It's All About The Style

I’ve been thinking about the style of my clay art recently. One of the biggest compliments I receive is when someone sees one of my pieces and immediately recognizes that it was made by me. It has taken me years of practice to get to this stage and find my own creative voice in clay. 

This past week, a pottery group I belong to has been discussing how social media has impacted copying and whether that is a good or bad thing. Some of the questions that have arisen include: "Does an artist want their work to be copied from Internet postings and then sold?"  "Is it okay for an artist to copy another’s work and sell it?"  This discussion has been another way to look at the origins of my own clay art and the creativity behind it. 

When I was first introduced to the Pinterest App, I was obsessed. I love looking at pottery postings and felt I was introduced to new work that I never would have been exposed to before. It upgraded the inspirational hard copy scrapbooks with magazine tear-outs I had previously created to an on-line version. 

In order to make art, it's necessary to gain certain skills. Copying those techniques and universal shapes over and over is necessary and allows a serious artist the opportunity to begin to experiment and tweak and develop their own voice. Confidence builds with each success and every failure. 

When I’ve taught a workshop or class, I’ve noticed that even when every student copies what I’ve demonstrated, none of them looks exactly like mine. They can’t. They may look similar, but not exactly the same. Each person brings their own touch to the clay. 

I like looking at social media to see what other potters are making. It does spark ideas for my own interpretation. Is that a form of copying? I think the answer is probably yes -- in a way. For me, social media is one of the tools I use to promote my own ideas and seek out what other artists are creating. It has opened up an entire world of discovery and I think that is a good thing. I don't like or want to have my own clay art copied exactly and then sold by someone else. That does not seem right, but if I can influence another artist to think outside of their own creative box, it's a good thing. That's how we all grow.

I look at originality as a building block. My creativity is shaped by all I have learned and seen in classes and on-line. I’m turning those ideas into something someone else can look at, recognize and say – “That’s ClayByLaura.”

Have you joined the club yet? Sign up now to get in on the special discount club members will receive for the month of July! It's easy. Click on the photo above. Fill in the information. Check your email. Respond to the email. That's it! You're in!!!

Hold The Pickles, Hold The Lettuce . . .

How many of you know the next line to this 1970’s Burger King commercial? It’s been one of those weeks in the studio where I’ve been finishing and starting some special orders. These collaborative efforts between me and my customer occur on a regular basis. Creating a piece ‘your way’ often starts with the question, “could you make…?”

It can be as simple as making something from my inventory in a different color glaze. I was asked to create this medium sized baking dish in my red/white glaze combination. Done!

Some times, I’m asked to revive a shape I’ve made in the past. I forgot how much I enjoy making these sea turtle photo/recipe holders. They were a regular item in my inventory when we lived in Hilton Head,  South Carolina. These have been requested as a give-away at an upcoming fall wedding.

Other times, I’m asked to create a totally new item. This chalice and paten set are in progress for a nearby church. The design has progressed successfully with creative input from the customers.  

If you'd like a turn at some creative fun, I'll be teaching another craft party through The Muse in July. I provide all the materials you need to make a colorful potsticker for your garden or indoor plant. Check out the details and sign up here.

It’s fun to go in the studio and create a custom piece. It’s one of the ways I am able to enhance my imaginative juices, tweak a design to fit a custom request and gain satisfaction from the clay art I produce. Do you have a special request you'd like me to create? Click here to let me know!

Have you joined the ClayByLaura Club yet? Don't miss out! If you're a member, look for a special discount for on-line purchases made in the month of July! It's easy to sign up.  Click on photo above. Then, check your email to complete the registration! You're in.

If you're of a certain age (like me), it’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it?!  Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us…. 

Let The Benefits Begin!

A few weeks ago I started The ClayByLaura Club. Membership is easy and the perks are pretty sweet! One of the rewards is a chance to win a free pottery giveaway. This month, the lucky winner will receive one of my handmade mugs. I’ve heard from many of my customers it’s the go-to choice for a hot morning beverage or afternoon pick-me-up. 

There are other advantages to membership in the ClayByLaura Club. In addition to free ceramics, Members enjoy a standard 10 % discount on all on-line purchases. They also receive exclusive discount offers for ClayByLaura creations throughout the year. Sneak previews of the latest studio creations and regular studio updates like the Monday morning blog round out the benefits.

