neck or throat and pulled handles- glazed in a beautiful runny (probably barium) blue on top and satin white on bottom- it’s big, showing makers hand marks in the handles and neck.



Landrum_pottery 



My fav I've made is a 10 lb. Infant piggy sculpture. I almost didn't keep it but after a year of it sitting on the greenware shelf I finally decided to try to fix the damaged ear... I layer glazed it also which turned out great. I feel like he's a high psychedelic pig. :)



Betty J



Brown clay, larger at the bottom than the top that has a narrow, tapering neck. No glaze. Just natural.



James Shock



The handle makes this teapot, and seemed to take longer to make! Mudslide glaze over dark brown clay. The lid knob is a miniature of the actual teapot. An afterthought, but worth the effort.





Naomi Zacharias Unrau



A B-mix thrown 1 pound bowl, rim cut, black slip carved, dots sliptrailed. A play-surprise.





So those are the comments that were shared. But as I’m thinking about this, maybe there are a lot of people out there having the same problem that I have: it is hard to p

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Share your opinion on... sharing. What should be shared? How much should be shared? Who should it be shared with?



Transcript



Hello, and welcome back! We are dusting off this old podcast and tossing out a few new episodes for the new year.



Thank you for downloading, listening, subscribing and especially sharing because that is what this episode is all about. More specifically, sharing pottery information. Be sure to listen to the end of this episode to hear why Expert Clay could be a great place for you to share some of your knowledge and experience.



Also, a big thanks to… I think it was Jodie Rae of Mudslinging Pottery who showed up at my Michiana Pottery Tour stop and said “don’t you have a podcast? I really liked it.” This kind of interaction inspires me to keep going. So here is a new episode, #27.



Let me start by saying that the pottery community is one of the most generous, kind, and caring communities in existence. At least from my somewhat limited experience. You can find examples all over the place of potters sharing their techniques, tips, time, advice, recipes, and just about anything else. I hope you have experienced some part of this as well. So as you may expect, most of the responses were in favor of sharing on some level. But is that it? Should we just automatically share everything we discover or create with everyone else… for free?



Let’s hear from other potters and see how they feel about sharing. We’ll start with comments from potters that love to share.



pollywog221



I really appreciate when experienced potters are willing to share their knowledge and wisdom. It enables me to become [a] better potter. And I think sharing would enhance the pottery community overall. I want to thank all the people that have helped me over the years @adjustsailsdirtworks. @kyleguymonpottery



earthartam



I use commercial glazes and clays, but I am always eager to share knowledge and techniques. Teaching others is where it's at, definitely.



jclaypotterystudio



It's all been done before ...what makes your work unique is YOU. I'm all in for sharing. I wonder sometimes when artists are secretive if they believe it's the only good idea they'll ever have. I think we also have a responsibility to take info shared and make it our own-so not to try to only copy but to breathe our own life into the glaze recipe, the form, the concept, etc...but also see great value in trying to copy at times so you can master and incorporate into your own work.



sallyannesadler



None of us would be here today without the hard work, experimentation and SHARING from those who came before us.



Elizabeth esther401



I am a teacher and am used to sharing. If you share a recipe or technique, it is next to impossible to replicate it 100% since we all tend to put our own spin on things.



sueramics_sunshinecoast



Sharing is caring it helps to keep our beloved craft alive and thriving with like minded souls.



droobs5707



Sharing your knowledge helps everyone. There is room enough for everyone to do whatever lights their fire. Even if you share everything you know the next potter will do something completely different. Pottery is love.



Camilla connell



info can be shared. But not the experience which has to be lived.



angieizardceramics



Taking information and applying it to your own work is a far cry from copying someone else. Sharing is part of how to grow and adapt as potters. Excellent topic.



thattmum



Share everything. Share always. Sharing is the only way to mak e the world a better place. Nothing that is beautiful is owned by any one person, Including glaze recipes



dannymeisinger



I share. So much of what we know comes from thousands of years of trial and much error. We stand on the shoulders o

Who is your market and how did you find them?



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Transcript





Welcome to episode 26 of the mudtalk podcast. In this episode we’re talking about your market, or, the people who buy your work.



Who buys your pots? How did you find them? Why do they buy your pots? How do you find more of the people that will buy your pots? These are the questions that any potter should start asking when they get serious about selling their work. Thanks to @stonecropstudio for suggesting this question a very long time ago.



