A Hallmark moment
Oct. 29th, 2017 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
offcntrReposted from offcenter.biz.
You know that old joke--"Ask me what the hallmark of great comedy is."
What's the hallmark of great com--"Timing."
Timing is everything, this time of year. The end of the year, from October through Christmas, is a series of interlocking hard deadlines. Clay Fest was there, Clayfolk is here, Holiday Market is over there (and there, and there and there...). It takes me 4-6 weeks to make and fire a load of pottery, so I get two firings between Clay Fest and Christmas--and this is the one time of year where I can sell pottery as fast as (if not faster than) I can make it.
Add in the fact that I fire at a co-op studio, so need to fit my firing schedule in with Jon's and Tea's, and things start to get complicated.
And then there's the unexpected changes. I lose a day to a gallery-restock run, another to a mandatory meeting in Southern Oregon. Tea needs an extra day in his firing schedule; can I load a day early? I guess we'll find out.
It doesn't help that after weeks of heat waves and forest fires, we're abruptly in fall weather: cool, damp, overcast when it's not actively raining. Everything in the studio is drying slowly, and taking it outside to dry in the sunshine only a fond memory.
Then there's deciding what to make. Most of the year, I play catch-up. I start with a full inventory in April, then make pots to replace what's sold. I'll come back from a big show with a list of items with a month to make and fire them before the next show. That won't work now; starting in mid-November, I have a big show every weekend.
So I have to anticipate, guess what's gonna sell. Pie plates are easy, pie plates always go. Soups, plates, tall and painted mugs are a gimme, bigger items more of a crapshoot. People spend more, buy bigger at Christmas, but what will they want? Will it be serving bowls? Casseroles? Oh, God, should I be making teapots? (Yes, yes I should.)
Factor in Real Life interruptions--the insulation folks are coming in early November, so all the artwork must come off the exterior walls, all the furniture move in a foot. So much cleaning and sorting to do, most of it falling on Denise at the moment.
You know that old joke--"Ask me what the hallmark of great comedy is."What's the hallmark of great com--"Timing."
Timing is everything, this time of year. The end of the year, from October through Christmas, is a series of interlocking hard deadlines. Clay Fest was there, Clayfolk is here, Holiday Market is over there (and there, and there and there...). It takes me 4-6 weeks to make and fire a load of pottery, so I get two firings between Clay Fest and Christmas--and this is the one time of year where I can sell pottery as fast as (if not faster than) I can make it.
Add in the fact that I fire at a co-op studio, so need to fit my firing schedule in with Jon's and Tea's, and things start to get complicated.
And then there's the unexpected changes. I lose a day to a gallery-restock run, another to a mandatory meeting in Southern Oregon. Tea needs an extra day in his firing schedule; can I load a day early? I guess we'll find out.
It doesn't help that after weeks of heat waves and forest fires, we're abruptly in fall weather: cool, damp, overcast when it's not actively raining. Everything in the studio is drying slowly, and taking it outside to dry in the sunshine only a fond memory.
Then there's deciding what to make. Most of the year, I play catch-up. I start with a full inventory in April, then make pots to replace what's sold. I'll come back from a big show with a list of items with a month to make and fire them before the next show. That won't work now; starting in mid-November, I have a big show every weekend.
So I have to anticipate, guess what's gonna sell. Pie plates are easy, pie plates always go. Soups, plates, tall and painted mugs are a gimme, bigger items more of a crapshoot. People spend more, buy bigger at Christmas, but what will they want? Will it be serving bowls? Casseroles? Oh, God, should I be making teapots? (Yes, yes I should.)
Factor in Real Life interruptions--the insulation folks are coming in early November, so all the artwork must come off the exterior walls, all the furniture move in a foot. So much cleaning and sorting to do, most of it falling on Denise at the moment.
So timing is everything right now. It's just time that's lacking.