So how does it work? Easy. Just enter your name and email address on the club membership page here. Look for a confirmation email and click on the link provided. That’s it. You’re a member and you could have a chance to win a ClayByLaura creation too!

I've been working on a new series of tiny bowls with words. Got any suggestions for me? I'd love to hear them!

Oh, I guess you’d like to know who won the mug! 

Be sure and add your name to 'the bowl' for the next giveaway!

One Good Turn...

This lazy susan is part of a glaze kiln I just unloaded this week filled with some custom order creations and last minute inventory additions for a weekend craft show. And the phrasing “one good turn deserves another” couldn’t be more apropos to sum up the experience of a craft show vendor.

I’ve visited many a festival as an attendee. Participation as a seller gives you a whole different perspective and peek behind the curtain. There are several constants that occur in every sales event I’ve worked. 

It begins with unloading and unpacking in a new ‘store front’ location. Sometimes you bring all the tables and props along with inventory, other times you work within the show’s designated display arrangement. It’s a busy, frenetic time of creating a community. Each vendor is focused on setting up, unpacking, arranging and re-arranging their temporary quarters. Introductions occur with immediate neighbors. Some have worked shows together before, others are new to the neighborhood. 

Once the vendors are set, there may be time to venture beyond your own block of neighbors and get a broader picture of the other show participants. Once the show begins, there is often little time to get this overview perspective. 

The sense of immediate community with other creators happens quickly. Show neighbors are helpful to each other, share past show experience advice, swap some personal insights and become new friends. 

This past weekend’s festival was an outdoor event so weather played a determining factor on attendance. We were clipped by a torrent of rain on day-one which cancelled some of the planned music and libations, deterred attendance and soaked some of the vendor’s art. We had better weather-luck on day two, so the music played and the food trucks could serve. 

As a vendor, the range of emotions you experience during a show vary wildly. Excitement, trepidation, delight, satisfaction, disappointment, elation – they are all part of the journey. But the constant I’ve found throughout these shows is the generosity and like-minded spirit of my artistic neighbors. Their helpful and encouraging attitude make me a better artist and person and truly embody the motto “one good turn deserves another.”

Have you joined the club? Click this image, apply, check and respond to your email. That's it! Don't miss out on the monthly giveaway to be announced in next week's blog post!

Looking For Meaning

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. It’s a holiday established to honor and remember the men and women who have died in military service to our country. Parades, concerts, picnics and cemetery visits are all part of the history and tradition of the third weekend in May each year.

Click photo to order!

Days like these make me think about what I can do as an individual that could have some sort of significance. So here’s my thought. I’ve designed a Stars and Stripes version of a ‘circle bowl’ in the studio. It’s the perfect size for catching keys by the front door, holding odds and ends on your desk or serving a snack from the kitchen.

Click photo to order!

Order one between May 30 and June 6, 2016 and I’ll donate $10 of each sale to the charity K9’s for Warriors. It’s a program that matches rescue dogs with veterans coping with PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post 9/11. These bowls will be made to order (about a 3 week process) and will be shipped in time for the next big holiday – Fourth of July. Please help me fill up the kiln with these commemorative bowls which helps us both pay it forward. Order one for you, your friend or a service member.

Click photo to order!

Have you joined the Club yet? Click this photo. Fill out the information. Check your email. Click on the confirmation link. You're in and the benefits begin!

Join The Club!

Membership does have its benefits. I’ve created a special ClayByLaura Club for my on-line business. It’s simple to join and the rewards are plentiful. Click on the Club link here. Enter your name and email address. Complete the application by responding to the notice you receive in your email. That’s it! No muss, no fuss!

So here’s the value of your ClayByLaura Club membership:

1.    You will receive our secret handshake code to use any time you make an on-line purchase for 10% off your order!

2.    You will automatically be entered to receive special sale offers or a giveaway each month. Members will get discount codes to save on a featured item or a chance to receive a ClayByLaura creation in the mail. You will receive a special Club email with the pertinent details. 

