Now Accepting Plastic

I just received my first ever credit card reader in the mail!  I am really excited to have this device added to my business.  I think this is going to be a big help to me when it comes to shows.  I had been thinking about getting one for a while but was hesitant due to expense questions I had and wanting to really be sure this was a safe and secure method of payment.  I wanted it to be worth the endeavor and I think this totally is!  I had compared all the different options (I think) that are out there for being able to take credit payments through a smart phone.  PayPal Here was the best option for me, especially since I have had a business account set up with them already for my Etsy shop.  I tried it out with my own card and it could not be more simple to operate!  Plus, I love that you sign with your finger!  After the sale goes through I can give the customer the option to receive a receipt via e-mail, text, or not at all.  I am bringing this with me for my spring show in Maryland this April, but I plan to use it with the iPad rather than the phone.

Spring Show 2013

I will be making another trip down to Maryland for my second Arryn Vogan Pottery show!  Save the date:  Saturday, April 20th.  My first show was in Maryland in October of 2011 and it was such an awesome night!  I had so much fun – it was a great success all around.  I wanted the show to be an annual event, but I just couldn’t pull it together to make it happen this past fall.  (Why not?  I was only trying to adjust to life with a newborn, how hard could that have been?)  This April it is!   I am working like a madwoman in the studio the days that I am in there.  I am really excited to head back down for another show.  Lots of exciting and new things to share!  If you are around come check it out, it is an open house.  I do have invites going out, so if you want an actual invite in your hands, let me know and I will be sure to get you on my mailing list.  If you want one to go to a friend, just let me know!  I am looking forward to it!

 

First Impressions

My latest project (aside from all of the studio work that I have been doing) has been building a website and branding.  I was trying to use up my business cards, since I only had a few left, before I ordered new ones.  Before I placed my actual order, however, it was time to redesign and give my logo a bit of a facelift.  I did a ton of sketches for different logos that I could potentially use.  I am definitely planning on keeping that page of sketches around incase I feel the need to make a change in the future.  Once I established the logo I was happy with I started designing my new business cards.  I ordered these little gems from Moo.com.  Such an amazing company!  I cannot say enough great things about them.  They have great prices for their amazing quality!  I have seen a lot of different business cards out there, but the ones from Moo truly stand out.  They are little pieces of artwork themselves.  Plus you can have up to 50 different images to really showcase your work and make each card unique! If I am going to hand out a business card, I want that good first impression.  Every time I see one I always think, Wow, this is a really nice card!  They are thicker than a normal card and have a great satin finish to them.  An artist friend of mine here in NH introduced me to Moo and I will never go back!  If you are needing new cards or are wanting to try something different…check out Moo!  (Phew…I think I should get some free products for that great testimony for Moo.com!  I’m just saying…)

My newest addition to my business cards are the minis!  These are about half the size of a normal business card.  They are so fun and cute.  (Of course, the cuteness factor is totally why I was suckered into them.)  These were not strictly an impulse purchase.  Since I am selling some of my pottery in downtown Exeter, I am using these minis as tags.  Plus these are a great thing to tuck in with smaller purchases, like my rings.  Hope you like my new paraphernalia!

 

 

 

 

Fighting the Burn-Out

I am currently so overwhelmed with everything that I am doing.  I am a full-time wife and mother, which I absolutely adore being!  I am also a hard-working artist.  What does my week look like?  Monday:  I am home with my baby (doing whatever we do…).  Monday nights we all head out for Young Life.  This is seriously one of the best nights of my week!  Tuesday:  In the morning I am in the studio while Andrew is home with Noah.  I get home for lunch and then we switch.  Wednesday:  Mommy and baby.  Thursday:  Studio time in the morning once again.  Friday:  Mommy and baby.  Saturday and Sunday:  Mommy and Baby and sometimes all three of us.  Sometimes these days are a free-for-all, sometimes we are all three home, sometimes we are working, etc.  In-between playtime, feeding Noah, naps, walks, cleaning, cooking and outings, I am left with little time for the list of things I want to get done.

