Forever at a crossroads

That's where I'm at.

Books & Clay is having a SALE!

Tonight I was looking at my Etsy shop and thinking about how some of my listings were going to expire soon, so I decided it was the perfect time for a SALE! From now until May 12, 2015 - honestly a couple items will still be on sale until May 13, but why risk missing out on this fabulous deal by waiting until the last minute only to realize that what you really wanted was either purchased or did have an end date of May 12 - select items in my shop will be on sale for 40% off! This discount has nothing to do with the quality of the items or with how much I like them, though I must say for a couple of them it really pained me to do this. The discount was big enough that it seemed like it would be incentive without me crying over spilled milk or giving things away for free. The catch? Anything that doesn't sell at 40% off I plan to re-list at the original price. I am reasonable. If you like something but want a different price, we can talk about it. If you live in the DFW area or have some way of getting your item without me shipping it, we can work that out, too. If you are close by and still don't have a Mother's Day gift - yes, Mother's Day is this coming Sunday - you may want to see what you can find in my shop for a fabulous deal! Everything is handmade and will not be handmade quite the same way ever again. These are handmade one of a kind (OOAK!) treasures, and getting 40% off already perfectly reasonably (and honestly cheap, since this is all handmade stuff that requires hours of patience, blood, sweat, and tears) priced items really makes this sale a steal. Hey, stop by. The worst that could happen is you shrug your shoulders, scrunch your nose, and move on. The best? You find a treasure that only you have found. Check It Out!

Baby Steps

I've been essentially off the grid for the last week on vacation visiting a good friend.  I think it was important to get away, though it's probably good to write another post.  Last Saturday I took a giant leap forward as far as my fear of actually doing all I need to do to be successful goes.  As a creative entrepreneur, someone who makes stuff and sells it, the most important thing is to put your work out there.  If no one is aware of what you create, how can you find a buyer?  I've been making stuff for years.  Probably about half or more of everything I own is something I have made or materials to make stuff, but I have never been good at marketing myself or my work.  I discovered in college that my work was actually interesting and purchasable, because I put some ceramics in the campus art sale a few times and made a little bit of pocket money.  Because of that and some friends' urgings I opened my Etsy shop.  I put on there stuff I made a couple years ago as well as current stuff, and then I began the daunting task of letting people know that I make stuff and am selling it.  I opened a facebook page - jensbooksandclay - and started telling people I knew about the shop.  At my sister's wedding, some guests got to see my work first hand and I made some sales.  I started discovering that sales could more easily be made in person.  Stuff just looks better in person, but like I said, I'm not good at putting myself out there.  A couple months ago, my sister signed me up to have a table at the Spring Fling event at the school where she teaches, and so of course I said, "ok," though I was thoroughly freaked out.  I knew that doing something like that was an important first step, and it didn't cost me anything.  I knew not to anticipate sales, but hoped for at least the beginning of some networking, because the event was about families coming and having fun, not so much about buying stuff, though that was an option.  It was important because now I've had a table somewhere and so the next time I do something like this it won't be as daunting.  I handed out a couple business cards and talked to a couple people who seemed interested in my work.  No sales, but a little bit of interest.  Purchasing goods was not the focus, and that's ok.  I have to keep reminding myself that success does not come overnight but comes with a lot of hard work and determination, and risk taking.  The hardest part for me is the risk taking, but baby steps my dear, baby steps.  I will get there.

Some pics of my set up at the Spring Fling:

A conspiracy of sorts.

So, I took about a week and a half off from doing ceramics to focus on other things.  I made three books, one which I dislike, one which I like, and one which I love.  I plan to make more like the one I love, but I need to go shopping and have no money to do so.  I will photograph and post these up soon and make them available on my Etsy shop.  The problem with things I make that I dislike is that I neither want to keep them nor sell them, because I feel that some things are just unworthy.  I will readily give these away, but I know that I need to temper that desire, or just make things that I love all the time.  I also did a little crochet.  I made an elephant hat that I made up as I went.  I have always felt a little iffy about making and selling stuff from someone else's pattern, so I try as much as I can to make my own.  (Though I did read an article recently about how it really is ok to sell things made from someone else's pattern.  Which makes sense because although designed by someone else, I would be the one actually putting forth the effort to make the thing I am selling.)  I also made some coasters, and I'm still in process with this.  I need to get on top of finishing these because this Saturday I have been signed up to run a table at a "Spring Fling" event at the school where my sister teaches.  I need to have a smattering of things, business cards, and I need to figure out what I want to donate to the school for I believe an auction.  I know it needs to be something nice, but I also don't want to give away something that I worked super hard on and may be able to sell for a good amount, you know, and actually get some sort of reward for all the time and effort I put into this stuff every day.

I am getting off the topic of my brain though.  The reason this post is called "A Conspiracy of Sorts" is because I did get back on my wheel again today.  It felt so good to throw.  Best thing ever.  I had some goals today.  I wanted to throw a candle warmer, because I want to own a candle warmer, and I would rather make one than buy one - which is the case with just about everything that I CAN make, as long as I'm not feeling lazy.  The last time I sat down to try this I miserably failed.  Failed not only at making a warmer, but I did not successfully throw anything.  I think that's why I took a small vacation from it.  Today I did manage to throw the warmer base and a little dish to sit on top to hold the wax.  I was very pleased.  The warmer was made on my first try.  After this I set to work on trying to throw a teapot, but I want it to be a very large teapot.  If I was ok with a small teapot, I would have succeeded.  Basically I tried to accomplish this by throwing tall cylinders and then trying to round them out.  I failed.  Maybe I was too eager, not patient enough, I don't know.  But tall cylinder after tall cylinder eventually fell into a bowl.  and I decided I would rather have a bowl than completely scrap what I had made.  And so, the clay and wheel conspired against me and after that candle warmer the rest of everything I made were bowls.  It's not that I dislike bowls, in fact I should probably make them more.  I just wanted a teapot and I did not get a teapot.