This episode will be interesting because there were only a handful of responses. Literally 5 responses. Now it’s hard to judge what that means for certain. Maybe the social media algorithms didn’t put this question in front of very many people. Maybe a lot of us clay people have never thought specifically about our markets. Maybe we don’t know who our market or ideal customers are. Maybe, as Little Blackberry Creek Pots says later, we just want to create, instead of thinking about things like this. Maybe we can get by if we just put our work out there without precisely defining our market.



I’ll be completely honest with you. I have no idea who my market is. I just put my pots on instagram and facebook, list some of them on Etsy, set up my booth at events (remember those?), and hope for the best. Okay, maybe I’m not quite that lost. I have some ideas. For example, the map mugs would probably be perfect for someone who likes to travel. Or who enjoys history or geography. But I know I could target certain people more specifically. So at  the end of the episode I’ll talk about a few ways that I may be able to find my market..



First, let’s hear what other potters have said about who is your market and how did you find them?



Ibtispottery @potterymakinginfo Markets is where I sell my pottery and people who have seen me at markets would contact me to buy more.



This is an interesting point from Ibtispottery. The word market has a few different meanings. Market could mean the group of people that are looking for products like you are making. Market can also be a physical location or event. Usually these markets are already set up for you. I’m thinking of a farmer’s market or art fair. But the question is, are these predefined markets actually YOUR market? Technically, these are the people in front of your pots but are they the people that will be most interested in and most likely to buy your pots? Probably not all of them. We will explore this idea later.



Spectorstudiosporcelain A very smart friend told me that a market for your work is something you create. Working on that.



This friend seems very wise. You could probably argue about the words “create” vs. “find” when talking about your market but I think the idea is the same. It takes work and usually some kind of plan to figure out who your market is. And speaking of creating and finding a market, it was interesting to be part of the Michiana Pottery Tour this year. The previous 8 years it was an in-person event in the region around the Michigan / Indiana border. It was a self directed tour with 6-8 stops where potters would open their studios and often invite other guest artists to display their work. This year, being the pandemic year, we offered all our work for sale online and promoted to a nationwide audience. We could change the idea of our market because we were shipping pots instead of expecting people to drive and see us in person. There was still a large concentration of website visitors that were from our region but we also had visitors from just about every state in the US. In fact, we had over 400 visitors from the combination of California and NY together. So we definitely expanded our market to a wider geographic audience. On the other hand, are there

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Transcript





Episode 25, business tips and advice. Hello all you fantastic listeners! It has been way too long. The MudTalk Podcast has gone on quite a hiatus here over the past few months. You would think with all the social distancing and quarentining I would just be cranking out the podcast episodes. But alas, I decided to focus completely on my top priority for the year, finish my pottery studio. I’ve also been spending time with my family so we can all stay sane. But now that the studio is taking shape I hope to spend a lot more time making pots and online content. In fact, the Michiana Pottery Tour will be online this year - that’s right, you can buy pots from all the amazing artists no matter where you live! - so I’ll be making pots for that and promoting it big time. The Tour is at the end of September so go to michianapotterytour.com to find out more.



I’ve also become fascinated with the idea of branding which is perfect for this episode. I’ve been listening to and reading books, articles and even taking some courses. At the end of this episode I’ll share 5 things that could help a potter or ceramic artist improve their brand. And yes, if you are trying to sell your work, you should have a “brand” even if it is more of a personal brand instead of a big corporate brand.



Thank you for taking the time to subscribe, download, and support this podcast. Today the topic is business tips and advice so let’s hear some business tips and advice from other potters.



Littlecharliewheeler Knowing that everyone has different tastes, and that piece that disappointed you as it came out of the kiln, might be someone else's favourite.



throwingmudetc@littlecharliewheeler that is so true! Usually the ones I don't like are the first to go.



littlefernpottery@littlecharliewheeler I hated the cup to one of my matcha sets. HATED the glaze. 5hrs after I posted it, it was gone lol. You're so right.



leagueindustriesgroupNetwork



pipthepotterUse the shows to network.



libbeckA lesson I learned: Don't accept custom orders. It's never satisfying to make something as directed by a customer. It will always feel better to make your own piece. And, it's hard to match their vision.



