gosh! what a comprehensive and very helpful insight into a pottery business, many thanks. I am still gasping at your confidence as a teenager (?) going into a Yorkshire gallery with a box of your pots. I am 60 and am going through agonies thinking about approaching a little shop with my stuff!
Thank you for sharing! I am just finding out what is working the best for me and what I can do for a longer time. And just had my first market, so still learning a lot😊
Yes, potters do love browns… we prefer earth colors… makes sense. And yes, blue sells, much to the chagrin of my former pottery teacher. She hated the blue craze!
HI VAUGHN! How's weather there? Thanks for this video...depending on foot traffic & costs of space sometimes these works, they just tend to be looking for a deal (dont want to pay its worth) at these craft shows By far the best is to get a gallery to carry your work, if possible.
I did shows for 27 years and learned that the shows can vary a lot. You are right about a deal seeking public but you have to stand your ground, that is a slippery slope and word gets around quick, then you are entering the car salesman lane. There are shows where you make enough to buy a car on the way home, do your research. Back in the 1990's I had to buy a bigger cash bag to carry the money, very few credit cards back then, things have changed. My last craft fair was 5 years ago doing Nova Scotia's Designer Craft Show in Halifax, pre Covid, that one was well worth doing. I had over 100 galleries selling my work in the 90's and it was tough getting paid on time, 30days net sometimes ended up being 90 days and once 365days. Then there were the bankruptcies when you never got paid. I set my goal to do retail at my studio 30 years ago, it made a big difference to have three avenues of revenue. Today I refuse to give credit to galleries, they pay on delivery. 95% of what I make sells on site but it took 27 years to get to that point. 13 years in Nova Scotia with increasing sales all but 2020, wonder why. My formulae of on site studio and gallery with public access, magnificent gardens all around, locating in a small village with a bakery almost next door, and it does not hurt to be on the ocean. I searched for this over many years, dream big. Good luck at the shows.
@Vsmithpots Vaughn, thank you for that valuable insight about galleries, there are some things online about art dealers/brokers however they only deal with galleries it looks like. That's a disgrace to treat an artist that way about payment! (You know they got their money on time) 27 years is toooooo long to get established, however it's great you found a good traffic spot in which not only live (at home & produce art) but sell your wares. And if one's not a social butterfly AK sales-marketing person they'd better learn real quick. It is a hard niche to get into..."Art". Having multiple "as many avenues" in which to generate funds & recognition is always a never failed choice. For myself however, I don't believe I could or would want strangers coming to my home/shop.
@Vsmithpots I do, it houses my kiln, but still for a woman not a good idea it's still on my property. My dilemma is I'm still waiting on just a disability decision, approved or not (been over a year) I've got neuropathy that worsened had to quit 8-5 art teaching job problem is while waiting on decision from disability they state you can't work more than 20 hours a week nor make more than 1400.00 a mo, my bills are more than this. So I'm still trying to figure out how to get around all this, its a buracy nightmare. And most folks don't pay cash for art they use plastic, can't even do pay pal for online website because of this disability criteria. I will be 65 relatively soon enough that'll help some. Any suggestions my friend?
