Wheel Talk
Ryan Durbin (@rdceramics) & Becca Otis (@5linespottery) share their experiences as potters, makers, small business owners, and creatives. Becca is a full time studio potter, while Ryan is a full time website developer and part time potter. We'd love to share our ups and downs along the way as we build our skills as makers and small business owners in an honest, informal manner. We hope to bring you helpful tips we've learned over the years, learn from each other, and share expertise from a number of guests with you also. Please join us for some Wheel Talk!
Wheel Talk
#314 - Making It Work When Sales Slow Down
Ryan & Becca dig into a listener’s question about what to do when your big, higher-priced pieces stop selling—and you don’t want to pivot into teaching. We talk honestly about adapting to shifts in the buying market while staying true to your creative voice, making smaller or different work without feeling like you’re selling out, and share real strategies for makers who want to keep making and selling what they love, even when the market changes.
Maker of the Moment
- Ashley Gaylord - @ashley.g.pottery
- Brad & Jess - @elmstonestudio
Listeners Questions
On this episode:
- I've made a flan dish with grogged cone 6 clay plus glazed it at cone 6 and have done tests cooking vegetable quiche and have had no cracks. I would love to know more about cookware as I have just made a small frying pan, but I don’t think I can glaze that with the expansion rates of the clay and glaze? I’m in the UK and my pottery supplier really can’t help. Have you both had any experience with making your own cookware? As I’m finding it very exciting to have dishes and pans that I can use in my own home. Many thanks Melanie @handthrownpottery
- The past year I've seen a sharp, and I mean SHARP drop off in sales of my big pieces (I used to sell at least 3-5 big, sculptural vases per market and now it's zero) I've had to pivot to making more small, cheaper things. Might be a good topic for the podcast, how we adapt to changes in the buying market. The first thing people always suggest is alternate income streams (ie teaching etc), but I'd love to hear more of what people like me are doing, who have no interest in teaching, to be able to keep making and selling their work. @revisioniststudio
Sponsors
L&L Kilns - The durable kiln that potters trust to fire evenly & consistently. Find your L&L kiln at hotkilns.com
Speedball Ceramics - Try the new Speedball Boss Base tool to open your wheel thrown work consistently and with ease, now available in pink and purple to match their plastic bats. Look out for their new centering ribs debuting soon. Browse their wide selection of products at speedballart.com
Support the show on Patreon for as little as $3 per month: https://patreon.com/Wheeltalkpodcast
Follow us on Instagram:
@wheeltalkpodcast
@rdceramics
@5linespottery
Visit our website:
www.wheeltalkpotcast.com
Wheel Talk YouTube Channel
