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!
Episodes
290 episodes
#286 - Simple steps to organize your business finances
Ryan and Becca dive into the importance of maintaining separate bank accounts for business transactions, efficiently tracking expenses, and staying on top of quarterly tax payments. They also discuss the value of understanding business structur...
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Episode 286
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2:02:07
#285 - New year, new focus
Ryan and Becca kick off the new year by sharing their personal and professional goals for 2025. They dive into strategies for improving time tracking in their small business, discuss aspirations like securing a role with Speedball, and outline ...
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Episode 285
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2:33:09
#284 - Reflections on 2024: Business Wins and Challenges
Ryan and Becca reflect on their 2024 business journeys, sharing the highs and lows and evaluating whether they met their goals. They dive into their financial strategies, the importance of tracking expenses and income, and the lessons learned a...
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Episode 284
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2:31:18
#283 - Essentials for a small studio
Ryan and Becca share some strategies for boosting attendance at upcoming workshops, emphasize the value of clear communication and marketing, and offer tips for optimizing studio spaces. They also explores affordable kiln firing options for beg...
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Episode 283
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1:59:43
#282 - Handling problematic customers & soda kiln visions
Ryan and Becca share candid experiences with challenging customers and explore how their personalities and appearances can shape these interactions. Wrapping up the episode, they discuss the dream of Ryan building a soda kiln in the backyard an...
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Episode 282
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1:22:39
#281 - Teaching, digital art & craftsmanship with Bryan Wilkerson
Ryan and Becca chat with Bryan Wilkerson, a professor of art and design, about his journey in teaching, digital art, and the Impostors Cup Show. They dive into the challenges of firing techniques, behind the scenes of the Impostors Cup Show, wh...
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Episode 281
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2:18:49
#280 - What we're thankful for in the ceramics community
In this episode, Ryan and Becca reflect on the many reasons they’re grateful for the ceramics community, from shared knowledge to the friendships formed through clay. They also tackle listener questions about navigating challenging show require...
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Episode 280
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1:46:58
#279 - Worth it or not worth it
In this episode, Ryan and Becca discuss a range of tools, techniques, and business practices that have tried and whether they have been worth it or not worth it. These range from buying a pug mill to mixing your own glazes to selling at pop up ...
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Episode 279
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2:15:28
#278 - Hands-on tips for teaching short workshops
Ryan & Becca share advice about hosting your own 2 hour workshops. Becca has been hosting a number of these recently and has so much to share! Questions include: how much should I charge, what’s reasonable to complete in 2 hours, and how sh...
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Episode 278
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1:58:41
#277 - How do you feel about preorders?
In this episode, Ryan and Becca answer a few listener questions before diving into the topic of preorders. Inspired by an Instagram story series from @themugmaiden, they discuss Ryan's exper...
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Episode 277
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2:06:56
#276 - Turning Ideas into Art: Steal Like an Artist with Taylor Swilley
Ryan and Becca return for the third chapter of the podcast book club, diving into Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon. Joined once again by Taylor Swilley, they explore key takeaways and...
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Episode 276
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1:43:49
#275 - Exploring Etsy HQ and brewing success at the Cincy Coffee Festival
In this episode, Ryan and Becca recap their time at the Cincinnati Coffee Festival, comparing sales, discussing what changed from last year, and exploring the new items Becca introduced. They also share highlights from Ryan’s recent trip to Bro...
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Episode 275
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1:31:16
#274 - Big city, small business with Sarah Hussaini from Not Work Related
Ryan and Becca chat with Sarah Hussaini of Not Work Related about the challenges of growing her ceramics business in NYC. Sarah shares her journey of hiring and trusting others to maintain quality, balancing high overhead costs, and prioritizin...
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Episode 274
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2:21:21
#273 - Commissions, business startup tips, and Michiana Pottery Tour recap
In this episode, Ryan and Becca recap their time at the Michiana Pottery Tour before answer a few listener questions. Questions include handling commission inquiries and the best way to turn them down, business startup basics (registering a bus...
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Episode 273
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1:52:59
#272 - Listener Q&A: Perfecting mystery boxes and kiln programs
In this episode, Ryan and Becca tackle a range of listener questions, offering valuable insights for potters with varied years of experience. They start by sharing their experience with mystery boxes—how many pieces to include, what types of po...
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Episode 272
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1:52:56
#271 - Countdown to Pot Swap 2024: what’s new this year
Ryan & Becca are back with a special episode all about #PotSwap2024, our 7th year hosting this global event! We’ve got some exciting changes this year, and we’...
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Episode 271
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1:18:29
#270 - Creating monumental installation art with Jackie Head
In this episode, Ryan and Becca welcome Jackie Head, a ceramic artist based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jackie shares insights from her journey through her BFA at Indiana University Bloomington and her MFA at Alfred University, as well as her exp...
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Episode 270
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2:22:54
#269 - Workshops, sales, and solving glaze problems
In this episode, Ryan and Becca catch up on Ryan's recent shows and his soda-firing workshop, while Becca shares details about her upcoming workshop. They also dive into a discussion on this year's sales trends so far. Later, they shift focus t...
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Episode 269
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1:29:38
#268 - Blending military life and ceramics with Delvin Goode from D Goode Art
Ryan and Becca welcome Delvin Goode of D Goode Art to share his creative evolution while balancing a military career the past 20+ years. We discuss his experience getting an MFA from Fort Hays State University while still serving before getting...
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Episode 268
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2:29:09
#267 - Embracing a Creative Life: Big Magic with Taylor Swilley
Ryan and Becca return for another chapter of the podcast book club, diving into Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. They’re joined by Taylor Swilley—voice actor by day, potter by night, and cat snuggler in betw...
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Episode 267
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2:20:02
#266 - Creating through health struggles with Aleatha Aiken-Sherrer from aleathabean (Pt 2)
Ryan and Becca are back to finish their chat with Aleatha Aiken-Sherrer. Aletha flips the interview a bit and starts asking the hosts questions as we get deeper into topics ranging from commission orders to developing a style to being prepared ...
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Episode 266
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1:38:10
#265 - Creating through health struggles with Aleatha Aiken-Sherrer from aleathabean (Pt 1)
Ryan and Becca welcome back Aleatha Aiken-Sherrer from Aleathabean to chat on a range of topics. Aletha has some insights on using a cheap Amazon pottery wheel to sustain her business the past few years. We also get to hear more about how Aleth...
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Episode 265
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1:24:00
#264 - Spaghetti brain or box brain?
Ryan & Becca get into an interesting discussion sparked from a human psychology thought experiment Ryan had recently. We get into the weeds about the differences between those who are flexible focusers ("spaghetti brained") and priority foc...
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Episode 264
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2:08:28
#263 - Cohesion vs. creativity in your pottery
Ryan & Becca tackle a listener question today about the importance of having a cohesive style in pottery. Two Sisters Pottery includes a sibling duo creating work in varying styles today. We discuss the balance between creative freedom and ...
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Episode 263
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1:48:39
#262 - Lessons from The E-Myth Revisited
Ryan & Becca discuss some lessons learned after Ryan recently listened to some of The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. They specifically focus on the idea of the entrepreneur, the manager, and the technician and dive a little bit into fr...
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Episode 262
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2:10:18