Where Is The Love?

Since Valentines Day happens this week, I’ve got a short list of what I love about pottery. 

It's a skill I'm good at and is fun to share.

I'm always learning something new. This custom potsticker features a quahog. Next time I'm in New England, I'll know they're referring to what I call a clam!

I can repeat what I love over and over. I'm prepping for a 3-day arts festival in Alabama. I hope they love flower vases!

It always keeps me coming back for more. There's always a new shape to create and explore.

There’s so much to love in our lives. Let’s focus on that this week and remember to tell all the valentines in your life how special they are to you.

What's Your Influence?

Did you watch the Super Bowl last night? Maybe you aren’t a football fan but watched the game to see the widely anticipated commercials. Advertisers are often recognized for their clever creativity broadcast during this annual marquee event. My husband and I enjoy viewing and rating the commercials throughout the evening. 

Brownies were the dessert of choice for last night's game!

Advertising and marketing have evolved since I worked in that realm after college. Creativity is still an absolute in the industry and continues to grow, but the methods for spreading ‘the word’ have changed with the times. Print, radio and tv advertisements dominated the industry way back when. Now, social media has added an entire new layer of advertising for product awareness. 

Do you think about the function of a particular ClayByLaura piece before you make a purchase? Is that important to you?

What’s your best resource for advertisement influence these days? Think about the products you buy and what may have swayed your interest. Did you hear about it somewhere? Did you see it demonstrated on a program you watch? Did you read about it in a favorite publication? Did a friend tell you about it? Advertisers like to know their customers. That helps them determine how to market for their clients.

Click this photo to 'tell me more.'

I think about my own customers and how best to market ClayByLaura all the time. I like building relationships and making pieces you’ll enjoy using. It’s helpful to know as much as I can about our connection. Please take a moment to answer some questions that will help me continue to create what you like to purchase and subsequently influence new customers to do the same!

Work + Play

From the outside, my chosen profession looks like fun. I agree. It is lots of fun. But the serious, business side of a creative endeavor exists as well. I think most working artists would agree that the balance between creative work and creativity is a constant juggling act. 

This new shape developed from a conversation at this weekend's tray-making party. "Could you make something like your sponge holder, only a little bit bigger to hold a toothbrush and toothpaste?" I couldn't wait to get in the studio yesterday to work out this suggestion. This is the fun part of what I do!

I love making ‘something’ out of clay. It’s my favorite part of the process. When creativity flows, it is empowering and exhilarating. Marketing, public relations, and sales are also crucial skills necessary to attain success. This business prowess requires equal attention, dedication and time. 

Customers often give me ideas for ClayByLaura sales opportunities. I always appreciate the suggestions and like to seek out new ways of marketing what I create in the studio. I'll be heading back to Huntsville, Alabama this spring to participate in an annual 3-day arts festival called Panoply. It looks like I've got my work cut out for me! Click on the photo above if you have any ideas for me -- perhaps a new shape or place to sell ClayByLaura. I appreciate your input!

Making Memories

Often, I’m commissioned to create something out of clay that captures or generates a special memory for the owner. I like these assignments. They are humbling, fulfilling and terrifying all at once.

Some examples of recent projects include this memorial wind chime I just completed. It commemorates the love of a dog and its human. This particular animal was rescued and adopted. As a dog owner myself, I know the heartache when a favorite pet dies. Hopefully, this memento can provide a visual and musical reminder of happy memories as it gently sings and sways in the wind. 

It’s the hair of this mask that has me excited. I’ve made similar shapes in the studio before. This one was commissioned by a local friend. I found a discarded broken construction broom several months ago and knew I could use it as part of a future project. Et Voila! I cut the 'well-worn' bristles to create the spiky mane for the mask!

I love it when customers send me photos of their purchases in use. Here are some recent examples. A baking dish (pictured above) purchased as a holiday gift and commissioned in a specific glaze color combination was put straight to use filled with a favorite baked grits recipe. An oval flower block can be used year round. This beautiful mantle display (pictured below) features local art and the vase filled with cotton branches. Seeing these photos evokes memories for me too. It makes me happy to picture customers using their ClayByLaura creations and reminds me that what I do is fostering new memories all the time. 

What special memory can I create for you? Click on the photo above to begin!

Are You Contagious?