3.    Want to be the first to see and pre-order the latest ClayByLaura creation? Club members will get exclusive peeks before a new item is released for general sale.

4.    Subscription to the ClayByLaura weekly blog. Receive an inside look at the latest news, photos and ideas from the studio.

Even if you already receive this blog through your email, you'll need to sign up to get the full benefits of the ClayByLaura club. So click on any of the photos to enter. It’s easy. And remember to complete the application by responding to the special email you receive in your inbox. The membership benefits begin immediately.  Invite your friends to join too! Forward this email to them or click here to sign them up! The more the merrier!

Learn As You Go

Teaching is one of the ways I learn. I was reminded of that again this past week in a craft party class I taught for The Muse. It was lots of fun resulting in an array of colorful, musical wind chimes that will grace the gardens of each student!

Every class or workshop introduces me to a new group of people. It’s been the start of many friendships and lasting bonds. I enjoy the solitary practice of creation in my studio, but breaking out, sharing class-time with students and getting that interaction is special. 

Teaching gives me new perspective on ‘the way’ I approach and make art. I have built my creative skills through practice and learning from classes and workshops. But when the tables turn and you teach a skill that might be easy for you to do, it’s important to step back and look at it differently. How do you approach this skill if you’ve never done it before?  How do you explain it in words? How do you demonstrate the skill? How do you break it down into understandable, achievable tasks? 

I always come away from teaching a class with ideas that have been sparked by a student. Their technique or approach is often one I’ve never thought of before. Sometimes we repeat what we know, just because it’s what we know. Getting a new perspective from someone approaching it with a fresh perspective is fantastic. 

I like to plan. I make lists, I outline tasks, I set goals. Somehow the classroom setting always veers off the planned course and inevitably leads to new discovery. Perhaps that technique I thought would be so simple to explain, show and teach does not register with the student. It opens up new ways to teach and new ideas of how to create. I'm so grateful to share some of my skills with others -- because in the end I am the one who learns just as much! 

Full Time Part Time

I used to believe multi-tasking was a good thing. Being able to take care of two jobs at once was a bonus. Now I’m not so sure. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and my overall ability to focus is waning so doing two things at once means neither gets done very well. But I also think in our busy world, it’s kind of a necessary evil. 

We all face some of these choices in our daily lives. Work requires full time attention. Home demands constant input. Family is another time-worthy investment. And within each of these important categories there are ongoing responsibilities that require attention. How can we do it all and do it well? I don’t necessarily have an answer.

I love getting feedback from my customers. Pat sent me this picture of a bird feeder she recently purchased and told me, "One morning I looked out and saw two goldfinches perched on the bar on either side of the feeder going round and round as the wind spinned it and feeding away! It was so much fun to watch." This made my day!!!

I’ve been thinking about this as I continue to develop the business side of my clay art. Making pottery is the fun and easy part. Photographing, posting on-line, marketing and selling are all crucial elements of the business side of this endeavor. Each could be a full time job. So how do I succeed with a part time effort in each of these areas? 

I participated in a weekend-long indie yarn pop-up shop celebrating the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival at The Knot House this past weekend. I met some incredible fiber artists who create their own colorful lines of yarn for knitting enthusiasts like me. Based on our conversations, I realize they face similar time-consuming choices in making and marketing their creative businesses. Finding a balance and focusing on the most important tasks is the trick. 

Education, organization and compartmentalization have been the key for me to tackle each full time endeavor.  I talk to other artists and creative people I know to share ideas on methods they use. I’ve taken some professional workshops to gain insight on improving my skills in unfamiliar territory. I’m working on streamlining a system to achieve the necessary steps for marketing my creations and carving out specific time to undertake these tasks. And finally, I’m conjuring all my yoga-inspired focus to stay in the moment and be present in the activity I’m working on and letting go of the distractions that so often lure me away from my goal. 

Mother's Day gives me an extra chance to reflect on my Mom. Even though it's grainy -- I love this picture of us. She was my original role model for balancing all the full time jobs of life -- job, family and home. As a single mother, she made it all work to the best of her ability. It wasn't always perfect -- but I realize even more now since her death -- the journey toward managing all these full time pursuits is choosing the most important tasks and learning to say no to the distractions.