The Pin Tool Podcast | Pottery | Ceramics | Small Business

How do you generate ideas while creating art? In this episode, you help me kiln sit as I fire an updraft and chat about design. I discuss some ways ideas for work might happen and the sources we might draw from to generate elements in our art. A list of good books mentioned are in the show notes.  “Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone befo...

In today's world, we do not need to wait to be picked due to social media and the internet. We can pick ourselves. Many of the standards that were once used by gatekeepers to define what a good pot was may no longer be relevant. Or are they? Design, function, and elements on a form, when used intentionally, can add interest and help communicate what you might be trying to say to the world. Can we...

Many people leave it up to luck, fate, or "Kiln gods" when firing out work.  But once you get to know your kiln, you can use it to add a whole new layer of interest to your work by how you choose to fire it. Even when electric firing, using different firing schedules, holds, cooling techniques, and much more can make your pots more exciting to create and enjoy. So be brave, put some shelf cones in...

Many times we may feel anxiety about how we are spending our time. Either we feel we were not as productive as we would like to be or even when we are able to complete all the daily goals we gain anxiety by adding more things. In this episode I discuss some ideas from the book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. by Oliver Burkeman. Thanks for listening!  Journals I was able to publis...

We fill many roles in our lives and community.  Putting all effort into just one role may bankrupt the other vital roles that make us who we are.  This, in turn, can have a negative effect on our work and our ability to create good work.  In order to keep receiving golden eggs from the goose, you need to take care of the goose so it is able to produce the eggs.  This means taking time to cultivate...

Many times we might like to leave it up to others to take ownership because it's easier and lets us off the hook. However, what others do and say for us may not be what's best for us or our work and life story.  In this episode, I discuss the topic of taking ownership or our attitudes, goals, actions, and our lives. I need to work on all of these things myself.  How would taking ownership improve...

In this episode, I talk about kiln deities and their role in firing out work and the influences they have over the process.  Thanks so much to The Potscast - all about Pottery Being Brave for the wonderful interview on her podcast. We had a nice chat about my background and ideas about pottery and firing.  You can find the episode here: The Potscast with… Al Wayman Also, here in the link to my new...

Overall, it was a fair and foul month, but like some say, “Done is better than perfect, and perfect is never perfect but only better “. Many times, you just need to keep showing up for yourself and others. Losing a whole buying community will take a while to walk off, but I had already started diversifying last year and so only lost about 1/3 of my revenue. I’m a big community guy, and my peeps we...

In this episode, we talk about idea generation; collecting, and the germination of creative seeds using the book " The Creative Act: A Way Of Being. " by Rick Rubin   Many times we might stall when we run out of ideas creatively.  That's why it's important to collect many seeds and store them to plant later.  Seeds will not grow if you never water them or if you're too overbearing.  How do you col...

In this episode, we talk about a few ways you could use Artificial Intelligence as a creation tool.  With the rise of ChatGPT in search and the controversy and questions around AI-generated art, is it even possible to use it as a tool in creating our work?  Feel free to let me know by commenting!  Books Mentioned The Creative Act: A Way of Being. By Rick Rubin Book of the Farm. By Henry Stephens S...

In this episode, I go over a few steps you can take to manage seasonal depression maybe and avoid an existential vacuum. We discuss Victor Frankel's ideas about Existential Vacuum in his book Man's Search For Meaning .  I also cover the idea of the Hero's Journey with ideas from Joseph Campbell's  Hero with a Thousand Faces .  Life is far to short not to plan a journey.  Also, the business philoso...

Many times, makers prefer to avoid taking custom orders out of fear. In this episode, I talk about a few tips that can be done to manage custom orders better and make the experience and customer interaction more enjoyable.  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, and may the new year bring you new projects and adventures! Feel free to leave a comment if you find these episodes helpful! The...

I had a situation where I needed to have pots at three different places on the same weekend.  In one show,  all direct marketing was required to sell, as very few, it seemed, came to buy pots. I felt out of place outside my Story base/ Permission base comfort zone.  I was able to meet my goal of selling one pot.  But in a direct marketing environment, I had to work harder for it.  You may get a ch...

I made the trip from Laceyville, Pennsylvania to the beautiful upstate New York though the farm land with my father to pick up an old time treadle wheel. I found the treadle wheel on Facebook marketplace for a great price. I always wanted to try one, and having one would make my pottery off grid. It was a stand-up treadle wheel that was rather large and heavy, with a one-hundred and twenty-five po...

Things can get real busy, so this year I decided to start early to make things easier on myself.  Here are a few things I plan to try while I am making work for the holiday season.  #creekroadpottery #pottery #ceramics #handmade #smallbusiness

Due to high inflation, selling work may be a bit challenging.  In this episode, I offer some tips on cutting cost and a few ideas on how you might generate revenue to survive the hard times.  You may need to be brave and try new things.  For me personally, I  do not wish to raise prices, but I am looking for ways to cut costs in my process while still maintaining quality.  Hand mixing glazes from...

When you hire a plumber to stop over and fix a leaky pipe, you need them to show up and try to do their best work, or at least meet your expectations in doing the work.  As potters and artists, we may need to practice in showing up in very much the same way.  Allowing the customer to have a positive experience with you can be good for sales, lead to more work, and even on days when you might not f...

While on vacation from the pottery last week, I realized my body of work may encompass more than simply making the art, marketing, and selling.  Here, I discuss seven things your work may encompass in your life that you may not even realize.  If you take time to observe, read, network, rest, think, tell your story, and communicate without beating yourself up you could create better work.  Many thi...

There are many things to look at when doing prep work and participating in a show to sell your art work.  Analyzing opportunity cost, having the right product for the right buyers, and doing follow up is all very important. In this podcast I talk about the ways I think about shows and I hope you find the tips somewhat useful.    #creekroadpottery #pottery #marketing #ceramics #customerdevelopment...

In this episode, we discuss 45 ways we might stall our work from being put into the world due to fear.  Using Seth Godin's book, " The Practice: Shipping Creative Work ." We discuss the many ways creators use to stall.  I myself may have used all of these at some point.  Have you?

Life can get busy! In this episode, we talk about five time management tips if you make pottery after work.  A little can be a lot when collected.

The post S1E2: Intentional Action appeared first on Creek Road Pottery LLC .

The post S1E1: Dealing With Burnout appeared first on Creek Road Pottery LLC .