Noah naps twice a day.  Once in the morning for a shorter nap ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.  Then he goes down again around 2 for a long nap of two to three hours.  The morning nap tends to be my “me” time.  I try to enjoy a cup of coffee with my breakfast while I spend some time in my Bible and devotions.  After that, depending on how nap time is going, I get a shower and get dressed for the day.  When Noah is awake I make a conscious effort to not work on the computer or be on my phone.  I want to spend my time with him, even if that means he is rolling around on my warm clean laundry while I am folding and giggling as he knocks over my piles!  I try to soak in the time with him.  The afternoon nap is when I try to be the most productive:  cleaning, prepping for dinner, catching up on e-mails, keeping in touch with customers about their custom orders, blogging, keeping my Etsy site up to date, working on my website, planning my studio days for Tuesday and Thursday, making baby food, and anything else on my list.  Sometimes I end up napping, which is rare, but a much-needed time to feel reenergized and to actually let myself rest.  I often wonder where in the world the time is going and when I think about my day I often end up thinking, What in the world did I get done today?

When I am in the studio, I am trying to work non-stop and get as much done as possible because my window of time is short.  I am working on commissions and building up my product list for my spring show in April.  The clock is ticking and I have a ton to get done between now and then!  I am richly blessed by my husband, Andrew, who is home with Noah.  He is an amazing support to me and and incredible husband and father!

To be honest,  a lot of the time I am trying to avoid feeling burned-out.  What do I do to keep me from feeling that?  Spending time with the Lord is key.  Praying.  Reading my Bible.  It fuels me and encourages me.  It reminds me that God has a plan for me and He is with me through thick and thin.  Playing with Noah gives me tons of joy.  I can’t stop kissing those cheeks and making him smile.  Downtime with my husband is a must!  I love our work, but we need time just as a family and just as husband and wife.  An afternoon cup of tea curled up under a blanket with a good book is incredible as well, once in a while.  Chatting with my parents and skyping with family is always wonderful.  That is what keeps me from feeling burned-out.

If you read this whole post and stuck with me, thank you!  That is a great encouragement to me:  knowing that I have fans of my work and that I can share about my life and family as well.  I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and great week ahead of you.  I will be posting soon about my spring show and details to follow!

Soup Season

I could easily live off of soup and bread.  Soup and a good piece of crusty bread.  Yum!  Andrew and I  received, for our wedding, an amazing soup tureen.  Ever since receiving that tureen three years ago, I have been wanting to make one on the wheel.  What held me back was the amount of clay necessary to throw something substantial like that.  It took 13 pounds of clay to make that soup tureen!  I am rather proud of that.  I have thrown with that much clay, successfully, only twice before.  Truth was, I didn’t have the arm strength to work that much clay on the wheel.  I will thank my son Noah for the ability to throw that much now.  Carrying around and 8 month old (officially tomorrow) will definitely build up the arm strength!  I was throwing soup mugs and large bowls yesterday and decided I should just go for it.  I should try my hand at that tureen.  I can’t keep writing it down on my “to throw” list if I am never going to cross it off.  Well, it was crossed of yesterday!  13 pounds of clay – done.  I also made a ladle for the tureen which I am really excited about.  I think it looks pretty neat.  Now I just need to throw a lid for the tureen and trim it before it is ready to visit the kiln.  Here’s a look at the pieces.

It’s Personal

Dinnerware, teapots, earring trees, cream and sugar sets, wedding platters, etc.  I am constantly throwing product.  I’m throwing what sells and what customers want.  While I take pride in my work and joy in what I create, I also know it is important to throw for myself.  Creating and selling specific product is part of business and I actually really enjoy it.  I love my job!  I would, however, feel very “stuck” if I never created pieces for myself.  Right now I am working on a series of small-mouthed bottles.  These are purely for artistic pleasure.  Having a side project that is just for myself is an incredibly important part of growing and staying fresh as an artist.  I think many of you fellow artisans out there can attest to this.  It keeps me from feeling mundane in my work and allows my creative juices to flow and gives me a good challenge.  I often think back to my undergrad studies at Houghton and the many hours spent in the art building:  in particular, the ceramics studio.  We were constantly encouraged and pushed to think outside the box and create, to really hone in on our skills and push ourselves to that next level.  I never want to stop doing that for myself as an artist.  My personal projects are the bottles.  I want them to be a whole range of sizes and shapes and to be able to showcase my crystalline glazes.  Here is a peek at the first of the bottles.  This one stands around 9 inches tall.  I am excited for this new week and for what it will bring in the studio!