I’m not talking about germs here. I’m thinking about attitude. How we spread ideas and our passion can have a lasting effect on others, much longer than a simple cold or the flu. Today’s celebration of MLK Day in the United States has me reflecting on this important ripple effect. Click on this quote to hear Martin Luther King deliver some of his contagious inspiration!

This new doggie shape is part of a totem stack I'm creating for a special customer in South Carolina.

My creativity feeds off of my friends and customers. When I get positive feedback or suggestions for a new shape to try, it provides a positive energy I take with me to the studio. It may take several attempts to achieve what I consider a satisfactory result, but I like the process and realize failure only leads me closer to a good solution. 

This wind chime commission memorializes a sweet husky named Kayla. Once the pieces are completely decorated, they will be strung together.

People that recognize the ClayByLaura ‘style’ often use the word happy in their description. The fact that my creations have become distinguishable and transmit the passion I feel as they are made are the perfect compliment to receive. This is my kind of virus!

One of my new Huntsville, Alabama friends asked me to create a deviled egg tray. I fiddled around with a couple of designs before developing this shape. We are both really happy with the end result.

Several Colorful Ways to Combat Winter's Frozen Grey

Where I live, there is no question that winter is here. It has been so cold that some of the pipes in our house froze this past week. My friends further south in Hilton Head, SC experienced more than a dusting of snow over their normally green winter lawns. The low temperatures and unusual winter weather can tamp down our activity and sometimes our mood. 

I’ve got some suggestions to help bring a little color into your world to help make it a little brighter! One of the things I miss when it’s so cold outside is color. Everything seems to take on a grey pall. If you have a garden or outdoor patio space, it’s easy to introduce a pop of color to your vista. 

At the top of the list, is this hanging bird feeder. Keep it filled to watch the hungry birds in your neighborhood flock to your yard. It can be suspended from a tree branch or decorative wrought iron post. Click on this photo to get yours!

This little ladybug can adorn a potted plant outdoors or inside. Adding even a small pop of color to your living space can uplift your spirits! Want one? Click this photo to shop!

A colorful wind chime will sing to you as the winds blow outside. Place one near a prominent window in your home. Every time you catch a glimpse of this bright decoration, you'll be reminded that spring and the warmer months are on their way! I'm currently working on some custom windchimes to memorialize favorite pets and family members. Let me know if I can create one for you! Click on the photo to let me know!

Buy yourself some flowers. Use that sweet tea pitcher on hiatus to house a beautiful bunch of color. Place it where you'll see it most often! Need a pitcher to hold your flower bunch? Click photo to purchase.

Garden totems and potsticker stacks are a year-round embellishment to any outdoor space! They can enhance a lush flower bed at the height of the growing season AND remain as a colorful accent when the surroundings are winter-barren.  Contact me to create a unique stack of shapes for your yard -- the possibilities are only limited to our imaginations! Click this photo to give me your ideas.

In and Out

The Washington Post publishes a list of what's in and what's out at the beginning of each new year. I always have enjoyed reading this and feel good when I can recognize the listings that are mentioned (which is not always the case)!

I've been thinking about the pieces I create in the studio and decided to make my own in and out list for 2018.  As much as I love everything I create, it's also important that you like and want to purchase them too. I plan to keep making popular items, perhaps tweaking their design or color combinations. I'll also introduce some new shapes that have been on my mind too.

As always, your feedback is important to me. Tell me what you think about the list. Have I left anything out? I'd like to know!

Out: Large Basket     In: Baking Dish

Out: Holiday Word Dishes     In: Ugly Sweater Ornaments

Out: Watering Can     In: Custom Garden Designs

Out: Chalkboards     In: Sponge/Plant Container

Out: Ceramic Flowers     In: Ceramic Flower Containers

Out: Garden Markers     In: Garden Windchimes

Out: Dream Houses     In: Mixed Media Ensemblage                 

Out: Sweater Pins     In: Making Sweaters

Out: Message Plates     In: Trays, Trays and more Trays

Out: Potstickers     In: Plant Blobs

Out: Recipe Stand     In: Recipe Boxes

Out: Ring Holder     In: Mixed Media Jewelry

Out: Package Tags Ornaments     In: Holiday Trees                             

Happy New Year. Click on the photo below if you'd like to give me some feedback or tell me what you'd like to see me make in 2018!

Be Merry!

It's a good day to savor all that is good in your life. Soak it in.

I think some of the things all of the winter holidays have in common is family time, familiar recipes, unity and a reminder we are in this world together!