954lla@libbeck Thank you! I've been struggling w/ turning down "requests" but know I never enjoy the process as much as going w/ my own vision.



earthartam@libbeck Disagree. The first custom order I got was a disaster, I agree, no satisfying that guy. But I'm glad I didn't give up on them. I like the challenge of meeting someone's vision. After that first one I've never had another person that didn't see what I do and trust me to get it done. It's not a huge part of my business, but I do enjoy it. Tip: get paid up front for truly unique work.



claystationdhakaTreat your customer the way you would like to be treated as a customer!



thattmumHave a 20 second instagram story-style video to show anyone your work/process and be able to explain why x ( for example a teapot , costs $100.00 in time and money to make



sharfam61Have you sold online? How do you package pieces and avoid breakage and cost of shipping?



@sharfam61 i wrap them with thick bubble wrap and then fill the box with packing peanuts making sure the piece can not move at all and there is enough space on the edges to account for squish. Never had a piece break in shipping!



earthartamTreat it like a job, not a hobby. Show up everyday and put in your time.



bspottery@sharfam61 I sell online retail and wholesale, customer pays for shipping, I get my supplies from Uline....



rdceramicsTalk to every customer that comes into your space at shows and stand up. Don't sit in the back & expect them to come to you



Anotherseattleartist Don't give up and don't half (heart) anything you ma

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Transcript
Thank you for joining us here on the MudTalk podcast. This is episode number 24 and today we are talking about how sharing on social media affects your work.
As always, we would love to hear what YOU are thinking. Go to https://expertclay.com/mtp/ to get in touch and share some of your own ideas.
Also, this past Monday I posted a new MudTalk Monday question on the Expert Clay and Pottery Making Info social accounts. The question was “What clay related content, opportunities or ideas would you like to see more of online?”
As you probably know, during the recording of this episode the world is a little uncertain right now. Many places are closing down and most of us have been encouraged to avoid crowds and stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Even NCECA was cancelled which was disappointing to a large number of people in the ceramics community even though it was the right thing to do. So what can we do to help each other, learn from each other, and grow our community when we can’t meet face to face?
So there is something for you to think about. But let’s get back to our topic for today: how does sharing on social media impact your work? During our current time this may take on a new meaning. When we can’t go out it may be even more important to share with others online. Has your own view changed on this at all over the past few months? Are you doing anything different? Will you do anything different in the future?
Let’s see some of the original answers to the question “How does posting on social media affect your work?”
Sheric2015 I’ve learned so much from you tube videos. I love seeing other people’s work in videos.
Hollycoley Studio life can feel isolating. I think social media takes the edge off, encourages people supporting each other, and gets my work seen by hundreds of people.
Celestial.surf.studio Social media is a wonderful tool in my opinion. It’s helped me grow outside of reaching only friends and family. It’s provided countless business opportunities, ideas, and provides feedback on how well a design is doing. I love uploading progress videos and photos to keep my audience engaged and interested in my work. It also helps the impact of shop updates, making them more exciting and easier to anticipate. I try to post at least once a day and keep something on “my story” but sometimes it’s hard keeping up being a maker and normal human. Over all I feel like it’s mostly positive.
Swoshpots Positive – found teachers, friends, inspiration, knowledge. Negative – addiction of likes and followers, constantly checking, takes time from real life.
Taniarustageceramics It makes me take more photos of the process and not just the end product.
Casapangea it is incredibly helpful. and i can try so many techniques and get so much inspired by them. i love ❤️
Conniesceramic For me as a starter at the wheel it is very exciting watching the videos and of course I am also inspired of the other potters work, because in the beginning I thought it would be boring making only round things ?but now I know that sooo much is possible ?. I also like to show my work and I am pleased and makes me happy that my stuff [is] like[d] [by] people all over the world ? ❤️
Jnpottery I find inspiration and new techniques to try, to improve my throwing and glazing.
Jodipottery_at_sandycreek My new mantra: “every minute down the rabbit hole of social media is time better spent creating in my own studio”. I’ve had to impose strict time constraints for my online ‘research’ or I get sucked in every time! ?
Lithopsstudio I feel that social media provides great exposure when used right but there are definitely it’s down sides. It tends to cause unnecessary anxiety s