500 lbs

500 pounds of new clay, that is, about 600 pounds total.  I love this sight!  So much potential, so much to create.  I can, believe it or not, move through 500 pounds of clay rather quickly.  I look forward to the day when I am ordering a whole pallet of clay.  Until that point in my artistic career, I will be sticking with 500 pounds at a time.  Right now, this order of clay is going to carry me through commissions and the work for my spring show in Maryland.  (I will be posting about that with more details later.)  Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, but before you sign off here I hope you will help me out in prepping for my spring show…

If you were purchasing pottery or dreaming of purchasing…what would be the item or items that you would want?

I always make myself a throwing list and a product guide for my shows, but I want to hear from you!  Give me your ideas and thoughts.  Who knows – maybe I will just end up making them.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you would want or wish for!

Throwing Day (Part 2)

 

 

The second part of my throwing day was a bit more…independent.  I got to throw with Anna’s three older kids.  It was so much fun!  I got each of them started by wedging their clay and then getting it centered on the wheel.  (Let’s face it, that is often the hardest part.  If you can’t center the clay, you can’t create anything.)  I think these three could handle it.  They opened up the clay, shaped it, and got their hands messy.  Abby’s creation was by far my favorite.  Well, I think her process was my favorite.  She was giggling away at how she went from making a bowl to a plate and then a cup…all with one lump of clay!  Her words, “ahh, this is hard”!  I wish I would be teaching classes each week.  Until then, I love my little team of throwers!  (All images were taken by Anna Bartell Photography).

 

Throwing Day (Part 1)

A couple of weeks before Christmas I had the best day ever in the studio!  I got to spend the afternoon throwing on the wheel with Noah and then with Anna’s kids.  It was so much fun and extra messy!  That day definitely confirms that I want to one day teach classes from my home studio.  Noah, however, needs some time to fall in love with ceramics the way I did.  He was not too happy to be touching the clay.  Ok, ok, he was interested in the clay spinning on the wheel and watching me work the clay, but once he touched it…different story!  I don’t think he liked the feel of the wet clay moving under his little hands and fingers.  I think it may have freaked him out.  He would cry and turn to me, but then be interested again and want to give it another try.  Like all good parents do, Andrew and I laughed!  It was just too cute and too funny.  Don’t worry, I didn’t make him play in the mud the whole day, but I did want him to give it a try.  I think a year from now, if he is anything like me, he will have NO problem playing in the mud.  Anna took all of these photos.  It was a really fun afternoon.  (Anna has a new website, by the way.  If you haven’t seen it yet or have never heard of her…check her out here. It is awesome!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serendipity

Happy New Year!  I can’t believe it is 2013 already!  Time to take a look back at this year and see what goals were accomplished and which ones I am still working towards.  I am excited for this new year.  I have a LOT planned for my business and in my personal work in the studio.  As I was looking through my short and long-term goals, I was encouraged to see that I have been steadily checking things off of my goal list.  One of my goals has been to start selling some of my pottery in local shops here in Exeter.  Serendipity is my first one!

Serendipity is such a neat store.  All hand-made, local goods.  There are some really beautiful things in there and a lot of unique items as well.  When I met with the owner to talk about selling some of my work, she was eager to try out some of my things.  So far I am selling my earring trees and my rings in her shop right in downtown Exeter.  If you have never gone in, shame!  Do it!  It is such a cute shop.  Caution:  You will want everything in there!  I have been doing fairly well in there.  I have already had to bring in a second batch of earring trees.  Come check out the store and support the local business!